Key Highlights
- And in the West, the San Antonio Spurs have given the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder a new rivalry. It's the perfect time to hand out midterm grades to all 30 teams. My grades, based on performance to date, are strongly influenced by a team's expectations entering the season.
- For context, I've included preseason win projections for each team alongside the current projection provided by ESPN's Basketball Power Index, which incorporates win-loss record and accounts for injuries. Beyond wins and losses, I'm also considering how well teams are executing their goals, including developing young talent and securing lottery positioning.
- Generally speaking, meeting expectations thus far results in a "B" or "C" grade, meaning overperformance is required to get an A. I've handed out four of those, plus two more "A-minus" grades, starting with two surprising teams battling for top seeds in the Eastern Conference.
- Check out where all 30 teams landed on my midseason grades.
- (Teams are in alphabetical order within each grade.)Jump to a team: ATL | BOS | BKN | CHA | CHI | CLE DAL | DEN | DET | GS | HOU | IND LAC | LAL | MEM | MIA | MIL | MIN NO | NY | OKC | ORL | PHI | PHX POR | SAC | SA | TOR | UTA | WASBoston Celtics: APreseason projection: 40.5 wins Current projection: 50.7 winsGranted, the Celtics have been as fortunate as a team whose star player (Jayson Tatum) is rehabbing a right Achilles injury can be in terms of health.