Grades for all 30 NBA teams after the 2024-25 regular season

With the 2024-25 NBA regular season in the books, it’s time for the final report card for all 30 teams. While the 14 teams who have clinched playoff spots and four still fighting for the last two seeds play on, the rest of the league has already turned its attention to the offseason and beyond.

Before the playoffs begin Saturday, let’s look back on the regular season to grade all 30 teams, including some high marks for teams that dramatically exceeded expectations. Similarly, there’s a couple of teams that had high hopes (and high payrolls) that flunked this season and will now have a lot of work this summer to get back on track.

My grades are strongly influenced by a team’s expectations entering the season. The same record that produces an A for a team that looked like an also-ran in September could be a C for another with realistic championship hopes. Beyond wins and losses, I also considered how well teams executed their goals, including developing young talent and securing lottery positioning.

Jump to a grade range:
A’s | B’s | C’s | D’s | F’s

Jump to a team:
ATL | BOS | BKN | CHA | CHI | CLE
DAL | DEN | DET | GS | HOU | IND
LAC | LAL | MEM | MIA | MIL | MIN
NO | NY | OKC | ORL | PHI | PHX
POR | SAC | SA | TOR | UTA | WAS

‘A’ grades

Cleveland Cavaliers
Grade: A

After resisting calls to break up their core, the Cavaliers surged to the top of the East standings under new head coach Kenny Atkinson, putting three players in the All-Star Game (Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley) for just the fourth time in franchise history. Now Cleveland will have home-court advantage throughout the East playoffs in pursuit of the team’s first conference finals trip not including LeBron James since 1992.

Detroit Pistons
Grade: A

An unprecedented turnaround saw the Pistons go from the NBA’s worst record to the playoffs in a single season. Although the improved shooting provided by newcomers — particularly Sixth Man award contender Malik Beasley — helped facilitate it, Detroit surged with its young talent. Former No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham, a first-time All-Star, is the favorite for Most Improved Player, and recent lottery picks Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson took huge strides in their development under new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.

Houston Rockets
Grade: A

Phase 3 of the Rockets’ rapid rebuild arrived ahead of schedule. Making the playoffs seemed realistic coming off a strong close to 2023-24, but nobody outside Houston expected the Rockets to claim the No. 2 seed in the West with just two players older than 23 averaging more than 15 minutes. Though Houston’s half-court offense will be tested in the playoffs, no result should dampen the enthusiasm for a young core led by first-time All-Star Alperen Sengun and Defensive Player of the Year contender Amen Thompson.

Oklahoma City Thunder
Grade: A

The Thunder cruised to one of the six highest winning percentages in NBA history, outlasting the Cavaliers to secure the league’s best record at 68-14. Oklahoma City was even more dominant than that record indicates, posting the NBA’s highest point differential ever: plus-12.9 points per game. That success put Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the role of front-runner to win his first MVP award. The Thunder must prove they can be as good against the West’s best foes in the playoffs, but there’s nothing more they could have done during the regular season.

LA Clippers
Grade: A-

Left for the lottery after Paul George’s departure and Kawhi Leonard’s surgery, the Clippers managed to start 19-15 without Leonard thanks to the NBA’s third-best defensive rating and enough scoring from resurgent James Harden and improved Norman Powell. The Clippers shifted into a higher gear with Leonard playing at an All-Star level after the break, going 18-3 over their last 21 games to surge into the fifth seed.

Boston Celtics
Grade: A-

At times, the defending champions looked like bored students coasting through an intro-level class during the regular season. The Celtics had the league’s fifth-best record against below-.500 teams at 38-10, but only the Thunder and Cavaliers were better against above-.500 ones. Not having home court is unlikely to bother Boston, which went a league-best 33-8 on the road, and the Celtics remain essentially co-favorites with Oklahoma City to win the title.

‘B’ grades

Atlanta Hawks
Grade: B+

This is Atlanta’s third play-in trip in the past four years, but expectations were lower for the Hawks coming off a 36-46 campaign and after trading away starting guard Dejounte Murray. This year’s Atlanta team is much younger, with 26-year-old Trae Young as the oldest regular starter once Onyeka Okongwu supplanted Clint Capela at center. Dyson Daniels, acquired in the Murray deal, emerged as a Most Improved and Defensive Player of the Year candidate, and the Hawks shook off injuries that limited second-leading scorer Jalen Johnson to 36 games.

Indiana Pacers
Grade: B+

The Pacers followed up last year’s improbable Eastern Conference finals run with their first 50-win season since 2013-14. Just 35-28 with a little over a month left in the regular season, Indiana rode a strong finish from point guard Tyrese Haliburton to go 15-4 down the stretch and secure home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Los Angeles Lakers
Grade: B+

Particularly given the disruption of a blockbuster midseason trade for Luka Doncic that depleted the team’s depth, the Lakers overachieved to nab the No. 3 seed — their highest since winning the 2020 title. The Lakers massively outperformed their modest plus-1.2 point differential, which ranked eighth in the West. In fact, the only other team since the ABA-NBA merger to win 50 games with a differential worse than plus-1.4 was the 2017-18 Cleveland Cavaliers team (also led by LeBron James) that beat two higher-seeded teams en route to the NBA Finals.

