With the 2024-25 NBA Cup reaching its knockout phase, multiple sources inform yours truly that it's a good time to dole out report card grades for every squad's performance so far.

Emphasis on so far.

These letter marks reflect the state of teams entering games on Wednesday, Dec. 11. They can—and will—change. But what's to come does not factor into these quarter-pole grades.

Each squad will be evaluated against individual expectations. The Washington Wizards are at a different point in their existence and will not receive an "F- - -" simply because they don't have as many wins as the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Injuries will not be held against teams. But critiquing flawed processes in the wake of—as well as prior to—rampant absences is fair game.

And finally, please remember that "C" represents the average grade. Anything higher means teams are outperforming expectations. Anything lower means they're underachieving.

Atlanta Hawks: B

Floating around the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff picture is right where the Atlanta Hawks should be. The methods by which they've arrived here add intrigue to their trajectory.

Atlanta is ninth in points allowed per possession since its Nov. 12 victory over the Boston Celtics. That's a fairly big deal when you consider how much they play Trae Young (a more willing defender who remains a liability) and rookie Zaccharie Risacher.

Offensive returns leave much to be desired. But Bogdan Bogdanović and De'Andre Hunter have missed time, and Young has yet to hit his stride as a shot-maker.

Jalen Johnson is delivering another playmaking leap. Dyson Daniels is pairing All-Defense peskiness with more downhill craft. Clint Capela is the new Myles Turner: The player everyone expects Atlanta to trade whom Atlanta can't actually afford to move. The Hawks are solid, in all sorts of unexpected ways.

Boston Celtics: A

Nitpicking is just about all that prevents the Boston Celtics from receiving the perfect grade.

Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday need to shoot better from long distance. The defense is flirting with a bottom-10 opponent shooting percentage at the rim. Boston has dropped a game to the sad-sack Indiana Pacers.

Grievances end here.

Payton Pritchard's entry into Sixth Man of the Year and Most Improved Player consideration mitigates any beyond-the-arc drop-off from Brown and Holiday. Kristaps Porziņģis, the team's most important rim protector, has rejoined the rotation earlier than most thought.

Title defenses are so often framed through lenses of regular-season fatigue and conservation. The Celtics are actually on pace to win more than last year's 64 games—and, on many nights, feel more inevitable than ever.

Brooklyn Nets: B+

Settling on the right grade for the Brooklyn Nets is unnecessarily difficult.

Their on-court results continue to disarm. This roster has no business churning out a top-12 half-court offense.

Cam Thomas was balling in a more scalable way before his hamstring injury. Dennis Schröder has cooled off but is having a career year overall. Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith are, apparently, human fireballs. Rookie head coach Jordi Fernandez is a mad scientist.

And yet, the Nets are supposed to be losing. That is the entire point of regaining control over their next two draft picks.

Exceeding expectations has cost them ground. They are four losses off top-four lottery odds. There is time to properly fire up the tank. And early-season veteran performances should help the Nets at the trade deadline. But stumbling into 30-something wins is not the way. Future grades will reflect as much if this pace holds.

Charlotte Hornets: C

Point at someone, anyone, on the Charlotte Hornets roster. They're probably injured.

Evaluating their season to date is tricky as a result. This team seems like it has the talent to stave off a bottom-10 offensive rating and not foul so damn much and probably should have done more to fortify the big-man rotation over the offseason. But rampant injuries to a squad that didn't view itself as a heartbeat from contention (a la New Orleans) provide a steady stream of built-in excuses.

Plus, for all the recent hand-wringing over LaMelo Ball's true value, Charlotte has pieced together an above-average offense with him on the floor.

Bake in resurgences or emergences from Cody Martin, Moussa Diabaté and Tre Mann (when healthy), along with the continued development of Brandon Miller, and the Hornets are about what they should be relative to the circumstances they've been dealt.

Chicago Bulls: C

Fun has returned to The Windy City. No, the Chicago Bulls aren't good. They're watchable.

Only the Memphis Grizzlies play faster, per Inpredictable. Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučević are caps-lock MAKING shots. Last year's Coby White wasn't an anomaly. Jalen Smith is opening the floor. Lonzo Ball has played. Josh Giddey strikes the right balance between putting up numbers and damaging on-off splits.

Still, the front office once more doesn't seem to understand the plot.

