We’ve closing in on the halfway point of a marathon 82-game NBA season. So what better time to sit back and reflect on all 30 teams’ campaigns to date?

We’ve now got a good feel for where every team sits and what they want to achieve.

It comes with the trade deadline nearing in the last opportunity to rejig their rosters for the second half of the campaign to help sides move further into the directions they wish.

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Taking into account the expectations for every team, front office decision-making and broader positives and negatives, here’s how we’ve graded the entire league through the first half of the season.

*All stats accurate as of 11am AEDT January 13.

Raptors win OT thriller against 76ers | 03:04

ATLANTA HAWKS (20-21) – C

The Hawks have rid themselves of their Trae Young problem. They were 2-8 with Young this season and 18-13 without him, so the writing was very much on the wall, as underwhelming as the return from Washington was. Atlanta now moves into a new direction led by the likes of Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels amid an underwhelming campaign, with the team just inside an East play-in spot and ranked middle of the road on both ends of the court. It’s disappointing returns after Atlanta had increased expectations with the additions of Kristaps Porzingis and Nickeil Alexander-Walker to a rising core including an All-Star breakout from Johnson, who missed more than half of last season. If you knew Johnson was going to go to this level and Alexander-Walker was going to be one of the best off-season pickups, you would’ve thought Atlanta would be much higher in the standings. But they’re two big wins in their own right, plus they own New Orleans’ highly-valuable first-round pick, so you can’t be too down on them overall given it’s still a young team. And maybe now they can start to build some positive momentum with the Young trade saga in the rear view mirror.

BOSTON CELTICS (24-14) – A

You knew Boston had a chance to be a danger team in the East that could push for a top six seed. But no one could’ve possibly thought they’d be this good. The Celtics sit third in the conference and have the No. 2 offence in the entire NBA, despite having no Jayson Tatum and selling Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday in cost-cutting trades in the off-season. A big reason has been Jaylen Brown, who’s thriving without Tatum as the number one option in an MVP calibre season including posting career-highs in points (29.5 per game) and assists (five). Derik White is somehow still underrated and Neemias Queta has impressed and then some as the starting centre. It feels like any team with Joe Mazulla at the helm is going to be decent, with the 2024 championship coach building a case for Coach of the Year. If they get Tatum back at some stage, things get real interesting.

BROOKLYN NETS (11-25) – C+

A team that some thought could be the worst in the NBA has been more than competitive in recent times. It includes a recent stretch of seven wins from 10 games where the Nets had one of the best defensive ratings in the NBA. Michael Porter Jr. has been a superb addition and is flourishing as the number one option leading his own team. The star forward has averaged 25.9 points per game on 49.5 per cent shooting from the field. Heck, he might be playing a little too good, given the Nets’ bigger picture priority should be getting another high lottery pick in ahead of a stacked 2026 draft class. It’s made Porter, 27, one of the most interesting trade chips in the league, but Brooklyn could just as easily wind him and others back (which they’ve already done) in the second half of the season and move into tank mode. Pick 8 draftee Egor Demin is also showing promising signs in recent performances.

NBA Wrap: Boston bounces back | 01:16

CHARLOTTE HORNETS (14-25) – B-

When the Hornets have their best line-up available, they’re a very capable basketball team. Underlined by a huge win over OKC last week. The issue is they haven’t had the luxury of health for the majority of the season. In fact, Charlotte is 10-4 when it has LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel in the starting line-up together. It’s why their 14-25 record has been disappointing for a team that felt more capable this season. No matter, No. 4 pick Knueppel has been a huge win and landing him is more valuable than a few extra wins in the bigger picture. Plus Miller is starting to heat up after an injury-disrupted start to the season. It’s the same story for Ball, who just needs to stay on the court and build continuity after chronic ankle issues have hindered his career to date, provided he isn’t traded.

