It is power ranking time! We gathered five writers from the website (Cole Huff, Aidan Baller, Sheikh Uddin, Darian Thomas, and Joey Barrett) and had each vote on how the would power rank each team 1-30. Below is the averaged list of the five writers. For each team we also included what was the highest that team was voted amongst our writers and what the lowest they were voted amongst our writers. Also the descriptions on these teams were mostly written on Saturday 10/23 so information is only as accurate as where the league was when it was written. View this as a preseason power ranking that has some overreactions to the first couple games.
30. Oklahoma City Thunder
Highest Rank: 28
Lowest Rank: 30
There really isn’t much to say about the Thunder. It’s no secret that they are predicted to be the worst team in the NBA. OKC hasn’t been good for a few years now. There isn’t a lot of star talent on this team other than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. What the Thunder do have, however, is a future. Oklahoma City has the most upcoming draft picks of any team. So, while this year may not be a year to look forward to for Thunder fans, at least they have a bright future ahead
-Cole Huff
29. Detroit Pistons
Highest Rank: 27
Lowest Rank: 30
The Detroit Pistons do not have to look forward to based on who has played so far this year but yet it is still way better than where it was a year ago. The team will regain excitement once their number one draft pick, Cade Cunningham. The rest of the roster is fine with a couple spots of hope like: Jerami Grant, Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stweart, and Kilian Hayes. The Pistons will once again be one of the worst teams in the league this year which should put them in prime position to get one of the prizes in next year’s draft such as Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren, and Jaden Hardy.
-Joey Barrett
28. Houston Rockets
Highest Rank: 26
Lowest Rank: 30
There aren’t many expectations this season for the Houston Rockets other than to develop some of their young talent and get another high draft pick to continue their rebuild. No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green has put the league on watch with unreal athletic plays on the offensive end of the floor. Green, alongside Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr. could be a potentially lethal trio in a few years.
-Aidan Baller
27. Orlando Magic
Highest Rank: 26
Lowest Rank: 30
The Magic are in a constant cycle of being underwhelming. They have so many young guards, I am not really sure what’s happening. They have Markelle Fultz, Cole Anthony, RJ Hampton, and not to mention their top pick this past draft in Jalen Suggs. They’re going to have to make a decision on one or two of them very soon for the sake of the future of the team. Possibly trading away one or two of the guards to get a young wing to pair with Johnathan Isaac should be what the Magic look into this trade deadline.
-Sheikh Uddin
26. Cleveland Cavaliers
Highest Rank: 25
Lowest Rank: 29
The Cavs have done what we all were wondering if they would do and that is start Lauri Markkanen at the 3, Evan Mobley at the 4, and Jarrett Allen at the 5. With that, there have been a couple of problems that have surfaced. In losses against the Memphis Grizzlies and Charlotte Hornets, they have been outrebounded 99-72 in the last two games. That’s an issue when you are starting 3 7 footers. Another issue is being outscored in the paint 128-106 with those 3 7 footers. Colin Sexton is a certified bucket but he is a ball stopper and the eye test shows that the team runs better with the ball in Ricky Rubio or Darius Garland. The Cavs have a lot of interesting pieces and I don’t blame them for taking their time trying to figure out what they have before starting to really build up the team.
-Darian Thomas
25. Toronto Raptors
Highest Rank: 24
Lowest Rank: 26
I loved the pick of Scottie Barnes by the Raptors and he’s shown early flashes already. Scottie Barnes in his second game dropped 25 points and 13 boards to go along with it. Although I am still really confused on what the Raptors are doing with all the veteran players they still have with Siakam, VanVleet, and others, they do have some young players to be excited about with Og Anunoby, Gary Trent Jr., and of course Scottie Barnes.
-Sheikh Uddin
24. New Orleans Pelicans
Highest Rank: 20
Lowest Rank: 24
This season has started off really weird for the Pelicans with the absence of Zion Williamson due to weight and health issues. The Pelicans have a lot of talent still with Brandon Ingram, Jonas Valanciunas, and Nickell Alexander-Walker as well. I’m not saying they’re going to be a contender anything, but if Zion can come back and they can finally learn to play with one another, the Pelicans will be a team that can cause a few upsets.
-Sheikh Uddin
23. Sacramento Kings
Highest Rank: 18
Lowest Rank: 27
The Sacramento Kings look fun! They could possibly be in the play-in games this year. Davion Mitchell has been up against Damian Lillard and Donovan Mitchell so far and made both players have extremely “off-nights”. They won the game against the Portland Trail Blazers due to Harrison Barnes dropping 36 points and De’Aaron Fox dropping 27 points. Harrison Barnes continued his good season against the Jazz by dropping 25 points and 15 rebounds. A lot of the Kings players had bad nights besides Barnes but the game was still close which is a sign that the Kings and possibly hang with the better teams in the league. If Davion continues his defense and players such as Fox can be consistent, don’t be surprised if the Kings make the play-in games by beating the average or worse teams and sneaking a couple of close wins against the better teams in the league.