Never mind that it took too long to unwrap rookie Matas Buzelis. ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported on The Hoop Collective podcast that "nothing" is brewing on LaVine's trade market. This could be a timing thing. Trade season unofficially tips off Dec. 15.

It could also be—and more likely is–evidence that Chicago remains divorced from reality and holding out for a return it can't get. That undermines any good vibes sparked by surprising watchability.

Cleveland Cavaliers: A+

Even the most hopeful Cleveland Cavaliers fan could not have envisioned this team sustaining a—*checks notes*—69-win pace through the season's quarter-pole.

Just about everything is going right on the floor. The Core Four looks good together and when staggered. Both Evan Mobley and Darius Garland have gotten better. Reserves like Caris LeVert, Ty Jerome and even Georges Niang are killing it. Isaac Okoro has increased his regular-season shooting stock (when healthy).

Skepticism will remain the default looking ahead to the playoffs. Rotations built around two small guards and two non-spacing bigs will always make swathes of people uncomfortable.

There is no arguing with the results for the time being—especially when Cleveland has yet to have Max Strus (ankle) available this season.

Dallas Mavericks: B+

Wonky displays to start the season must be caked into the Dallas Mavericks' grade. Crunch time was not kind, Luka Dončić did not look right, the starting lineup was getting cooked, and more than a handful of supporting cast members were cold from three.

Everything has normalized in recent weeks.

Dončić has resumed MVP play alongside a potentially All-NBA iteration of Kyrie Irving. Quentin Grimes, P.J. Washington and Spencer Dinwiddie have found their strokes. Naji Marshall is making waves going downhill. The new starting five, with Dereck Lively II instead of Daniel Gafford, is trucking the competition.

Klay Thompson has probably been more uneven than Dallas would prefer. But head coach Jason Kidd has reined in his minutes—further evidence the Mavericks are figuring it out. And though their record still lags relative to the powerhouse status they seek, only Cleveland has fared better against teams with top-10 point differentials.

Denver Nuggets: D

Nikola Jokić is on course to win his fourth MVP award on the back of truly bonkers production—an all-time display from an all-time player that the Denver Nuggets are currently parlaying into all-time mediocrity.

Damningly uneven play from Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon's extended absence are most frequently cited as the driving forces behind this team's slog. But the Nuggets' unimpressive state of affairs is so much bigger than any one or two players and decisions.

This is the culmination of seasons' worth of poor roster management.

From giving out the mini mid-level to players you need draft picks to dump later and extending Zeke "Can't Usurp Age-87 DeAndre Jordan in the Rotation" Nnaji to letting Kentavious Caldwell-Pope walk for nothing and punting on players who space the floor and defend and aren't counterintuitive fits in lineups without Jokić, the Nuggets have spent years making this bed. And now, they're forcing Jokić to lie in it.

Detroit Pistons: B

New head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has squeezed a league-average defense out of the Detroit Pistons even with some recent slippage. Cade Cunningham will be mentioned on the periphery of All-NBA conversations. Jaden Ivey has improved his efficiency while playing within the larger context of the offense.

Malik Beasley's signing (one year, $6 million) was highway robbery. The Tobias Harris signing remains bizarre (two years, $52 million), but he's helped open up the half-court offense and beef up Detroit's presence on the defensive glass.

Jalen Duren is the consummate Jekyll-and-Hyde prospect. Isaiah Stewart looks good at the 5, but between him and Duren, Detroit still wants for a primary big who can play a higher-volume of minutes. You could argue the Pistons are veering too far away from developmental reps for everyone other than Ivey.

None of which changes this season's overlying theme: Coherent basketball has returned to the Motor City.

Golden State Warriors: B

It initially looked like the Golden State Warriors consigned themselves to averageness. That sentiment would've been bleaker had we known neither Jonathan Kuminga nor Brandin Podziemski would take a leap.

Frantic defense is instead buoying a decidedly menacing product. The Warriors are fourth in points allowed per possession and also sixth in defensive rebounding rate despite a relative lack of size.

Draymond Green is cobbling together another All-Defense campaign. Andrew Wiggins again looks like a different player, except in a good way. Reserve play has waxed and waned, and head coach Steve Kerr is receiving criticism for his rotation. But depth is among this team's biggest weapons.

