Ranking NBA teams by tiers for 2018-19 season

The Bottom-Feeders

Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings

Devin Booker is better than people realize, and the Phoenix Suns added plenty of young talent (No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges) and veteran talent (Trevor Ariza, Ryan Anderson). However, they still don’t have a point guard, their youngsters are inherently flawed and under a first-year head coach, only a trade for a star point guard will raise external expectations, especially in a conference that got better across the board this summer.

The New York Knicks have some intriguing youth, especially with Rookie of the Year dark horse Kevin Knox, but we have no idea when Kristaps Porzingis will return. Until we do, the Knicks have to be on the outside looking in.

The Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings have less to work with than anyone in the NBA. Trae Young will thrill, but he’ll also make tons of mistakes along the way. John Collins and Taurean Waller-Prince are great, but they’re not capable of carrying a team devoid of established talent.

The Kings have plenty of youngsters to evaluate, but no standout franchise star. Will one of De’Aaron Fox, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Buddy Hield, Willie Cauley-Stein, Marvin Bagley III or Harry Giles step into that spotlight in 2018-19? It seems unlikely, and even if it does happen, this still might be the worst team in the association.