Three NBA teams bound to disappoint in 2023-24

Atlanta has been a bottom-10 defense every year of Young's career, and that makes it very hard to contend. There's no reason to think the defense will be much better this year either.

Dallas Mavericks

In September, ESPN's Brian Windhorst discussed who would be "this year's Sacramento Kings or Dallas Mavericks." That is, a surprise team that makes the playoffs or an expected playoff team who falls short. Last week, Windhorst reported an NBA executive suggested to him that this year's Mavericks would be...the Mavericks.

Dallas shook up the team this summer, bringing in Grant Williams from the Boston Celtics, Seth Curry from the Brooklyn Nets and Richaun Holmes from the Kings, along with two first-round rookies. The Mavs also demoted their trainer and lost their PR guy, both of whom were close to star Luka Doncic. Coach Jason Kidd says he plans to start one of his rookies alongside Doncic, Williams and a re-signed Kyrie Irving.

Doncic and Irving are potentially an unstoppable offensive backcourt. They're both excellent scorers who should be able to play off each other. Irving can knock down outside shots and save some wear and tear on Doncic, who has had the highest or second-highest usage rate in the league for the past four seasons.

But they also won't stop anyone on defense. The two All-Stars tend to be disinterested at best on defense, and Doncic's propensity for complaining hurts his transition defense.

It's also difficult to rely on Irving to play well or play at all. Whether it's injuries, suspensions, feuding with the organization or "personal reasons," Dallas has to expect Irving to miss 15-20 games. In a tough Western Conference, with a shaky defense, the Mavericks might end up in the play-in or out of the playoffs entirely.

Chicago Bulls

For three glorious weeks in January 2022, the Chicago Bulls were in first place in the Eastern Conference. Then the bottom fell out on their season.

The Bulls struck gold with their acquisition of DeMar DeRozan two years ago, as the veteran guard averaged 27.9 points in 2021-22 and 24.5 points last year, shooting over 50 percent. Alex Caruso made the All-Defensive Team last year, while Zach LaVine averaged nearly 25 points per game. The Bulls still had a losing record and the NBA's 24th-ranked offense.

This summer they decided to bring everyone back. The 32-year-old center Nikola Vucevic got a three-year deal. So did young guards Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu. They also gave a three-year deal to point guard Jevon Carter. Coach Billy Donovan said any of the three could start at point guard, but when you have three starting point guards, that really means you don't have a starting-caliber point guard.

It's difficult to see why this team would be better in 2023-24 than last year's 40-42 record. DeRozan is 34 and going into his 15th NBA season. Vucevic is a year older. Aside from Lonzo Ball, the Bulls were fairly healthy last season. Ball is expected to miss the entire 2023-24 season too, so that 40-win season was actually a best-case scenario in terms of injuries.

Meanwhile, non-playoff teams like the Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers got better. It looks like a play-in spot or worse for Chicago this year.