Which NBA teams could most improve their win-totals in 2022-23?
The 2022-23 NBA season tips-off in just under two months. After plenty of ongoing trade scuttlebutt, it’s all but certain that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving will return to the Brooklyn Nets while the league awaits the Donovan Mitchell domino to fall. Many rosters are close to being finalized, so let’s discuss which teams could improve their win total from the 2021-22 season.
I narrowed it down to six teams, even though there’s about 10-12 teams that I really believe can take a leap.
In no way, shape or form does this mean I like your team more than the next, nor does it mean I think your team will be the best, it just means I think the team could improve for whatever the reason may be (free agency, trades, return from injury, etc.)
Let’s jump into it!
Honorable Mentions: New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks, Brooklyn Nets (believe it or not), Detroit Pistons, Oklahoma City Thunder
Los Angeles Clippers (42-40)
Key additions: G John Wall (two years, $13.3M)
Key departures: Isaiah Hartenstein (Knicks)
Skinny: While they did lose in the play-in, the Clippers still won 42 games despite Paul George playing just 31 games and Kawhi Leonard missing the entire season. Both are expected to start the season healthy, and even without the dynamic duo, they’re legitimately two-to-three players deep at every position but center. That’s a great problem to have.
The Clippers’ success hinges largely on the health of their two stars, which has been a question since they linked together prior to the 2019-20 NBA season. Leonard and George have played in 40 percent — 104 of the 260 available games — together (playoffs + play-in included) but have gone 72-32 in such games. That’s a 57-win pace across 82 games. And they have north of an 11.0 NET Rating when they’re on the floor together. Pretty good, I’ll say.
Now that Ty Lue has his deepest team ever — including Norman Powell, Luke Kennard, Terance Mann, Marcus Morris, Robert Covington and Ivica Zubac — it’s primed to potentially be the top-seed in the Western Conference come the playoffs.
Philadelphia 76ers (51-31)
Key additions: P.J. Tucker (three years, $33.3M), De’Anthony Melton (traded from Memphis); G Danuel House Jr. (two years, $8.4M); G Trevelin Queen (two years, $3.5M)
Key departures: G/F Danny Green (Memphis), C DeAndre Jordan (Nuggets)
Skinny: I’ve been on record saying I didn’t like the Tucker deal from a financial and flexibility standpoint on the Sixers side of things. They’re hard-capped and it will be an uphill battle improving the margins come the deadline with only so much room to work with — unless Tobias Harris’ hefty $37.2 million contract is in the deal.
Nevertheless, I think Philadelphia improved considerably this offseason.
They got tougher with Tucker, a player who recent history suggests could lift Philadelphia to a title contender with his impact defensively, on the glass and as a screener to free up Philly’s perimeter threats. Melton is an underrated, lengthy guard who can defend multiple positions and can spot up from distance (40.6 percent on C&S 3s in ‘21-22); he can also help ease ballhandling duties from James Harden and Tyrese Maxey. House is another capable 3-point shooter that will be asked to defend some of the opponents’ best wings from time-to-time as well.
All in all, they improved their toughness, spacing around Embiid and became more versatile defensively plus from a roster construction standpoint. They can very well be a top-3 seed in the East.
Minnesota Timberwolves (46-36)
Key additions: C Rudy Gobert (traded from Utah); F Kyle Anderson (two years, $18M); G Austin Rivers (one year, $2.9M); F Wendell Moore Jr. (draft); G Bryn Forbes (one year, $2.9M); F Josh Minott (draft), G Matteo Spagnolo (draft); G A.J. Lawson (two-way)
Kay departures: G Patrick Beverley, G Malik Beasley, F Jarred Vanderbilt, C Walker Kessler, G Leandro Bolmaro (all traded to Utah); G Trey McGowens (traded to Charlotte)
Skinny: Yes, I know what you’re thinking. Minnesota willingly overpaid for Gobert, who is an … interesting fit next to Karl-Anthony Towns.
While all that is true, there’s no doubt in my mind that they are shaped to be a better regular season that could be a top-5/6 seed.
He might not be the nimblest defender in-space — but Gobert is still an elite rim protector, one of the best this sport has seen in recent memory. At worst, he sways shots with the best of them and makes any paint attempt *that* much harder to convert.
Minnesota’s point-of-attack defensive personnel — led by Anderson, Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels — is more equipped to mitigate Gobert’s deficiencies than Utah’s was pre-trade. This will only make life easier for Gobert on the backline and accentuate his strengths around the rim.
Offensively, Gobert — one of the best screeners in the NBA — will be able to free-up Minnesota’s top ballhandlers with capable-enough floor spacers surrounding him. I’d like to see him be more aggressive with his rim-running and with his back to the basket; the hi-low potential with KAT and Gobert could be lethal, but it’s a strange fit, nonetheless.
I didn’t like the trade at the time and still really don’t because of what Minnesota had to give up, but the Wolves should unquestionably be a better regular season team, barring injury.