Granted, this doesn't extend to offense. The Stephen Curry minutes are glorious. Golden State's dependence on him is not. A No. 2 option has topped the wish list for years and continues to be what separates this squad from the contender clique.

Houston Rockets: A

Sprinting to the top of the Western Conference without making any material roster changes is "A+" material. The Houston Rockets are disemboweling pretty much every rush-to-coronate concern that ever existed.

Last year's defense was not a blip. Houston is actually allowing six fewer points per 100 possessions compared to 2023-24. Almost everyone who matters has leveled up their play on the less glamorous end.

Minutes with Alperen Şengün and Amen Thompson are no longer a functional worry. The Rockets have a ridiculous plus-17.8 net rating in those stretches.

This isn't to say Houston is perfect. The Jalen Green extension looks like a mistake, the offense ranks 25th in half-court efficiency, and the Rockets are neither taking nor making enough threes.

But the overarching product is lightyears ahead of schedule—not so much one star away as one complementary-shooter-good-enough-to-crack-the-rotation away.

Indiana Pacers: D-

A team founded entirely around the concept of offensive transcendence that ranks 19th in points scored per possession deserves an "F." Standout play from Pascal Siakam, surprising contributions from Quenton Jackson and a more even-keeled Bennedict Mathurin spares the Indiana Pacers from that fate.

Barely.

Overarching inconsistency from Tyrese Haliburton is oft-cited as the primary culprit of Indiana's disappointing performance. And while he is a more passive version himself, the Pacers are complicit—enablers, even.

Too much sweat equity is being devoted to him adjusting to everyone else rather than the other way around. His true usage (which includes playmaking) has plummeted while his off-ball frequency has skyrocketed relative to last season, per BBall Index.

By trying to retrofit its franchise cornerstone around everyone else, Indiana has seemingly, and inexplicably, stripped itself of any discernible identity.

Los Angeles Clippers: A

No Kawhi Leonard? No Paul George? No otherworldly version of James Harden?

No problem, apparently.

The Los Angeles Clippers are, bar none, the biggest surprise of the NBA season. Their defense is hellfire, a unique meld of aggressive, unscreenable versatility.

Kris Dunn is once again crashing All-Defense discussions. Ivica Zubac is a human shield at the rim. Head coach Tyronn Lue is pushing the right lineup buttons. Los Angeles is first in defensive rebounding rate despite Zubac being the only player standing taller than 6'8" who's guaranteed minutes.

Generating offense remains a chore for this group. But the emergence of Norman Powell as a viable No. 2 is buying them time until Leonard debuts—as well as the runway to aim higher than anyone ever expected once he does.

Los Angeles Lakers: C-

Anyone caught off guard by the Los Angeles Lakers' place in the standings needs the strongest of reality checks.

Posts from random, paid-for-blue-checkmark accounts have overstated LeBron James' decline. But his downturn is apparent. Especially on defense. Slippage is the expectation for someone in Year 21, on the verge of turning 40.

The Lakers decided their 47-win, play-in-bound core from last season needed zero changes beyond shedding Taurean Prince and adding rookie Dalton Knecht anyway. Going from Darvin Ham to JJ Redick at head coach may have been necessary, and there are structural alterations worth hat-tipping, most notably on offense. But that change was never going to upend reality.

And the reality is, these Lakers are neither terrible nor great and probably barely good. Their transition defense is shockingly sad, but beyond that, they are what the front office knowingly or ignorantly built them to be.

Memphis Grizzlies: A

Revolving doors of availability and the need to lean on unknown quantities will come back to bite the Memphis Grizzlies one of these seasons.

Just not this one.

Memphis is the only team that ranks in the top five of both offense and defense. That is a patently bonkers development when Santi Aldama, Jake LaRavia, Scottie Pippen Jr. and rookie Jaylen Wells make up four of the squad's five most played names.

Depth is yet again a Grizzlies strong suit. And that's without GG Jackson II having played and Vince Williams Jr. being fewer than five games into his season. The half-court offense continues to lack punchiness and spacing, but it's looking a lot more viable with this iteration of Jaren Jackson Jr., and you have to believe Desmond Bane and Ja Morant (when healthy) will continue making more shots.

Contenders don't hide in plain sight. This one might be.

Miami Heat: C

Semi-hopeless beginnings for the Miami Heat are starting to give way to silver linings. Sort of.

