NBA Power Rankings: Nuggets are contenders, and were our first-week predictions correct?

Album of the Week: “Tha Carter III,” Lil Wayne (2008)

Call ’em April babies, ’cause they fools. We are nearing the end of this season of Power Rankings, and I know many enjoy a freezing cold take, so allow me a more lukewarm one.

Predictions are fun. I consider myself a basketball meteorologist. I’m going to try and give you a forecast. But I’m really going to be able to tell you after the fact why the forecast was precise or not, and then go back to trying to tell you the weather.

I know many of you get excited when the more ambitious of us prognosticators are wrong. And if you want to make a seasonal omelet, you have to break some eggs. So these Power Rankings will be the one where we look at what I thought these teams would be and assess what went wrong and what went right.

Fine print: These Power Rankings won’t just rank every team. We’ll retain the tiers that teams will be promoted into and relegated out of. There will be five tiers each week:

• Top Contenders – Locked at five, these are the class of the league
• In a Good Place – Could be one team, could be seven teams
• The Bubble – Not to be confused with Walt Disney World. The middle of the pack
• Not the Tier to Fear – Not playing the worst ball in the league, but with a lot of work to do
• Basement Floor – Bringing up the rear

What to expect from Power Rankings:

• These are my subjective rankings. I will consider a variety of objective measures, but it’s my final call.
• These rankings are not just a review of the past week — we are projecting forward as well, so it is a balance of the two.
• These are subjective, but not biased. There are no agendas in the Power Rankings, and we strive for an inclusive meritocracy
• The one quality that these rankings possess: “Ruthless aggression.”
• Enjoy the games, and enjoy the rankings, please!

For Week 25 of The Athletic NBA Power Rankings, we will revisit Week 1 for each team. Win-loss records and other statistical data are through Sunday’s action.

---

Tier 1: Top Contenders

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (62-16)

Last ranking: 2
In the last week: W vs DET, W vs LAL, W vs UTA
Offensive rating: 117.6 (seventh place)
Defensive rating: 106.0 (first place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: First in West, win NBA Finals in six

The Thunder edged the Pistons on zero days’ rest, then they made it very clear to the Los Angeles Lakers that there are levels to this. Oklahoma City finished another week without a loss, became the first team to 60 wins and can lock up home-court advantage throughout the playoffs by getting two wins even if the Spurs sweep their final week. They will fall short of last year’s win total, and they’re probably not going to outscore opponents by more than 1,000 points as they did a year ago. But they are right where they are supposed to be.

2. San Antonio Spurs (59-19)

Last ranking: 1
In the last week: W vs CHI, W at GS, W at LAC, L at DEN
Offensive rating: 118.6 (fifth place)
Defensive rating: 110.2 (third place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: 10th in West (earn eighth in Play-In Tournament), lose West quarterfinals vs. Thunder

I thought the Spurs would sneak into the playoffs; they’re close to being the top seed in the entire conference. And while alien overlord Victor Wembanyama has been a devastating force on both ends, the Spurs needed more players to emerge to be a great team this season. Mitch Johnson did a wonderful job of getting all of his guards (All-Star De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and reserve rookie Dylan Harper) to work in concert with one another as well. This season, San Antonio went 11-5 with Wembanyama out of the lineup and has only lost the lineups with Wembanyama off the floor by 17 points all season. Last year, the Spurs were 13-23 with Wembanyama out while getting outscored by 328 points with Wembanyama off the floor.

3. Detroit Pistons (57-21)

Last ranking: 3
In the last week: L at OKC, W vs TOR, W vs MIN, W at PHI
Offensive rating: 116.9 (10th place)
Defensive rating: 108.6 (second place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: Seventh in East (keep seventh in Play-In Tournament), lose East quarterfinals vs Hawks

I thought the Pistons would level off this season because of the players they lost, and having to figure out what to do with Jaden Ivey back and healthy. Instead, Ivey was traded midseason, and the Pistons became the latest team in the East to assume a temporary domination of the conference for a year. And as good as Cade Cunningham was before his collapsed lung, Detroit has been great this year because it built an identity around physical and disruptive defense that was maintained throughout the season. The roster is deep, the chemistry is strong, and young players have improved.

