NBA strength of schedule breakdown: Nuggets stare down easiest road; Lakers look to rack up ‘schedule wins’
Every year we hear complaints from different teams and fan bases about the unfairness of their given schedule. Some of these complaints are legitimate, some are not. There will be simpler schedules than others.
There is also an objective way to measure these claims.
Positive Residual, a sports analysis site, has an NBA schedule tracker that analyzes various schedule factors, including schedule strength (using a combination of opponent strength, rest, and elevation) and playing with a rest advantage.
Through his tool we can see which teams really have the hardest and easiest schedules.
MORE: Ranking the top 10 games on the NBA calendar
The NBA’s Easiest and Hardest Schedules for 2022-23
Based on Positive Residual’s methodology, the Nuggets have the easiest schedule in the league while the Spurs have the most difficult.
Here is the full list:
- nuggets
- jazz
- hawks
- wood wolves
- Cavaliers
- dollar
- grizzlies
- to sunbathe
- Celts
- clippers
- birds of prey
- heat
- 76er
- outsider
- lakers
- pelicans
- warrior
- nets
- hornets
- cops
- Trailblazer
- kings
- wizard
- pacemaker
- curtsy
- Pistons
- magic
- rockets
- thunder
- spores
Teams with the most planned wins in the NBA
There are many games during the season where a well-recovered team meets an opponent at the end of a tackle. These are often viewed as projected gains and losses. Positive residual also tracks them.
They’re not evenly distributed, and some teams have clear reasons to be unhappy. The Lakers have the most planned victories on their plate, the Hornets the fewest.
- lakers
- hawks
- birds of prey
- kings
- wood wolves
- Cavaliers
- to sunbathe
- thunder
- nuggets
- outsider
- jazz
- 76er
- magic
- pelicans
- dollar
- grizzlies
- Pistons
- wizard
- clippers
- rockets
- nets
- Trailblazer
- warrior
- cops
- Celts
- heat
- pacemaker
- spores
- curtsy
- hornets
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Teams with the most plan losses in the NBA
Conversely, it often happens that a tired team meets a rested opponent.
The Clippers have the most plan losses, the Suns the fewest.
- clippers
- warrior
- spores
- cops
- kings
- thunder
- wood wolves
- pacemaker
- nuggets
- wizard
- Trailblazer
- curtsy
- pelicans
- heat
- outsider
- Cavaliers
- nets
- jazz
- 76er
- hornets
- Celts
- hawks
- magic
- dollar
- grizzlies
- lakers
- Pistons
- birds of prey
- rockets
- to sunbathe
The Positive Residual schedule tracker is an interesting way to look at schedules during the off-season, but towards the end of the season in the heat of the playoffs it’s even more useful as it’s constantly updated.
Be sure to check out the tool if your team is in the process of seeding battles.