How soon is too soon for an NBA team to be desperate? Although no team has even played 10 games yet, a few squads have an early whiff of misery.

Some are the usual suspects. The Kings and the Nets are both 1–6. Teams beginning a rebuild like the Bucks and the Clippers are right there with them. All of that was expected to a degree. Other teams that were thought to be contenders have had worse starts than anticipated. The defending champion Knicks started their season 0–3 before getting back on track. Miami’s splashy offseason was quickly soured by an 0–4 start.

In the Western Conference, the Suns are in a similar spot. Then there’s the Jazz, who were expected to take a step forward, reeling just seven games into the new year. There’s so much season left and it’s way too early to write any team off, but there’s enough of a sample size to raise alarm bells.

Here’s a look at seven teams across the league off to lackluster starts. Is there a legitimate cause for concern or is it all smoke and mirrors?

Miami Heat (2–5)

Level of panic: 7.9/10

The start to Miami’s Giannis Antetokounmpo-Bam Adebayo experiment has been rough. Giannis still does what he does, but Adebayo struggled out of the gate. Adebayo has come on offensively over the last few games, however, averaging 22.3 points and 9.0 rebounds over the Heat’s last three.

Although Erik Spoelstra’s group fought off an 0–4 start, the Heat have some searching to do. Their only wins are against the Hawks and a Pacers team that was without Tyrese Haliburton and Ivica Zubac. The biggest question around Miami was the supporting cast around Antetokounmpo and Adebayo. Davion Mitchell is off to a good start, but Klay Thompson shot 31.7% from the field over his first five games and can’t be trusted as a defender. Andrew Wiggins hasn’t been effective and there hasn’t been much to note from Tim Hardaway Jr.

One reason for optimism is that Heat opponents are shooting a whopping 41% from three-point range. That’s right next to the Suns for the highest mark across the NBA. Part of that is due to Miami’s pace and allowing easy looks on the perimeter, but opponents won’t be this lights out over the whole season. It’s not complete panic time yet, but the new-look Heat need to figure it out quick.

New York Knicks (3–4)

Level of panic: 4.5/10

The defending champs got off to a hairy 0–3 start but have bounced back and won three of the last four games. What stings is the one defeat that’s sandwiched in there: A loss to the red-hot 76ers, already the Knicks’ second loss to Philadelphia this season. Maybe it’s a championship hangover, maybe it’s the uncomfortable and unresolved championship situations. Whatever the root of the Knicks’ early struggles may be, this team is too good. Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges’s shooting numbers from distance will all go up.

Mitchell Robinson’s departure hurts; the backup center duo of Andre Drummond and James Wiseman hasn’t been nearly as effective so far. But with the championship core still intact and healthy (unlike the rest of the league), New York has plenty of time to string more wins together. Over the next week, the Knicks have two shots at the Cavaliers—another Eastern Conference contender. Two big opportunities to make a statement after stumbling against the Sixers early on.

A reality check isn’t the worst thing to happen this early. At the same time, off-court drama with stopped contract negotiations—specifically with Karl-Anthony Towns—along with on-court woes have made the Knicks’ title defense all the more complex.

Indiana Pacers (2–6)

Level of panic: 7/10

After what was a brutal season without Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana’s new campaign is off to an even worse start. Without Haliburton, there were no expectations. The star guard’s return was supposed to catapult the Pacers back up the Eastern Conference standings. That was derailed with an untimely hamstring strain which has Haliburton sidelined on a week-to-week basis. Even worse: Indiana’s injury report was so long Monday against the Hawks that the Pacers only had six available players and no everyday starters. Those six competed, but the team still lost its fifth game in a row and dropped to 2–6.

What’s alarming is that Indiana’s only two wins this season were over the Pelicans and the Nets. There’s a brutal loss to the Bucks (the Bucks!) while Haliburton was still available and another winnable game with a healthy roster against the Mavericks where the Pacers allowed 44 points in the first quarter and couldn’t recover. Another bad loss came against Brooklyn. Haliburton and Zubac were out, but they need to find ways to win games against bad teams while banged up. Indiana’s saving grace is that none of its injuries are severe. Also, Rick Carlisle has some players at the end of the bench who compete. Still, this team needs Haliburton and Zubac on the floor or another rough season is in store.

Orlando Magic (2–5)

Level of panic: 6.5/10

I’m sorry Magic fans, you haven’t heard the song much yet.

