We are about a month of the way into the 2023-24 NBA season and fans around the league are already beginning to throw in the towel on their team's season. Can everyone just take a deep breathe and relax for a moment? Maybe teams like the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, and Los Angeles Clippers aren't playing well right now, but that doesn't necessarily mean the sky is falling.
Just look at what happened last season. The Miami Heat were the 8-seed and advanced to the NBA Finals. The Milwaukee Bucks owned the best record in the league and lost to the Heat in the first round of the playoffs. The Los Angeles Lakers, who everyone was clowning and making fun of during the first few months of the year, made it to the Western Conference Finals after being eight games below .500 at one point.
The fact of the matter is that it's way too early to give up hope. With that said, there are reasons to begin worrying about some of the league's championship contenders.
Right now, a lot of spotlight is being cast on the Warriors. Stephen Curry has been fantastic and looking like a contender for this season's MVP award, but he is set to miss a couple of games with a knee injury. Draymond Green was recently involved in an altercation with the Minnesota Timberwolves and was suspended five games for putting Rudy Gobert in a headlock. Can the Warriors survive and get back on track without Curry and Green despite finding themselves on a four-game losing streak?
In Los Angeles, both the Clippers and Lakers are dealing with their own problems. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are doing all the heavy lifting and find themselves on the injury report with the Lakers at 6-6 on the season. Across the hall of Crypto.com Arena, the Clippers have not won a single game since James Harden entered their starting rotation.
Then there are questions being asked about the Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns. These two teams entered the year with championship aspirations, yet they both find themselves at 5-6 on the year.
The NBA panic meter is back to help solve the mystery of which teams we should and should not be panicking about heading into the holiday season.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors' 6-2 start had everyone believing that they had put the 2022-23 season and all the drama that ensured over the last year behind them. Chris Paul was thriving in his role off the bench, Dario Saric was providing them with the necessary frontcourt depth needed, and Stephen Curry was on a roll offensively.
While much of this has remained the same, the Warriors have now lost four straight games following back-to-back losses on their home floor against the Timberwolves. The good news for Golden State is that their last four losses were against playoff-worthy teams in the T-Wolves, Cavs, and Denver Nuggets. The bad news is that they enter a stretch where they will play the Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, and Oklahoma City Thunder (twice) without Draymond Green and possibly without Curry.
When looking at the Warriors and their season so far, the main problem that sticks out like a sore thumb is that their offense ranks 15th in the league. Klay Thompson is shooting just 34.2 percent from three-point range and Andrew Wiggins is shooting 39.5 percent from the floor. If you're a Warriors fan, you don't even want to know the number in Wiggins' three-point shooting category right now.
Golden State has not been bad whatsoever and they should be thrilled with how their defense has played this season. Without Curry though, the Warriors' offense is a massive question mark, especially since rookie guard Brandin Podziemski is the only other player to score 20-plus points in a game this season besides Steph.
The Warriors have been here before and if there is any team in the league that is capable of turning things around, it's them. Perhaps Curry and Green being out is the wake-up call this Warriors team needs, especially Thompson and Wiggins. For now, there is definitely reason to panic for Golden State until they prove to be the well-balanced offensive team we've grown accustomed to seeing through the years.
Panic Meter: 7/10, Someone has to score more than 20 points, right?
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers have looked very inconsistent to begin the 2023-24 season. Donovan Mitchell has looked like the team's only source of scoring at times and the Cavs have yet to win two games in a row this season. Compared to last year, Cleveland doesn't look as strong defensively, which has negatively impacted their slower-paced offense.
The bottom line for the Cavs is the fact that they have not really had their full cast of starters together long enough. Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen have each missed five games. Mitchell has missed a game as well. When they are fully healthy and have their core group on the court, the Cavaliers are one of the better teams in the league, especially on defense given the size they possess.
On offense, Max Strus and Georges Niang are beginning to look more comfortable in their roles as catch-and-shoot threats on the perimeter. It's also worth noting that Caris LeVert has quietly looked like a candidate for this season's Sixth Man of the Year award.
Despite their 5-6 record, there is a lot to like about the Cavs right now. We will truly get to see what they are made up with their full assortment of players against the likes of the Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Los Angeles Lakers over the next week.
Panic Meter: 3/10, Cleveland is tough to beat with everyone healthy
Los Angeles Lakers
Once again, the story for the Lakers revolves around if they have enough talent around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. On paper, it seems like they do, as Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura, and Austin Reaves are all really solid secondary contributors. In reality, Vincent and Vanderbilt are hurt, leaving Los Angeles with very little to work with.
The Lakers' main concern right now has to be the well-being of James and Davis, as they have each played a lot of minutes early on in the season. The worst part is that the Lakers are only 6-6 despite their All-Stars playing their hearts out and battling through some minor injuries.
It seems like Los Angeles is always dealing with injuries to LeBron and AD, which is why adding secondary depth was vital. The Lakers desperately need others to step up, as a -3.1 point differential through 12 games is not going to cut it.
Panic Meter: 5/10, Will Anthony Davis and LeBron James remain healthy given their workload?
Phoenix Suns
Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and Kevin Durant are expected to be the best scoring trio in the league this year. So far, they have played zero games together, as Beal and Booker have each played in only three games. This season has been the KD show so far, which has put the Suns in a little bit of a pickle since their secondary depth is questionable.
While Durant has been fantastic, averaging upwards of 30 points per game on over 45 percent shooting from three-point range, the Suns' bench is made up of minimum contract players due to the contracts of Beal and Booker.
This team's identity runs through their three stars, which is why they are a shell of what they can be when one of them isn't in the lineup. At 5-6 on the season, Phoenix truly has nothing to worry about other than injury concerns. Booker has scored at least 31 points in all three games he's played in and when they are all on the floor together, Beal is a pretty good third option to have.
Until we see the Suns take the court with their entire starting group healthy, it is hard to say there is a reason to panic. It wouldn't come as a shock to see this team go on a massive win streak and vault to the top of the Western Conference standings very soon.
Panic Meter: 2/10, Phoenix is going to be unstoppable on offense
Los Angeles Clippers
James Harden was traded from the Houston Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets in 2021. This resulted in the Nets losing in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and seeing both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving walk out the door. Harden was traded from the Nets to the Philadelphia 76ers in 2022. This led to the Sixers losing in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and seeing drama ensue this past offseason. Harden is now a member of the Clippers after being traded from the Sixers just a few weeks ago.
Are you beginning to see the trend here?
Everywhere Harden has gone, he has not necessarily created the greatest situation for his team. Since joining the Clippers, things have not been great. Harden is averaging just 15.0 points and 4.2 assists per game with the Clippers. Oh, and the team has gone 0-5 with him in the lineup.
The panic meter is all the way up for the Clippers right now, especially since there is no time that can be wasted in the Western Conference. Younger teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets are on the rise, plus the championship contenders from a year ago have not gone anywhere.
The Clippers better start showing some fight over the next month because if they enter 2024 several games below .500, much like they are right now, we will need to start having a real conversation about this team missing the playoffs.
Panic Meter: 9/10, The Clippers may actually miss the playoffs if they don't change
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