Trending up and down in the NBA: What’s wrong with the Bucks, Sixers?

The Milwaukee Bucks are 1-6, the Philadelphia 76ers 1-5, the Cleveland Cavaliers 8-0 and the Oklahoma City Thunder 7-0.
The Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors are 6-1. And not surprisingly, the defending champion Boston Celtics are 7-1.
It’s early in the 2024-25 NBA season and there’s plenty of time for things to change. But can the Suns and Warriors be top-six teams in the deep Western Conference? Can the Cavaliers challenge the Celtics for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, or at least get the No. 2 seed? Will the Celtics cruise to 60-plus victories as they try to become the first team to repeat since Golden State in 2017 and 2018?
Let’s looking at teams trending up and trending down in the NBA after two weeks of the season. (Records and stats prior to Wednesday’s games):
The Thunder have an MVP candidate in Shai-Gilgeous Alexander and potential All-Stars in Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams. Oklahoma City is loaded and deep with a trajectory that is designed to maximize the present and the future.
The Thunder should be good for a long time, possibly putting together a run that looks similar to the days with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden.
Oklahoma City will have to spend money, especially when Alexander is due for his next contract and Holmgren and Williams are up for rookie extensions. However, Thunder general manager Sam Presti is preparing for those days. The Thunder in the offseason signed contributors Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe to valuable contracts that pay both players less in the final two seasons than they do in the first two seasons.
Presti continues to succeed in the draft, too. The Thunder acquired second-round pick (No. 38 overall) Ajay Mitchell in the June draft, and he’s already getting quality playing time.
Damian Lillard is still trying to find his place with the Bucks alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Milwaukee’s defense is struggling early, allowing 116.5 points per 100 possessions, 22nd in the league. Before a full accounting can be made of how troubling this start is, the Bucks need to get Khris Middleton back in the lineup.
He doesn’t solve all of their issues though. Depth is a concern, and Milwaukee has had trouble hitting on draft picks. Since the Bucks haven’t been a lottery team since 2016, they’re usually picking in the second half of the first round and often in the 20s. They didn’t have a first-round pick in 2023 and had to forfeit a second-round pick in 2022. The team also just declined an option year on 2022 first-round pick MarJon Beauchamp’s rookie contract and is looking to trade him.
Part of this illustrates how difficult it is to draft and sign the right players in free agency, and even bigger than that, it reveals how difficult it is to win multiple championships even with a player as great as Antetokounmpo on the roster.
If the losing continues, there will be even more chatter about blowing up the roster and trading Antetokounmpo, but trading a two-time MVP superstar who is still All-NBA, puts fans in the seats and sells merchandise usually isn’t high on ownership’s to-do list – no matter how much interest Golden State has in Antetokounmpo.
The Nuggets started 0-2 and won their next two in overtime. Close to an 0-4 start which would’ve made the tension even thicker in Denver where the Nuggets are, like the Bucks, trying to capitalize on winning another title with a generational superstar (three-time MVP Nikola Jokic).
Since winning a championship in 2023, the Nuggets have lost depth (Jeff Green, Bruce Brown, Reggie Jackson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope), and general manager Calvin Booth has tried to replace them with young draft picks.
The Nuggets might be seeing that effort pay off. In Monday’s victory against Toronto, the Nuggets closed the game with Christian Braun (No. 21 pick in 2022), Peyton Watson (No. 30 pick in 2022) and Julian Strawther (No. 29 pick in in 2023) on the court. Braun is a strong defender and averaging a career-high 14.9 points on 54.2% shooting from the field and 45% on 3-pointers.
Aaron Gordon’s calf strain, which will sideline him for a few weeks, will test that depth. (An aside: Gordon opting into the final year of his deal for next season and agreeing to an extension which begins in 2026-27 saves the Nuggets about $40 million in luxury taxes for next season).
Jokic continues to prove why he is a three-time MVP and the world’s best player. He averages 29.6 points, 12.6 rebounds, 10.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks and shoots 54.3% from the field and 53.1% on 3s. The rate on 3s isn’t sustainable – he’s never shot better than 39.6% in a season – but he’s off to a great start.
So much of Denver’s success depends on Jamal Murray, who signed a four-year, $207.8 million extension in September. He is off to a slow start offensively, shooting 37% from the field and 30.4% on 3s. He’s in the league’s concussion protocol but is expected back in the lineup soon. And the Nuggets need him at an All-Star level.
Donovan Mitchell’s extension, which goes through 2027-28 with a player option on that final season of the deal, gave the Cavaliers a chance to see what’s possible with their core four (Mitchell, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley) intact for a few seasons and without contract drama.
The Cavaliers are making a case that they should be considered the second-best team in the East with the No. 2 offense (121 points per 100 possessions), No. 5 defense (108.3 points allowed per 100 possessions) and No. 4 net rating (plus-12.7).
New coach Kenny Atkinson, who was a longtime assistant coach, then head coach in Brooklyn and then an assistant under Steve Kerr with Golden State, has fine-tuned the offense. The Cavs are No. 2 in 3-point percentage and No. 6 in 3s made per game.
It’s an awful start to the season for the 76ers which includes a 1-5 record, Joel Embiid’s absence with a knee problem, his three-game suspension for shoving a reporter, the team’s $100,000 fine for violating the NBA’s player participation policy and Paul George missing the first five games with his new team. But like the Bucks, the Sixers need to have their best players on the court together before conclusions can be made. They’re in the headlines for the wrong reasons.
Embiid, who is expected to return soon, and George need to provide offensive help immediately for a team that is No. 29 in field goal percentage, 25th in 3-point shooting percentage and 26th in offensive rating.
After winning 49 games last season and acquiring Dejounte Murray in the offseason to go with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, expectations were considerable. It’s starting to fizzle after a 3-5 start which includes four losses in their past five games. Murray injured his hand in the season opener and is out 4-6 weeks after undergoing surgery. Williamson has missed three games and is listed on the injury as questionable with right thigh soreness.
New coach Mike Budenholzer has the Suns on a five-game winning streak. Budenholzer is putting his defensive imprint on the team, which is No. 6 in points allowed per 100 possessions. Phoenix is also seventh in 3s made per game and seventh in 3-point shooting percentage. Kevin Durant averages 27.1 points and is shooting 54.8% from the field and 43.6% on 3s, Bradley Beal is making an offensive contribution with solid shooting stats (50.8% from the field, 43.8% on 3s.) and new point guard Tyus Jones averages 9.4 points and 6.6 assists. The Suns are now waiting for Devin Booker to get rolling with his shot (41.9% from the field, 35.7% on 3s).
The Golden State Warriors won three games without Steph Curry and have the No. 4 offense and No. 2 defense – all while playing 13 guys at least 11.9 minutes per game, with not one player above 28.1 minutes. Some of that is due to injuries to Curry, Andrew Wiggins and De’Anthony Melton but regardless, Kerr plans to use a deep rotation, keep players fresh and try to win with a gritty style.
The joy and potential of a 3-1 start with Paolo Banchero playing great – 33 points in the opener and 50 points in the fourth game – evaporated with Banchero’s injury (torn right oblique), sidelining him for at least another four weeks. The Magic have now lost four in a row, including three without Banchero. There are winnable games on the schedule but Orlando’s depth and ability to play without their best player will be a focal point of this stretch.