4. Boston Celtics (53-25)

Last ranking: 4
In the last week: L at ATL, W at MIA, W at MIL, W vs TOR
Offensive rating: 119.9 (second place)
Defensive rating: 111.7 (fourth place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: 12th in East, will not make playoffs

By far my biggest miss of the season. It’s really simple — I didn’t trust Jaylen Brown to hold up physically, I thought any rotation injury besides Brown would put the Celtics in a perilous spot, and I thought Boston would be a trade deadline seller. Then I felt like Jayson Tatum would never return with his team out of contention. Instead, Brown absorbed a heavy workload and averaged nearly 30 points per game, Neemias Queta showed that he could help Derrick White anchor the defense for more than 70 starts, Payton Pritchard thrived as a starter until Anfernee Simons was traded, and Tatum is back to scoring 30 points, grabbing double-digit rebounds and posting triple-doubles. Only the Spurs matched the Celtics with eight players reaching 65 games played. Respect to Joe Mazzulla.

5. Denver Nuggets (50-28)

Last ranking: 8
In the last week: W at UTA, W vs SA
Offensive rating: 120.8 (first place)
Defensive rating: 116.0 (21st place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: Fourth in West, lose West quarterfinals vs. Lakers

The Nuggets went to Memphis and lost 19 days ago, their only loss to a team out of the playoff picture since Nikola Jokić came back. They haven’t lost since, and now Denver is on its longest win streak of the season, just in time to mark the first anniversary of Michael Malone’s dismissal. Denver has matched last season’s win total, and while its defense is still bad, this is the best offense in the league. Denver is fourth in the West right now, but the injuries to the Los Angeles Lakers put it in a spot that seemed unlikely three weeks ago, and that’s getting into the 2-3 side of the West bracket.

Tier 2: In a Good Place

6. Houston Rockets (49-29)

Last ranking: 10
In the last week: W vs NY, W vs MIL, W vs UTA, W at GS
Offensive rating: 117.2 (eighth place)
Defensive rating: 112.2 (sixth place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: Sixth in West, lose West semifinals vs. Clippers

Of course, the Rockets blew a 15-point lead in Golden State with franchise tormentor Stephen Curry threatening to add another moment of ownership. But the Rockets drew up a great play with Kevin Durant and Alperen Şengün to win in San Francisco and cap the week with a season-best six-game win streak. I had the Rockets closer to the middle of the West playoff picture than leading it, and that’s where they are. They certainly plateaued more than ascended. But glass half full: They’re playing well enough for this time of the year.

7. Cleveland Cavaliers (49-29)

Last ranking: 5
In the last week: W at UTA, L at LAL, W at GS, W vs IND
Offensive rating: 118.1 (sixth place)
Defensive rating: 114.0 (14th place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: Fourth in East, lose East semifinals vs. Knicks

Well, the Cavaliers are fourth in the East! And they have a chance to go higher, depending on what happens with the New York Knicks. Cleveland will bring a different kind of team into the playoffs, as it swapped out Darius Garland for James Harden, a move that really puts it on Donovan Mitchell to break through in a postseason setting. Harden isn’t here to carry anyone. He’s here to raise the floor and support. Mitchell is the one player out of himself, Harden, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen who is going to be able to consistently take over offensively. Cleveland didn’t get off to the same kind of start this season as last season, but the Cavs are in a good spot to change their playoff narrative.

8. Charlotte Hornets (43-36)

Last ranking: 16
In the last week: W at BRK, W vs PHO, W vs IND, W at MIN
Offensive rating: 118.7 (fourth place)
Defensive rating: 113.4 (12th place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: 13th in East, will not make playoffs

The Hornets looked on track to become the first East team to miss the playoffs for 10 straight seasons. But since Jan. 22, only the San Antonio Spurs have a better win percentage. That’s right, LaMelo Ball’s Charlotte Hornets have won 77 percent of their games over the last 75 days. They’re in a tight battle that sees six teams separated by four games in the loss column between the fifth-place Hawks and 10th-place Heat. But the Hornets have so much youthful firepower, highlighted by Rookie of the Year candidate Kon Knueppel, that it is hard to imagine them not being in a seven-game series at this point.

