Welcome to Def Pen’s NBA Power Rankings. These rankings will be updated every Monday from here on. These rankings aren’t necessarily based solely on talent level or team potential.They’re about who’s better right now/who has played better as of late. If a team has lost their last 5 games, they’re probably going to drop (at least) a few spots, even if they’ve got “better” players than a team ranked above them. Alright, let’s jump in.
Biggest Jump: Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings: Up 4
Biggest Drop: Orlando Magic: Down 8
1. Golden State Warriors
Record: 40-4
Last Week’s Ranking: 2
The Warriors must have seen that I ranked the Spurs ahead of them last week, because they re-took Alpha status this week. When I put them behind the Spurs, they were fresh off a loss to the Pistons. Since then, they’ve won their last 3 games, including an absolutely emasculating 34-point rout of the Cavaliers and a 29-point win over the Bulls. Curry and Thompson have been two of the best 5 or 10 players in the NBA this year. The Golden State Warriors are the best team in basketball.
2. San Antonio Spurs
Record: 38-6
Last Week’s Ranking: 1
The Spurs didn’t do anything to drop a spot, the Warriors just played so well that the Spurs got bumped down. The Spurs have still been their usual dominant selves. They’ve won their last 13 games — the longest win streak in the league. San Antonio is still right up there with Golden State, and we’ll see who comes out on top when the teams play tomorrow evening.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder
Record: 33-13
Last Week’s Ranking: 3
The Thunder had won their last 7 before falling to the Brooklyn Nets, of all teams. That wasn’t a good look, but the Thunder will be fine. Durant, Westbrook, and Ibaka is still one of the best big 3s in the league. Their depth has improved drastically with the addition of Enes Kanter and the emergence of Cameron Payne.
4. CLeveland Cavaliers
Record: 30-12
Last Week’s Ranking: 4
The Cavs had a subpar week, going 2-2, but it wasn’t enough to drop them a spot. Their losses were both to good team(Golden State and Chicago). That loss to the Warriors was bad though. An absolute blowout. Not at all what you want if you really believe you’re a title contender. The Cavs are good, but they’re not on the same level as San Antonio or Golden State. Maybe the Blatt firing will help? I’m not convinced, and they’ve already lost their first game under Lue. Cleveland needs to figure things out if they want to win it all this year.
5. Toronto Raptors
Record: 29-15
Last Week’s Ranking: 6
The Raptors have won their last 8 games. The Raptors have typically been a pretty good regular season team, the past few years, but their regular season success has never translated into postseason success. This year feels different though. Lowry and DeRozan have both been playing at incredibly high levels. Jonas Valanciunas is looking good. They’ve got DeMarre Carroll as well, so they should get even better(on paper). The Raps will be looking to make some noise in the playoffs this year. It’ll be interesting to see if they can succeed.
6. Los Angeles Clippers
Record: 28-16
Last Week’s Ranking: 5
The Clippers have dropped 3 of their last 5 after tonight’s blowout loss to the Raptors. However, this team has still been very, very good lately. Before last Saturday’s loss to Sacramento, they had won 10 straight. Tonight the Blake Griffin-less Clips finally fell down to earth, and we can see that they’re missing Griffin.
7. Chicago Bulls
Record: 25-18
Last Week’s Ranking: 8
The Bulls are tough to figure out. They’re so bipolar! They came into last night’s game vs. Cleveland after dropping 6 of their previous 9 games. And then… They beat the Cavs! Huh? Bottom line, the Bulls are still one of the best teams in the East, bipolar or not.
8. Memphis Grizzlies
Record: 25-20
Last Week’s Ranking: 12
Things are looking up for the Grizzlies. Mario Chalmers has ended up being a great fit. They had won 4 straight(albeit not against great competition) before losing to Minnesota. Memphis has now won 7 of their last 10, but again they haven’t really beaten anyone good lately. We’ll have to wait and see whether they’ve gotten better, or are just doing well against weaker teams.
9. Atlanta Hawks
Record: 26-19
Last Week’s Ranking: 8
The Hawks have struggled mightily recently. They haven’t beaten a team over .500 since they beat Chicago on January 9th. Since that win, they’ve lost 4 of 7. Those 3 wins came against Brooklyn, Portland, and Orlando. Not the highest level of competition. The losses were bad too. Phoenix, Charlotte, Milwaukee, and Sacramento.
10. Boston Celtics
Record: 24-21
Last Week’s Ranking: 11
Since losing 4 in a row, the Celtics have bounced back to win 4 of their last 6. Those two losses were in close games against good teams(Toronto, Dallas). Boston has looked good lately behind strong play from Jae Crowder, probable all-star Isaiah Thomas, Kelly Olynyk, Jared Sullinger, and Avery Bradley. This is a team that’s 10 players deep, and is very well-coached.
