NBA Standings 2021: Rockets, Pelicans, Thunder, Spurs Have Worst Records In West

It’s getting late very early for a few NBA teams. Ten days into the 2021-2022 season, the Houston Rockets, New Orleans Pelicans, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are tied at the bottom of the Western Conference standings.

The aforementioned teams all have a 1-4 record after five games. Only the winless Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference have played worse to start the season.

Their struggles don’t exactly come as a surprise. All four teams missed last season’s playoffs. Houston and Oklahoma City finished with the worst records in the conference and were projected this preseason to remain in the bottom-two. Expectations are incredibly low for the Spurs, who lost in the 2021 play-in tournament.

New Orleans was viewed as a playoff contender, though Zion Williamson’s foot injury has changed the equation. It’s unknown when the former No. 1 overall draft pick will return to the court. In his second NBA season, WIlliamson made the All-Star team and averaged 27 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 61.1% from the field.

The Pelicans have the worst offense in the West.

The Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers are directly ahead of the West’s four worst teams in the standings. All three teams are considered virtual locks to turn things around and earn a top-eight seed in the regular season.

The Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors are atop the West with four wins apiece.

The Thunder upset the Lakers by overcoming a 26-point deficit for their first win of the season. Oklahoma City had been outscored by 74 points over its first four games.

Houston’s only win came against Oklahoma City. All four of the Rockets’ losses have come by double digits.

The Spurs are technically in last place because they haven’t beaten a team within the conference.