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    The Bucks and 76ers are struggling while the undefeated Cavaliers are on the rise
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    The Bucks and 76ers are struggling while the undefeated Cavaliers are on the rise

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    The Milwaukee Bucks are 1-6, the Philadelphia 76ers are 1-5, the Cleveland Cavaliers are 8-0 and the Oklahoma City Thunder are 7-0.

    The Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors are 6-1. And not surprisingly, the defending champion Boston Celtics are 7-1.

    It's still early in the 2024-25 NBA season and there's still plenty of time for change. But can the Suns and Warriors be among the top six teams in the Western Conference? Can the Cavaliers challenge the Celtics for the top spot in the Eastern Conference or at least secure the No. 2 seed? Will the Celtics reach 60-plus wins as they attempt to become the first team to do so since Golden State in 2017 and 2018?

    Let's look at the teams that are trending up and down in the NBA after two weeks of the season. (Records and stats before Wednesday's games):

    Trending: Oklahoma City Thunder

    The Thunder have an MVP candidate in Shai-Gilgeous Alexander and potential All-Stars in Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams. Oklahoma City is rich and deep with development designed to maximize the present and the future.

    The Thunder should be good for a long time and potentially put together a run similar to the days of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden.

    Oklahoma City will have money to spend, especially if Alexander gets his next contract and Holmgren and Williams pursue rookie extensions. However, Thunder general manager Sam Presti is preparing for those days. The Thunder signed contributors Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe to valuable contracts in the offseason that will pay both players less in the last two seasons than they did in the first two seasons.

    Presti continues to be successful in the draft. The Thunder secured second-round pick (No. 38 overall) Ajay Mitchell in the June draft, and he is already receiving quality playing time.

    Downtrend: Milwaukee Bucks

    Damian Lillard is still trying to find his place on the Bucks alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Milwaukee's defense has struggled early, allowing 116.5 points per 100 possessions, 22nd in the league. Before we can fully explain how troubling this start is, the Bucks need to get Khris Middleton back in the lineup.

    However, it doesn't solve all of their problems. Depth is an issue, and Milwaukee has had trouble scoring on draft picks. Because the Bucks haven't been a lottery team since 2016, they typically pick in the second half of the first round and often in the 20s. They didn't have a first-round pick in 2023 and had to give up a second-round pick in 2022. The team also just declined an option year on 2022 first-round pick MarJon Beauchamp's rookie contract and would like to trade him.

    Part of it shows how difficult it is to recruit and sign the right players in free agency, and more importantly, it shows how difficult it is to win multiple championships even with a player as great as Antetokounmpo on the roster stands.

    If the losses continue, there'll be even more talk about blowing up the roster and trading Antetokounmpo, but trading a two-time MVP superstar who's still All-NBA, brings fans to the seats and sells merchandise isn't usually anything special important to the possession to-do list – no matter how much interest Golden State has in Antetokounmpo.

    Trending: Denver Nuggets

    The Nuggets started 0-2 and won their next two games in overtime. Almost an 0-4 start, which would have made the excitement even greater in Denver, where the Nuggets, like the Bucks, are trying to capitalize on winning another title with a generational superstar (three-time MVP Nikola Jokic).

    Since winning a championship in 2023, the Nuggets have lost depth (Jeff Green, Bruce Brown, Reggie Jackson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope), and general manager Calvin Booth has tried to replace them with young draft picks.

    The Nuggets could see this effort pay off. In Monday's win over Toronto, the Nuggets finished with Christian Braun (No. 21 pick in 2022), Peyton Watson (No. 30 pick in 2022) and Julian Strawther (No. 29 pick in 2023). on the square. A strong defender, Braun is averaging a career-high 14.9 points on 54.2% shooting from the field and 45% from three-pointers.

    Aaron Gordon's calf strain, which will sideline him for a few weeks, will test that extent. (A side note: If Gordon opts out of the final year of his contract next season and agrees to an extension that begins in 2026-27, the Nuggets will save about $40 million in luxury taxes for next season.)

