| 1 |
Warriors |
+2 |
11-2 |
The Warriors bench keeps getting deeper. Kuminga is playing meaningful minutes and looks as advertised. Gary Payton II is yamming highlight dunks. Their home stand is done and they lost their first game of the road trip vs Charlotte. |
| 2 |
Nets |
+5 |
10-4 |
The Nets have been surging as of late, with their only loss being to Chicago since the last power rankings. That game was a B2B where you could see the fatigue set in over the course of the game. Kevin Durant is playing like the best player on the planet at the moment leading the league in scoring on absurd efficiency that we haven't ever seen. Harden is starting to heat back up and get into shape, he'll be the key to how far this team can go - KD can't do it all alone. |
| 3 |
Suns |
+13 |
9-3 |
This sub loves piling on the Lakers, but why is no one talking about the defending Western Conference Champion Suns being 1-3? I didn’t realize until now that the Suns are currently 1-3.. why is no-one talking about this? They lost to a mediocre Kings team a couple days ago and nearly lost by 30 pts to the Trailblazers with a struggling Damian Lillard. And from what I know they’re just about fully healthy. For anyone actively watching the Suns this season, what’s the main reason for the early season struggles? You would think they’d have a bunch of momentum to start the season after their amazing Finals run.. |
| 4 |
Nuggets |
+2 |
9-4 |
Despite back-to-back losses in Memphis and the loss of Michael Porter Jr. to a (very concerning) lower back injury, things have since trended upwards for the Nuggets, as they've reeled off five wins in a row, including some dominating performances against Miami and Portland. Nikola Jokic continues to build his case for a repeat MVP award with consistently spectacular games, and absolutely BODYING Markieff Morris has earned him extra praise from everyone not named Markieff or Marcus Morris. The most welcoming sight for Nuggets fans recently has been the emergence of rookie Bones Hyland, as his dynamic scoring and playmaking has helped shore up a bench unit that has struggled offensively with Austin Rivers and Facu Campazzo running the point. With Bones' continued development, the bench should continue to improve from their dreadful start and provide some support for the starters that have carried the team thus far. |
| 5 |
Wizards |
+5 |
9-3 |
The Wizards are still winning games of basketball. Despite going through their first losing streak against the Hawks and the Raptors, Wes Unseld Jr and company were able to recover and have put together four straight wins. They're a lot of things right when it comes to regular season basketball: good defense, good depth, balanced shooting and Montrezl Harrell potentially being an All-Star player. Wizards fans aren't stupid and realize a regression may be coming. But Wes Unseld Jr is playing the schedule to perfection. This is a really smart basketball team and a breath of fresh air for Wizards fans. And more importantly, there is still areas of growth for the team. This isn't a "peak performance." Bradley Beal hasn't been playing well, their young wing players still are developing, they're still dealing with starters missing and Daniel Gafford is working on his offensive game. Wizards fans aren't just happy to be winning, we're happy because our team is actually good. |
| 6 |
Jazz |
-5 |
8-5 |
|
| 7 |
Bulls |
-3 |
9-4 |
|
| 8 |
Heat |
-6 |
8-5 |
Well, after starting off the year white hot we've come back down to Earth recently with 3 losses against teams that have the same aspirations as Miami. Losing to Denver, and the two LA teams isn't the worst thing in the world but we also got blown out by the Celtics two games before that. We've been dominant against weaker teams which is good to see, but we'll need some more consistency from Duncan Robinson who still is hot and cold. He's averaging 11 points over the last 7 games (which isn't bad as an average), but the standard deviation on his scoring is 6 which means its pretty variable from the mean (I'm using what I remember from stats, so this is likely to be not entirely correct as an explanation). Now, this is a super small sample (only 7 games) and he had 2 really bad outings in this batch. However, these bad days aren't exactly rare (and I'm just focusing on shooting wise where he's shot less than 30% from 3pt) so it is a little disappointing he can't right the ship with his consistency. Maybe it's just the reality of his play that he'll be hot or cold on any given night, and hopefully he'll be more hot than cold over time. On the other hand, I'm really happy with how Tyler's started the year since he had the same concern that Duncan has (consistency scoring wise). It's still early days so hopefully Tyler can maintain it for the whole season and Duncan can get on the horse. |
| 9 |
Clippers |
+13 |
8-5 |
