NSL HISTORY – A SNAPSHOT OF WINNING - EAST

Can you believe the NSL has been running for 6(!) seasons already? It only feels like yesterday when the epic inaugural draft began and the league was in its infant stages. Over half a decade has passed and still we have a number of original GMs in the league, many of whom are still steering the ship of the franchise they began the journey with. The following article is a look at the wins each respective NSL franchise in both a year by year and overall snapshot. It’s particularly interesting to see the journey of the original GMs who have held a franchise since the beginning, but also to see the trends in the W column since the arrival of new GMs in various destinations.

One of the clear trends in the tables of each conference is how difficult it is for a team to stay relevant for a long period of time. Most teams who recorded high wins (above 50) were only able to sustain this for short windows, usually around 1-2 seasons. The staying power of elite franchises such as the Portland Trailblazers, Washington Wizards and San Antonio Spurs should be something that is celebrated as sustained winning is extremely unlikely both in the NSL and NBA alike. With the introduction of apron rules, it will be interesting to look back at this data in a few years’ time to see if sustained winning is even more difficult from 2025 and beyond.

When reading the graphs, a yellow highlight indicates the team that won the conference and advanced to the finals. If the writing is RED inside a yellow box, that indicates the team went on to win the championship.

CHAMPIONSHIPS BY CONFERENCE:

Eastern Conference- 2

Western Conference- 4

NSL CHAMPIONS:

2019-2020 Portland Trailblazers (def Chicago Bulls)

2020-2021 San Antonio Spurs (def Detroit Pistons)

2021-2022 Portland Trailblazers (def Detroit Pistons)

2022-2023 San Antonio Spurs (def Washington Wizards)

2023-2024 Milwaukee Bucks (def Los Angeles Lakers)

2024-2025 Washington Wizards (def San Antonio Spurs)

FINALS APPEARANCES:

San Antonio: 2x wins, 1x loss (3)

Portland: 2x wins (2)

Washington Wizards: 1x win, 1x loss (2)

Milwaukee Bucks: 1x win (1)

Detroit Pistons: 2x loss (2)

Chicago Bulls & LA Lakers: 1x loss (1)

 

Chasing 50 wins

The 50-win season seems to be the benchmark for excellence in the NSL world. In the early days of the league, hitting 50 wins was a little more achievable as the competition was far more skewed and the sliders were perhaps more exploitable. For a multitude of reasons, we saw a trend of high win seasons between 2020-2024, with 2023-2024 having some of the biggest campaigns on record in the NSL. If a team hit the 50-win mark, you could guarantee postseason action in the initial years of the league, however with the introduction of the play-in tournament, the pathway to the postseason became more tumultuous in recent years. The greatest wins ever recorded in a season was an incredible 78-win season from the 2020-21 Portland Trailblazers. While in the East, the most most successful season was 69 wins from the 2020-21 Detroit Pistons.

 

THE EASTERN CONFERENCE 2019-2025

The Dominators – Bulls, Pistons, Bucks and Wizards

The East was dominated by the Bulls in the opening season, GM Merencio was one of the competitors and personalities of the league and his team was one not to be messed with. Winning the Conference in the opening year was the highlight of his tenure as he was defeated only by the might of the Portland Trailblazers in the postseason.

As time went on, GM Sheed assumed dominance of the East with his twin towers team of Gobert and Bam. Back-to-back 60+ win seasons sent Sheed on his way to Finals matchups vs the Spurs and the Blazers in respective seasons. Both of which Sheed would narrowly come off second best, while on his way to cementing himself as one of the best GMs in the early era of the NSL.

In recent years, the Bucks have been the franchise on the rise under the watchful eye of outstanding GM Daz. When Daz inherited the team, it had been a slow building franchise that had purposefully not tried while stockpiling assets. Daz masterfully turned the team immediately from a 19-win team to a 50+ win team juggernaut. Since the first two seasons the Bucks have gone above 50 wins every season with the highlight being the ultimate prize, the 2023/24 Championship. After the feat, GM Daz decided to take his talents to San Fran, leaving the runway open for gun GM Ethan to take the reins. I’m sure this team will sustain 50+ for many years to come.

Cruising along somewhat in the background but just shy of the foreground was GM Joshua, the OG of the Washington Wizards. In opening season his squad registered 37 wins, the only time he EVER went sub-50! Since then, the most successful GM of the East has won the Conference twice, landing his maiden title in the 2025 postseason. The Wizards have sustained a 67%-winning percentage in regular season basketball since inauguration, which puts him at the very pinnacle of the competition for success.

Honourable Mentions (above 50% win-rate) – Raptors, Cavaliers, Hornets and 76ers

The Raptors, Cavaliers, Hornets and 76ers have been the most consistent and formidable of the rest. Jesse Dunne led the Raps in the early days of the NSL and had his squad knocking on the door of finals on multiple occasions. In recent times, the Hornets, 76ers and Cavaliers have really stepped into the limelight with Nenjamin figuring out the intricacies of the game and the Hornets and Cavs landing elite GMs in Craig and Shams. All four of the above teams will be in the mix again this coming season, the Hornets seem to have a roster that could break through for a maiden Finals appearance, while the Cavs were 1 win away from the finals last season and will look to go better with Stephen Curry. The fanbases and GMs of these franchises will be satisfied yet hungry for greater success.

The Strugglers (below 40% win-rate)

Some of the least successful franchises in the NSL are situated in the Eastern Conference. Many of which have been rebuilding for the best part of a decade with only fragments of success littered throughout the GM’s respective tenures.

Atlanta Hawks- 39% win-rate

Orlando Magic- 38% win-rate

Brooklyn Nets – 32% win-rate

While the Hawks sit at the top of the bottom in win rate over the first 6 years of NSL action, they have been a franchise starved of success. The two seasons they hit above 50 wins were highlights, followed immediately by rebuilds from the ownership group. As they continue to build, their fans pray for some sustained success for this once proud franchise.

The Magic feel like a team that always have something go wrong. With a win rate of just 38% the proof might be in the pudding. The upcoming season once again could be tough as they navigate free agency with two big names up for grabs. Surely a rainbow is on the horizon in Orlando.

GM Breece’s Brooklyn Nets sit in a league of their own when it comes to LOSING. They’ve been in the lottery many times before and still feel like a team who need to find an identity. Winning only 32% of the time hasn’t deterred GM Breece, who is one of the favourite personalities of the league, and many are watching on hoping he and the Nets fans get some success in the near future. Prayers will be accepted.

That concludes the first instalment covering the Eastern Conference, please discuss in the forums and share thoughts. The Western Conference breakdown will be coming soon as the school holidays approach.