The biggest reason for a rather high level of concern is it seems this core is never healthy at the same time. Last season, it was Franz Wagner. Now, it’s Paolo Banchero who’s out four to six weeks with a high ankle sprain. Jalen Suggs is out, too, due to a bone bruise in his right knee. At just 2–5, the Magic need to stay afloat until Banchero returns. The good news is that Wagner and Desmond Bane can keep them where they need to be. Unfortunately, it just hasn’t worked out that way thus far.

Orlando’s offense has been below average and the defense is currently poor at best. The team’s net rating of -8.6 is 23rd in the NBA, worse than the 1–6 Clippers. New coach Sean Sweeney, as a defensive specialist, won’t let his team operate that way in the long-term. Things will get better for the Magic, but the team’s future is a concern because of the consistent injury woes. Orlando is currently just $2.5 million below the second apron and Banchero, Wagner, Bane and Suggs are all locked down on pricey contracts through at least the 2028-29 season. The team’s financial situation will make it difficult to retain Anthony Black, who will be a restricted free agent once the offseason hits. It’s unfortunate that injuries seem like the team’s fatal flaw as the Magic can compete with the best of the best when healthy. They blew a 3–1 series lead over the top-seeded Pistons in last year’s playoffs, much in part because Wagner went down with an untimely injury.

There’s plenty of time left and Sweeney is an extremely bright young coach, but the Magic need Banchero back badly.

Denver Nuggets (3–3)

Level of panic: 5.8/10

Nikola Jokić is not the Nuggets’ leading scorer thus far thanks to Jamal Murray’s heater. Murray, who’s coming off his first All-Star appearance last season, has three games of 35 points or more in just six tries. Jokić has still been great, too, already with two triple-doubles and flirting with that threshold each game. Early on, he’s averaging 22.0 points per game, much lower than the scoring totals we’re used to seeing from the three-time MVP. There’s another level he’ll certainly get to and he makes Denver a walking playoff team on his own. In the meantime, he’ll happily create easy looks for Murray.

The level of concern for Denver strictly lies within the team’s lack of depth. Second-round picks Trevon Brazile and Bryce Hopkins have been key rotation players. Brazile specifically has looked good, but the reliance on two second-rounders speaks volumes about the concerns surrounding the roster. Any starter missing time would be a brutal blow, and we’ve already seen that slightly with Cameron Johnson held out a few games with an ankle sprain. As the only team over the second apron, the Nuggets won’t have many avenues to improve over the season either. With Jokić out to a somewhat slow start for his standards, though, anything is possible once he gets it going again.

Utah Jazz (1–6)

Level of panic: 9/10

Utah was poised for a leap this year with a shot of entering playoff conversations, but the Jazz are off to a disastrous start. Jaren Jackson Jr. is out for considerable time with a torn MCL and Jusuf Nurkić has yet to make his season debut. Injuries aside, the Jazz still have a decent roster but they have been one of the NBA’s worst teams. Their offensive rating (104.0) is 29th, defensive rating (115.7) is 24th and net rating (-11.7) is 27th. Utah’s brutal net rating puts them in the category of the Bucks, Kings and Bulls. Yikes.

Lauri Markkanen, Keyonte George and Darryn Peterson have all struggled with shooting efficiency early on. Markkanen dealt with a wrist sprain and Peterson hasn’t even played 10 NBA games yet, so maybe they get better as more time passes. Utah’s main issue is that the team needs to figure out who’s the guy. Maybe it’s Markkanen, maybe it’s George. Eventually, it’s probably Peterson. That’s what the franchise hopes, at least. In the meantime, nobody on this roster is putting up 20 points per game. The Jazz must figure out who’s the top option in the clutch. If that happens, the team will be in a much better spot by the time Jackson returns.

Phoenix Suns (1–4)

Level of panic: 8.2/10

The Suns haven’t had a horrible loss yet with a particularly tough schedule to start the season. On the other hand, their defense has been horrendous. Phoenix has allowed 122.8 points per game thus far and its defensive rating of 124.0 is the worst mark in the NBA.

Most of all, though, this team has a Jalen Green problem. The sixth-year guard has had a tough start to the year, averaging just 11.0 points while shooting 22.2% from three. He’s making $36.3 million this year and has a $36 million player option for next season. Unless he lights the world on fire for the rest of the season, he’ll pick that up. Trading Green would behoove the franchise, especially if it could return a true point guard who can organize the offense. However, Phoenix will have a hard time getting off his contract.

Miles Bridges has had a good start to his tenure in the desert, but the Suns are missing the depth and shooting that Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale brought. The schedule doesn’t get any easier with games against the Rockets and the Spurs within the next week. So far, the Suns have looked like food for any team with some semblance of competency on offense.

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