9. New York Knicks (50-28)

Last ranking: 7
In the last week: L at HOU, W at MEM, W vs CHI
Offensive rating: 118.8 (third place)
Defensive rating: 112.3 (eighth place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: first in East, lose NBA Finals vs. Thunder

I said that the Knicks are the most trustworthy team in a thoroughly untrustworthy conference. Well, six different teams have been the top seed in the East over the last six seasons. And going forward, you can trust that the Knicks won’t be one of those top seeds. They got passed over again. That’s the kind of consistency we should all appreciate. The Knicks are reasonably healthy going into the final week of the season, and Mike Brown did get this group to be a top-10 defense and a top-five offense. But New York has work to do to hold off the Cavaliers and stay in third.

10. Atlanta Hawks (45-33)

Last ranking: 12
In the last week: W vs BOS, W at ORL, W at BRK
Offensive rating: 115.1 (13th place)
Defensive rating: 112.7 (ninth place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: Second in East, lose East semifinals vs. Magic

I was high on a Hawks team built around Trae Young and Kristaps Porziņģis. That was a failure, mostly because those two played a total of 51 minutes together. But the pivot Atlanta has undergone has been spectacular. Only the Thunder and Spurs have better post-All-Star break records, and the Hawks blow teams out even worse than the Thunder have been. And it’s because of the defense. Dribbling and passing around Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Onyeka Okongwu and All-Star Jalen Johnson is perilous. They have an interesting final week, as they face potential first-round opponents New York and Cleveland for three games.

Tier 3: The Bubble

11. Los Angeles Lakers (50-28)

Last ranking: 6
In the last week: W vs WAS, W vs CLE, L at OKC, L at DAL
Offensive rating: 117.0 (ninth place)
Defensive rating: 115.7 (20th place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: Fifth in West, lose West semifinals vs. Thunder

The Lakers had an amazing March, and they’re going to wish the count stopped there. Instead, they went to Oklahoma and saw their work go down the drain because of Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves suffering multi-week soft tissue injuries. It’s an unfortunate result for those two, though not wholly surprising. Dončić has been plagued by soft tissue injuries for years, while Reaves’ season was interrupted by a calf injury that cost him all of January. Those two had to play and do as much as they did due to the makeup of this roster. The attention shifts back to LeBron James, and the Lakers should still be able to score. But this is a team in which Marcus Smart is more important than he ever should be. Los Angeles can’t drop any lower than fifth, but it will be difficult for the Lakers to play long enough for Dončić or Reaves to get back in uniform again this season.

12. Philadelphia 76ers (43-35)

Last ranking: 13
In the last week: L at MIA, W at WAS, W vs MIN, L vs DET
Offensive rating: 114.7 (15th place)
Defensive rating: 114.9 (17th place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: Sixth in East, lose East quarterfinals vs. Magic

Tobias Harris taunting the 76ers about the Play-In in Philadelphia was a nice touch, I can’t lie. However, the 76ers are sixth in the East headed into the final week of the season. Paul George returned from his suspension looking like an All-Star. Joel Embiid needs some vitamins, but at least he’s mostly playing. All-Star Tyrese Maxey is back as well. Philadelphia hasn’t looked like a special team overall, but the next best thing is having the top available talent when it matters, and the 76ers are close to having that for the playoffs.

13. Minnesota Timberwolves (46-32)

Last ranking: 9
In the last week: W at DAL, L at DET, L at PHI, L vs CHA
Offensive rating: 115.1 (14th place)
Defensive rating: 112.1 (fifth place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: Seventh in West (keep seventh in Play-In Tournament), lose West quarterfinals vs. Clippers

Minnesota still hasn’t clinched a top-six seed. It likely will, but I was right to keep the Timberwolves out of the top of the West when predicting their season. I said I wasn’t sure Anthony Edwards was going to have enough help offensively, and here the Timberwolves are in the middle of the rankings offensively. All I can say is, nothing will surprise me with what happens to Minnesota in the playoffs. The Timberwolves could make a run, and it wouldn’t shock me. But neither would their first early exit in three years, especially considering the difficult timing of Jaden McDaniels’ knee woes.

