A memorable 2023–24 NBA regular season is behind us and the NBA postseason is just a few days away, but before we head into the Play-In tournament, let’s look back on the biggest winners and losers of the 2023–24 season.
Winners:
Boston Celtics
The most obvious winner in the regular season are the Boston Celtics. The Celtics have been dominating not just the East but the entire league with their star-studded cast of studs that GM Brad Stevens cooked up during the off-season.
Their offseason gambles and moves definitely paid off, as they boast of being the undisputed kings of the East and the team with the best regular season in the whole association. With a 64-18 record, they’re 14 games ahead of the second-seeded Knicks and have the best home record in the league (37-4).
Now, the real test begins for the mighty Celtics. They’re rightfully the SBOTOP NBA 2024 betting odds favourites to win the chip this season, so it’s fair to say that it’s a ring or bust for Boston.
They were close to winning it in 2022, falling two games short against Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors, but now the path to the Larry O’Brien trophy is as clear as day.
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs finished with an abysmal 22-60 record, so why are they one of the winners this regular season? Simple. Victor Wembanyama.
A gem in the draft is an understatement. The Spurs have themselves a generational talent whom they can build their franchise around moving forward.
The San Antonio franchise, since time immemorial, has been known for its big men. The Spurs started their winning ways when they drafted the Admiral David Robinson, and everybody knows what Tim Duncan meant to the franchise.
Now, they have another big cornerstone in Wembanyama. The 20-year-old Frenchman has the Rookie of the Year award on lock thanks to his monster rookie season. Wemby was able to put up averages of 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and 3.6 blocks. That’s insane production from a 20-year-old.
The Spurs may have had one of their worst seasons in the win column, but the acquisition of Wemby along with their other young pieces grants them a winner’s nod on this list.
OKC Thunder
NBA fans are witnessing a transition of power in the NBA—the passing of the torch. While most household names have already reached the peak of their careers, a new generation of stars is emerging before our very eyes.
One of the best budding teams in the league are the OKC Thunder. Spearheaded by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder finish the regular season as the best team in the Western Conference, besting the defending champions, the Denver Nuggets, and the howling Minnesota Timberwolves.
It’s been a three-way competition among these teams since the season began, and it literally took until the last game of the regular season to crown the undisputed kings of the West.
OKC, Denver, and Minnesota took their turns summiting the conference throughout the season, but it’s the Thunder who came out as the number one seed.
All this success trickles down to the brilliance of SGA. The Canadian is one of the favourites to win MVP this season, tallying averages of 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 2.0 steals. Not to mention, he’s the best player on the best team in the West.
Adding the efforts of Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, the Thunder are definitely the surprise package this season.
Losers:
Detroit Pistons
For obvious reasons, the Detroit Pistons are the biggest losers in the 2023–24 season. After finishing the regular season with just 14 wins, the Pistons have the worst record in the league.
If that didn’t persuade you, maybe their 28-game losing streak will. With this, they hold the record for the longest losing streak in NBA history. They were just one loss away from being tied with the Chicago Cardinals as the owners of the longest losing streak in major American professional sports history.
But to their credit, they are a rebuilding team, and they managed to have pivotal midseason trades to bolster their roster moving forward. There’s no way but up for the young Pistons, but that doesn’t exclude them from being one of the losers on this list.
Washington Wizards
I still remember when the whole NBA stratosphere was hyping up the Washington Wizards because of the acquisition of Jordan Poole. Regarded as one of the most promising talents among the younger generation of players and whom most thought would be the future of the Golden State Warriors, Jordan Poole took his talents to Washington in hopes of an opportunity to be the spearhead of a team.
All the hype was immediately squashed after just a few games in the season, as the Poole-led Wizards mightily struggled on the defencive end and looked sloppy on the offencive side.
The Wizards finished the season with a 15-67 record, the second-worst record in the entire league, just one win ahead of the league-worst Detroit Pistons. Maybe it was the lofty expectations coming into the season, but the Washington Wizards definitely showed lackluster NBA 2024 results.
For these reasons, the Wizards claim one of the losers spots on this list.
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