Welcome to Def Pen’s NBA Power Rankings. These rankings are updated every Monday. 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: Chicago Bulls, Up 10
Biggest Drop: Denver Nuggets, Down 7
1. Los Angeles Clippers
Record: 9-1
Last Week’s Ranking: 2
The Clips are rollin’. They’ve won six in a row now, and have outscored opposing teams by an absurd 15.1 points per game this season. The story for the Clippers continues to be the defense; they’re allowing a league-low 92.7 points per 100 possessions.
2. Golden State Warriors
Record: 8-2
Last Week’s Ranking: 4
The defense is still subpar, but the Warriors have turned into the offensive machine that they were supposed to be — and are running rampant over the rest of the league. The Warriors lead the league in field goal percentage (50.3%), points per game (116.3), true shooting percentage (60.6%), offensive rating (112.9), and assists per game (30.5). Kevin Durant is quietly having one of the, if not the best scoring season in terms of volume and efficiency of all time. He’s averaging 27.7 points on .562/.404/.866 shooting splits.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
Record: 8-1
Last Week’s Ranking: 1
The Cavs drop through no fault of their own. The Clippers and Warriors have just been crazy hot. The Cavs are consistently getting it done on both ends of the court (third in offensive rating, ninth in defensive rating). LeBron James’ average of 22.9 points per game is his lowest since his rookie season, but he’s averaging career-highs in both rebounds (8.9) and assists (9.1) per game.
4. Atlanta Hawks
Record: 7-2
Last Week’s Ranking: 4
Dwight Howard is fitting in splendidly in Atlanta, and he seems to be enjoying the culture put in place by 2015’s Coach of the Year Mike Budenholzer. The Hawks have the second-best defensive rating in basketball and rank in the top 10 of offensive ratings as well. The Hawks’ sizable frontcourt of Paul Millsap and Howard has paid off for them; they’re a top-five rebounding and offensive rebounding team. The Hawks also lead the league in steals per game, with 10.2.
5. San Antonio Spurs
Record: 7-3
Last Week’s Ranking: 3
Kawhi Leonard seems to have somewhat come back to earth; he’s still having a great year, but he had a couple of below-average (for him) games. The Spurs, as per usual, are the model of a consistently elite two-way basketball team. They rank fifth in offensive rating and sixth in defensive rating and are turning the ball over less than 27 teams.
6. Toronto Raptors
Record: 7-2
Last Week’s Ranking: 7
DeMar DeRozan continues to lead the Raptors (34 points per game) while Kyle Lowry struggles with his shot (37.5% shooting). The Raptors have been careful with the ball this season, averaging just 11.3 turnovers per game (second-lowest).
7. Charlotte Hornets
Record: 6-3
Last Week’s Ranking: 8
Kemba Walker is making a bid for his first All-Star game. The sixth-year point guard is averaging a career-high 25.3 points per game on .474/.470/.831 splits. While that three-point shooting isn’t sustainable, Walker’s been amazing this season. He’s finally becoming efficient.
8. Utah Jazz
Record: 7-4
Last Week’s Ranking: 11
The Jazz are glad to have Gordon Hayward back. The 26-year-old forward may be struggling with his three-point shot (26.7%), but he’s still playing the best ball of his career right now (albeit in a five-game sample size). Hayward is averaging career-highs in points per game (24.4) and rebounds per game (7.6).
Also having a career year is George Hill, who is thriving as a focal point of the offense. Hill is averaging a career-high 20.4 points per game to go with five assists on .541/432/.875 splits.
9. Portland Trail Blazers
Record: 7-4
Last Week’s Ranking: 10
Good offense, bad defense. That’s Portland in a nutshell. The Blazers rank fourth in points per game (108.7), but 27th in opponents’ points per game (111.1). Damian Lillard is having a hell of a season, averaging 30.7 points on 48.6% shooting.
10. Oklahoma City Thunder
Record: 6-4
Last Week’s Ranking: 5
The Thunder lost in spectacular fashion in Serge Ibaka’s revenge game (31 points and a game-winner). Russell Westbrook’s stats still don’t look real: 31.9 points, 10.1 assists, 9.2 rebounds per game.