Clippers won 7 in a row before finally losing a back to back against a pretty upstart Chicago team. Ibaka has been getting back into form playing in the GLeague, and will hopefully be back soon. In the meantime, many players seem to be getting into the groove. |
| 10 |
76ers |
-2 |
8-6 |
It truly was the tale of two teams this week as the Philadelphia 76ers followed up a tremendous 4-0 week while shorthanded with a devestating 0-4 week following. I don't have to remind fans that every single one of those games was winnable as well. Despite their woes and the constantly fluctuating infection rate of their team, the Sixers are still leading the NBA in OFFRTG, but have dropped the 7th in overall Net with a stupefyingly high 109.5 DEFRTG. It makes sense, their best defenders this year both on the perimeter and at the basket have been dealing with COVID and players like Grayson Allen and Justin Holliday have gotten incredibly hot. Not panic button time, but let's hope Embiid doesn't have any long COVID symptoms. Player to watch for: Tyrese Maxey. When the kid has the ball in his hand, good things happen. 51/41/87 is the type of splits that Sixers fans could only dream of coming out of their starting PG. Add his fearlessness and willingness to be pesky on defense, and we're on star watch. |
| 11 |
Mavericks |
+2 |
8-4 |
The Mavs have lost every game to teams better than them, and have won every game against teams worse than them, which has create quite a difficult outlook for this team. The Mavs are getting Porzingis back into form, Luka Doncic needs to play like the MVP he was expected to be, and Dorian Finney-Smith, Sterling Brown, and Reggie Bullock need to be consistent from 3. Jalen Brunson remains a huge piece for this team as well. The next 2 weeks will be very telling about how good this Mavs team actually is. |
| 12 |
Cavaliers |
+11 |
9-5 |
The Cavs triumphed despite the healthy and safety protocols for Markkanen and Love, and a torn meniscus for Sexton. Rubio has been instrumental at getting the big guys involved on offense, and Garland has been lights out offensively the last two weeks, at 53/48/100 splits and 7 APG. Throw in EC POTW Jarrett Allen breaking out, and lead ROTY candidate Evan Mobley doing things that only he can do, and this ball club is not a fun matchup for any team. |
| 13 |
Lakers |
-1 |
8-6 |
The Laker continue to struggle finding their footing as they deal with their injuries,they have had 4 inexcusable and embarassing losses already this season,the most recent being a blowout loss to the Timberwolves at home,a game they were up 5 at the half.The Lakers are only two games above .500 and seeding is very important in the Western Conference.The Lakers have to start to winning games but it is certainly going to be a challenge as the schedule gets tougher with an upcoming 5-game road trip to the East,while they await the return of their injured players,specially Lebron James. |
| 14 |
Bucks |
-5 |
6-8 |
The injury woes continue for the Bucks as they have struggled to maintain a playoff spot in a very competitive East through the first 14 games of the season. At this point, every Bucks starter, and what feels like the majority of the bench, has missed time this season. This has forced Coach Bud and the Bucks to utilize 197 different 5 man lineups so far this season, a number that dwarfs the 2nd placed Pacers' 151 lineups used. The two bright spots have been that everyone is still on track to be healthy for the playoffs and that Grayson Allen has played much better than expected and it looks like he'll give Donte serious competition for the starting SG spot when he comes back from injury. |
| 15 |
Knicks |
-9 |
7-6 |
Knicks have a lot of kinks to work out. Randle has been playing uninspired because he doesn't have the ball in his hands as much as last season. Our emphasis on help defense is leading to the worst ranking in the league in terms of leaving shooters open. RJ has cratered in his production. Our twin tower centers are always injured again. Kemba still hasn't found his place within the team and has to score 20 a night to offset his swiss cheese defense. Fournier is hesitating too much on his looks, and is settling for bad passes or non-efficient drives. The bright spot has been the bench. It's as good as ever, if not better. DRose is arguably a top 10 point guard in the league right now, Quickley has regained his confidence and is shooting really well, Obi is a monster spark of energy and should be playing more minutes. In any case, there is still time for the team to gel, but Thibs has to be more effective with his adjustments at halftime. On another note, I'm pretty disappointed at the attitude of my fellow Knicks fans so far. The sleeping giant of our fanbase woke up so hard last season that our expectations have been set too high. For the first time since first joining reddit about 8 years ago I've been avoiding the Knicks subreddit due to the toxicity spewed at anyone and everyone. Winning solves everything, but everyone needs a bit of a breather. Bing Bong and Carry On. |
