Why the NBA’s 10 lottery-bound teams have reasons for hope

Around this time of year, all eyes turn to the top and middle of the NBA standings.

Which high seeds are championship favorites? Who might pull an upset? What are the play-in matchups?

All of that top-heavy attention means it can be easy to ignore the 10 teams at the bottom of the standings, whose seasons ended before the play-in tournament and won’t matter again until the draft lottery on May 12. But even the league’s largest losers are still worthy of a final farewell.

Let’s take one last look at the 10 eliminated teams and — to avoid ending on a sour note — offer one silver lining from each of their seasons. Plenty went wrong for this group, but across six-plus months and 82 games, there’s at least one positive takeaway for each team.

Toronto Raptors

On the team level, there wasn’t any reason to celebrate this Raptors season. But on an individual level, a number of Toronto’s key players made strides. RJ Barrett flashed newfound playmaking skills; he averaged 5.4 assists, up from a previous career high of 3.3.

Youngsters Gradey Dick and Ochai Agbaji averaged double-digit points. Jakob Poeltl quietly became one of the best two-way centers in the league. Chris Boucher and rookie Jamal Shead contributed strong seasons off the bench.

Add in Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and newly extended Brandon Ingram — who didn’t play a game for Toronto after a midseason trade — and the Raptors have arguably the deepest collection of talent for any non-playoff team. That didn’t help them contend this season.

But due to that base and the Raptors’ position in the shallower Eastern Conference, they might be the most likely team on this list to reach the playoffs next season.

Brooklyn Nets

As they continue a multiseason rebuild, the Nets nailed a bunch of transactions over the last year. They traded Mikal Bridges, landing five future first-round picks and a swap for a role player and also reacquired control of their own 2025 and 2026 first-round picks. (Brooklyn now boasts four first-round picks in a deep 2025 draft.)

The Nets further increased their optionality by setting themselves up for by far the most cap space in the league this summer. They also hired a strong coach in Jordi Fernandez. Now they just have to use all those resources to build a winning roster, because it’s unclear how many current Nets are long-term fits. But the pieces are in place for a big Nets turnaround in the years to come.

Philadelphia 76ers

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I wrote about the 76ers’ terrible, horrible, no good, very bad season earlier this month. But in the midst of that misery came two slam dunk developmental success stories: Jared McCain and Quentin Grimes. McCain — who was limited to 23 games before an injury ended his season — led all rookies with 15.3 points per game, while Grimes averaged 21.9 points and career-best rebound and assist numbers after a midseason trade from the Dallas Mavericks.

McCain, Grimes and Tyrese Maxey should form a three-headed backcourt monster for Philadelphia next season, as the team attempts to return to contention. The 76ers offer the clearest example of the silver linings phenomenon, as even one of the most disappointing teams of the 21st century can still find some reasons for hope.

Charlotte Hornets

Here were the top five guards in All-Star fan votes this season, across both conferences:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

LaMelo Ball

Stephen Curry

Luka Doncic

Donovan Mitchell

Ball didn’t end up making an All-Star team because Mitchell and Jalen Brunson beat him in the media and player votes. But the Hornets point guard is clearly one of the most popular players in the NBA, and even if his development seems to have stalled, estimated plus-minus still projects him as one of the dozen best offensive players in the league going forward.

Ball hasn’t helped the Hornets win many games, but he makes them exciting for the first time since their mid-90s peak. For a franchise that still hasn’t won a playoff series since its Charlotte rebirth in 2004, that ephemeral strength might have to suffice for now.

Washington Wizards

No. 2 pick Alex Sarr was the Wizards’ first top-five selection since 2013 (Otto Porter Jr.). And while the 19-year-old Sarr looked incredibly raw while taking his first NBA steps — most notably when missing all 15 shot attempts in a Summer League game — he came on much stronger as he gained experience.

After the All-Star break, Sarr averaged 15.6 points while assuming a tremendous offensive burden for a rookie (28% usage rate). The six highest-scoring efforts of Sarr’s season came after the break. On the defensive end, while the 7-foot Sarr allowed opponents to shoot 64% at the rim before the All-Star break, that number dropped to 58% in the second half, according to NBA Advanced Stats.