-Darian Thomas
22. San Antonio Spurs
Highest Rank: 17
Lowest Rank: 23
San Antonio always seems to climb their way into the playoffs. The Spurs made 22 straight playoff appearances before their streak ended in the 2019-2020 season. The loss of Demar Derozan leaves plenty of room for San Antonio’s young players to show out. Having one of the greatest coaches of all time is a definite bonus for players trying to prove themselves. Maybe the Spurs will sneak their way into the playoffs again, but I wouldn’t count on it.
-Cole Huff
21. Washington Wizards
Highest Rank: 19
Lowest Rank: 23
The Washington Wizards are another very mysterious team. They have opened the season 2-0 with wins over the Raptors and Pacers. Bradley Beal, Spencer Dinnwiddie, and Monrezl Harrell have opened the season well but how serious is this team in a good eastern conference. Kyle Kuzma has also impressed so far, averaging 18.5 in the first two games. If the Wizards continue to keep clicking and Bradley Beal steps up his scoring back to where he was then there’s a chance the Wizards are still playing come May.
-Joey Barrett
20. Indiana Pacers
Highest Rank: 17
Lowest Rank: 24
The Pacers are a very mediocre team right now. They don’t necessarily have a set plan other than wanting to be mediocre. Are they going to contend for a championship anytime soon? No. Do they have an insane influx of young talent to build around? Eh. They do have players like Chris Duarte, Myles Turner, and Domantas Sabonis who are still relatively young at around 24-26 years old but nothing that really jumps out at you. Chris Duarte looks like the bright spot this season and the reason for hope for the Pacers in the future for sure though. What a steal he was.
-Sheikh Uddin
19. Minnesota Timberwolves
Highest Rank: 16
Lowest Rank: 24
Every year, the T-wolves always start off the season with a few wins. And every year, they always plummet. The Wolves are projected to be better this year. For the sake of all Timberwolves fans, I hope they at least make the play-in. Minnesota is craving a playoff appearance, with only 1 appearance in their last 17 seasons. In that stretch, they finished above .500 just 2 times. Coaching has been a struggle for Minnesota recently. This year, the T-wolves are led by Chris Finch. Hopefully he proves himself as a worthy head coach and leads this team to a playoff spot.
-Cole Huff
18. Portland Trail Blazers
Highest Rank: 16
Lowest Rank: 22
The Blazers are a team that nobody talks about anymore. They lost to Denver in the playoffs last season and many believed Dame had had enough of Portland. But he stayed. On paper, Portland genuinely looks like a pretty solid squad. It’s not like Lillard is the only good player on the team. The Blazers are projected to finish somewhere around .500. Personally, this seems too low for a team that was 12 games above .500 last season.
-Cole Huff
17. Charlotte Hornets
Highest Rank: 13
Lowest Rank: 20
The Hornets won a thriller against the Indiana Pacers in their first game and defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers fairly handedly in their second game of the season. While they are extremely fun and exciting to watch, Charlotte looks like what they were projected to be before the season began, a middle of the pack team with potential to make the playoffs. The Hornets are a very young team with plenty of room to grow. Give LaMelo Ball and his supporting cast a few years to develop and gel, look out NBA.
-Aidan Baller
16. Memphis Grizzlies
Highest Rank: 13
Lowest Rank: 18
The Grizzlies made some changes to their starting lineup from last year against the Cleveland Cavaliers. We saw Kyle Anderson come off the bench after such a good season and postseason from him last year. Desmond Bane is now in his spot and dropped 22. He is capitalizing on his good rookie campaign last year. It will be interesting to see how this team will operate in the future with Steven Adams instead of Jonas Valanciunas because we saw last year how effective he was when the team needed him the most. Ja Morant was amazing as always and showed how he can take over a game once again. The Grizzlies are going to be tough competition for anyone that faces them and I think they will be really fighting for a seeding that is not in the play-in. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Grizzlies as young as they are can challenge for a 5th-6th seed.
