SUPRISE FACTS; WHY THE WIZARDS STILL TOPS..
The NBA season is well underway, and with every game, there are a few things that we can be certain of: superstar performances, jaw-dropping dunks, and, of course, the predictable chaos at the bottom of the league. The NBA’s cellar-dwelling teams are no strangers to the spotlight, and as the season progresses, we continue to see some familiar faces battling it out for the worst records in the league. In this edition of the NBA Cellar Dweller Power Rankings, we take a closer look at the Washington Wizards, who seem to defy the odds with unexpected wins, and the Charlotte Hornets, whose ongoing disaster shows no signs of stopping.
1. Charlotte Hornets: A Bottomless Pit of Woes
For the Charlotte Hornets, the 2023-2024 NBA season has been an unmitigated disaster. The Hornets entered the year with some hopes for improvement, particularly around the development of their star player, LaMelo Ball. However, those aspirations have quickly evaporated as the team has continued to underperform, with little signs of hope for the immediate future.
At the heart of the Hornets’ woes is their inability to defend. Despite having some solid individual talents like Ball and Miles Bridges, the team has struggled mightily on both ends of the floor. Their defense has been historically bad, allowing opponents to score at will, while their offense has been inconsistent at best. The Hornets’ offensive system is stagnant, and the team’s reliance on Ball to do everything has left them painfully one-dimensional. There’s little to no offensive balance, and outside of Ball, the team has failed to develop a consistent scoring threat.
The injury bug has also bitten the Hornets hard this season. Beyond Ball, who is often sidelined with nagging injuries, the Hornets have seen their young core — including players like Brandon Miller and PJ Washington — struggle to find their footing. For a franchise that was hoping to build around youth and athleticism, these injuries have set back their progress significantly. Even when healthy, the Hornets seem to lack the chemistry required to pull off any kind of consistent success.
On the positive side, the team’s front office made some moves to shake things up, bringing in experienced veterans like Gordon Hayward. Unfortunately, Hayward, while a solid player, has been unable to elevate the Hornets in any meaningful way. He’s played with sporadic availability, and his scoring efficiency has been underwhelming. Meanwhile, the Hornets’ draft picks are still raw and have not yet demonstrated the ability to impact games at a high level.
The future of the Hornets seems bleak. General Manager Mitch Kupchak’s plan for the team has not yet come to fruition, and there’s growing concern that Charlotte’s efforts to rebuild could be dragging them deeper into mediocrity. At this point, the team might be better served in a full-on rebuild, focused on developing young talent and bringing in more assets to build a foundation for the future.
2. Washington Wizards: Winning Despite the Odds
While the Charlotte Hornets continue to spiral downward, the Washington Wizards have been defying expectations in a strange and somewhat baffling way. With one of the league’s worst records and a roster filled with unproven players, the Wizards were expected to tank in the 2023-2024 season and position themselves for a high draft pick. But in a league that is always full of surprises, Washington has managed to string together a few wins — and in the most unlikely of circumstances.
The Wizards, who traded away their franchise cornerstone, Bradley Beal, in the offseason, have been forced into a full-scale rebuild. They now have a roster that includes a mix of young players, journeymen, and a handful of veterans, and despite the overall lack of star power, they have shown some resilience. In fact, their wins so far have been achieved by a combination of grit and defensive intensity — two qualities that most analysts didn’t expect from a team in the midst of a rebuild.
At the center of the Wizards’ surprising play has been their rookie, Bilal Coulibaly. While he’s not yet a household name, Coulibaly has shown flashes of brilliance that make him an exciting prospect for Washington’s future. His length, defensive potential, and emerging offensive game have made him a key part of the Wizards’ young core. Alongside Coulibaly, the Wizards have seen strong performances from players like Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma, who have taken on larger roles than anticipated. Poole, in particular, has been a source of scoring, although his efficiency has been up and down.
But what has been truly puzzling about the Wizards’ success is that they have won games that no one saw coming. Whether it’s an unexpected victory over a playoff-bound team or a gritty win in a back-to-back, the Wizards have been able to stay competitive. Some of this can be attributed to their new head coach, Wes Unseld Jr., who has managed to get the most out of his players despite the team’s lack of talent on paper. The Wizards’ commitment to team defense and ball movement has been evident, and while they still have a long way to go in terms of roster construction, these small victories are a reminder that tanking is never a guarantee in the NBA.
Despite their wins, the Wizards are still firmly in the race for one of the worst records in the league. They have plenty of room for improvement and will need more development from their young players, but their ability to win games in a season filled with uncertainty and low expectations has kept them out of the basement — for now.
3. The Rest of the Cellar Dwellers
The NBA cellar continues to be populated by teams that are struggling to get out of their own way. While the Hornets are mired in a disaster of their own making, the Wizards have managed to carve out a modicum of success in their rebuilding process. Teams like the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, and Indiana Pacers are all vying for top lottery spots, with their own sets of issues and hopes for the future.
While these franchises might not be contending for a championship anytime soon, their seasons are far from over. The NBA’s cellar dwellers are in a constant state of flux, and in a league where things can change quickly, you never know when a rebuild might suddenly take shape. For the Hornets, however, it feels like the road to recovery is far longer than anticipated.
