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: Memphis Grizzlies, Up 7
Biggest Drop: Brooklyn Nets, Down 8
1. Los Angeles Clippers
Record: 12-2
Last Week’s Ranking: 1
The Clippers are an utterly dominant two-way force. They lead the NBA in steals per game, free throws made per game, and net rating. They rank second in both offensive and defensive ratings, and are shooting the third-highest three-point percentage in the league (38.3%)> The Clips are also allowing opponents to shoot an NBA-low 41.8% from the floor.
2. Golden State Warriors
Record: 11-2
Last Week’s Ranking: 2
If the Clippers slip up, the Warriors won’t hesitate to usurp them as the NBA’s top team. In fact, even if they don’t slip up, the Dubs might still take that crown. Golden State has won their last seven games now, and have what is easily the league’s top offense. They lead the NBA in offensive rating, true shooting percentage, and points per game. They’re allowing the fifth-most opposing points per game (108.6) but still have the second best points differential in the league thanks to the 116.8 points per game that they put up.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
Record: 10-2
Last Week’s Ranking: 3
It sure feels like the Cavs are going to casually roll to 60+ wins. They dropped a game to the Pacers, but it’s hard to put much stock in any game that LeBron James sits out.
4. San Antonio Spurs
Record: 10-3
Last Week’s Ranking: 5
Kawhi Leonard has cooled down a bit, but the Spurs are still the Spurs. They lead the NBA in three-point percentage (39.4%) and free throw percentage (84.6%). They’re also committing fewer turnovers per games than 27 NBA teams.
5. Atlanta Hawks
Record: 9-4
Last Week’s Ranking: 4
Mike Budenholzer might be the next Gregg Popovich. The Hawks have surpassed the Clippers for best defensive rating in the NBA. They rank second in the following categories: Assists per game (25.4), steals per game (9.9), and field goal percentage (47.3%). The only concern for the Hawks is turnovers; they lead the NBA with 17.5 giveaways per game.
6. Chicago Bulls
Record: 9-5
Last Week’s Ranking: 11
So, uh, the Bulls might actually be legitimately good. Jimmy Butler is proving that he’s one of the best players in the world. After his 40-point game against the Lakers on Sunday, Butler is averaging 25.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game on .473/.417/.887 shooting. Those are superstar numbers.
7. Charlotte Hornets
Record: 8-4
Last Week’s Ranking: 7
The Hornets, led by Kemba Walker in a career year, are a really superb, well-coached two-way team. They’re a top-five defensive team, turn the ball over less than any other team (11.3 turnovers per game), and rank third in assists per game (24.7). Unsurprisingly, this gives them the NBA’s top assist/turnover ratio
8. Toronto Raptors
Record: 8-5
Last Week’s Ranking: 8
The Raptors lost to the Kings because officials ruled that this shot didn’t count:
Terrence Ross hit the clutch 3 to send the game to OT!
…but DeMarcus Cousins deflection started the clock…
What a shot though pic.twitter.com/n1IN8K4xim
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) November 21, 2016
So, yeah. However you feel about that (probably not great if you’re a Raptors fan), it’s just one game. This is a good team; they’ll be fine. Toronto doesn’t move the ball as much as most teams; they average the third-fewest assists per game. However, they also don’t turn it over much (11.7 per game). Despite the assist numbers, the Raps have the third-highest offensive rating in the NBA.
9. Houston Rockets
Record: 8-5
Last Week’s Ranking: 12
I’m so glad Mike D’Antoni is back in the league. The Rockets have four players who rank in the top 10 when it comes to three-pointers made: James Harden and Eric Gordon are tied for second with 40, Trevor Ariza is eighth with 35, and Ryan Anderson is in a three-way tie for ninth with 34. Unsurprisingly, the Rockets’ 13.5 made three-pointers per game are the most in the NBA. They convert on those threes at a 37.4% clip, the fifth-highest mark in the league.
10. Memphis Grizzlies
Record: 8-5
Last Week’s Ranking: 17
I was a little bit harsh on the Grizzlies’ offense in last week’s rankings. Their offense is still not the greatest, statistically speaking (third-lowest field goal percentage). However, they’ve been able to make up for their offensive woes in other areas. Memphis is a top-10 unit in terms of defensive rating, and allow just 97 points per game (only Utah, Miami, and the Clippers give up fewer).