-Darian Thomas
15. Los Angeles Clippers
Highest Rank: 12
Lowest Rank: 17
The Clippers have only played one game so far and it was a game where it took Stephen Curry to drop 45 to win. If I am the Clippers, I am not mad at that loss. Paul George had a good game besides daring Curry to take a shot from the logo. Eric Bledsoe has proven to be a great addition to this team. I think he can provide more than Patrick Beverly. He dropped 22 against the Warriors and somewhat forced Curry into a small mid game slump. The Clippers issue seems to be they do not have much of a bench that can keep them in games when you take out their better players including newly acquired Bledsoe. Luke Kennard can provide some offense off the bench but on defense teams just headhunt him and score at will. Kawhi and Serge Ibaka returning from injury will be a huge obvious boost to this team to cover up the lack of a true bench. Reggie Jackson didn’t have a good game but we can expect him to do better. The Los Angeles Clippers shouldn’t be worried at all and until Kawhi gets back, they should be trying their hardest to be at least the 5th or 6th seed.
-Darian Thomas
14. Boston Celtics
Highest Rank: 12
Lowest Rank: 15
The team with no edge seems to be the same this year. The Celtics are unquestionably one of the most talented teams in the league but seem to have none of the “it” factors required to be a good team. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have the talent required to lead a team to the finals but did not seem to have any sort of edge. Without an edge, every time this team runs into a wall they are unable to push through it. There’s a new coach and a new roster but at the end of the day it will come down to what it always does for the Celtics, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
-Joey Barrett
13. Chicago Bulls
Highest Rank: 6
Lowest Rank: 19
The Bulls have opened the season 3-0 but still have yet to have a quality win. So far this year the Bulls have beat the Pistons twice and beat the Pelicans without Zion. None of those wins mean anything but it should help the team gel before they play a good team. A game to keep an eye on is the Bulls playing the Knicks at home on Thursday which should be a good test on seeing how good this Bulls team is. Through three games the Bulls offense has been good with LaVine averaging 26.7, DeRozan averaging 21.3, and Ball adding 14 points a game. The Bulls might be legit and they might be frauds but it is way too early to know one way or another.
-Joey Barrett
12. Dallas Mavericks
Highest Rank: 6
Lowest Rank: 18
The Mavericks are going to be a scary team as long as Luka is healthy and playing. They started the season off rough getting blown out by the Hawks, but bounced back with a good win against the Raptors. I still think the Mavericks need to make a move for another star/superstar to be a contender, but anything can happen with Luka magic. They do have Tim Hardaway Jr., but he’s a streaky scorer at best and isn’t a player you can consistently rely on. Watch out for the Mavericks to be big players in the trade market if a superstar becomes available. Porzingis being on the move wouldn’t be too surprising.
-Sheikh Uddin
11. New York Knicks
Highest Rank: 10
Lowest Rank: 14
The Knicks probably have the award for winning the most exciting game of the season so far, a thrilling 2OT shootout against the Boston Celtics. There isn’t much to critique about the Knicks yet, their defense could use a little bit of work but Head Coach Tom Thibodeau, a seeming defensive mastermind, will certainly improve that aspect of the team. The off-season acquisitions of Kenna Walker and Evan Fournier are looking better each game New York plays. The bench has stepped up and performed. Julius Randle isn’t slowing down after his Most Improved Player Award campaign last season. Only time will tell if the Knicks have the talent to keep up with the powerhouses in the East.
-Aidan Baller
10. Philadelphia 76ers
Highest Rank: 8
Lowest Rank: 10
The 76ers just lost a close game with the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday and to be honest it was a game they should’ve won. The Nets were struggling and at one point could not stop the 76ers even without Joel Embiid due to a possible injury and Ben Simmons just being out or suspended or whatever he has going on. I think the 76ers can be better than I expected because they had players playing well but this game was lost due to bad coaching. Doc Rivers has to be a better coach in close situations. There were two challengeable calls late in that game that for some reason he did not challenge. Now that’s not to take away from the fact that Danny Green airballed twice late in the fourth quarter and that Joel Embiid had a close to the basket shot you would like to hope he made being as dominant as he is in the paint. Ben Simmons has nothing to do with those plays but I do feel like Ben Simmons would’ve been able to stop Aldridge from getting 23 points. This team does look good without Ben Simmons and they will be even better with him but there are plenty of things they need to work on in the clutch moment of games. We saw them have issues with the closing minutes in the playoffs but it was easy to blame Simmons. Well after the game against the Nets, it’s obvious that this team still has these issues and Ben Simmons is not here to blame.
-Darian Thomas
9. Atlanta Hawks
Highest Rank: 5
Lowest Rank: 13
Ranking Atlanta anywhere outside of the top 10 after last year’s performance would be a crime. Trae Young proved himself to be more of a star player than some people imagined. Atlanta picked up right where they left off with a blowout win over the Mavericks in front of their home crowd. The Hawks have a lot of consistent players. None of them, other than Trae Young, are superstars, but you can always count on them to put up around 10 points.
