15. Orlando Magic (21-25)
Markelle Fultz has been a nice comeback story, but the Magic are one of those teams that have been stuck in no man’s land since their last NBA Finals appearance in 2009 (where Dwight and the Magic were ousted 4-1 by the Lakers). Without any kind of superstar player, they rely on very good players in Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, and Evan Fournier to get them through to the playoffs, but you almost wonder whether they’re better off tanking to get out of this mediocre loop.
Looking back at their last six draft picks dating back to 2017 (Chuma Okeke, Jarred Vanderbilt, Melvin Frazier, Mo Bamba, Ivan Rabb, and Wesley Iwundu), it’s pretty obvious that they aren’t hitting on selections and it might be time to reign in a new general manager as the incumbent (John Hammond) simply isn’t getting it done.
16. San Antonio Spurs (20-24)
It’s hard to hate on the Spurs given they’ve won five NBA Championships since 1999, a feat only the Lakers can also stake claim to. In fact, the last time San Antonio had a losing year was during the 1996-97 season, when they finished 20-62. But this year’s version of the Spurs is uncharacteristically bad defensively (26th in the NBA in Points Allowed), and it feels like the streak of 23 straight playoff appearances might be in jeopardy.
There is a little bit to be excited about, with a now 3-point shooting LaMarcus Aldridge, an increasingly steady DeMar DeRozan, and a couple of nice young players in Dejounte Murray and Lonnie Walker IV. The off-season spurning by Marcus Morris has likely cost the Spurs a couple of games in the standings, but the good news is San Antonio has cranked it up a little as of late, with recent January wins over the Bucks, Raptors, and Celtics.