CHICAGO BULLS (18-20) – C-

The definition of a rollercoaster season. After a red-hot 5-0 start – their best start since the Michael Jordan era – the Bulls came crashing back down to earth including a seven-game losing streak. They’ve since been able to right the ship and push back towards .500 again to look more like a play-in side. The reality is that the play-in is probably Chicago’s ceiling, at least as constructed, with still too many holes across the roster. A hamstring setback to Josh Giddey is a big blow to the team and the Aussie in his bid for his first All-Star berth amid a career-best season, averaging 19.2 points per game, 8.9 rebounds, nine assists and 1.9 threes at 38.6 per cent. Matas Buzelis is also starting to fire. Hard to know what to make of them exactly and what the overall plan is… perhaps even they don’t know!

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (22-18) – D+

A very underwhelming start to the season for the favourites to come out of the Eastern Conference, having sat in the play-in for much of the season. And a team that’s chips in with this roster. Injuries have played a part as the Cavaliers have again struggled to get all their stars on the court together. There’s signs of life in recent though, with seven wins from their last 11 games. Donovan Mitchell couldn’t be doing much more, but the likes of Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen either haven’t performed to the level we’ve seen from them before, or in Mobley’s case, the gun centre hasn’t quite erupted to new heights many think he’s capable of. Time is still on Mobley’s side, however, and Cleveland as whole.

NBA Wrap: Edwards makes scoring history | 02:11

DALLAS MAVERICKS (14-25) – D+

It’s been a brutal 12 months for Mavericks fans in the aftermath of the Luka Doncic trade. And Anthony Davis’ latest setback suddenly means they might be best served throwing this season for a high draft pick and gearing up for next year and a future with Cooper Flagg as the franchise cornerstone. For all that’s gone wrong, Flagg has been an enormous win (and an enormous godsend getting the No. 1 pick with 1.6 per cent lottery odds) and he’s just about single-handedly lifting this grade. Flagg is flourishing as the Mavs’ primary option and the 19-year old does some things we’ve never seen from a rookie as a bona fide superstar in the making. We still haven’t seen Flagg, Davis and Kyrie Irving take the floor together while Irving rehabs an ACL injury. And perhaps we never will! Though a Davis trade, which was building momentum less than a year after he was acquired in the disastrous Doncic deal, is now highly unlikely after Davis was struck down by injury yet again.

DENVER NUGGETS (26-13) – A

Did someone in Denver walk under a ladder? Break a mirror? Cross paths with a black cat? The Nuggets have been hit with an injury curse this season including the team being without four starters – including Nikola Jokic – at one point while on a lengthy East road trip. If losing the usually so durable Jokic wasn’t enough, his backup, Jonas Valanciunas, got injured the very next game. It’s thrown a big challenge to David Adelman in his first full season as head coach, but Denver has mitigated it as well as it possibly can so far. They’re 4-3 since Jokic, who shot into MVP favouritism, went down and have played five more games on the road than at home. The Nuggets still have the best offence in the NBA and they remain in touch with the top teams in the Western Conference standings. If Jokic misses too much time, however, and doesn’t play at least 65 games, he’ll be ruled ineligible for the major NBA awards including MVP and All-Team honours.

DETROIT PISTONS (28-10) – A+

Things couldn’t be going much better in Detroit. The Pistons sit first in the Eastern Conference and have the No. 2 ranked defence in the NBA and No. 2 record in the NBA — both only behind the Oklahoma City Thunder. Cade Cunningham has levelled up again in an MVP calibre season. The Pistons will go as far as Cunningham takes them, and the sky’s the limit when he’s at his best. While the supporting cast has proven to be better than expected, including Jalen Duren putting himself in the All-Star discussion, they might still need another offensive star to take some of the load off Cunningham. Still, it’d be brave to mess with a team on track for 60-plus wins, with JB Bickerstaff the rightful favourite for Coach of the Year.

