Which teams will be below expectations? Health problems plague the Mavericks, Spurs coach & projection may become a shortcoming

Translator's note: The original text was published on ESPN, and the data in the article were as of the time of the original text (August 29 local time). The dates and times involved were local time

ESPN released its NBA summer forecast this week, analyzing everything that may happen in the league, from award selections, to championship predictions, to the turmoil and turning points of the league teams.

We voted to predict the final rankings of all 30 NBA teams at the end of the season, to depict how the pattern in the Eastern and Western Conferences might evolve. However, general consensus is not necessarily true. (For example, our six predictions for each award in the 2024-25 season were all lost.)

With this in mind, the following will introduce five teams that may not be able to achieve the predicted winning numbers.

Related Readings: Which teams will exceed expectations? The Thunder may achieve a record of 65+ wins, the Clippers & Warriors cannot be underestimated

Related readings: Western analysis: The Thunder reached the top, the Rockets strengthened their shortcomings, the Lakers attracted much attention, the Warriors fell into the play-offs

Related readings: Eastern analysis: The Cavaliers lead the championship group, the Knicks Magic disrupted the situation, the Bucks and Celtics became the middle level

Timberwolves

Forecast: 51 wins, 31 losses,

Timberwolves have only two wins in history, more than 51 games: in 2004 and 2024 respectively. Last season, the Timberwolves made it to the Western Conference Finals for the second consecutive year, but won only 49 games and ranked sixth in the regular season.

The Timberwolves lost Nikil Alexander Walker in the free market this offseason, which required young people like Terence Shannon and Jaylen Clark to take on more responsibilities, while the team still relies heavily on Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert. If either of the two elderly veterans miss the game, the Timberwolves have no clear alternative.

Naz Reed stayed with the team as a free agent this summer on a five-year, $125 million contract, but his defensive ability is not enough to make up for Gobert's absence. It is still a huge unknown whether Rob Dillingham can eventually replace Conley in the No. 8 pick last year.

Under Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle, a flexible roster and Chris Finch, the Timberwolves will remain a tough opponent next spring. But before that, considering the overall strength of the West and the lineup issues, it may be difficult to improve the number of wins last season.

Pistols

Prints

Predict: 47 wins, 35 losses

Last season was a magical season for the Pistons, with their winning numbers rising from 14 to 44, and Cad Cunningham became an All-A-League player, the team entered the playoffs for the first time since 2019 and won a playoff game for the first time since 2008.

Seasons like this tend to be a period of consolidation, and the Pistons are ready for this possibility. Duncan Robinson replaced Tim Hardaway Jr., Carris LeVer replaced Malik Beasley, and now healthy Jayden Ivy should replace Dennis Schroder's rotation, who signed with the Kings in the free market.

However, the Pistons will rely on young players like Ivy, Ron Holland II, Jaylen Durham and Osar Thompson to continue to play a more important role with Cningham.

Pistons should easily challenge the top six in the East. And considering the situation in the East, the Pistons may not need to achieve that position without the improvement of those three wins in the forecast.

Mavericks

Photo: 44 wins, 38 losses

Mavericks will be one of the most interesting teams in the NBA this season. They want to help Cooper Flag adapt to NBA life, use some lineups with obvious height advantages, and deal with the ongoing impact of the Luka Doncic trade and the possible return of Kyrie Irving after a torn ACL in March. As of now, the only reliable ball holder in the lineup is D'Angelo Russell, a good point guard rotation player, but is more suitable for a substitute role.

This, coupled with Anthony Davis' health problems, who missed six weeks after his debut with a groin injury and then underwent retinal shedding repair surgery in July, making a 44-win record in the brutal West a more difficult task.

Spurs

Forecast: 44 wins, 38 losses

Victor Vinbanyama has established himself as the league's dominant defensive force in his second season.

Although Vinban Yama is excellent, the Spurs' lineup seems to be still being formed and has not yet been completed. The problem first is the back line composed of De Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper and Stephen Castle. The Spurs had to figure out how to get these three players (all of whom are very talented but unstable in shooting) to coexist on the court and learn to play with Vinban Yama. This is also one of the biggest questions for people in the league, because it may mean how the Spurs will shape their roster in the future.

For Mitch Johnson, who is the head coach for the first time, there are many problems to be solved. Of course, Vinban Yama may lead the team beyond this number of wins with his own talent alone, but the Spurs have enough question marks. Therefore, predicting their winning numbers will be lower than expected may be a safer choice.

Trail Blazers

Forecast: 39 wins, 43 losses

Trail Blazers ended with 36 wins last season, and they sprinted strongly at the end of the season, defeating teams that have made adjustments for the playoffs or for a higher draft pick.

The Trail Blazers did trade Anthony Simmons for Ju Holiday this summer, but it is not clear where the additional wins will come from. The Trail Blazers are trying to blend veterans such as Holiday and Jerami Grant with young cores composed of Scutter Henderson, Shetton Sharp and Donovan Klingen. The Blazers also hope that their excellent defense in the second half of last season (the league tied for fourth in the defensive efficiency starting January 15) will continue, rather than repeating the poor performance of No. 25 in the first half of the season.

The Blazers do have players with great potential to build a defensive system around them, and it would not be bad to replace Simmons with a real defensive sir Holiday. But in a fiercely competitive division, we predict that the Trail Blazers will not be able to go further than last season.