Terry Rozier continues to look like a shell of himself. Bam Adebayo's offense is all over the place. And oh yeah, Jimmy Butler's name has hit the chopping block, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

The timing of the latter is curious, because of those silver linings. Tyler Herro has reworked his shot profile and is more lethal than ever. Miami's new starting five is crushing its minutes. And the team as a whole ranks in the top 10 of both offense and defense over the past month.

Do the Heat believe they can replicate these returns with multiple rotation players instead of Butler? Are the rumors an acknowledgement they need to pivot, a call they should have then made over the summer? Their direction remains indecipherable—as expected, but nevertheless unsettlingly so.

Milwaukee Bucks: C-

This grade would be so much worse without the Milwaukee Bucks' recent renaissance. Since dropping to 2-8, they are seventh in offense and 14th in defense and getting better performances virtually across the board, including from Gary Trent Jr. (off the bench) Bobby Portis Jr., while unlocking some tantalizing lineup combinations with AJ Green, Andre Jackson Jr. and even Taurean Prince.

Khris Middleton's recent return bodes well for the Bucks' trajectory. So does the very existence of Giannis Antetokounmpo. His defense is no longer reality-altering, but he remains one of the game's five most impactful players.

Milwaukee has regained composure in time to evade a failing grade. But its apathetic start and the seeming fragility of its defense must be taken into account.

Bad luck and Middleton's absence aren't enough to justify a sixth-place standing in an Eastern Conference light on consistent competence. Not when the Bucks fancy themselves contenders.

Minnesota Timberwolves: D+

The Minnesota Timberwolves feel like they've already lived through four to six different seasons. And their schedule isn't even 25 games old.

Anthony Edwards (everything, basically) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (holy shooting) remain bright spots. The defense has recaptured some pizzazz since Edwards (politely) eviscerated Minnesota's performance. Even Julius Randle has joined in...on occasion. Mike Conley's play has picked up. Donte DiVincenzo is at least being guarded like a five-alarm fire even though he's not (yet).

Gushy-eyed indicators still only get you so far as a should-be title contender barely above .500. The Timberwolves are inconsistent on defense, have blown leads, gone arctic cold in crunch time and sorely need another ball-handler who can mange the game.

Head coach Chris Finch has preached patience and process at every turn. And rest assured, he continues to experiment. But these Wolves are uncertain and flimsy in ways last year's group was not. Even the (lack of) usage for Rob Dillingham, the rookie Minnesota gave up a 2030 swap and 2031 first-rounder to land, is perplexing.

Knowing the Wolves are here by choice—they didn't have to move Karl-Anthony Towns—makes it all tougher to reconcile. Right now, the needle is pointing up. As this group has already shown, that could change in an instant.

New Orleans Pelicans: D

Injuries have rendered the 2024-25 New Orleans Pelicans hopeless. They can find purpose in the emergence of Yves Missi, development of Brandon Boston Jr., hopefully, plumbing the depths of Trey Murphy's offensive armory and juicing their draft-lottery odds but not in salvaging postseason aspirations.

Gap years aren't damning. And the Pelicans cannot control that their top five in total minutes features Boston, Missi, Javonte Green and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. But the extent to which they're complicit in arriving at seemingly lose-lose crossroads cannot be overlooked.

New Orleans has repeatedly invested in half-measures. It essentially tried to build itself in the image of a team that could exist independent of the injury-prone Zion Williamson without ever actually doing so. And in failing there, it never optimized a Zion-focused core itself. Even now, its rim-or-three frequency ranks 29th, per PBP Stats.

Combine flawed roster construction with a fast-deteriorating Brandon Ingram situation that should've been resolved long ago, and you get a team marooned largely by its own hand.

New York Knicks: B

Much of the New York Knicks season has unfolded according to plan or better.

Awkwardness dotted the offense in the early going but did not inhibit elite returns. New York now ranks second in points scored per possession while getting best-ever-or-close-to-it performances from OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns as well as a career-playmaking year from Jalen Brunson.

Mikal Bridges' disastrous start has progressed closer to a pleasant mean. He is shooting under 25 percent on above-the-break threes for the season but up to 35.5 percent over his past seven games.