The Grizzlies are on a four-game winning streak, including a huge win over the Clippers. Mike Conley is earning every penny of that massive contract so far. The 29-year-old point guard is averaging 18.3 points and 5.9 assists per game while shooting a ridiculous 47.5% from beyond the arc. Marc Gasol has done well in his transformation into an outside shooter. He’s shooting 40.5% from long range on 3.5 attempts per game. Unfortunately, the rest of their team — outside of Zach Randolph — has largely disappointed on the offensive end. Chandler Parsons isn’t right (and is injured again). The Grizzlies would need another weapon or two in order to become a good offensive team. Conley and Gasol are awesome, but they can’t do everything. The winning streak is nice, but even if they had lost their last four games instead of won them, they would have had to crack the top 10 solely because of Marc Gasol’s epic celebration:
Marc Gasol drills the big 3 and does the Conor McGregor strut after #GrindCity
(via @clippittv) pic.twitter.com/2l1RqrzKmI— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) November 17, 2016
11. Boston Celtics
Record: 7-6
Last Week’s Ranking: 14
For the first time this season, the Celtics have a fully healthy roster. In their first game healthy, Al Horford reminded fans what they’d been missing when he beat the Pistons by tipping in a missed shot to take the lead, then blocking Aron Baynes on the other end to seal the deal. Expect Boston to start winning.
12. Oklahoma City Thunder
Record: 8-6
Last Week’s Ranking: 10
Video game stats from Russell Westbrook are carrying the Thunder. The 28-year-old point guard is averaging 31.6 points, 10.4 assists, and 9.7 rebounds in 34.8 minutes per game. He leads the Thunder in all of those categories.
13. Portland Trail Blazers
Record: 8-7
Last Week’s Ranking: 9
The Blazers snapped their three-game losing streak with a win over the lowly Nets. After they lost back-to-back games to Chicago and Houston by a combined 42 points, Damian Lillard said that the team “kind of suck[s] right now.” So, that isn’t super encouraging.
The Blazers have struggled lately, and currently have the very worst defensive rating in the NBA.
14. Los Angeles Lakers
Record: 7-7
Last Week’s Ranking: 13
The Lakers’ bench is scoring an absurd 51.1 points per game. That’s more than double what the Timberwolves’ bench is scoring. It makes sense, as Jordan Clarkson and Lou Williams have both been fantastic off the bench for L.A. Only the Warriors are scoring more points per game than the Lakers’ 109.8. Unfortunately, the Lakers’ poor defense might outweigh the offense. They’re allowing opponents to score 112.2 points per game (4th-highest in the league) on an NBA-high 47.2%.
15. Utah Jazz
Record: 7-8
Last Week’s Ranking: 8
The Jazz can’t seem to stay healthy. George Hill and Derrick Favors are both missing time. Favors hasn’t gotten to the point of playing his usual minutes yet this season, which is a shame because the Jazz — who rank 27th in rebounds per game — could really use his presence on the inside. Rudy Gobert is averaging double-digit rebounds, but he can’t get all of them. The Jazz also play at the slowest pace in the NBA, which is to be expected of a team that typically plays two traditional bigs at once.
16. Indiana Pacers
Record: 7-7
Last Week’s Ranking: 18
Since I last ranked them, the Pacers’ defensive rating has gotten a bit better, but their offensive rating has dipped. I’m still not sold on the moves made by management this summer, especially with George Hill now balling out in Utah.
17. Orlando Magic
Record: 6-7
Last Week’s Ranking: 20
The Magic have won their last two games now. They still aren’t great. They’re shooting the second-lowest field goal percentage in the NBA (41%) and the fifth-lowest three-point percentage (32.5%). They have the third-worst offensive rating in the league, and their 13th-ranked defense isn’t enough to balance out the atrocious offense.
18. New York Knicks
Record: 6-7
Last Week’s Ranking: 23
By his own account, Joakim Noah hasn’t consistently played well this season. Despite Noah being a former Defensive Player of the Year, The Knicks are a bottom-five defensive team. The bright spot for the Knicks, of course, is that Kristaps Porzingis is awesome. The seven-footer couldn’t legally enter bars four months ago, and he’s averaging 20.2 points and 7.2 rebbounds per game while shooting 49.5% from the floor and 39.1% from downtown. Porzingis is also averaging 1.2 blocks, and each blocked shot means $500 to a youth hoops program in New York.
19. Detroit Pistons
Record: 6-8
Last Week’s Ranking: 16
The Pistons are struggling more than most expected. The good news: They aren’t turning the ball over much (only Charlotte is turning it over less). The bad news: The Pistons are one of three NBA teams to be bottom-five in both field goal and three-point percentage. They also have the fifth-worst offensive rating. This has been a very poor offensive team thus far, although they have plenty of time to turn things around.
20. Milwaukee Bucks
Record: 5-7
Last Week’s Ranking: 15
The Bucks have lost three in a row. They really, really miss Khris Middleton, but the Greek Freak turns them from boring into must-watch basketball. Giannis Antetokounmpo has had an unbelievably good season; the 21-year-old is rapidly ascending to stardom. He’s averaging career highs in points per game (21.8), rebounds per game (8.3), assists per game (5.4), blocks per game (2.1), and steals per game (1.8). And he’s actually playing LESS minutes than he did last season. If he keeps this up he’s an All-Star lock.