Pacers snap 13 game losing streak | 01:43

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (21-19) – C-

Sure, the Warriors are above .500 and tracking towards another playoff appearance. But something feels off, namely the vibes. And just making the playoffs in Steph Curry’s remaining years surely shouldn’t be the objective? Some nights they just don’t have enough beyond Curry, even though their defence is ranked ninth in the NBA and Jimmy Butler is still producing at a high enough level. Draymond Green drama continues to hang over the team and none of their emerging crop of players have really taken a major leap. A team poised to shake things up with a trade by the deadline, with Jonathan Kuminga’s days for the Warriors all but over.

HOUSTON ROCKETS (22-14) – B+

We thought they were in the inner circle of championship contenders, but a recent stretch of four losses from their last five games is some cause for concern. Still, they’re ranked No. 8 in defensive rating and No. 4 in offensive rating on the season, with their size a valuable point of difference, even if they might be lacking some outside shooting. Beyond the sheer results, the Rockets are pulling off the rare two-timeline strategy in many ways; they’re still in this season’s title hunt with the addition of Kevin Durant and have an emerging core led by Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson has them very well placed for the future. Reed Sheppard has helped offset the loss of Fred VanVleet, though Sheppard hasn’t quite fully earned the trust of Ime Udoka yet.

INDIANA PACERS (8-31) – C

Not quite the Pacers that made the NBA Finals a mere seven months ago. A drop off was to be expected without Tyrese Haliburton. But it’s been some sort of fall from grace including Indiana currently having the worst record in the NBA and suffering a franchise record 13-game losing streak — the second longest in NBA history by a team coming off an Finals appearance. As grim as all that is, it might be the ideal turn of events, sans Haliburton, given this is clearly a gap year for the Pacers. So if they can get a high lottery pick out of it to bring a young star into the fold along with the returning Haliburton, an NBA finals calibre team should rebound bigger and better. Which makes them hard to grade, but it’s worth noting they got their first-round pick back around a week before Haliburton’s injury in a huge stroke of luck. Johnny Furphy is set to get plenty of chances to shine in Rick Carlisle’s line-up, now that the 21-year old Aussie has overcome the ankle issues that plagued his start to the season.

Quickley sinks CRAZY buzzer beater | 01:04

LA CLIPPERS (15-23) – D+

Some turnaround from a team that was once 6-21. Well, the Clippers have since gone 9-2 to get their season back on track and push into play-in territory. It includes big wins over the likes of Houston, Detroit (twice), Boston and the Lakers in a period the Clippers have had the No. 3 offence in the NBA and a top 10 defence. Kawhi Leonard is reminding everyone he’s as valuable as any player in the league when he’s up and firing. Now he just needs to stay on the court. It was looking seriously grim there for a while, given the Clippers owe an unprotected first-round pick to OKC. But they’ve powered through an investigating into allegations of salary cap circumvention that’s hung over them all season and a messy Chris Paul split to now stand as one of the big danger teams in the second half of the season.

LA LAKERS (23-13) – B

It’s been a successful first half of the season in LA where it’s exceeded behind the lead of Luka Doncic. But as it turns out, the Lakers weren’t going to win every single close game for the rest of time. Their loss to Milwaukee snapped a 13-game winning streak of “clutch games” — defined as games within five points in the final five minutes. It perhaps has JJ Redick’s team higher in the standings than it should be, with LA the only team in a top eight seed of either conference with a negative point differential. The Lakers, sitting fifth in the West, also have the No. 18 net rating, which is dragged down by the 23rd ranked defence — a return Redick undoubtedly won’t need reminding of. It makes them tricky to grade. But any team led by Doncic is going to be that potent offensively to cover up other warts. Plus Austin Reaves exploded in a breakout season prior to his injury, while the 41-year old LeBron James remarkably continues to defy father time.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (17-22) – C-

Injuries have meant we haven’t gotten a proper look at this Grizzlies team, though they’ve battled through those issues about as well as possible. It includes Jock Landale producing as career-best season filling in the starting centre role for Zach Edey for the majority of the season. Meanwhile Ja Morant has again been rarely available and is now reportedly on the trade block, with a possibility he’s played his last game for Memphis. As signalled by their off-season Desmond Bane trade, the Grizzlies are clearly moving in a younger direction and building around a promising crop headlined by Edey and Pick 8 draftee Cedrick Coward, who’s been a shining light.