Phoenix Suns

The Suns are the most difficult team on this list to consider, as missing the play-in tournament after taking an extreme win-now approach is such an abject disaster. Finding a silver lining in Phoenix is like searching for a needle in a haystack. Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro looked decent as rookies? Collin Gillespie had a fun run as a fill-in point guard on a two-way deal? They managed to shed Jusuf Nurkic’s contract?

Ultimately, the best answer for Phoenix’s silver lining might be that Kevin Durant remained an absolutely dynamite scorer, even in his age-36 season. Among 50 players who averaged at least 20 points, Durant ranked second in true shooting percentage, behind only Nikola Jokic. That means the Suns could fetch a haul for Durant if (when?) they trade him this summer, helping to replenish their barren draft cupboard after they traded almost everything for Durant in 2023.

Portland Trail Blazers

For the last decade, ever since the breakup of the Wesley Matthews-Nicolas Batum duo, Portland has been searching for reliable two-way wings. Damian Lillard’s Blazers teams often faltered in the playoffs because they had to rely on the likes of Al-Farouq Aminu, Maurice Harkless and Allen Crabbe.

But now the Trail Blazers have found their forwards of the future in Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara. It took a high price to get Avdija to Portland — Malcolm Brogdon and two first-round picks — but he has been well worth it, averaging 17 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists per game while adding strong defense. Camara looks like a prototypical 3-and-D prospect, and a steal for Portland, which finagled his inclusion from Phoenix in the Lillard/Deandre Ayton/Jrue Holiday blockbuster trade ahead of the 2023-24 season.

Toss in the development of 2023 No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson and the team’s 23-18 finish after a 13-28 start, and the Trail Blazers look like a budding playoff contender in the Western Conference.

San Antonio Spurs

Last month, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps ranked the Spurs as the NBA’s best rebuilding situation — and for good reason. Victor Wembanyama took meaningful steps forward in his second season, and he was a lock to make an All-NBA team and win Defensive Player of the Year until his season was abruptly cut short due to deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. Assuming Wembanyama returns at full strength next season, the Spurs will have immense optimism for their future.

So do a few of his teammates, most notably Stephon Castle, the likely Rookie of the Year winner, and new point guard De’Aaron Fox, who offers Wemby a prime pick-and-roll partner for years to come. There’s a reason Fox requested a trade to a team that ranked below his Sacramento Kings in the standings: He knew the Spurs looked like the NBA’s brightest young team on the rise.

New Orleans Pelicans

This was a disastrous season for the Pelicans, who lost every important player to injury at some point. But Trey Murphy III continued his ascent, after signing a four-year extension in October. Murphy enjoyed major increases in points (21.2 per game, up from 14.8 last season) and assists (3.5, up from 2.2), while maintaining solid efficiency on increased usage. He has improved every season of his career to date.

Murphy’s season ended prematurely, of course, because of his own injury. But as the Pelicans approach an offseason laden with tremendous uncertainty, one thing is for sure: The 24-year-old Murphy is a key member of their core no matter what other roster decisions are made in New Orleans this summer.

Utah Jazz

The Jazz achieved their most important goal this season: landing the best lottery odds, after finishing in the middle of the lottery standings the past two years. That’s already a silver lining for the franchise.

Yet amid all their losing, the Jazz also enjoyed a couple sneaky breakouts from young players. After Jan. 4, Isaiah Collier averaged 7.8 assists. That ranked sixth in the league during that span, sandwiching him between Cade Cunningham and LeBron James. The rookie guard improved rapidly as a creator over the course of the season, as he was given meaningful on-ball opportunities.

Second-year forward Brice Sensabaugh also looks like a keeper. He finished the season as one of 22 players to make at least 40% of his 3s on five or more attempts per game. The Jazz are still in desperate need of a foundational star from the top of the lottery, but at least they’re finding some useful supplementary role players toward the end of the first round. (Collier was the 29th pick in 2024, while Sensabaugh went 28th in 2023. Center Kyle Filipowski also showed flashes after going 32nd in the 2024 draft.)

Source: espn.com