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Golden State Warriors
Grade: B

A home loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the last week of the regular season cost the Warriors a chance to avoid the play-in tournament, but they still look like an unusually dangerous No. 7 seed. Golden State went 20-3 with Jimmy Butler III in the lineup, and while that coincided with the NBA’s silly season, only Boston and Oklahoma City had better net ratings after the All-Star break. The Warriors have succeeded by giving Stephen Curry another chance at starring on the playoff stage in the tail end of his career.

Portland Trail Blazers
Grade: B

The Blazers managed to go from the bottom of the West standings to an unlikely play-in push by virtue of their internal development. Forwards Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara emerged as building blocks, while Scoot Henderson showed important progress. One concern: the defensive improvement that helped earn coach Chauncey Billups and GM Joe Cronin contract extensions was built in part on poor opponent 3-point shooting. However, Portland also forced more difficult shots and ranked third in forcing turnovers over the final 41 games.

Washington Wizards
Grade: B

It’s challenging to grade teams with no realistic aspiration of winning this season, but the Wizards seem to have threaded the needle of developing their three 2024 first-round picks (and a fourth, AJ Johnson, was added midseason) while putting themselves in prime position for the lottery. Washington was even frisky after dealing for veterans Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart, going 9-19 after the All-Star break — just enough wins for the Utah Jazz to end up with the league’s worst record.

New York Knicks
Grade: B-

The Knicks’ 51 wins were their most since 2012-13, and they built enough cushion to coast to the No. 3 seed despite losing Jalen Brunson for a month. So why does Madison Square Garden feel so angsty? Blame New York’s 15-23 record against above-.500 teams, worse than the Hawks (18-25). The Knicks’ struggles against elite teams, including a combined 0-10 record against the Cavaliers, Celtics and Thunder are a worrisome sign. But New York is in position to win a playoff series for a third consecutive year, which last happened when Jeff Van Gundy was coach.

Utah Jazz
Grade: B-

Mission accomplished: The Wizards’ last-second win on the final day of the regular season assured Utah the league’s worst record and a top-five pick, their first since taking Dante Exum No. 5 in 2014. Still, it would have been nice to see more progress from the young players already on Utah’s roster. Rookie guards Isaiah Collier and Cody Williams predictably took their lumps, and the development of 2023 lottery pick Taylor Hendricks was upended by a season-ending injury in November.

‘C’ grades

Chicago Bulls
Grade: C+

The East’s play-in specialists were eliminated leading up to the playoffs for the third straight season. At least this time the Bulls can feel better about their direction. Despite trading veterans Alex Caruso, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, the latter at the deadline, Chicago finished with an identical 39-43 record. Young guards Josh Giddey and Coby White meshed well together, and rookie Matas Buzelis stepped into a starting role after the deadline.

Denver Nuggets
Grade: C+

On the one hand, the Nuggets finished with the West’s fourth seed, about where we expected entering the season. (Denver was tied for the West’s second-best over/under win total, just ahead of the Dallas Mavericks in fourth). On the other hand, the Nuggets moved on from championship coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth during the final week of the regular season. Denver’s uneven regular season alone won’t sink the team’s chances of winning a title with Nikola Jokic continuing to play at an MVP level, but the Nuggets must improve their 21st-ranked defense if they’re going to make another deep playoff run.

Brooklyn Nets
Grade: C

The Nets might have overachieved too much under first-year head coach Jordi Fernandez. After dealing to get its next two first-round picks back from Houston, Brooklyn had the league’s lowest over/under win total at 19.5. The Nets beat that by the All-Star break, and a late fade (5-21 in their last 26 games) still left Brooklyn sixth entering the lottery. That would be great if the Nets’ young talent was ahead of schedule, but Brooklyn didn’t find any clear long-term contributors.

Memphis Grizzlies
Grade: C

Through the All-Star break, the Grizzlies were one of the season’s best stories, having moved past an injury-marred 2023-24 season to rank second in the West. Then things collapsed in a hurry, with an 8-11 start to the second half costing Taylor Jenkins his coaching job. Memphis has been no better under interim coach Tuomas Iisalo, slipping into the play-in and missing an opportunity to beat the fatigued Warriors on Tuesday. Now the Grizzlies must win Friday at home just to make the playoffs.

Milwaukee Bucks
Grade: C

An eight-game winning streak to end the season kept the Bucks in the fifth seed and on the opposite side of the bracket from the Celtics. Milwaukee was able to stay afloat without Damian Lillard, who missed the final 14 games of the regular season (and will miss the start of the playoffs) because of deep vein thrombosis. But the Bucks’ offense wasn’t good enough with Lillard healthy and Antetokounmpo playing at a top-three level, ranking just 10th in the NBA.

Minnesota Timberwolves
Grade: C

Perhaps the NBA’s most confounding team this season, the Timberwolves finished with the league’s fourth-best differential at plus-5.0 points per game yet barely sneaked into the top six in the West, finishing one game out of the play-in tournament. Minnesota could never seem to find any consistency, and inexplicable losses to Utah in February (just one of four Jazz wins after the All-Star break) and New Orleans at home in March prevented the Timberwolves from securing home-court advantage in the first round as expected.