Boston Celtics (51-31)
Key additions: Malcolm Brogdon (traded from Indiana); Danilo Gallinari (two years, $13.3M)
Key departures: G/F Aaron Nesmith, C Daniel Theis, G Nik Stauskas, F Malik Fitts, F Juwan Morgan (all traded to Indiana);
Skinny: There’s a case to be made that the Celtics improved as much as any other NBA team this offseason.
Boston acquired former All-Star Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari without giving up of any of its other eight main rotation players — who, by the way, were really good last season.
Brogdon’s on-court acumen and selfless play alone is almost certainly going to help ten-fold, especially with the ball-movement that Boston struggled with at times throughout the postseason. Gallinari adds to their frontcourt depth and can space the floor, something Boston also definitely behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Think about it, Boston was the best team leaguewide in the second half of the season, made it out of the Eastern Conference after winning three straight road games against Miami, picked up above average rotation players and are legit 10-deep. The only concerns about Brogdon and Gallinari are their health; both have combined to miss 99 of their team’s 331 possible games over the last two seasons due to various injuries and have had difficulties staying fully healthy over their respective NBA careers.
Nevertheless, Boston is as deep as anyone in the Eastern Conference and could very well make another run at an NBA Finals, should they be healthy.
Atlanta Hawks (43-39)
Key additions: G Dejounte Murray (traded from San Antonio); F A.J. Griffin (Draft); G/F Justin Holiday, F Mo Harkless (traded from Sacramento)
Key departures: G Kevin Huerter (traded to Sacramento), F Danilo Gallinari (traded to San Antonio, soon waived); C Jock Londale (traded to Phoenix)
Skinny: After coming two games away from making the NBA Finals in 2020-21, the Hawks — who kept practically their entire core intact — entered the 2021-22 season with lofty expectations.
They disappointed, flopping into one of the worst defenses (especially in transition) across the NBA while conversely being the league’s most productive regular season offense. With two play-in wins over the Charlotte Hornets and Cleveland Cavaliers, they squeaked into the playoffs as an 8-seed, only to get trucked by the top-seeded Heat in five games.
Thus, changes needed to be made to crunch the rotation.
Atlanta improved their rim pressure and point-of-attack defense with the addition of Murray, though I still question their on-court fit together; it presumably improved their spacing with Griffin and Holiday while taking a flier on Harkless. Their top-seven — Young, Murray, Capela, John Collins, Bogdan Bogdanovic, DeAndre Hunter (who was their best player in the postseason) and Onyeka Okongwu — should be in more defined roles with better health in 2022-23 (*knock on wood*), so I think there’s plenty of room for the Hawks to impress next season.
Denver Nuggets (48-34)
Key additions: G Bruce Brown (two years, $13.3M); F Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (two year, $30.2M extension), G Ish Smith (both traded from Washington); DeAndre Jordan (one year, $2.9M), G Christian Braun (draft), G Peyton Watson (draft)
Key departures: F Will Barton, G Monte Morris (both traded to Denver); JaMychal Green (traded to OKC, eventually waived)
Skinny: The additions of Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope were good ones; Brown proved in Brooklyn that he could impact games in any facet at a moment’s notice, while KCP has blossomed into a capable two-way rotation player.
But the main reason why I have them on this list are due to the returns of Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray.
MPJ missed all but nine games (back) while Jamal Murray missed the entire season due to recovering from a torn ACL suffered the season prior.
On the back of Nikola Jokic, who rightfully secured his second consecutive MVP last season, the Nuggets went 48-34 and earned a top-six seed in the Western Conference. So, there might not be much room for growth in the win column in 2022-23, but I think the Nuggets could sneakily be a top-three seed in the West with the amount of talent up-and-down that roster.
This team is dangerous. Very dangerous. You’ve been warned.
New Orleans Pelicans (36-46)
Key additions: G Dyson Daniels (draft)
Key departures: —-
Skinny: First off, we have yet to see the tantalizing trio of Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram take the floor together. That’s the biggest reason why they made the cut.
Ingram and McCollum only played in 23 combined games together (going 13-10) but sported a 2.8 NET Rating when they were on the floor with one another. Not to mention that New Orleans retains their entire core and even added lengthy point guard Dyson Daniels to bolster their 20th-ranked defense from a year ago.
Daniels now joins one of the most fun young cores across the NBA in Jose Alvarado, Jaxson Hayes, Herb Smith, Trey Murphy III and, of course, Williamson — who should be healthier and lean-er entering 2022-23. It’s worth mentioning the Pelicans were ninth in the league in NET Rating, 10th in offense and 13th in defense post-McCollum trade without Williamson and a cup of coffee from Larry Nance Jr.
After an uninspiring start, then-first-year head coach Willie Green did a magnificent job turning the ship around. New Orleans was one of the most enjoyable NBA playoff underdogs (that almost beat Phoenix in the first round), so keep an eye on them as one of the league’s most improved teams with Williamson this upcoming season.
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