A 2025 New Year's Resolution for the NBA's five most disappointing teams

The 2024/25 NBA season has been a whirlwind already, and we haven’t even reached the halfway point.

Two teams slated to be atop the Eastern Conference this season started well below .500. One of those teams bounced back in time to win the NBA Cup, while the other remains outside the Play-In Tournament spots heading into the new year.

Another pair of talented teams out West each sit outside the Play-In, while a preseason dark horse is languishing at the bottom of the conference.

With the calendar set to move to 2025, let’s provide a New Year’s resolution for the five most disappointing NBA teams so far this season.

Philadelphia 76ers: Hold onto December form, health

The Philadelphia 76ers are 9-3 since the start of December after beginning the season 4-14.

Philly has locked in on both sides of the ball, and it has finally gotten some luck when it comes to health. Paul George has suited up in each of the last 10 games after missing half of the first 20 games, and Joel Embiid has played in seven of the last nine.

Plus, role players are stepping up. Kelly Oubre had eight steals in an away win against the Portland Trail Blazers, Guerschon Yabusele had 12 points and eight boards off the bench in a win at the Utah Jazz, and Caleb Martin went 7/9 from three in a Christmas Day win over the reigning NBA Champion Boston Celtics.

If the bit-part players can come up with game-changing performances every now and then, it takes a lot of the burden off the likes of PG, Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, which in turn lets them perform at an even higher level.

More consistent play from the likes of Oubre, Martin, Yabusele, Andre Drummond and KJ Martin – plus the eventual return of rookie guard Jared McCain – might be enough to strike fear into opponents come playoff time.

Los Angeles Lakers: Lock in on defense

The Los Angeles Lakers are not dominating on either end of the floor, but they struggle mightily when it comes to forcing turnovers and getting out on the break.

Now, that definitely has something to do with superstar LeBron James being two decades into his NBA career. But the future Hall of Famer has been among the league’s best defenders this month as players are shooting just 37.7 percent with him as the closest defender, which is better than the likes of highly-regarded perimeter defenders Jrue Holiday and OG Anunoby over the same span.

The Lakers will not become, say, the Minnesota Timberwolves or New York Knicks on defense just based on the team’s personnel, but the recent trade for Dorian Finney-Smith should help LA rise from being ranked 18th in turnovers forced per game.

DFS projects to be a major defensive needle-mover for this team, and if he can transfer some of his defensive knowledge to younger wings like Dalton Knecht and Austin Reaves, the team will reap huge benefits.

Sacramento Kings: Add three-point shooting and rim protection

The Sacramento Kings have been pretty average this season, and as a result, the front office fired 2022/23 NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown.

This is a team that wanted to see some improvement off the back of a 46-36 season in 2023/24, after which the franchise signed veteran free agent shooting guard DeMar DeRozan and rewarded reigning Sixth Man of the Year Malik Monk with a contract extension.

With a 14-19 record heading into the New Year, it has not totally worked out.

Star players De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis are both putting up good numbers, but overall, the team ranks 24th out of 30 teams in three-point percentage (33.9 percent) and 16th in effective field goal percentage (54.1 percent), which adjusts for the fact a three is worth more than a two.

In addition to lacking offensive efficiency, the Kings also could use some defensive playmaking. They rank 16th in defensive rating, allowing 113.8 points per 100 possessions, but none of their players average over 1.0 blocks per game.

And, they allow opponents to shoot the ninth-highest percentage (67.9 percent) on shots from within the restricted area in the paint.

These issues – especially the defensive deficiencies – could be addressed via trade. And if the Sacramento front office suddenly finds a sense of patience when it comes to shooting, they could hold out and see if Keegan Murray and Kevin Huerter improve their three-point percentages to their career averages, which are each around 37 percent.

Yet clearly, with the firing of Brown and this team’s track record of rash decisions, patience is not always the biggest virtue in California’s capital.

Indiana Pacers: Speed it up

The Indiana Pacers played at a rapid pace of 101.7 possessions per game in the 2023/24 season, which guided them all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost to the eventual champion Boston Celtics.

This season, they’re playing at a relatively plotting pace of 99.6 possessions per game, which ranks 10th in the league and has the Pacers at 16-17 – good for eighth in the East – heading into 2025.

So, the message is simple for head coach Rick Carlisle and his team. Play faster.

Here’s some more evidence as to how well a rapid pace worked in 2023/24: The Pacers led the league in field goal percentage, field goal attempts, points per game and assists.

This year, they’re only 11th in points per game, 10th in assists, fourth in field-goal percentage and 19th in field goal attempts. Carlisle should aim to get his team back to the run-and-gun juggernaut it was last season.

New Orleans Pelicans: Embrace the rebuild while hoping Zion Williamson gets healthy

The New Orleans Pelicans entered the year with a Total Wins line of 46.5.

After 33 games, they are 5-28.

Star player Zion Williamson has played in just six games. He’s on course to return from his hamstring injury in the near future, but given how poorly the team has played both with and without him, it’s time to tear it down.

The Pelicans should hold onto because he’ll sell tickets and jerseys when healthy, but the team should entertain – and finally accept – trade offers for the likes of Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram.

Luckily, they have lockdown perimeter defender and rookie center Yves Missi as valuable pieces to either build around or trade for real value, but it looks like things will have to get worse before they get better in the Big Easy.

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