14. Toronto Raptors (43-35)

Last ranking: 11
In the last week: L at DET, L vs SAC, W at MEM, L at BOS
Offensive rating: 114.5 (16th place)
Defensive rating: 112.3 (seventh place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: Eighth in East, eliminated in Play-In Tournament by Pistons, Bucks

The Raptors will finish no lower than the Play-In, which would have been an accomplishment for last year’s team. But for now, Toronto is staring at the possibility of being in the Play-In after being in the top six in the East for most of the season. Toronto has two All-Stars, Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes, and the Raptors have been solid in clutch time after being awful in those games a year ago. It will be fascinating to see where the Raptors wind up.

15. Orlando Magic (42-36)

Last ranking: 18
In the last week: W vs PHO, L vs ATL, W at DAL, W at NO
Offensive rating: 114.0 (18th place)
Defensive rating: 114.0 (15th place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: Third in East, lose Eastern Conference finals vs. Knicks

The Magic looked like a team that was going to need a new head coach. And perhaps Jamahl Mosley is still on the hot seat despite a 3-1 week that saw Franz Wagner play his first games since the All-Star break. That’s the root of the problem with the Magic. They thought the core of Wagner, Jalen Suggs and Paolo Banchero was the main group, and that trading all of those first-round picks for Desmond Bane was the right kind of final puzzle piece move. In the regular season, these guys don’t play together enough to maintain an identity. Now, the Magic are in the middle of a tough Play-In race. Making a statement in the playoffs is simple, but it’s hard to think that this team is strong enough to be able to do it.

16. Miami Heat (41-37)

Last ranking: 17
In the last week: W vs PHI, L vs BOS, W vs WAS
Offensive rating: 115.4 (12th place)
Defensive rating: 113.4 (11th place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: Ninth in East, eliminated in Play-In Tournament by Bucks

The good news for the Heat is that there won’t be a losing season. Miami hasn’t had consecutive losing seasons since 2003. But Miami’s problem is that there are nine teams in the East with more wins than it has. This team books the Play-In on an annual basis. It was nice when Jimmy Butler was on the team during those spring break runs. But Miami needs a lot of help to secure a seven-game series.

17. Phoenix Suns (43-35)

Last ranking: 14
In the last week: W at MEM, L at ORL, L at CHA, W at CHI
Offensive rating: 114.3 (17th place)
Defensive rating: 112.9 (10th place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: 14th in West, will not make playoffs

The Suns are certainly wheezing a bit, losing eight of their last 12 games. But I expected the Suns to be dreadful. Jordan Ott has been magnificent on so many levels, but the primary one is that he got this team to play hard and defend at a top-10 level. There aren’t and weren’t that many resources for the Suns to be better this season, but having an identity around disruptive defense and heavy doses of 3-point attempts has been enough to secure a winning season. We’ll see if it is good enough to survive the Play-In, but this season was an unexpected success for Phoenix anyway you look at it.

18. Portland Trail Blazers (40-38)

Last ranking: 19
In the last week: W at LAC, W vs NO
Offensive rating: 112.9 (21st place)
Defensive rating: 113.5 (13th place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: 12th in West, will not make playoffs

Keep Portland Weird. The basketball certainly qualifies. Of the 19 teams with winning records, only the Trail Blazers still have a negative point differential. No team averages more turnovers per game. And yet, Portland controls its own destiny for the eighth seed after an impressive and helpful win at LA. The Blazers have a big game at home against those same Clippers on Friday night as well. Tiago Splitter deserves a ton of credit for basically being Pacific Northwest Joe Mazzulla, taking this team to 40 wins after Chauncey Billups coached the season opener.

19. LA Clippers (40-38)

Last ranking: 15
In the last week: L vs POR, L vs SA, W at SAC
Offensive rating: 116.6 (11th place)
Defensive rating: 115.2 (19th place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: Second in West, lose Western Conference finals vs. Thunder

We all know how this one went. The Clippers are still paying for the rancid stretch that saw them lose 19 of 22 games between the beginning of November and the middle of December. They had to reset the core around Kawhi Leonard because of that. They’ve done well to put themselves in a position to have a winning record and a shot at the playoffs, but they also made things very stressful by having a five-game win streak snapped at home against the Trail Blazers. Now, the Clippers need to get that win back in Oregon, or their visit to the Play-In could come down to needing two wins just for the right to have their season ended early by the Thunder.

