NBA: Three Eastern Conference Teams Trending Up And Down This Season

The NBA season is already a few weeks old and we have a good idea of what every team is. Here are three teams that are trending up and down so far this year

With the NBA season a few weeks into the 2015-16 campaign, there are already a few trends that we didn’t expect to see prior to the new year. Some teams have performed better than expected, while others have performed worse.

Here’s a look at three Eastern Conference teams that are trending up and three Eastern Conference teams that are trending down.

(Note: the teams selected for trending up are performing better than expectations and the teams down are performing below expectations)

Teams On The Upswing:

Charlotte Hornets: (5-6) OffRtg: 103.7 DefRtg: 101.7

Coming into the season many were ready to write the Hornets off as they had lost their most important player, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, for the season, however, the Hornets have been impressive so far the season. They have shooters on the outside – finally – and the trades they made to land Nicolas Batum and Jeremy Lamb appear to be great deals. They are 17th in PPG while being 12th in OPPG. Charlotte is back to the formula that lead them to the playoffs with solid team defense and a strong inside-outside game.

New York Knicks: (6-6) OffRtg: 100.6 DefRtg: 100.3

Last season, when the Knicks won their 6th game they had 36 losses to go with it but this season they won their 6th game after only playing 12 so far. New York finally has a roster that can compete and it helps that Kristaps Porzingis is already looking like the perfect draft pick. The Knicks have a top 10 defense in points allowed, while also being 10th in RPG. New York should be in the hunt for the playoffs this season as long as Carmelo Anthony stays healthy.

Indiana Pacers: (6-5) OffRtg: 98.6 DefRtg: 98.0

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This season was supposed to be about change for the Pacers as they would look to run a faster offense while getting rid of some of their better defenders. So far they look like the old Pacers as they are 6th in OPPG and the offense still falls on the shoulders of Paul George. The reason the Pacers are trending is up is simple, Paul George is back. He looks like the man before the injury. A guy who was a top 10 player in the NBA and only getting better. With George back to his old self, the Pacers should be better than many expected.

Teams On The Downswing:

Brooklyn Nets: (2-9) OffRtg: 96.4 DefRtg: 104.1

The Nets were supposed to be worse this year, but not this bad. They had one of the NBA’s easier schedules to start but they have only won two games out of 11. They have several issues on offense as, outside of Brook Lopez, nobody can be counted on regularly to score. Joe Johnson appears to be done as a go-to guy. To make matters worse, they will see their lottery pick next season go to the Celtics

Milwaukee Bucks: (5-6) OffRtg: 100.4 DefRtg: 106.3

The Bucks were a trendy team coming into the season, as many were expecting them to not only be better, but to battle to be in the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference. So far this season, they have struggled as Michael Carter-Williams hasn’t looked like an improvement over Knight. The Bucks haven’t scored well or rebounded well, as they are 24th and 30th in those respective categories.

Next: NBA MVP Rankings And The Rise Of Paul George

Washington Wizards: (5-4) OffRtg: 101.9 DefRtg: 102.7

The Wizards haven’t been bad this season but many including myself expect a big season from this team. They are 5th in PPG and 7th in APG, but 27th in OPPG. The offense, John Wall and Bradley Beal (when healthy) have looked great so far, but the defense needs to improve as well as the post play. The Wizards, again, have not played bad this season but they need to take another step to be considered a threat to make the Eastern Conference Championship.