NBA Wrap: Luka and Lebron combine | 01:59

MIAMI HEAT (20-19) – C+

An up and down season in South Beach. The Heat are capable of some of the lowest lows and highest highs including wins over Denver and Detroit followed by a loss to Indiana a fortnight later. They have the No. 4 ranked defence but sit in the bottom 10 offensively after a new, faster paced system yielded better returns early in the season. Norma Powell has been one of the great additions, but Tyler Herro’s season has been disrupted by injury and Erik Spoelstra is clearly not a fan of the Bam Adebayo-Kel’el Ware double big line-ups. Put it all together and Miami is just a slightly above average team in the East, though could see the Heat making a big trade for a star to try and make a real push.

MILWAUKEE BUCKS (17-22) – D+

Injected some positive momentum into their season with Giannis Antetokounmpo back healthy doing what he does best, with a 5-3 record over that span. It’s helped hush trade rumours surrounding Antetokounmpo, at least for now, with talk the Bucks will in fact look to be buyers to try and upgrade the roster around the ‘The Greek Freak’. Milwaukee is getting great guard production out of Kevin Porter Jr. and Ryan Rollins, but they still feel a proper guy short and remain overly reliant on Antetokounmpo. Plus the waiving of Damian Lillard and the $113 million black hole it’s created will make it hard to make meaningful upgrades to the roster, as open as the East is.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (26-14) – A

Having a sneaky great season, despite other contenders earning more plaudits. They’re in the midst of a particularly strong extended stretch with 16 wins from their last 22 games. Anthony Edwards continues to produce at an elite level as one of the top seven or so players in the league, while Rudy Gobert has been at his defensive best in recent times to push into Defensive Player of the Year calculations. Just a rock solid infrastructure under Chris Finch and one of the best starting line-ups in the league. Perhaps a true point guard short of really going to another level. But it mightn’t be easy finding a point guard upgrade, without sacrificing elsewhere, with already one of the most expensive rosters in the NBA.

Back to back Losses! OKC blown out | 01:56

NEW ORLEANS PELICANS (9-32) – F

A rough season in The Big Easy including the firing of head coach Willie Green less than a month in. Had a brief resurgence when they got healthy including winning five games in a row. But that was followed by a nine-game losing streak as the Pelicans came crashing back down to earth and they currently sit dead last in the West. It comes with the backdrop of New Orleans owing its first-round pick to Atlanta in what could be a disastrous turn of events if the Pelicans stay in high lottery calculations. Softening the blow is that Derik Queen, who New Orleans traded that 2026 first-rounder to get, has been one of the standout rookies. While they’re on trade watch to be sellers ahead of the deadline, the Pelicans won’t go into tank mode given they don’t have their first-round pick, and for now, they seem committed to keeping star duo Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy.

NEW YORK KNICKS (25-14) – A-

Finally won silverware! Even if it was only the NBA Cup. The Knicks are again among the leading contenders to come out of the East, even if it’s more a by-product of the shallow state of the conference. And they’ve bizarrely fallen off since that NBA Cup victory, while the track record of the past two winners — Milwaukee and the Lakers — doesn’t bode overly well for New York’s rest-of-season prospects. The Knicks are basically the same product as last year, despite a coaching change from Tom Thibodeau to Mike Brown and added depth, which is a perfectly fine base level. Jalen Brunson has again put the team on his back and leading the NBA’s No. 3 ranked offence. But their defence is below average and doesn’t look championship caliber, with legit question marks on whether Karl Anthony-Towns can anchor a team to silverware on that end of the floor. Sure, the Knicks are a good team… but can they win it all with this roster?