Tier 4: Not the Tier to Fear

20. Golden State Warriors (36-42)

Last ranking: 20
In the last week: L vs SA, L vs CLE, L vs HOU
Offensive rating: 113.8 (19th place)
Defensive rating: 114.1 (16th place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: Third in West, lose West quarterfinals vs. Rockets

I knew the Warriors were going to have consequences for being old. The Clippers got all the criticism for the roster they put together, but the Warriors were worse, and I was more wrong on them. Most of this came down to Golden State being unable to recover from Jimmy Butler III’s ACL tear and Stephen Curry missing all of February and March with his own knee problem. Draymond Green has had a rough time without either of those players. Al Horford played only 43 games, which is still more than Jonathan Kuminga and Kristaps Porziņģis combined for (33). Curry is back, though, so he’s still going to need to be dealt with in the Play-In.

21. Milwaukee Bucks (31-47)

Last ranking: 24
In the last week: W vs DAL, L at HOU, L vs BOS, W vs MEM
Offensive rating: 112.2 (25th place)
Defensive rating: 118.1 (26th place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: 10th in East (earn eighth in Play-In Tournament), lose East quarterfinals vs. Knicks

I was low on the Bucks. I should have stood on business and been even lower. I had too much respect for Giannis Antetokounmpo dragging this group to the playoffs. Perhaps Antetokounmpo wanted to see that as well. But the Bucks weren’t good enough even with Antetokounmpo. And without him, they played empty, soulless basketball, as if no one wanted to be there. Even the Anthony Davis “That’s All Folks!” Pelicans had more threatening moments.

22. Dallas Mavericks (25-53)

Last ranking: 23
In the last week: L vs MIN, L at MIL, L vs ORL, W vs LAL
Offensive rating: 109.7 (29th place)
Defensive rating: 115.1 (18th place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: 11th in West, will not make playoffs

Speaking of Anthony Davis, I had some brutal misses this season. This was not one of them. Some of you really had the Mavericks as a serious team. The broadcast partners having the Mavericks on as much as they were only gets a pass because Cooper Flagg is box office. But this team was always set up to be a hot mess. Davis ended his Mavericks tenure with 587 points in 29 games. Luka Dončić scored more points than that in March 2026 alone! D’Angelo Russell was supposed to be the bridge to Kyrie Irving’s return, and all Russell did was earn a spot in the same trade that sent out Davis. Irving didn’t make it back, which should not have been a surprise. Flagg was good but in a way that made you feel sorry for him all season long. Dereck Lively II was done by Thanksgiving. Jason Kidd himself could have started at point guard for this team, I don’t care that he’s 53. It was a mess of a season, but I saw it coming.

23. Chicago Bulls (29-49)

Last ranking: 22
In the last week: L at SA, L vs IND, L at NY, L vs PHO
Offensive rating: 112.2 (24th place)
Defensive rating: 117.8 (23rd place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: 11th in East, will not make playoffs

I felt like this was the year the Bulls finally dropped out of Play-In consideration. It took some ill-fated trades, but Chicago got it done. The Bulls may even finish 11th on that dot since they have serious tank competition this week in Washington and Dallas.

24. Memphis Grizzlies (25-53)

Last ranking: 21
In the last week: L vs PHO, L vs NY, L vs TOR, L at MIL
Offensive rating: 112.8 (22nd place)
Defensive rating: 117.8 (24th place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: Eight in West, eliminated in Play-In Tournament by Timberwolves, Spurs

I was too high on the idea that Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. would keep the Grizzlies afloat for one more season. The Grizzlies only went 7-13 in games that Morant and Jackson played together, and now they’re no longer teammates. Jackson is in Utah, while Morant played three games after Jan. 1. To make matters worse, LeBron James said the team needs to move. These are the blues, after all.

