14. Boston Celtics
Since the beginning of the season, this just didn’t feel like it was going to be the Boston Celtics year. And that was punctuated by the loss of Jaylen Brown earlier this week. He’s slated to miss the remainder of the season and the playoffs.
After falling two wins short of an NBA Finals appearance a year ago, this season has been anything but a step forward for this franchise. It’ll be interesting to see how this team elects to tackle the offseason.
13. New York Knicks
The New York Knicks have been one of the better feel-good stories in the league this season. They are projected to be a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and have a roster that could present some problems for one of the top four teams in the playoffs.
I am not sure if the Knicks are going to win a first-round playoff series, but there’s no question that this team has taken a huge step forward in their progression as a franchise this season. For the first time in a long time, the future is bright for the Knicks.