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: Grizzlies, Wizards, Up 6
Biggest Drop: Celtics, Lakers, Heat, Down 5
1. Golden State Warriors
Record: 21-4
Last Week’s Ranking: 1
The Warriors are weird. They have games that make you go “holy shit, this is the best team of all time. All of the other teams should give up.” But then every now and then they have a game in which they appear shockingly vincible. The latter was true of their 110-89 loss to the short-handed Grizzlies. This is an incredible team, but these occasional bad losses (only one of their four losses this season has been by under 20 points) give fans a feeling of malaise.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
Record: 17-5
Last Week’s Ranking: 4
With Kevin Love finally playing like Minnesota Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving being healthy, this is the most fearsome Cavaliers team that we have seen in any regular season. Since dropping back-to-back games, the Cavs have bounced back with four straight wins.
3. Houston Rockets
Record: 17-7
Last Week’s Ranking: 3
The Rockets have a formidable offense with an absurd amount of shooting (Mike D’Antoni+James Harden+Eric Gordon+Ryan Anderson+Trevor Ariza+Patrick Beverly=insane three-point shooting). This team appeals to the hedonist in all of us; it’s so fun to watch James Harden cross an opponent up, drive, and kick to any of the three or four deadly shooters surrounding him. Defense seems almost insignificant while watching this team because the offense is so electrifying
4. San Antonio Spurs
Record: 19-5
Last Week’s Ranking: 2
The Spurs continue to win a large majority of their games. We’re so used to the Spurs being great that we don’t really even think about it, but Gregg Popovich’s regular season prowess is stupefying.
5. Toronto Raptors
Record: 16-7
Last Week’s Ranking: 5
The Raptors have usurped the Warriors for the NBA’s highest offensive rating — no small feat. Toronto has won eight of their last nine games, with that lone loss coming to the Cavaliers. DeRozan has come back down to earth a little bit (he’s still been great), but Lowry has stepped up and is submitting a career year of his own.
6. Memphis Grizzlies
Record: 17-8
Last Week’s Ranking: 12
I… I don’t get it. I love Marc Gasol as much as the next guy. Probably more than the next guy. It depends on who the next guy is, I guess. Anyways, Gasol is awesome. But this team should not be this good without Mike Conley. They are, though. I wouldn’t say I’m 100% sold on this being sustainable, but the Grizzlies have won six games in a row now, including a trouncing of the mighty Warriors. Memphis has done all this without their star point guard.
Also: Congratulations to Marc Gasol, who was just named Western Conference Player of the Week. Very well-deserved. The Spaniard is averaging a career-high 19.9 points to go along with 6.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists (also a career-high) per game, on .460/.437/.802 shooting.
7. Oklahoma City Thunder
Record: 15-9
Last Week’s Ranking: 7
Westbrook’s triple-double streak came to an end at seven vs. the Celtics, but his late-game play was key for the Thunder to come away with that win — the seventh in their last eight games. Despite not recording a triple-double, Westbrook was phenomenal against the Celtics. I’d rather see a 37-point, 12-rebound, 6-assist game on 14-26 shooting than a triple double on poor efficiency.
8. Utah Jazz
Record: 15-10
Last Week’s Ranking: 11
The Jazz are a top-10 team in both offensive and defensive efficiency. They’re also the fifth-best team in terms of net rating. They’ve done all this while dealing with a slew of injuries. The following key players have experienced some form of injury this season: Gordon Hayward, George Hill, Derrick Favors, Rodney Hood, Alec Burks, Joe Johnson, and Boris Diaw. All I want for Christmas is a healthy Jazz team.
9. Los Angeles Clippers
Record: 17-7
Last Week’s Ranking: 6
The Clippers are 3-4 in their last seven games. What’s going on? Was their tremendous start to the season just a flash in the pan? Did they fool us? Or was it a potential that they’re still able to live up to? It’s hard to say, but I do hope that the Clippers can be better; the Warriors could use some competition in the West.
10. Chicago Bulls
Record: 13-10
Last Week’s Ranking: 9
Jimmy Butler is making his case as the latest NBA superstar (though maybe not according to Mark Cuban, because who knows with that guy). Butler has led the Bulls to improbable “top-10 team” status. He’s averaging career-highs in points (25.6) and rebounds (6.7) per game, to go along with 4.1 assists. His outside shooting has cooled off (35.1%) but his field goal percentage of 46.7% is still very good.