| 16 |
Hornets |
-5 |
8-7 |
Concerns about a LaMelo Ball sophomore slump have been dashed by his recent run of games. On the year, Melo averages 19.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 7.2 assists. He’s the top player on the roster by PER and USG%. What more do we need to see? The supporting cast, particularly the emergent Miles Bridges and resurrected Kelly Oubre have been contributing a ton lately. However, this team will go as far as LaMelo Ball can take them. It’s been… forever… since we’ve gotten to watch a star in the making in Charlotte, and it is so, so sweet. |
| 17 |
Raptors |
-- |
7-7 |
Going 3-4 since the last power rankings, the raptors have continued to have their highs and lows. From wins in MSG/Washington/Philly to home losses to Detroit, the last two weeks have had it all. Siakam has returned, and although he started off rusty, is improving and hopefully gets back to his former self. Bright spots have been FVV, who’s played great since a couple bad games early in the season, and Gary Trent Jr who has shot the ball well. Scottie and OG continue to excel in their roles, but I would like to see more plays ran for both of them. Chris Boucher has really struggled as of late, and throughout the season as a whole, having just one good game so far. Overall our bench has really hurt us recently, with our only competent bench player looking to be rookie Dalano Banton. In the next two weeks the raptors will really be tested with a west coast road trip, hopefully our bench can step up, and we continue to see good development from our young guys. |
| 18 |
Celtics |
+3 |
6-7 |
The Celtics are a weird team. They're not great, sometimes they don't even look good, but they're not a bad team, at least not most nights. The Celtics are 4-3 since the first rankings and 6-7 on the year, but still only 3 and a half games out of first place. Jaylen Brown has been out with a hamstring injury, but should be returning within a week or so. In his absence, Dennis Schroder stepped up and led the team in scoring and provided some well needed offense. The Celtics desperately need to take advantage of their schedule over the next 2 weeks before they hit an absolutely brutal December schedule. Over the next 2 weeks, the Celtics will match up against the Cavs, Hawks, Lakers, Thunder, Rockets, Nets, Spurs, and Raptors. They desperately need to win the games they're supposed to, or it could be an ugly holiday season for the Celtics this December. |
| 19 |
Grizzlies |
-- |
6-7 |
It's tough to win games when your flamethrowers run out of gas but that's exactly what happened this week as Melton and Bane completely forgot how to shoot the ball. The Grizz are a game under .500 for now as the yo-yo continues. Defensively the team is still atrocious, despite Chad Brooks returning from injury. JJJ has shown some flashes of offensive explosion but if the team has any consistent success it will require him to be better. Ja will always be a human highlight reel, but expecting him to average 35 a night just isn't feasible. The optimist in me says that the team is just going through a patch of horrendous shooting and once Bane/Melton/JJJ find their rhythm we can return to making a viable claim to a playoff spot. The pessimist in me says we have JJJ locked up to the worst contract in the league and this team should actively be looking to deal anyone not named Ja for better pieces. |
| 20 |
Trail Blazers |
-5 |
6-8 |
So far, it hasn't been the sort of season Blazer fans are accustomed to. Usually it's The Dame Show with an uninspiring group of misfits at his side. This year, Dame has looked like a shell of his former self (likely due to a nagging abdominal injury), while his supporting cast has shone. Norman Powell has been incredible, Anfernee Simons has proven to be a real answer at backup PG/SG, Nassir Little looks like he could finally fill that hole at SF the Blazers have had for years; and Zeller/Nance are everything you could want in a backup C/PF. But none of it will matter if Dame can't get healthy and back on track. Fingers crossed. |
| 21 |
Pacers |
+4 |
6-8 |
After a dismal start to the year plagued with injuries and close losses, Indiana has found a little bit of rhythm and pulled closer to .500. Myles Tuner's defensive performance is staggering; he leads the NBA in blocks and blocks per game by a considerable margin. With Caris LeVert returning to the lineup, there has been less pressure on Malcolm Brogdon as a primary ball handler, and he has been able to consistently settle into more of his natural combo guard role. With games against the Knicks, Hornets, and Bulls on the horizon, Indiana has a golden opportunity to make up even more ground in the East. |
| 22 |
Hawks |
-8 |
5-9 |