11. Dallas Mavericks
Record: 25-21
Last Week’s Ranking: 10
The Mavs have been way, way better than they were supposed to be. Rick Carlisle is still a great coach, Deron Williams looks more engaged than he has in years, and Chandler Parsons has played very well his last few games. They’ve lost 6 of their last 10, but 5 of those 6 losses were to good teams. The other was a 1-point loss to the Bucks. Dallas is looking like a playoff team at this point in the season.
12. Houston Rockets
Record: 24-22
Last Week’s Ranking: 14
The Rockets have sort of been easy targets this year. For some reason, a lot of people hate James Harden. The team’s struggles has made a lot of NBA fans ecstatic. For that same reason, a lot of NBA fans must be upset about Houston’s recent success. They’ve won 7 of their last 10. It’s also worth noting that their 3 losses during that stretch were all to teams over .500.
13. Detroit Pistons
Record: 23-21
Last Week’s Ranking: 15
The Pistons have lost 5 of their last 7. Those first 3 losses — to the Spurs, Grizzlies, and Bulls — were all understandable. Their last two losses were handed to them by the Pelicans and the Nuggets, though. Detroit’s another team that’s a bit bipolar. They’ve lost to teams like those two, plus the Bucks, Nets, and Lakers. They’ve also beaten the Warriors(!!!), Bulls, and the Rockets twice. I’m not sure what to make of this Pistons squad.
14. Indiana Pacers
Record: 23-21
Last Week’s Ranking: 13
The Pacers are struggling to find wins right now. They’ve lost 6 of their last 8, and the wins during that run have both been against the pathetic Phoenix Suns… Ouch. You have to go back to January 2nd to find the last time they beat a team that was over .500, and that was the Pistons; not exactly an elite team.
15. Miami Heat
Record: 23-21
Last Week’s Ranking: 9
The Heat suck right now, to be honest. They’ve lost 8 of their last 10, and 4 in a row. Their last 2 wins came against subpar teams in Denver and Phoenix. Despite the fact that Dragic was receiving a lot of hate for his seemingly poor play, Miami’s gotten a lot worse with him out. Hopefully the Heat can pick it up.
16. Sacramento Kings
Record: 20-23
Last Week’s Ranking: 20
I love this Kings team. I’ve been saying it since Rajon Rondo signed there, and I’ll proudly continue to say it now. The Kings have now won their last 5 games. These haven’t been fluke wins, either. Sure, they had a freebie against the Lakers, and beating the Jazz isn’t all that difficult. But they also took down the Pacers, the Hawks, and the Clippers. Maybe this is an anomaly and the Kings will regress to the norm. Or maybe they’ve finally figured something out. Cousins has been absolutely dominant lately, and Rondo has 6 triple-doubles this season. I enjoy watching this team, it’s fun. They actually score the most points per game of any team other than the Warriors and the Thunder.
17. Washington Wizards
Record: 20-21
Last Week’s Ranking: 16
John Wall is back to playing like a superstar, and he’s been a big help to the Wizards. They’ve won 5 of their last 7 games, including wins over solid teams like Indiana, Chicago, and Miami(although the Heat have been far from solid lately). The Wizards have been balling lately. I expect them to make the playoffs.
18. New York Knicks
Record: 22-24
Last Week’s Ranking: 19
The Knicks are okay, which is a lot better than they were supposed to be. They’re almost a .500 team. There’s not a ton to say about the Knicks. They’re not a playoff team, but they’re not tanking. Kristaps Porzingis was a hell of a draft pick. Next.
19. Charlotte Hornets
Record: 21-23
Last Week’s Ranking: 24
When I ranked the Hornets at 24 last week, they had lost 9 of their last 10. Since then, they’ve won 3 of their last 4. That’s a clear improvement, although none of the 3 teams they beat were over .500. I think I might be ranking the Hornets too high, and they could drop behind a few teams by next week. Perhaps they’ll play well this week. We’ll have to wait and see.
20. Portland Trail Blazers
Record: 20-26
Last Week’s Ranking: 21
The Blazers have been a lot better than they were supposed to be this year, largely due to what is quickly becoming one of the league’s best offensive backcourts in the league in Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. Their defense is atrocious, but hey, the team’s young, and has plenty of time to improve their young players, and add new talent.
