5 teams with most difficult schedules in 2023-24 NBA season right now (Nov. 19)

For the likes of the San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, and Toronto Raptors, it has been an uphill battle for them so far in the NBA season. Despite all the hype on top rookie pick Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs are still struggling this early in the season, just as they did in the previous NBA season.

On the other hand, the Golden State Warriors have seemingly become virtually Steph Curry and others as their other superstars, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, and even Chris Paul, are still resolving what needs to be done to become key contributors this year.

The Toronto Raptors, meanwhile, are still reeling from losing Fred VanVleet to the Houston Rockets as they showed Pascal Siakam can't do it alone.

As it turned out, however, the strength of their opponents so far might have factored in as well in their early struggles.

The Spurs, Warriors, and Raptors have the three toughest schedules to open the NBA season, based on how their opponents have gone as well.

Interestingly enough, the next two teams with the toughest opening assignments are somehow doing good. Let's check out the three aforementioned teams and the two others.

NBA teams with toughest schedules so far

1) San Antonio Spurs (Opponents' winning percentage: .587)

The NBA probably wanted Wembanyama to have an early acid test to see how far he could go in his NBA career.

The San Antonio Spurs' season began with showdowns against their cross-state rivals, the Dallas Mavericks, featuring Luka Doncic, and the Houston Rockets, who have suddenly improved upon the arrival of Dillon Brooks and Fred VanVleet, splitting the first two.

Afterward, the Spurs traveled to Los Angeles to face the then-pre-James Harden Clippers, ending up in a 40-point defeat.

The San Antonio Spurs would stun the Phoenix Suns twice, both with national television audiences, still on the road, but since then, the Spurs lost their next seven, highlighted by a 41-point beatdown by the Indiana Pacers and a 36-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

2) Golden State Warriors (Opponents' winning percentage: .576)

Despite losing their season opener against the Phoenix Suns, the Golden State Warriors' Chris Paul era seemed to be promising early on after winning their next five games, two wins against the Sacramento Kings and one each against the Houston Rockets, New Orleans Pelicans, and Oklahoma City Thunder.

However, following a split in the Midwest against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons, the only team with a losing record they faced so far, the Golden State Warriors lost their next five and are now down to 6-7.

3) Toronto Raptors (Opponents' winning percentage: .576)

The Toronto Raptors also have a combined opponents' winning rate of .576 like the Golden State Warriors, leading to a losing record of their own at 5-7.

After opening the season with a win against the Kings, the Raptors lost their next three games.

However, the Toronto Raptors stunned the Milwaukee Bucks, and after losing to the Philadelphia 76ers, they won back-to-back games. They lost three of their next four, though.

4) New Orleans Pelicans (Opponents' winning percentage: .570)

The next two teams with the roughest opening schedules are, in a way, holding their ground. First off, the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Pelicans began the year with four wins out of five, a 28-point loss to the Warriors being the only hiccup in that stretch.

However, the Pelicans lost their next five games with only the defeat in Houston as the closest one in that stretch.

The Pelicans would win their next two, avenging their blowout losses to the Mavericks and Nuggets.

5) Boston Celtics (Opponents' winning percentage: .556)

The most successful team right now in terms of the strength of schedule is the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics' opponents have a combined winning record of .556, but they have the best NBA record right now at 10-2 or .833.

The Boston Celtics' only losses, so far, are against the Minnesota Timberwolves, who may have finally found their rhythm with Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns together after a surprisingly sluggish 2022-2023 season, and the Philadelphia 76ers.

However, both those defeats were close ones, which means the Celtics had their chances. Is the championship now theirs to lose? We'll see as the season winds down.