The Hawks have lost 8 of their last 10 games, and the tough schedule is no excuse. Just about everything about the Hawks has been bad so far this season. In their win over the (heavily depleted) Bucks, the Hawks finally started showing some signs of getting better. They cut down on mid-range shots, stopped rolling out full bench lineups, and actually started playing some defense. Perhaps most importantly, however, was that Clint Capela finally started looking like the player he was last season again. The team just is not capable of being what they were last year with him still recovering from his injury. I said in the last rankings that the Hawks are too talented to be this bad and would figure it out eventually, and it seems like we are maybe finally getting on the right track after the horror show that was the first month of this season. |
| 23 |
Kings |
-3 |
5-8 |
Just when you thought the season started off well, the kings go 2-5. Harrison Barnes has cooled off his blistering start to the season but luckily it looks like De'aaron Fox has started to pick up his form. Davion Mitchell has shown increasing promise, and is now playing a respectable 26.5 minutes per game. Of course, this begs the question, to tank or not to tank? |
| 24 |
Thunder |
+6 |
5-7 |
Oklahoma City being unable to hang with the title contending Nets is hardly surprising, but the 4-game win streak preceeding that game sure was, inclduing a 2-game sweep of old friend Russell Westbrook and the Lakers. One underappreciated but highly notable development this year: Lu Dort's free throw percentage is up to a career high 88% on a career high 3.8 FTA/game. While his 3P% has dived back down to a terrible 26%, the free throw number shows reason for optimism about his potential ability as a jumpshooter (for college prospects, for example, FT% is infamously a stronger predictor of pro 3P% than college 3P% is). That all said, even if he never becomes a shooter, his 12 PPG from two point range alone are enough to make him a seriously positive contributor to the team, given his defensive chops. |
| 25 |
Spurs |
-1 |
4-9 |
Until Jakob Poeltl returns from his Halloween bout with COVID, expect the Spurs to continue losing games, some less competitive than others. Devin Vassell has been a bright spot during this skid, demonstrating more confidence on the offensive end while retaining his usual defensive prowess, averaging 15.4/3.7/1.6 on .519/.459/.786 shooting splits off the bench since Poeltl went down. Dejounte Murray continues to build on an excellent 2022 campaign as well, averaging 18.9/7.3/7.3 on .466/.333/.706 over the same stretch. The Spurs draw the @Clippers, @Timberwolves, Suns, Hawks, Celtics and Wizards to close out this month; here's to hoping that they get a chance to get a bit with their mini Thanksgiving homestand. |
| 26 |
TWolves |
-8 |
4-8 |
Everything is bad in Wolves land. The offense is stagnant and the defense has fallen apart. All hope for the new Wolves has gone the way of the old Wolves. |
| 27 |
Pistons |
+2 |
3-9 |
Last in PPG, shooting percentage, and defensive rebounds per game is a bad combination. We sandwiched a blowout loss with wins over Houston and Toronto and lost our only real back up center, Kelly Olynyk, to an MCL injury. Killian Hayes is showing terrific defense and in our game against Toronto showed signs of life on offense with 13 pts/10 ast/7 rebs. Cade is only shooting 31.5% with 3.6 TO's per game but he is showing clutch shooting with a couple makes in the last several minutes of our game with Toronto to seal the win. It's a long ride ahead to an early lottery pick. |
| 28 |
Magic |
-- |
3-10 |
After a blowout win against Minny, the Magic haven't really done much over the past two weeks. Cole has looked amazing and WCJ/Bamba continue to show their continued growth but not much can be said of the rest of the roster. Ross and Harris look checked out already, just waiting for the trade deadline. The starters have one of the best net ratings at the moment but it almost always goes downhill once the bench gets involved. Hopefully that changes once Isaac and Fultz come back, if they ever. |
| 29 |
Pelicans |
-3 |
2-12 |
Despite almost being on track for the worst record of all time, Pels are only ~4.5 wins back from the 10th seed. Our new additions have mostly been as good as advertised - JV is averaging 50/50/90 splits (so handsome!), Herb Jones is the TRUTH, and Devonte' is clutch. We deserve to be at the bottom as Zion and BI have been hurt and our bench is nothing to be jealous of, but this is the hardest I've ever seen the Pels play. Willie has the locker room, BI is back, and when Zion returns I think some noise can be made. No one should be worried by the Pels right now, but the NBA's lil brother might have some punching back to do in the near future. FLOCK UP. |
| 30 |
Rockets |
-3 |
1-12 |
After a historic 20L streak last season, it looks like we're headed in that direction again. You turn on the TV. You watch the Rockets lose. Rinse and Repeat. These are the times that separate the diehards from the casuals. Let's just get to double digit wins this season, please. |
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