Things aren't rosy at the other end of the floor. The Knicks are bottom five in points allowed per possession against top-20 offenses—struggles that go beyond heavy minutes for Brunson and Towns, past Bridges' own demonstrative regression, and into existential-dilemma territory.

Oklahoma City Thunder: A-

Propping up the league's best defense and remaining on a 60-plus-win pace when Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein have yet to be available for the same game is...completely on-brand for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

This doesn't even paint an adequate picture of the frontline situation. So much of this season has seen the Thunder schlepp forward without any true bigs Among 360-plus players who have logged at least 125 minutes, the 6'6" Jalen Williams ranks second in the percentage of opponent shots at the rim he contests when on the floor, according to BBall Index.

To what extent you can even nitpick Oklahoma City is debatable. Its biggest wart remains treading water on offense independent of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, even with continued progression from J-Dub.

Expecting the Thunder to thrive without a top-three MVP candidate is somewhat oxymoronic. But its current offensive structure even with SGA may not yet be playoff-proof.

Orlando Magic: A

Churning out the Eastern Conference's third-best record when Paolo Banchero has appeared in five games is worth the Orlando Magic hanging banner.

The defense is as terrifying as ever, and Franz Wagner was having an on-the-MVP-ballot-leap prior to joining Banchero on the oblique injury list:

Divorcing what the Magic have done so far from the uncertain path down which they're traveling can be difficult. They have shown they can hold their own with just one star—including on offense. But it'll be some time before they even have that "luxury." Banchero still doesn't have a target return date, which doesn't bode well for Wagner's own timetable.

Projecting forward is a task for another day. Right now, the Magic have overcome continued shaky shooting (they are at least taking more threes) to reinforce their position as both an immediate and long-term threat.

Philadelphia 76ers: D+

It's tempting to go with "Incomplete" for the Philadelphia 76ers. Joel Embiid has appeared in just five games, and The Big Three has amassed a whole 32 minutes of court time.

But checkered health bills were part of the Sixers' offseason calculus. They maxed out Paul George and extended Embiid knowing neither is a billboard for durability. Hell, Embiid entered this season never planning to play back-to-backs ever again. (Note: He may have been trolling.)

Fortunately for Philadelphia, dropping outside the East's top 10 isn't a death knell. The Sixers are four losses behind sixth place, and Jared McCain's emergence adds a layer of protection against ballyhooed offseason additions and contracts so far missing the mark.

What might follow doesn't erase what's already done. The Sixers are minus-2.7 points per 100 possessions with at least two stars on the floor, per PBP Stats. Their vision isn't entirely nuked, but it's more fragile than it's supposed to be.

Phoenix Suns: D+

Go ahead and imagine what this grade might be if Kevin Durant doesn't miss any games. The Phoenix Suns are 11-2 when he plays and 1-9 without him.

And that's the entire point.

Complete and utter dependence on an age-35 Durant is inexcusable for a team that has Bradley Beal and Devin Booker. Phoenix is a minus-18.4 points per 100 possessions when the latter two are on the floor without KD.

The downturn is not specifically on Beal and Booker—though, Booker too often seems like he's playing while wearing cinder blocks for shoes. The Suns' center rotation is an unmitigated disaster. Jusuf Nurkić has devolved into one of the league's least desirable contracts, and Mason Plumlee's motor does not translate to enough results.

Calls for more Oso Ighodaro (and Bol Bol) are unsettling, even if deserved. Contenders aren't supposed to be so dependent on rookies and wild cards. For all its top-end talent, this team remains at least one-closing-lineup-player away from threatening to win the West.

Portland Trail Blazers: C-

Bright spots aren't hard to find on the Portland Trail Blazers' roster. Getting Toumani Camara in that Jusuf Nurkić trade was a coup. Robert Williams III is healthy and prone to tearing it up again. Donovan Clingan looked capably enormous prior to suffering a sprained left knee. Dalano Banton is a fuh-ind. Deni Avdija is beginning to find himself within the offensive hodgepodge.

These Blazers still seem to lack cohesion.

Many bemoan the minutes distribution and dearth of veteran fire sales. That isn't as much of The enduring absence of a recognizable style and face(s) for the rebuild are bigger issues.

Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe do not look convincing enough. Does this say more about them? Head coach Chauncey Billups? The lack of bankable spacing around them? Portland's overall direction?