21. Miami Heat
Record: 4-8
Last Week’s Ranking: 27
The Heat move up a bit after winning their last two games. They still aren’t great — at least offensively. Miami is a bottom-five team in both offensive rating and field goal percentage. The offense is bad. The defense, though, has been very solid behind defensive anchors Hassan Whiteside and Justise Winslow. The Heat have the NBA’s third-highest defensive rating.
22. Minnesota Timberwolves
Record: 4-8
Last Week’s Ranking: 21
Tom Thibodeau was supposed to strengthen Minnesota’s defense. That hasn’t happened yet, but the Timberwolves have seen a dramatic improvement offensively. The Wolves rank sixth in offensive rating and second in three-point shooting (39.4%). They’re also the second-best offensive rebounding team in the NBA (12.2 per game).
Both of the Timberwolves’ 2014 first-round draft picks are having career seasons. Andrew Wiggins is averaging 25.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game on .475/.489(!!!)/.745 shooting. Zach LaVine is averaging 19.1 points on .463/.440/.862 shooting.
23. New Orleans Pelicans
Record: 4-10
Last Week’s Ranking: 29
The Pelicans have won three of their last four contests. Jrue Holiday is back! And he’s already been awesome. He’s come off the bench in each of his first two games and has only played 26.5 minutes a game. Despite that, he’s managed to average21.5 points and eight assists per game while shooting 54.8% from the field and 44.4% from beyond the arc.
24. Denver Nuggets
Record: 5-8
Last Week’s Ranking: 24
The Nuggets lead the NBA in rebounding. They lost Gary Harris to injury (up to four weeks), which hurts, but Wilson Chandler is quickly establishing himself as a top-tier Sixth Man of the Year candidate. Chandler has played 11 games (all off the bench) and averaged 17.1 points and 7.2 rebounds in 29.8 minutes per game on 49% shooting.
25. Sacramento Kings
Record: 5-9
Last Week’s Ranking: 22
The Kings have the league’s second-worst defense, and despite the presence of DeMarcus Cousins, are also the second-worst rebounding team. Omri Casspi has no idea why Dave Joerger removed him from the rotation and hasn’t spoken to his coach one-on-one since preseason. The Kings are still the KANGZ.
26. Phoenix Suns
Record: 4-10
Last Week’s Ranking: 25
Eric Bledsoe is having a pretty good year (17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists per game), but the Suns are not good. They have some fun young talent, but not a whole lot of that talent is ready to contribute on a regular basis. The Suns are the worst three-point shooting team in basketball, shooting the ball at a putrid 30.7% clip fromd deep. They’re also surrendering an absurd 114.9 points per game. Yikes.
27. Brooklyn Nets
Record: 4-9
Last Week’s Ranking: 19
The Nets have outperformed expectations, but it seems that they’re beginning to fall back down to earth, having dropped four games in a row. The Nets have the third-worst defensive rating in the league and are almost giving up as many points per game as the Suns (113.3). They’re shooting more threes than any team aside from the Houston Rockets (34.3 per game), but are a bottom-five team when it comes to making those shots (32.5%).
28. Washington Wizards
Record: 3-9
Last Week’s Ranking: 26
John Wall is really good, but the Wizards are really, really bad. Bradey Beal came into the league with a reputation as an NBA-ready shooter. That held true immediately. In his rookie season, he shot 38.6% from beyond the arc. The next season, he shot 40.2%. Then 40.9%. Last year he dipped below that coveted 40% mark, but his percentage of 38.7% was still very good. This season, Beal is attempting a career-high 5.7 three-pointers per game but has knocked down just 33.3% of them. The Wizards desperately need help in the perimeter shooting department. Only Detroit and Phoenix have made less three-pointers per game.
29. Philadelphia 76ers
Record: 3-10
Last Week’s Ranking: 30
Joel Embiid is phenomenal. He’s leading the Rookie of the Year race while playing limited minutes, and has barely scratched the surface of his ceiling. Embiid makes the Sixers fun. When he’s on the bench, they’re unwatchable. Philadelphia has the second-worst offensive rating in the NBA, and are are the only team to be outscored by an average in the double-digits (10.4 points per game).
30. Dallas Mavericks
Record: 2-10
Last Week’s Ranking: 28
The Mavs are terrible. I’m not going to sugar-coat that in any way. It’s true. They rank last in field goal percentage (40.2%), offensive rating, and assists per game (16.9). They’re also the third-worst three-point shooting team (31.1%). Surprisingly, Dallas’ defense has been adequate (better that adequate really). They have a top-10 defensive rating and are forcing more turnovers (17.2 per game) than any other team. The offense, though.
