NBA Power Rankings: Brooklyn Nets rise after acquiring James Harden

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NBA Chicago Bulls Zach LaVine (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

26. Chicago Bulls

Entering the season, I had high hopes that the Chicago Bulls could emerge as a darkhorse playoff team in the Eastern Conference. The start to the season hasn’t exactly reflected that. The team is 4-8 and has had issues closing games.

Zach LaVine has been really good, averaging 28 points, five rebounds, and five assists on 50 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range. Still, somehow, it hasn’t been enough to right the ship in Chicago.

25. Washington Wizards

You can make the argument that the Washington Wizards have been the biggest disappointment in the NBA this season. With as much talent as they have, led by Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook, it would be viewed as a huge disappointment for this team not to make the playoffs.

However, with the start that this team has gotten off to, there’s probably a bigger probability that this team misses the playoffs than makes it. Are the Wizards a bad team or is this just a rough start to the year? At this point, I’m not sure that’s an easy question to answer.