OKC THUNDER (33-7) – A+

Did San Antonio break the Thunder? This OKC juggernaut that was once 24-1 and eyeing the all-time seasons win record suddenly has some chinks in its armour, which all started with three losses to the Spurs within 12 days. It’s not time to panic by any means; they’re still four games clear ahead of any team in the standings and posting the second best rating in NBA history. But a team that once look leaps and bounds better than everyone and would cakewalk its way to a second-straight title mightn’t be that championship lock they were widely considered. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remains bound for a second-straight MVP with Nikola Jokic appearing unlikely to hit the 65-game mark to qualify. But Jalen Williams is clearly bothered by a wrist injury that delayed his start to the season and his importance to the Thunder shouldn’t be undecimated, particularly when the real stuff starts. And the Thunder, despite still having the No. 5 ranked offence, could use more firepower on that end of the floor next to Gilgeous-Alexander. Still the standout team and title frontrunner, but Thunder fans mightn’t be quite as confident as they were in early December.

Hawks searching for Young trade partner | 00:37

ORLANDO MAGIC (22-18) – C-

Another team that’s been haunted by the injury bug after going into this season with much greater expectations. The Magic just can’t get all their stars together healthy, with Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs all missing extended time in an unfortunate them that also badly hurt them last season. There’s even question marks on the ceiling of that group, particularly with Banchero leading it. It comes after Orlando’s all-in move for Desmond Bane, and in fairness, the star guard has helped boost their offence in the side of the ball they’ve largely struggled. But they’re still underperforming in a conference that’s there for the taking right now. And the East is set to get more competitive next season when the likes of Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton are back up and firing, so there’s a big opportunity in front of a team like Orlando.

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS (21-16) – B+

Regardless of how good the Sixers are and what they achieve this season, Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe have reinstalled the vibes in Philadelphia. The Sixers’ exciting backcourt is the face of the franchise now including Maxey overtaking Joel Embiid as the main superstar on this team. Maxey is producing a superb season that should have him in All-NBA Team conversations as the main reason for the Sixers’ impressive record. But Embiid has again struggled to stay healthy and just isn’t the same player he once was. The concerning thing for Philly is that his jumbo three-year, $188m contract extension hasn’t even started yet. Combined with the $110 million Paul George is owed over the next two years, it puts a big handbrake on the Sixers’ roster construction. But again, with Maxey and Edgecombe, there’s real reason for optimism long term.

PHOENIX SUNS (24-15) – A

One of the great underdog stories of the season. Phoenix has surpassed all expectations after trading away Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal in an off-season reboot ahead of a campaign the Suns were expected to tumble in the standings. Well, they’ve gone in the other direction as a genuine playoff contender with a gritty personality that’s shown they can mix it with the best. A lot of credit goes to first-year coach Jordon Ott as a deserving Coach of the Year contender. It’s impressively come despite Jalen Green, the centrepiece in the Durant deal, being limited to only two games due to injury, though the likes of Dillon Brooks and Colin Gillespie have stepped up and then some. Plus Devin Booker is reminding everyone how good he is as the clear No. 1 option as the driving force of this team.

Booker hits game-winning 3 over OKC | 01:31

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (19-21) – B-

A team that personifies the depth of the Western Conference. Portland has overcome the early-season Chauncey Billups drama with aplomb and not far off being a .500 team playing without a point guard for virtually the entire season. Deni Avdija is making Washington look silly (like the Wizards needed any more pain) in an All-Star-level breakout and the favourite for Most Improved Player of the Year Award. They’ve got promising young pieces across the board with the likes of Shaedon Sharpe and Donovan Clingan as a young team on the rise. But unless it turns out to be Avdija, Portland probably still lacks that absolute star cornerstone to build around. Jrue Holiday added a great veteran presence prior to his injury setback, though the Blazers will be crowded at the point guard position when they have Holiday, Damian Lillard and Scoot Henderson all available next season.

