#30 Houston Rockets
This season has definitely been one to forget for the Houston Rockets as everything that could have gone wrong went wrong. Dating all the way back before the start of this season, the Rockets were dealing with a ton of internal problems, which led to them ultimately trading Russell Westbrook to the Wizards ahead of the start of the regular season, and then ultimately trading James Harden to the Nets in January.
Since then, the Rockets have been figuring out ways to develop some of their young talents in Christian Wood, Jae’Sean Tate, Kenyon Martin Jr. and Kevin Porter Jr. So far, Houston has done a good job in their rebuild process by getting their young talent acclimated to their system, but it is still going to be an uphill journey for this franchise moving forward.
Making the right moves draft wise and in free agency this coming offseason will be crucial for them not only to stay on the right track with their rebuild, but to hopefully get back to the championship-contending ways they were at before this season.
#29 Minnesota Timberwolves
Entering the season, the Minnesota Timberwolves actually looked like they had a roster that could finally start winning some games, but then they realized that they were still the Timberwolves!
Nothing has gone right for this franchise over the years, as they have gone through 10 different coaches acting as head coach since the 2004-05 season and in that same timespan, they have had just two seasons with a winning record and one playoff appearance.
Change is on the horizon for Minnesota and it should not be a shocker to see them explore trade possibilities for some of their top talents in the offseason. However, the biggest concern for this organization heading into the offseason is the NBA Draft.
The Golden State Warriors hold the rights to the Timberwolves 2021 first-round pick, but it is Top-3 protected, meaning the T-Wolves retain the rights to their pick if it lands in the Top-3. With them holding the NBA’s worst record, their chances are good to retain this pick, but it is very 50-50 right now and if they will end up with one of the top picks, which they desperately need, in this year’s draft.
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#28 Orlando Magic
Orlando’s streak of two straight playoff appearances will end this season and once again, they will be looking to rebuild their roster with high-level, youthful talents. At the trade deadline, the Magic traded basically all of their top players in Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier for future value and young talents.
Now, James Ennis and Terrence Ross are the oldest players on this very young roster and who knows, they could find themselves on the move as well in the offseason! With 9 draft picks over the next three years, the Magic definitely have the assets to go through a successful rebuild, but this franchise has struggled doing so over the years.
Ever since they fired Stan Van Gundy following the 2011-12 season, it seems like the Magic have been rebuilding and they have not seemed to figure things out. With some promising young talents in Jonathan Isaac, Wendell Carter Jr, Cole Anthony and Markelle Fultz though, the Orlando Magic definitely have a chance to find some success within the next few seasons.
#27 Detroit Pistons
They may hold one of the worst records in the NBA and currently, the worst record in the Eastern Conference, but the Detroit Pistons actually are not that terrible of a team. Offensively, they are not that talented yet, but defensively, they are middle-of-the-pack in the league, ranking 17th in defensive net rating.
Led by breakout star Jerami Grant, the Detroit Pistons have a ton of young, dynamic talents in Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart, Killian Hayes, Josh Jackson and Hamidou Diallo who all have a lot of potential to grow into really solid players in this system.
Anytime you have a young team like the Pistons do, you are going to have to expect a massive learning curve and with 11 players on their roster 23-years-old or younger, almost everybody on their roster is still growing and getting used to life in the NBA.
I am actually very high on the Pistons as an organization for the future and believe they have the tools to be successful down-the-road, but this year, wins have been hard to come by for them, which is why they find themselves near the bottom of our NBA power rankings.
#26 Oklahoma City Thunder
If you are a fan of the NBA Draft and love draft picks, then you need to be a fan of the Oklahoma City Thunder! They own the rights to 39 total draft picks through the 2027 NBA Draft, including 19 first-round picks!
The job this front office and GM Sam Presti have done in acquiring future assets is quite remarkable, but they are going to have to stay aggressive over the next few years as they continue to stockpile young talent and build this organization back into a championship contender.
With young talents in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, Darius Bazley, Theo Maledon and others, the future is extremely bright for the Thunder and they are only going to get better! It would take a miracle for the Thunder to make the playoffs at this rate, snapping their five year playoff streak, but this team is set up for plenty of future success given all of their future assets.
