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: Sacramento Kings, Washington Wizards, Up 5
Biggest Drop: Orlando Magic, Down 9
1. Golden State Warriors
Record: 15-2
Last Week’s Ranking: 2
The Warriors have finally ascended to the top. No matter how you look at it, this is the NBA’s most dominant offense. They lead the NBA in the following categories: Points per game (118.4), Offensive rating (115.4), percentage of field goals assisted on (71.9%), effective field goal percentage (57.6%), true shooting percentage (61.1%), and field goal percentage (50.6%).
After a poor defensive start to the season, the Warriors have managed to become a top-10 defensive unit.
2. San Antonio Spurs
Record: 14-3
Last Week’s Ranking: 4
The Spurs have won nine games in a row now, behind strong play from Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Patty Mills, Danny Green, and even a little bit from David Lee. The Spurs also haven’t lost a single road game. They’re the fifth team in NBA history to open the season with a 10-0 road record. Leonard hasn’t played quite as well as he did in the first few games of the season, but he’s still been awesome. It’s really tough to be asked to lead your team on both ends, and that’s Leonard does. He should receive some serious MVP consideration. The Spurs’ 39.9% shooting from beyond the arc leads the NBA.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
Record: 13-2
Last Week’s Ranking: 3
The Cavs are still rolling. They have the NBA’s second-highest offensive rating and shoot more three-pointers than any team except for the Rockets. They’re converting those threes at an astounding rate of 39.2%. The biggest news for Cleveland this week, of course, was Kevin Love putting up 34 points in the first quarter, which is really just stupid. That’s the second-highest amount of points scored in a single quarter ever, behind Klay Thompson’s 37.
4. Los Angeles Clippers
Record: 14-4
Last Week’s Ranking: 1
The Clippers drop a few spots after losing two games in a row. Both defeats were double-digit point losses to sub-.500 Eastern Conference teams. Prior to this skid, the Clippers were having probably the best season in franchise history, so it’s probably safe to assume that this is a minor setback, from which the Clips will bounce back.
5. Houston Rockets
Record: 11-6
Last Week’s Ranking: 9
The Rockets are good. They’ve won five of their last six now, and possess one of the league’s most prolific offenses. The Rockets have the NBA’s fourth-highest offensive rating (110.1) and rank second in true shooting percentage (58.2%). They attempt an absurd 37 three-pointers per game and knock down 37.8% of those attempts (league’s fourth-highest percentage). James Harden is still putting up silly stats.
6. Toronto Raptors
Record: 10-6
Last Week’s Ranking: 8
The Raptors are weird but good. Only 48.5% of their baskets are assisted on (second-lowest mark in the league) but they still get the job done on that end; they have the third-highest offensive rating in the NBA. DeMar DeRozan is still averaging over 30 points per game, and Kyle Lowry — after a slow start to the season– has quietly been picking it up. Lowry is averaging 19.6 points, 7.3 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game.
7. Memphis Grizzlies
Record: 11-6
Last Week’s Ranking: 10
The Grizzlies are rolling, having now won seven of their last eight games. The Grizzlies’ offense still isn’t great (fifth-worst offensive rating in the NBA), but only the Hawks, Jazz, and Clippers have better defenses. Surprisingly, the Grizzlies are a bottom-10 rebounding team this season, but that clearly hasn’t stopped them from winning games.
The Grizzlies’ offensive difficulties likely stem from having trouble adapting to a new system. The Grizzlies have a new head coach and are playing basketball in a way that they never have before. This season, 30.4% of their field goal attempts have come from beyond the arc. Last season, that number was at 22.3%. In 2014-15, it was at 18.6. In 2013-14, 17.1%. The Grizzlies are shooting threes far more often. Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol are no longer confined to the paint and midrange. Mike Conley is shooting 5.3 threes per game and is knocking down 47.6% of those attempts. Conley has never attempted more than four three-pointers per game for an entire season, nor has he converted on over 40.6% of those. Conley is absolutely thriving in Fizdale’s system, and if he keeps up this level of play, he’ll be a surefire All-Star.
8. Chicago Bulls
Record: 10-6
Last Week’s Ranking: 6
The Bulls, to the surprise of many, have been a legitimately good basketball team this season. Chicago is in elite company with the Warriors and Clippers as one of three teams boasting top-10 offensive and defensive ratings. The Bulls also lead the NBA in offensive rebounding, with 13.8 per game.
Jimmy Butler is enjoying a career year, averaging 25.8 points, 6.6 rebounds per game while shooting 49% from the field, 42.6% from three-point range, and 88.7% from the foul line. All of those numbers are career-highs.