11. Chicago Bulls
Record: 6-4
Last Week’s Ranking: 21
I’ve got to hand it to the Bulls, they’re resilient. After their three-game skid two weeks ago as the outside shots stopped falling, I fully expected this team to panic and fall apart. Instead, they bounced back, winning three of their four games last week. Dwyane Wade says that Jimmy Butler is playing beyond the level of “just an All-Star,” and he’s not wrong. Butler is averaging career-high marks in points per game (24.3), and in all shooting categories: .480/.432/.892.
12. Houston Rockets
Record: 5-4
Last Week’s Ranking: 13
James Harden is absolutely absurd. He might be the leading candidate for MVP currently. Harden is averaging 30 points, 13 assists, and eight rebounds per game while shooting 48.5% from the field. No player has averaged those stats before. Ever.
13. Los Angeles Lakers
Record: 6-5
Last Week’s Ranking: 12
Nick Young is playing good defense, so hurry up and find some decent shelter because the apocalypse has clearly arrived. As is characteristic of a young team, the Lakers are a top-five team when it comes to turning over the ball. They’ve been remarkably fun to watch this season, though. The Lakers are shooting a higher percentage from the field (47.6%) than any teams aside from the Warriors and Hawks.
14. Boston Celtics
Record: 5-4
Last Week’s Ranking: 14
The Celtics are still missing Jae Crowder and Al Horford. Both of them should return soon, though. Rebounding is a massive problem for Boston (fifth-fewest offensive rebounds per game), and the defense has been far from stellar (fifth-worst defensive rating). The upside is that the offense is working. The Celtics have the fourth-highest offensive rating in the NBA and are averaging the third most assists per game. Isaiah Thomas is averaging a career-highs in points per game (25.8), and shooting percentage (46.4%).
15. Milwaukee Bucks
Record: 5-4
Last Week’s Ranking: 15
Giannis Antetokounmpo is still awesome. The Greek Freak is averaging career-highs across the board: 21.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.1 blocks, two steals per game on 52.1% shooting. The only area in which Giannis hasn’t improved is outside shooting (19% from beyond the arc).
If he keeps this up, Antetokounmpo will be the fourth player in NBA history to average two or more blocks and steals in a season (Hakeem Olajuwon four times, Gerald Wallace and David Robinson once each).
The Bucks are seriously hurting with Khris Middleton out. Tony Snell, who was barely able to crack the rotation in Chicago, has started in all eight games that he’s played for Milwaukee. He’s been pretty bad for them (7.6 points on .381/.262/.100 shooting, with a PER of 5.59), but from what I’ve seen, Bucks fans seem somewhat optimistic about Snell. I honestly haven’t had the chance to watch a whole lot of Bucks basketball this season, so I’m not sure if he’s showed some stuff or if fans are just in denial.
16. Detroit Pistons
Record: 5-5
Last Week’s Ranking: 21
The Pistons had a rough week, losing three of four games, including a loss to the lowly Phoenix Suns. They’ll look to bounce back against the Thunder, although Russell Westbrook will probably eat Ish Smith alive. The sooner Reggie Jackson returns, the better for Detroit.
17. Memphis Grizzlies
Record: 4-5
Last Week’s Ranking: 22
The Grizzlies’ attempt to move their offense into the modern pace-and-space age has not gone super well. They’re fine, except that they aren’t very good at the part of basketball where you put the ball into the hoop. So, maybe not fine. They’re shooting an NBA-low 41.7% from the field, and are a bottom-five team in points per game (97). Their defense also hasn’t been great. It’s better than their offense, but still below average.
18. Indiana Pacers
Record: 4-6
Last Week’s Ranking: 16
The Pacers are averaging the second-most blocks in the NBA (6.1), which is super deceiving because they’re god-awful at defense. Only the Knicks have a lower defensive rating than the Pacers. The offense has been OK, but definitely not as good as Larry Bird was hoping it would be when he assembled this team. That could be at least in part due to all these players getting used to playing with one another. Only time will tell.
19. Brooklyn Nets
Record: 4-5
Last Week’s Ranking: 24
Unlike last season, the Nets appear to have realized that not owning your own first-round draft pick takes away all incentive to tank. The Nets are a middling team on both ends, which is a lot better than last season’s abomination of a team. The Nets are even a top-five rebounding team, with 46.2 per game.
20. Orlando Magic
Record: 4-6
Last Week’s Ranking: 18
Shoutout to Serge Ibaka for that beautiful performance against OKC. Based solely on personnel, the Magic were supposed to be a fantastic defensive team, and an atrocious offensive one this season. Half of that has held true so far, but not the half that Orlando fans would hope for. The Magic are indeed a bad offense — their 95 points per game average is the lowest in the league. Their defense — which was expected to be quite good this season — has allowed the second most points per 100 possessions in the NBA, and has allowed opponents to shoot 46.8% from the field (third-highest in the league).