21. Utah Jazz
Record: 19-24
Last Week’s Ranking: 18
I believe that Rudy Gobert will be the best defensive in the NBA sooner than later. I believe that Derrick Favors may be the most under appreciated player in the league. I believe that Gordon Hayward is a fantastic all-around player. I also believe, though, that this team is still a couple years away from being legitimately good. They need to get everyone healthy, and keep improving their young talent. Right now, the Jazz are bad. They’re losing a lot. Their record isn’t nearly as bad as it should be since they’ve been fortunate enough to play 3 of their last 7 games against either the Nets or Lakers.
22. Milwaukee Bucks
Record: 19-27
Last Week’s Ranking: 22
I still don’t like the Bucks’ roster(you need spacing to be a good team). I can’t deny that they’re playing better lately, though. They had won 3 in a row(vs. Charlotte, Atlanta, Miami), but now have lost their last 2. Giannis Antetokounmpo has clearly added some muscle, and Jabari Parker has been playing better recently.
23. New Orleans Pelicans
Record: 16-27
Last Week’s Ranking: 25
After a truly terrible start to the season, the Pelicans seem like they’ve figured something out. They’ve won 5 of their last 6 games now. While the teams they’ve beaten aren’t exactly great teams, they’re all(except Minnesota) ranked ahead of New Orleans on this list. Anthony Davis should be able to will his team to a certain level of success by himself. I also think that his supporting cast is better than they’re credited for. Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans, and Ryan Anderson are all legitimate starting-caliber players when healthy.
24. Denver Nuggets
Record: 16-25
Last Week’s Ranking: 23
The Nuggets aren’t great at the moment(although they are better than they were supposed to be), but I like some of the young pieces they have. They beat the Warriors a couple weeks back(albeit without Draymond Green). They’ve also beaten the Pacers and Pistons recently, two teams which they were not expected to beat. The Nuggets have won 5 of their last 10, which is somewhat impressive for a team of their stature.
25. Orlando Magic
Record: 20-22
Last Week’s Ranking: 17
The Magic are an absolute mess. Their overall record doesn’t look too bad, but don’t be deceived by their hot start. The Magic have gone 1-9 in 2016. Their 1 win was against the Nets. The Magic haven’t beaten a team aside from the Nets since December 28. That’s almost a month! This team has been horrendous lately, and I’m not sure if that’s going to change anytime soon.
26. Brooklyn Nets
Record: 12-33
Last Week’s Ranking: 26
The Nets are really bad. I was going to drop them a couple spots down to 28, but then they beat the Thunder, snapping their 5-game losing streak. That seriously came out of nowhere. Brook Lopez is an elite center, and he more or less willed them to that win. Lopez has been great this year, averaging nearly 20 points to go with more than 8 rebounds per game. It shows how awful the rest of Brooklyn’s team is that they can be so bad with such a good player.
27. Minnesota Timberwolves
Record: 14-31
Last Week’s Ranking: 27
The T-Wolves beat the Grizzlies on Saturday, so there’s a bright spot. Aside from that, Minnesota has been playing very poorly. They’ve now lost 15 of their last 18 games. Man, that’s rough. I still like the strategy to it, though. They have some elite young talent in Wiggins and Towns, and they’re letting those players adjust to the NBA while tanking to get another hopefully future star.
28. Phoenix Suns
Record: 14-31
Last Week’s Ranking: 28
The Suns have lost 15 of their last 17, but they got a nice win over the Hawks on Saturday after a beautiful buzzer-beating 3 by Archie Goodwin. Tyson Chandler has had 20 and 27 rebounds in his last two games. That’s just absurd. He’s looked like a shadow of his former self this whole season but maybe he’s still got something left in the tank. This team has clearly decided to tank now that Eric Bledsoe is out for the season, and that’s okay. It means that they wasted their money on Tyson Chandler, but we’ve kind of already known that since LaMarcus Aldridge didn’t pick them.
29. Los Angeles Lakers
Record: 9-37
Last Week’s Ranking: 29
The Lakers were really close to dropping to 30 on this list. Maybe they will by next week. They haven’t beaten an above-.500 team in 2016. They’ve lost each of their last 6 games, and 10 of their last 11. This team is very, very bad. But just enjoy Kobe’s farewell tour, Laker fans. The team’s clearly tanking, so just have fun with it.
30. Philadelphia 76ers
Record: 6-39
Last Week’s Ranking: 30
The Sixers still reign as the worst team in basketball. Let’s keep playing the “Haven’t beaten a .500 team since ____” game! They haven’t beaten an over-.500 team since… *drumroll* the 2014-15 season! Ouch. The 76ers have beaten 6 teams this year, and those 6 teams were: the Lakers, the Suns, the Kings, the Timberwolves, the Trail Blazers, and the Magic. They have been better since the acquisition of Ish Smith though. 2 of their 6 wins have come within their last 4 games.
