Predicting four NBA playoff teams from last season that are most likely going to take a surprising bad step back in 2024-25.
Heading into the new NBA season, one of the most exciting things to do year in and year out is predicting the next slate of teams that will rise in either conference. However, part of that means there are naturally a few teams that will end up taking a bit of a step back. That's part of the circle of the league. As we prepare for the new season, we'll predict four teams that are somewhat unexpectedly going to take a pretty unforeseen step back in 2024-25.
4 NBA playoff teams that are most likely to take a step back in 2024-25
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic are certainly a team on the rise in the Eastern Conference but I'm not sure if they're going to be able to avoid somewhat of a natural regression this year. The Magic did a great job of adding Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency but I'm afraid they managed to miss the opportunity to upgrade the point guard position, which I believe was their biggest need heading into the offseason.
Looking at how deep the Eastern Conference is, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Magic slightly take a step back. Considering how young they are, I'm not even sure that would be viewed as an incredibly bad thing either. The Magic could finish as the 6th or 7th seed and considering how they're being talked about, that would still be a bit of a disappointment.