Orlando Magic
Grade: C-

The Magic get some grace because of injuries. Orlando played just six games with all three of its young stars (Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner) in the lineup, while the Magic also missed Moritz Wagner after his ACL tear. Orlando’s difficulty scoring without Suggs was worrisome nonetheless. Somehow, the Magic’s 27th-ranked offense was their worst since 2021-22 — the season that landed them the No. 1 pick used to take Banchero.

San Antonio Spurs
Grade: C

There were plenty of positives from San Antonio’s season. Until his campaign ended early because of deep vein thrombosis, first-time All-Star Victor Wembanyama was the overwhelming favorite for Defensive Player of the Year, taking another step toward superstardom. And No. 4 pick Stephon Castle emerged as the Rookie of the Year favorite, leading first-year players with 14.7 points per game. Still, the Spurs need to figure out how to better spotlight De’Aaron Fox, who averaged just 19.7 points after a midseason trade from the Sacramento Kings. Fox hasn’t scored so little over a full season since 2018-19.

Charlotte Hornets
Grade: C-

With an over/under total of 30.5 wins — more than the Bulls, Pistons and Trail Blazers — the Hornets weren’t supposed to be bad enough to have a 14% chance at picking No. 1. With LaMelo Ball, they were a semi-respectable 16-31 (.340). Without Ball, they were 3-32 (.086), a worse winning percentage than the 2011-12 Charlotte team that went 7-59. At some point, we need to see Ball play more than the 35 games he has averaged since being an All-Star in 2021-22. Ideally, that would come alongside Cooper Flagg, who starred down the road at Duke.

Miami Heat
Grade: C-

There were positives to take from a season that tied Miami’s worst finish since 2007-08. Tyler Herro emerged as an All-Star and rookie Kel’el Ware established himself as a starter, both encouraging signs for the future. Still, that couldn’t overcome the Butler trade saga that marred the regular season. Without Butler and with Bam Adebayo taking a step back, the Heat no longer had a higher gear to hit.

Sacramento Kings
Grade: C-

After adding DeMar DeRozan, the Kings hoped to improve and avoid the play-in. Instead, they fired coach Mike Brown by New Year’s Day and traded De’Aaron Fox by the deadline. After a brief bounce under interim coach Doug Christie, Sacramento went 7-13 over the season’s final 20 games. Only the weakness of the West play-in race kept the Kings in the same spot as last season.

‘D’ grades

Dallas Mavericks
Grade: D+

Ordinarily, there would be more slack for a team that dealt with injuries so severe the possibility of not having the eight players required to dress for a game back in March was considered. The Mavericks get less slack by virtue of trading their way into this position with midseason deals for Anthony Davis and Caleb Martin, both injured at the time. Even as Dallas got players back — aside from Kyrie Irving, who could be fully recovered and return from his torn left ACL by January 2026, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania — the Mavericks couldn’t catch the reeling Kings for ninth in the West.

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Toronto Raptors
Grade: D+

No team finished closer than four games in the standings to the Raptors, symbolic of their aimless position between the group competing for the play-in and those prioritizing lottery positioning. Toronto couldn’t avoid going 12-12 in March and April against a historically weak schedule and will enter the lottery in the seventh spot. And while there were some development success stories, including Ochai Agbaji and undrafted rookie Jamison Battle, the most important Raptors (Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley) saw their progress stalled by injuries.

New Orleans Pelicans
Grade: D

A rash of injuries only exacerbated the weaknesses of the Pelicans’ roster, which resulted in a front office change with Joe Dumars replacing David Griffin as lead decision maker earlier this week. The trade for Murray backfired, as he struggled before an Achilles rupture and Daniels surged in Atlanta. Meanwhile, New Orleans’ inexperienced center group was a big reason the Pelicans were out of it by the time Zion Williamson got healthy. The Pelicans will have to hope for consolation through the lottery.

‘F’ grades

Philadelphia 76ers
Grade: F

The Sixers started the season thinking about how to keep their best players fresh for the spring. None of them made it that far. Joel Embiid‘s inability to stay on the court, or perform at an All-NBA level when he did, and Paul George’s decline from last season highlighted the weaknesses elsewhere on the roster. Philadelphia had some success stories, including Guerschon Yabusele’s return to the NBA and a deadline deal for Quentin Grimes, but even one of those (early Rookie of the Year front-runner Jared McCain) was fittingly cut short by injury.

Phoenix Suns
Grade: F

At least the 76ers can point to injuries as an explanation for their lost season. Phoenix wasn’t good even at full strength, going 19-18 with a negative point differential in the 37 games Bradley Beal, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant played together. Coach Mike Budenholzer proved incapable of reaching his stars and lost his job after one season, and the Suns’ ill-fated attempt to add Jimmy Butler via trade alienated Beal and Durant. Solid debuts for rookies Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro couldn’t salvage a failed season.

Source: espn.com