11. New York Knicks
Record: 14-10
Last Week’s Ranking: 14
The Knicks have clawed their way to what is currently the fourth seed in the East. The Knicks aren’t great against teams better than them, but they’re consistently beating inferior teams. That’s enough to get them to the playoffs if they can keep it up.
Kristaps Porzingis is establishing himself as the unquestionably best player on this team. His latest performance vs. the Lakers was the quintessential Porzingis game: 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 7(!) blocks. He also knocked down three of his four three-point tries. Unicorn.
12. Charlotte Hornets
Record: 14-10
Last Week’s Ranking: 15
Steve Clifford is a great coach, and the Hornets are playing consistently well on both ends. It will be a travesty if Kemba Walker doesn’t make his first All-Star game this season. The 26-year-old point guard is averaging career-highs in points per game (23.3), field goal percentage (47.5%), and three-point percentage (41.8%). If Walker’s 40%+ three-point is sustainable, then he’ll be one of the league’s top point guards for years to come. He’s always fallen in that “Wow, if he could consistently shoot from outside…” category, along with the likes of Rajon Rondo and Ricky Rubio. Walker took a huge leap forward last season in upping his three-point percentage from 30.4% to 37.1%, and is continuing to progress this year.
13. Boston Celtics
Record: 13-11
Last Week’s Ranking: 8
The Celtics have Al Horford, Jae Crowder, and Kelly Olynyk back, but lost Isaiah Thomas. That Thunder game has to be a win, and it isn’t the only game this season where Boston has been the better team all game long only to choke away a late-game lead. Of course, having Isaiah Thomas’ scoring ability likely would have been enough to power them over OKC. Avery Bradley is damn close, but for the moment, this team doesn’t quite have that one player who can step up and consistently get them late-game buckets without Thomas on the floor.
14. Milwaukee Bucks
Record: 11-11
Last Week’s Ranking: 10
The Bucks were looking fantastic! They had won four straight games, but have since dropped three of their last four. A home game against the struggling Hawks, and a game against a poor Wizards team probably should have been wins for the Bucks, but the Spurs loss was acceptable (and they almost won that one). Jabari Parker’s three-point shooting has started to regress (he’s down to 33.8% on the season), but he’s had an excellent season all-around. Giannis is a lock to make his first All-Star game. The goal for this team is to hang in there until Middleton gets back and snag a playoffs spot. That would be a highly constructive experience for a team that doesn’t have much postseason experience under its collective belt.
15. Detroit Pistons
Record: 13-13
Last Week’s Ranking: 16
Here’s a game-by-game reaction by a Pistons fan in recent weeks (probably):
December 2: Hell yeah! Reggie Jackson is finally back, and we just won our third straight game (all against pretty solid East teams on the road). And we’re above .500! Things are finally looking up; time to come for that top-3 seed!
December 4: Wait, what? We lost to the Magic… at home? That doesn’t make sense. Fluke. Hell, Jeff Green of all people made a game-clinching jumper. If that doesn’t scream “fluke,” then I don’t know what does.
December 6: Yeah baby! The Bulls have been good this season, and we took ’em down! Jimmy who? TOBIAS HARRIS FOR MVP! That’s four wins in five games. Yeah, that Magic loss was definitely a fluke
December 7: Okay, scoring 77 points is a bit concerning (as is losing when Drummond goes for 26 & 20), but a loss on a back-to-back to Charlotte (a pretty good team) is something I can live with. We’ll bounce back.
December 9: Hell yeah. What’s this “KAT” y’all keep talking about? Some center who ain’t on Drummond’s level? Second consecutive 20-point, 20-rebound game for the big guy! We’re back on track. Seriously, time for our winning streak to begin. Our next four games are against the Sixers, Mavs, Wizards, and Pacers. Those are all gonna be Ws.
December 11: We lost to the worst team in basketball… At home… By 18 points… And they didn’t even have Embiid. Seriously, did we just shoot 39% against the 76ers? Or am I just having a really bad dream? I really hope it’s the latter.
Will the Pistons bounce back? Will they ever attain that sought-after win streak? Or are they doomed to forever be a .500 team? Find out next time!
16. Indiana Pacers
Record: 12-12
Last Week’s Ranking: 17
The Pacers are not great, Bob. Many expected them to be in the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference, along with the Cavs and Raptors. Instead, they’re .500 24 games into the season, and it feels more like 10-14. The idea for the Pacers this season was that they were sacrificing defense for offense. The sacrificing defense part has indeed happened; their top-three defense from last season has been replaced with one that ranks in the bottom 10. I think Larry Bird was probably hoping for more than the 16th-best offense in basketball, though.