21.Minnesota Timberwolves
Record: 3-6
Last Week’s Ranking: 26
It’s uncharacteristic for a Tom Thibodeau team, but the Timberwolves couldn’t get a stop at a red light. They rank bottom-ten in defensive rating and are allowing opposing teams to shoot a league-high 47.5% from the field.
The clear bright side for Minnesota is their prolific offense. The Wolves are shooting a scorching 41.8% from outside (easily highest in the NBA). They’re also scoring 110.4 points per 100 possessions — a mark bested only by the Warriors. The Timberwolves also lead the NBA in offensive rebounding, with 12.4 a game.
Andrew Wiggins has truly come into his own as a scorer. After his 47-point outburst against the Lakers, the third-year swingman is averaging 26.3 points per game on .479/.548/.741.
22. Sacramento Kings
Record: 4-7
Last Week’s Ranking: 23
Free Boogie! Seriously, the Kings have to be tired of winning around 30 games and drafting in the middle of the lottery. They need to take Joel Embiid’s advice and trust the process. Blow up this team. You aren’t good, so why not go all-in on being bad? Trade Cousins, trade Gay, stock up on draft picks, and tank. That’s my two cents, anyway.
23. New York Knicks
Record: 3-6
Last Week’s Ranking: 20
The Knicks are not very good for a Super Team. They aren’t very good for a basketball team in general, honestly. They have the league’s very worst defense, and having the 19th-best offensive rating really isn’t enough to make up for that.
24. Denver Nuggets
Record: 3-7
Last Week’s Ranking: 17
The Nuggets trounced Boston behind an awesome game from Emmanuel Mudiay. They pulled down 19 offensive rebounds that night, which is the most that any team has gotten in a non-overtime game since 2008. Speaking of rebounds, the Nuggets lead the NBA in that department. They also lead the NBA in turnovers per game, though (18.1). Their assist/turnover ratio (also worst in the league) is barely over 1.00 (it’s 1.03 to be precise), which seems suboptimal.
25. Phoenix Suns
Record: 3-8
Last Week’s Ranking: 25
Devin Booker is a really good shooter, but he’s shooting the ball very poorly. If he were on the sort of team that’s equipped to get him clean looks, his three-point percentage would probably rocket up. He isn’t, though, and as a result, he takes a lot of contested looks. Booker is averaging 20.2 points per game but is shooting just 27.5% from downtown. The Suns are the third-best rebounding team, but atrocious defensively. They’re allowing a league-high 115.6 points per game. That is a LOT of points.
26. Washington Wizards
Record: 2-7
Last Week’s Ranking: 27
John Wall is good. The Wizards are bad. They can’t shoot the ball to save their lives. They’re attempting an NBA-low 18.7 three-pointers per game (so it’s not like they’re chucking) and converting on just 31% of those looks. Bradley Beal has not earned his massive contract thus far; he’s shooting 36.6% from the field and 29.4% from three-point range.
Otto Porter Jr. has exceeded expectations for the Wizards, averaging 15.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting 55.2% from the field.
27. Miami Heat
Record: 2-6
Last Week’s Ranking: 19
The Heat are struggling to score. Their average of 95.5 points per game is the second-lowest in the NBA. Hassan Whiteside has his team in solid defensive shape (eighth-best defensive rating), but you can’t win without scoring.
28. Dallas Mavericks
Record: 2-6
Dallas has some work to do defensively, as opposing teams are shooting 46.7% against them from the field and 41.2% from deep. The Mavs defense is weird, though. Teams are shooting lights-out against them, but Dallas has done a great job of forcing turnovers. Only the Hawks force more per game.
29. New Orleans Pelicans
Record: 1-9
Last Week’s Ranking: 30
The Pelicans really miss Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans (although Tim Frazier has been a nice surprise). Really though, Anthony Davis can’t do this by himself. The Pelicans need to get that man some help, ASAP.
30. Philadelphia 76ers
Record: 1-8
Last Week’s Ranking: 28
The 76ers have the NBA’s worst offensive rating and are a bottom-10 defensive squad. Joel Embiid singlehandedly makes this team a ton of fun, but don’t confuse fun with competent.