Losses at this stage are fine. Racking them up without optimizing what's supposed to be the two most important players on the roster is, at best, weird and confusing.

Sacramento Kings: C-

The Sacramento Kings are closer to properly achieving than their place in the Western Conference standings implies.

Sitting firmly inside the top 10 of points scored per possession amid relatively cold starts from Kevin Huerter and Keegan Murray and absences from DeMar DeRozan and Malik Monk isn't nothing. Sacramento's shot profile is predictably uncomfortable, but it's still just losing the three-point battle by fewer than three makes per 100 possessions.

Defensive containment in the half-court can be problematic. Even there, though, the Kings are overachieving relative to personnel. They continue to limit looks at the rim and transition opportunities.

Losing more games in the clutch than any team outside Charlotte contributes to choppy returns. Many of these warts will normalize. Huerter and Murray are already starting to shoot better. This team has so far missed the mark and is top-heavier than anticipated. But its overall indicators aren't irreversibly alarming.

San Antonio Spurs: B

Dipping below league average at both ends of the floor isn't the mark of a team exceeding expectations. But the San Antonio Spurs have a .500 record and remain within a stone's throw of the playoff picture without compromising their developmental leanings.

Loads of people seem annoyed by Victor Wembanyama's three-point-heavy profile. And it is worth a discussion. But he continues to get the time and space necessary to develop every facet of his offensive game.

San Antonio has dredged up ample reps as a scorer and playmaker for rookie Stephon Castle as well. And it hasn't hurt the product. The Spurs are 12th in points scored per possession over the past month.

Whether there's more than a 10-seed berth in this group is debatable. But the preferred starting five is killing its minutes, and the return of Devin Vassell opens up a world of immediate possibilities.

Toronto Raptors: B+

A crunch-time loss to the New York Knicks on Nov. 9 is the perfect encapsulation of the Toronto Raptors season. As Es Baraheni of Raptors Republic writes: "Team fights hard, plays up to competition, rookies play well/show flashes, injuries prevail, they don't have enough in the clutch despite RJ [Barrett's] best efforts."

Injuries could be defining these Raptors. Bruce Brown has yet to play. Kelly Olynyk only just debuted. Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley have missed extensive time, and the trio of them plus Barrett has tallied zero minutes as a result.

Toronto is scrappy as hell anyway.

Barrett is taking a passing and decision-making leap. Jakob Poeltl is forcing 2023 trade-deadline mea culpas. Gradey Dick has emerged as a more dynamic shot-maker. Ochai Agbaji is alive. Jonathan Mogbo looks like a keeper.

Competitive losses and positive internal development are perfect for where the Raptors are in their timeline.

Utah Jazz: C-

After two years of billowing around the bottom of the middle, the Utah Jazz have the inside track of bagging top-four draft lottery odds.

This was both the goal and expectation. It can make for brutal watches, but the losses and general pain are the point.

That doesn't inoculate the Jazz against criticism. Keyonte George's development remains a roller coaster ride worthy of the Jamal Murray comps. Relegating rookie Cody Williams to the G-League was the right call. It does little to ease concern over his passivity. Out of 261 players who have logged as many minutes as him, he ranks 248th in usage rate.

Collin Sexton has beefed up his trade value. John Collins probably has, too. Jordan Clarkson...not so much. Lauri Markkanen is up and down but still shooting above 50 percent on twos and over 37 percent on triples.

For the most part, Utah is where it needs to be.

Washington Wizards: D+

Winning games is not the priority for the Washington Wizards. But Bobcatsing around isn't particularly necessary in the flattened-lottery odds era.

It would be one thing if the Wizards were dead last in offense and defense while exclusively featuring the kids. They're not. Among everyone on the team who logged at least 200 minutes, the clubhouse leaders in true usage (which factors in playmaking) are Jordan Poole, Kyle Kuzma, Malcolm Brogdon and Jonas Valančiūnas, according to BBall Index.

Flashes from Bub Carrington (feel/playmaking), Kyshawn George (plug-and-playness) and Alex Sarr (defensive disruption) permeate the on-court product. And Bilal Coulibaly is going to be more well-rounded than even Washington expected.

Trade-deadline auditions in mind, though, there's still room for this team to lose the right way.

Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.

Unless otherwise cited, stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference, Stathead or Cleaning the Glass.