But here’s the thing about the Pacers. Paul George is still Paul George. He’s averaging 21.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, and is shooting 39% from deep. His play has been (and likely will continue to be) overlooked due to his team’s poor play. However, if the Pacers can find their way into the playoffs, they’ll still be a sneaky threat to some team.
17. Portland Trail Blazers
Record: 12-13
Last Week’s Ranking: 13
“Defense is Overrated, Right?”: The Portland Trail Blazers Story. The Blazers couldn’t stop a car if they were a red light. The phrase “the buck stops here” is extra inapplicable after the Bucks beat Portland last week. The Blazers couldn’t get a stop, even in the name of love.
Portland does have a top-10 offense, but that hasn’t been enough to counteract their defensive atrocities. This is a team that needs some roster changes ASAP if they want to be anything more than a first-round exit in the playoffs.
18. Atlanta Hawks
Record: 12-12
Last Week’s Ranking: 20
The Hawks managed to win their last two games (vs. Miami, @ Milwaukee) to put an end to their seven-game losing streak. Millsap being healthy and on the floor is so vital for this team. Millsap is their oxygen; the Hawks will (basketball equivalent of) die without him.
19. Denver Nuggets
Record: 9-15
Last Week’s Ranking: 23
The Nuggets continue to rebound at an elite rate, but not be very good at basketball. This team has a lot of young, talented pieces, but has struggled to fit those pieces together.
20. Washington Wizards
Record: 9-13
Last Week’s Ranking: 26
The Wizards have been playing well! Bradley Beal is good all of the sudden, and Washington (albeit not against the stiffest of competition) has won three of their last four games.
21. Orlando Magic
Record: 10-15
Last Week’s Ranking: 18
The Magic found a new way to disappoint fans, winning three straight games to get their hopes up before immediately losing their next three. The Magic play the Hawks Tuesday, which will probably be a loss with Millsap back in the lineup, and play the Clippers next (another loss). The following game is a plausible win; a home game vs. the Nets.
22. Sacramento Kings
Record: 8-15
Last Week’s Ranking: 22
This team is an absolute mess. They aren’t good, and they aren’t really building around everything. Surround DeMarcus Cousins with a subpar supporting cast that doesn’t have a lot of room to improve does not count as a plan, Kangz.
23. New Orleans Pelicans
Record: 8-17
Last Week’s Ranking: 24
The Pelicans were doing okay for awhile there, with Jrue Holiday healthy. That phase has come to an end, as the Pelicans lost five consecutive games before narrowly beating the Suns last time out.
24. Los Angeles Lakers
Record: 10-16
Last Week’s Ranking: 19
The honeymoon phase of the Lakers’ relationship with this season has come to an end. The Lakers have lost six games in a row, and have the NBA’s worst defensive rating.
Lou Williams made history for the Lakers when he scored a record 137 points off the bench over the span of four games (34.25 points per game in that stretch).
25. Minnesota Timberwolves
Record: 6-18
Last Week’s Ranking: 25
We’ve reached the point in the season where those brave souls who picked the Timberwolves to have a breakout season are being crucified by NBA Twitter. Don’t kill these people for their leap of faith falling short.
26. Miami Heat
Record: 7-17
Last Week’s Ranking: 21
The Heat defense is still worse with Whiteside on the floor, despite his highlight reel of blocks. He’s also scoring just 0.67 points per possession on sub-40% shooting on post-up attempts. Not ideal for your franchise player.
27. Phoenix Suns
Record: 7-17
Last Week’s Ranking: 27
The Suns: Still not good at offense or defense. There isn’t really anything of importance to update here.
28. Philadelphia 76ers
Record: 6-18
Last Week’s Ranking: 30
The Sixers still are not good, but move up a couple of spots after consecutive wins (one without Joel Embiid!). Nerlens Noel is back, so it should be interesting to see how the minutes distribution works going forward.
29. Brooklyn Nets
Record: 6-16
Last Week’s Ranking: 29
The Nets signed Spencer Dinwiddie, which is cool. He was really good for Chicago in pre-season. Also, Jeremy Lin is supposed to return this week, which should help.
30. Dallas Mavericks
Record: 5-18
Last Week’s Ranking: 28
Dirk Nowitzki is set to return this week! That’s the only good thing that this team has going for it. If that’s even a good thing. Small sample size, yes, but Nowitzki was one of the worst NBA players this season prior to getting hurt.