9. Atlanta Hawks
Record: 10-7
Last Week’s Ranking: 5
The Hawks’ defense, fueled by Paul Millsap, Dwight Howard, and Kent Bazemore, has the best defensive rating in the NBA. Their offense isn’t quite as productive (10th-lowest offensive rating), but it should be noted that the Hawks are a top-10 team when it comes to field goal percentage (45.8%).
10. Boston Celtics
Record: 9-7
Last Week’s Ranking: 11
The Celtics, finally healthy, had won a couple games in a row before falling to San Antonio in a close match. Surprisingly, Boston ranks in the bottom-half of the NBA in defensive rating. They are a top-10 offensive unit though, and 62.9% of their baskets have been assisted on this season (third-highest mark in the NBA).
11. Utah Jazz
Record: 9-8
Last Week’s Ranking: 15
The Jazz play at the slowest pace in the NBA, and are a bit like the pre-Fizdale Grizzlies, but with more three-point shooting. The Jazz are middle-of-the-pack offensively, but have the NBA’s second-best defensive rating, anchored by elite rim protector Rudy Gobert. Only the Warriors, Clippers, Cavs, and Spurs have higher net ratings than the Jazz.
12. Charlotte Hornets
Record: 9-7
Last Week’s Ranking: 7
Remember earlier, when I said that the Warriors, Clippers, and Bulls are the only teams that rank top-10 in both offensive and defensive ratings? Well, the Hornets just barely missed out on being in that group; their offensive rating of 105.2 is the 11th-best in the NBA (their defensive rating ranks ninth). The Hornets do drop five spots, though, as they were on a four-game losing streak prior to beating the Knicks.
13. Oklahoma City Thunder
Record: 10-8
Last Week’s Ranking: 12
Russell Westbrook can’t do it all. Behind his stellar play (he’s nearly averaging a triple-double), the Thunder have managed to be very average, both offensively and defensively. The Thunder are exactly what everybody thought they would be coming into this season: A very average team that will probably be somewhere between the seventh and 10th seed in the West (they’re currently sixth), with a star player who puts up insane numbers.
14. Indiana Pacers
Record: 9-9
Last Week’s Ranking: 16
The Pacers’ defense somehow held the Clippers to 70 points on Sunday, without Paul George. The idea for Indiana this season was to sacrifice defense for offense. That hasn’t really worked out for Larry Bird; the Pacers’ offensive rating is the eighth-worst in the NBA. Their defense started out poorly but has improved to the point of being average (maybe even slightly above average!). The Pacers held a players-only meeting on Thanksgiving, so maybe that will help.
15. New York Knicks
Record: 8-8
Last Week’s Ranking: 18
The Knicks are .500! They’ve won four of their last five games, and have a pretty easy schedule coming up. Joakim Noah needs to play better, by his own admission. That thing where Noah and Derrick Rose would both hop in a time machine and come out elite players for the Knicks never happened, and alas, the Super Team has become a “Not-Very-Good Team” instead. The Knicks aren’t great and probably won’t make the playoffs. The good news is that Kristaps Porzingis is awesome. The Latvian 21-year-old is averaging 20.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while shooting .490/.400/.786. Those are some fantastic numbers, and it’s wildly impressive how good Porzingis is so early in his career.
16. Los Angeles Lakers
Record: 9-9
Last Week’s Ranking: 14
Nick Young has been a legitimately good basketball player this season. He and Lou Williams are both shooting over 40% from downtown. So, Luke Walton probably deserves Coach of the Year for that alone. However, the Lakers’ defense is horrendous. They’re allowing the fourth-most points per game (110.9) on the highest field goal percentage (48.4%).
Unfortunately for the Lakers, D’Angelo Russell has missed some time, and will continue to miss more.
17. Portland Trail Blazers
Record: 9-10
Last Week’s Ranking: 13
Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. That is Portland’s team. They don’t really have any identity beyond those two. The gameplan for the Blazers is “give it to these guys and hope that one or both of them is feeling it.” It’s a testament to the skill of those two players that that strategy has given Portland a top-10 offense. The defense, though, is non-existent. The Blazers’ defensive rating of 110.5 is the worst in the NBA. Having Al-Farouq Aminu back will help, but this is a bottom-tier defense regardless.
18. Detroit Pistons
Record: 8-10
Last Week’s Ranking: 19
Surprisingly for a team with Andre Drummond, the Pistons are outside the top-10 in rebounds per game. After going 44-38 a season ago and bolstering their bench over the offseason, the Pistons have disappointed thus far. They have a bottom-10 offense. Of course, Pistons fans should wait to panic until the return of Reggie Jackson. It’s unfair to pass judgment on a team before their second-best player has played a single game.
It isn’t all bad for Detroit. The Pistons have the sixth-best defensive rating in basketball and turn the ball over less than any other team.
