Three NBA teams with concerns about early-season struggles

The NBA season is officially underway, and while it’s still very early, some squads have stumbled out of the gate. Though a couple of wins can quickly change the narrative, these squads have raised some eyebrows with their underwhelming performances in the opening week.

Here are three teams whose stock has dropped after the first week of the season.

Milwaukee Bucks

After four games, the Bucks find themselves at a concerning 1-3, marked by troubling losses to the Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets. Just like last season, their perimeter defense remains lackluster and disjointed. Starting guards Damian Lillard and Gary Trent Jr. have struggled to contain opposing scorers. The Bulls’ Coby White and Zach LaVine combined for 60 points, while Cam Thomas and Dennis Schroder put up 61 for the Nets, followed by the Celtics’ Payton Pritchard draining 8-of-12 three-pointers en route to 28 points.

The Bucks currently sit at 26th in the NBA in Defensive Rating, allowing 119.0 points per game — a worrisome statistic with no quick fix in sight for head coach Doc Rivers. Lillard and Trent Jr. have historically struggled with defense, and although Khris Middleton’s eventual return could provide some help, he is now 33 years old and recovering from two offseason ankle surgeries, making him a less dependable option. 

With the Bulls and Hawks looking notably improved this year, Milwaukee’s porous defense leaves them at real risk of falling out of the Eastern Conference’s top six, forcing it to contend with a play-in spot.

Denver Nuggets

After the Lakers claimed the 2019-20 championship, they stumbled to an early playoff exit the following season, prompting team president Rob Pelinka to trade Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — along with Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell and a first-round pick — for Russell Westbrook, a move supported by LeBron James. The Lakers endured one-and-a-half seasons of turmoil before eventually offloading Westbrook to the Utah Jazz. 

Fast forward to the Nuggets, who won the 2022-23 title only to face a similar fate: an early postseason exit the following year. This offseason, Denver let Caldwell-Pope walk, and just like James, three-time MVP Nikola Jokic advocated for the team to bring in Westbrook as his replacement.

No one’s suggesting the Nuggets will miss the playoffs like the Lakers did after their title run — though anything is possible in the incredibly deep Western Conference. Still, Denver has looked out of sync in the season’s first week. It was dismantled, 102-87, on opening night at home by the Oklahoma City Thunder, followed by a 109-104 loss to the L.A. Clippers. In its third game, it found themselves down by nine with just three minutes left against the rebuilding Toronto Raptors before scraping out an overtime victory.

Heading into their fourth contest against the Nets, the Nuggets’ bench ranks 29th in the league, averaging only 17.0 points per game. Westbrook has struggled mightily, shooting 20.0% from the field, and Denver has been a staggering 27.8 points per 100 possessions worse with him on the floor. 

Jamal Murray, still appearing a step slow after a challenging Olympic stint, has had difficulty creating separation, hitting just 36.2% from the field. Meanwhile, Michael Porter Jr. and Christian Braun have also faltered, with Porter connecting on only 20.0% from deep and Braun shooting 25.0% from beyond the arc.

While Denver’s shooting woes are likely temporary, its bench remains a serious concern. Unless there’s a significant improvement in their reserves’ performance, the Nuggets’ starters will be forced to carry a heavy burden throughout the season, which might prove unsustainable.

Indiana Pacers

After an Eastern Conference Finals appearance, the Pacers aimed to build on last season’s success but have stumbled to a 1-3 start. Two-time All-Star, Tyrese Haliburton, has struggled to find his rhythm, averaging just 14.0 points on 33.9% shooting from the field and only 5.3 assists per game — well below his usual output. 

Oddly, a team known for its breakneck speed (second in pace last season at 101.7) now looks uncharacteristically sluggish, ranking 27th in pace and failing to run opponents into the ground as they did last year.

The Pacers’ defense has been equally shaky, allowing 117.3 points per game — 22nd in the league — while showing minimal resistance at the rim and conceding an alarming 13.5 offensive rebounds per game. Although Indiana wasn’t expected to be a defensive powerhouse, their current ranking of 23rd in Defensive Rating highlights just how far they are from even passable defense.

Looking ahead, things won’t get any easier for Indiana, with tough matchups against the Celtics, Pelicans, Mavericks and Magic on the horizon. If it can’t resolve their issues on both ends of the floor, it’s at serious risk of starting the season with a 1-7 record.