    Jokic continues to prove why he is a three-time MVP and the best player in the world. He is averaging 29.6 points, 12.6 rebounds, 10.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks while shooting 54.3% from the field and 53.1% on three-pointers. His three-point percentage isn't sustainable – he's never shot better than 39.6% in a season – but he's off to a great start.

    Denver's success depends in large part on Jamal Murray, who signed a four-year, $207.8 million contract extension in September. He's off to a slow start offensively, shooting 37% from the field and 30.4% on threes. He is in the league's concussion protocol but is expected back in the lineup soon. And the Nuggets need him at the All-Star level.

    Trending: Cleveland Cavaliers

    Donovan Mitchell's extension, which runs through 2027-28 and includes a player option for the final season of the contract, gave the Cavaliers a chance to see what's possible if their core players (Mitchell, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley) intact for a while are a few seasons and without contract drama.

    The Cavaliers argue that they should be considered the second-best team in the East, with the No. 2 offense (121 points per 100 possessions), the No. 5 defense (108.3 points allowed per 100 possessions) and the No. 4 offense Net rating (plus-12.7).

    New coach Kenny Atkinson, who was a longtime assistant coach, then head coach in Brooklyn and then an assistant under Steve Kerr at Golden State, has refined the offense. The Cavs are No. 2 in 3-point percentage and No. 6 in 3-point percentage per game.

    Downtrend: Philadelphia 76ers

    It's a terrible start to the season for the 76ers, which includes a 1-5 record, Joel Embiid's absence due to knee problems, his three-game suspension for shoving a reporter, the team's $100,000 fine for violating the The NBA's player participation policy includes Paul George missing the first five games with his new team. But like the Bucks, the Sixers need to have their best players on the court together before any conclusions can be drawn. They're in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

    Embiid, who is expected to return soon, and George will need to provide immediate offensive help for a team that ranks 29th in field goal percentage with 25Th in 3-point shooting percentage and 26Th in the offensive rating.

    Trending: New Orleans Pelicans

    After winning 49 games last season and signing Dejounte Murray alongside Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram in the offseason, the expectations were considerable. After a 3-5 start, which included four losses in the last five games, things are starting to crumble. Murray injured his hand in the season opener and will be out four to six weeks after surgery. Williamson has missed three games and is listed as questionable due to a right hamstring injury.

    Trending: Phoenix Suns

    New coach Mike Budenholzer is ensuring the Suns are on a five-game winning streak. Budenholzer puts his defensive stamp on the team and ranks sixth in points allowed per 100 possessions. Phoenix also ranks seventh in three-pointers made per game and seventh in 3-point shooting percentage. Kevin Durant is averaging 27.1 points and shooting 54.8% from the field and 43.6% from 3-pointers. Bradley Beal contributes offensively with solid shooting stats (50.8% from the field, 43.8% from 3s) and new point guard Tyus Jones averages 9.4 points and 6.6 assists. The Suns are now waiting for Devin Booker to get his shooting rolling (41.9% from the field, 35.7% on 3s).

    Trending: Golden State Warriors

    The Golden State Warriors have won three games without Steph Curry and have the No. 4 offense and No. 2 defense — all while having 13 players play at least 11.9 minutes per game, with no player playing more than 28 .1 minutes plays. Part of that is due to injuries to Curry, Andrew Wiggins and De'Anthony Melton, but regardless, Kerr plans to utilize a deep rotation, keep players fresh and try to win with an aggressive style.

    Downtrend: Orlando Magic

    The joy and potential of a 3-1 start with a great performance from Paolo Banchero – 33 points in the first game and 50 points in the fourth game – disappeared with Banchero's injury (torn right oblique), forcing him to miss at least another four weeks. The Magic have now lost four in a row, including three without Banchero. There are winnable games on the schedule, but Orlando's strength and ability to play without its best player will be the focus at this stage.

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