SACRAMENTO KINGS (9-30) – F

Went from having De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton as their point guards to Russell Westbrook and Dennis Schroder. That tells you everything you need to know. Indeed, it’s grim times in Sacramento as arguably the team in the worst overall position in the NBA. That’s both due to a series of confusing front office moves — like adding Westbrook and Schroder to a team with enough ball handlers and an already crowded backcourt — and the on-court product that has them sitting second-last in the West. The Kings have been built to contend for the playoffs but are a genuine lottery side and suddenly loom as trade deadline sellers, if they can get anything for their veterans, and set to go into a rebuild. And yet, depending on how big you are on the likes of Keegan Murray and Maxime Raynaud, Sacramento doesn’t have many emerging core pieces to build around long term. After a fleeting period of excitement during the ‘light the beam’ era, the Kings are back to where you’ve been too many times before.

SAN ANTONIO SPURS (27-12) – A+

A new contender has arrived… and ahead of its time. The Spurs made that clear with three statement wins over Oklahoma City Thunder in less than two weeks. Not to mention San Antonio’s 10-4 record without Victor Wembanyama in proof that there’s much more to this team beyond the 7-foot-4 French phenom. Though Wembanyama adds a truly unique point of difference none of the other 29 teams have, namely on the defensive end. Beyond the star big man, De’Aaron Fox is playing at an All-Star level and Stephon Castle has levelled up his game in year two, while Pick 2 draftee Dylan Harper has also shown off his serious potential. They’re deep and Mitch Johnson has been one of the most impressive coaches this season in his first season with the keys. Could they be on a more exciting trajectory than the Thunder?

76ers extend Knicks losing streak | 00:51

TORONTO RAPTORS (24-16) – A-

One of the big risers in the East. The Raptors sit fourth in the Eastern Conference and Darko Rajakovic has this team playing the right way, with Toronto ranked No. 6 in the league in defensive rating. Brandon Ingram has proven to be a great addition, after there were a limited market for the forward when Toronto acquired him via trade a year ago. And Scottie Barnes is having his ever season and impacts games in so many different ways. They might still be a big piece short, so keep an eye on the Raptors taking a swing at the deadline. But it’s been an overall positive season for a franchise as it eyes its first season above .500 since 2022.

UTAH JAZZ (13-25) – C+

There’s a lot to like about what the Jazz are doing, despite their 13-25 record (in fact, it’s probably more wins than they’d like). Keyonte George is having a legitimate breakout year and showing he could be a real guy on a good team. Plus Lauri Markkanen might be playing himself into untouchable trade status, even if the 28-year old doesn’t necessarily fit their long-term timeline. This is a team that’s still prioritising its future and bringing in high draft picks, so look for the Jazz to pack it in more as the season goes ahead of a stacked 2026 draft class. Pick 5 draftee Ace Bailey is yet to really show get going but should get more touches and chances to shine down the stretch of the season. You’d buy stock in Utah while it’s low, if you could, as an exciting team you feel is on the right track.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS (10-28) – C-

The Trae Young era is here (even if he hasn’t played for them yet). The Wizards acquired the All-Star guard in a low-cost trade where they only had to give up CJ McCollum’s expiring contract and Corey Kispert. It’s not the worst move Washington could make in buying low and adding an All-Star to a young group that doesn’t necessarily have the most promising trajectory as is. They’re in lottery contention yet again as they look to add another high pick to a developing core of Alex Sarr who’s really levelled up his game and looks a star in the making, Kyshawn George, Trae Johnson and Bilal Coulibaly. And heck, if Young doesn’t play much for the rest of the season, moving McCollum — their scoring leader — might help the Wizards accomplish that goal of getting another high pick. After a particularly grim start to the campaign including a 14-game losing streak, Washington’s play has been more encouraging in recent, but getting the first overall pick should be the objective from here. And thus finishing with the worst record.