19. New Orleans Pelicans
Record: 6-12
Last Week’s Ranking: 23
It turns out that having your second-best player available to play is a helpful thing. Jrue Holiday is reminding fans why he was an All-Star in 2013. Holiday has come off the bench for New Orleans in each of his six appearances and has played just 27 minutes a night. In limited minutes, he has averaged 16.3 points and 6.5 assists per game on .488/.409/.611 shooting. If he remains in a reserve role for the entire season (doubtful), Holiday could be a Sixth Man of the Year candidate.
20. Sacramento Kings
Record: 7-8
Last Week’s Ranking: 25
The Kings have won three of their last four games, including impressive wins over the Raptors and Thunder. Nobody is talking about DeMarcus Cousins, because he’s on the Kings, and everybody’s tired of the Kings. So let’s talk about him. Boogie is putting up a career-high 28.3 points per game, to go with 9.9 rebounds. He’s also shooting 40.8% from three-point range, and not at all on a small sample size; he’s attempting 4.2 treys per game. Rudy Gay, known as an inefficient chucker, is also shooting 40% from three. Are the Kings decent?
21. Milwaukee Bucks
Record: 7-8
Last Week’s Ranking: 20
Giannis is so much fun. He’s the new Human Highlight Reel, and you can’t tell me any different. With a 6’11” primary ball-handler, the Bucks have the fourth-highest assist percentage in the NBA (62.7%).
22. Denver Nuggets
Record: 7-10
Last Week’s Ranking: 24
The Nuggets lead the NBA in rebounding. They don’t have one Andre Drummond-type player grabbing all the boards, it’s a pretty even distribution; the Nuggets have four players averaging over six rebounds per game (Kenneth Faried, Wilson Chandler, Jusuf Nurkic, Nikola Jokic). They have Wilson Chandler back, and he is absolutely glorious, leading the team in points per game (18.3) off the bench.
23. Washington Wizards
Record: 5-10
Last Week’s Ranking: 28
The Wizards had a pretty great week, winning two of their three games. Bradley Beal is back, and he’s playing spectacular basketball right now. In the five games he’s played since returning to the court, he’s averaged 26.6 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game on .495/.405/.909 shooting.
24. Miami Heat
Record: 5-11
Last Week’s Ranking: 21
The Heat are a bottom-five offensive unit, but a top-five defensive one. Hassan Whiteside is having a really phenomenal season (16.8 points and 14.9 rebounds per game), and Goran Dragic is having a nice year as well. That isn’t enough to make Miami a competent offense, though.
25. Minnesota Timberwolves
Record: 5-11
Last Week’s Ranking: 22
Good defense continues to elude the Timberwolves, but they’re still a ton of fun to watch. Andrew Wiggins is showing a level of offensive polish that he wasn’t expected to have for years, if ever. Zach LaVine is also showing major improvements on that end, and Karl-Anthony Towns has a few moments each game where you just kind of shake your head and wonder how a seven-footer can do that.
Also, if you haven’t yet, check out this ridiculous Zach LaVine 360 dunk from the free throw line.
26. Orlando Magic
Record: 6-11
Last Week’s Ranking: 17
The Magic have the 10th most efficient defense in the NBA, but their offense is atrocious. Orlando ranks last in offensive rating (95.4) and true shooting (49%).
27. Phoenix Suns
Record: 5-13
Last Week’s Ranking: 26
Eric Bledsoe is having a pretty good year, and both Devin Booker and Marquese Chriss have shown flashes of greatness. The future, not the present, is of concern for Pheonix right now.
28. Philadelphia 76ers
Record: 4-13
Last Week’s Ranking: 29
The Sixers could not be more unwatchable when Joel Embiid is off the floor. When he is on the floor, though, my life gets a little better. He’s just such a gem on and off the court. He was worth the wait, and I hope with all my heart that he has a great, injury-free career from here on out. The 76ers are not a good basketball team, though. At all. Their net rating of -9.4 is the worst in the league.
29. Dallas Mavericks
Record: 3-13
Last Week’s Ranking: 30
Most expected Harrison Barnes to be awful this season, and to his credit, he has put up pretty good numbers. What we’re seeing with Dallas, though, is what a Harrison Barnes-led offense looks like — Not good. The Mavs are scoring just 91.5 points per game (lowest in the NBA).
30. Brooklyn Nets
Record: 4-12
Last Week’s Ranking: 27
The Nets have truly earned this spot by losing seven consecutive games. Brooklyn shoots more threes than any team aside from the Rockets and Cavs, but I’m not really sure why. Of their 34.4 outside attempts per game, the Nets make just 11.4 threes per game. That 33.1% is the sixth-lowest in the league. The defense is worse than the offense for the Nets; only Portland has a lower offensive rating, and Brooklyn is allowing more points per game (114) than any other team.