25. New Orleans Pelicans (25-54)

Last ranking: 25
In the last week: L at POR, L at SAC, L vs ORL
Offensive rating: 113.0 (20th place)
Defensive rating: 117.4 (22nd place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: 13th in West, will not make playoffs

Here’s another one where the team is right where I said they would be with one week to go. And that’s with Zion Williamson missing “only” 18 games this season. Even recently, that little spark Dejounte Murray started is pretty much gone, with the Pelicans losing eight in a row. It’s New Orleans’ fourth losing streak of at least seven games this season. And the Pelicans are not even tanking.

Tier 5: Basement Floor

26. Sacramento Kings (21-58)

Last ranking: 29
In the last week: W at TOR, W vs NO, L vs LAC
Offensive rating: 110.4 (26th place)
Defensive rating: 120.4 (28th place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: Ninth in West, eliminated in Play-In Tournament by Spurs

Much like the Grizzlies, I was too high on the thought of Sacramento maintaining the level of competence they showed in recent years, though I at least couched my optimism by having the Kings also fail to earn a playoff berth in the Play-In Tournament. I knew the Kings would be bad on defense, so no surprise there. But I felt like there would be so many options offensively that the floor would be higher. It just didn’t work. A large part of the failure was Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis not being able to play a single game together. But this Kings season comes down to an utter lack of direction for all involved.

27. Indiana Pacers (18-60)

Last ranking: 26
In the last week: W at CHI, L at CHA, L at CLE
Offensive rating: 110.3 (27th place)
Defensive rating: 118.3 (27th place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: Fifth in East, lose East quarterfinals vs. Cavaliers

An all-out rotten prediction here. The Pacers were already going to take a step back without Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner. When that fragile infrastructure was dented further by Week 1 injuries affecting Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin and Obi Toppin, epitaphs were written. The Pacers fell behind the count early and despite a valiant season from Pascal Siakam, Indiana started 2-16 and was cooked by Thanksgiving. They had the gap year that I thought the Celtics would have. They turned Mathurin into Ivica Zubac, so they are going to have a worthy starting lineup next season. But they better win the lottery for what it cost Indiana to secure Zubac in a gap year.

28. Brooklyn Nets (19-59)

Last ranking: 27
In the last week: L vs CHA, L vs ATL, W vs WAS
Offensive rating: 108.5 (30th place)
Defensive rating: 118.1 (25th place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: 14th in East, will not make playoffs

If you have reached this point in the Power Rankings review, the surprises are gone. The Nets are bad, as expected. I actually said I’d be shocked if anyone besides Cam Thomas (since waived by the Nets and the Bucks) and Michael Porter Jr. averaged a dozen points for this team. So shout out to Noah Clowney, who is at 12.3 points per game!

29. Utah Jazz (21-58)

Last ranking: 30
In the last week: L vs CLE, L vs DEN, L at HOU, L at OKC
Offensive rating: 112.7 (23rd place)
Defensive rating: 121.2 (29th place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: 15th in West, will not make playoffs

Utah is in a tie with the Kings for not only the worst record in the West but also the fourth-worst record in the league. Utah has the tougher tank mission ahead, but for a team that declared itself not to be tanking, they showed that actions speak much louder than words. There has been real development in Utah, specifically Keyonte George. A front line of Lauri Markkannen, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Walker Kessler could be intriguing next season. But this was a tank all along.

30. Washington Wizards (17-61)

Last ranking: 28
In the last week: L at LAL, L vs PHI, L at MIA, L at BRK
Offensive rating: 109.9 (28th place)
Defensive rating: 121.3 (30th place)

2026 playoff prediction from Week 1: 15th in East, will not make playoffs

I said that the entire Wizards roster could be made up of players 25 and under in March. The only players who suited up for Washington aged 25 or older last month: 34-year-old Anthony Gill, 26-year-old two-way contract Leaky Black, and 27-year-old Trae Young (for five games). The Wizards gave up 83 points to Bam Adebayo, and then in a rematch Saturday, held Adebayo to six field goal attempts and still gave up 152 points to the Heat. A master class of tank, but under the watchful eye of Anthony Davis now, so at least Washington is getting the top pick in the draft.