Apr 4, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan (11) warms up before the first half against the Atlanta Hawks at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
The weight of expectations was too much for these five teams this NBA season, and they crumbled because of injuries, a lack of talent, chemistry or both.
There were a lot of teams who surprised us this year, the most obvious being the Sacramento Kings, clinching their first playoff birth since 2006. The fourth-seeded Cavaliers were also a pleasant surprise, clearly benefitting from the Donovan Mitchell trade.
Let’s take a look at the other side of that coin — five NBA teams who were unable to live up the offseason hype, leaving their fanbases very disappointed.
The most disappointing teams of the 2022-23 NBA season:
5. Chicago Bulls
After finally getting back into the postseason in 2022, Chicago was hoping for another playoff trip and potentially contending in the East. They hoped Lonzo Ball could return to the lineup at some point, giving them a dynamic starting five in Ball, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams, and Nikola Vucevic, leaving Alex Caruso as a six-man off the bench. However, Ball was unable to return, forcing Chicago to cut into their lack of depth with Caruso starting at point guard.
“Looking at it in totality, the results were disappointing, quite honestly”, said head coach Billy Donovan. “There were a lot of different variables that played a part of that. We didn’t close games very well. Our consistency has been up and down. We’ve had some crazy plays happen at the end of games where we came up on the losing end.”
Donovan couldn’t be more right about the team’s failure to close games, with Chicago posting a 9-14 overall record in games decided by five points or less. While constant complaints have lingered over Donovan’s late-game coaching, the team is clearly sticking with him long-term after signing him to an extension over the offseason.
After finishing as a top-six team in the East last season, Chicago will have to win two road games in the play-in tournament. Chicago will hope to squeeze their way into a matchup with the Bucks, a team that almost swept them in the first round of the playoffs last year. With Nikola Vucevic likely leaving in free agency, Chicago will have some cap space to add depth and refine this roster over the offseason.