– Cole Huff
8. Phoenix Suns
Highest Rank: 5
Lowest Rank: 11
Last season the Suns surprised everyone by making the NBA finals despite not being in the playoffs for a decade. The addition of Chris Paul along with budding stars in Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton helped propel the Suns to the finals for the first time since 1993. The Suns may be a little underrated this season as they seem excluded from the contender talk despite still having a very good roster. Chris Paul is bound to take a slight step back but the young players in Phoenix like: Devin Booker, DeAndre Ayton, and Mikal Bridges. If those players continue to make leaps in their game then the Suns could once again be contenders.
-Joey Barrett
7. Denver Nuggets
Highest Rank: 3
Lowest Rank: 11
The Nuggets have looked very good this year, even without star guard Jamal Murray. Defending NBA MVP Nikola Jokić picked up right where he left off last season with a 27 point performance in Denver’s first game against the Phoenix Suns and a 32 point, 16 rebound showing against the San Antonio Spurs. The Nuggets have held both of their opponents under 100 points, it is likely too early for that to mean much, but it shouldn’t be overlooked that Denver’s defense certainly made an impact in those games.
-Aidan Baller
6. Utah Jazz
Highest Rank: 2
Lowest Rank: 10
If the Jazz can stay healthy, they’re always going to be a dangerous team. With the combinations of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert with the help of Bojan Bogdanovic and Mike Conley, the Jazz are always going to be an underdog contender in the West. For the sake of Donovan Mitchell, I really hope they’re more than a regular season team this year. The Jazz have built a great core and it’s really going to come down to what they do in the postseason. We’ve seen them play exceptionally well in the regular season and then shrink when it matters.
-Sheikh Uddin
5. Miami Heat
Highest Rank: 1
Lowest Rank: 9
The Miami Heat won the Eastern Conference just two seasons ago, and after a disappointing outcome of last season have retooled with the addition of Kyle Lowry this offseason. Miami got revenge on Giannis Antetekounmpo and the Bucks with a 42 point victory in their first game of the season. Miami’s Big 3 of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Kyle Lowry look to have some early chemistry and Tyler Herro had an impressive showing off the bench. The Heat could potentially make some noise in the East this season.
-Aidan Baller
4. Los Angeles Lakers
Highest Rank: 1
Lowest Rank: 8
It’s hard not to have LA in the top five with the amount of talent they have on their roster. They’ve had a rough start, but with all the new players still getting used to each other, this isn’t a big surprise. The Lakers have one of the deepest teams in the league. However, it’s easy to be skeptical of them due to the fact that they have the oldest roster in the NBA. But if everyone does their job, this team will easily finish in the top 3. They’ve only played two games. No need to panic.
-Cole Huff
3. Brooklyn Nets
Highest Rank: 2
Lowest Rank: 8
The Brooklyn Nets have high expectations for this upcoming season, and after struggling on Opening Night against the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, they defeated the 76ers behind a triple-double from Kevin Durant. The Nets, like every team in the league, have things to figure out (including the impending unavailability of All-Star Kyrie Irving), but they have looked good. There is no reason to believe the Nets will not continue to be one of the strongest title favorites. One of the brightest spots for the Nets, outside of their stars, has been the bench performance. Patty Mills and LaMarcus Aldridge both had exceptional games off the bench in Brooklyn’s first and second games, respectively.
-Aidan Baller
2. Golden State Warriors
Highest Rank: 1
Lowest Rank: 5
The Golden State Warriors have looked really good so far this year. Now there are two things that can be said against their 2-0 start if you are not a believer. The first game was against the Lakers and after the Lakers getting handled by the Phoenix Suns, a lot of people so far may not look at beating the Lakers as a quality win. The second win was against a Kawhi-less Clippers team so some people may take that with a grain of salt. I am not one of those people. In the game against the Los Angeles Lakers Stephen Curry didn’t have the best game but he did affect the game in other ways by getting a triple double. I think that speaks volumes to this Warriors team because we know last year, if Steph wasn’t dropping 30 then the team was not winning. This year seems somewhat different. Jordan Poole is stepping up to the plate and is providing some secondary scoring. If I were the Warriors, I would want Andrew Wiggins to take that role but until Klay gets back you will take points wherever you can get them. Bjelica has been playing very well and has been able to just insert himself as a valuable part of the team. Steph did have to drop 45 in the win against the Clippers and when he wasn’t phenomenal, the Warriors gave up a 19 point lead but that also was part of Paul George’s great game. If Klay comes back even 70% of himself, this team can be scary because they have a lot of smart players and I think that goes a long way when it comes to making a run at an NBA Championship.
-Darian Thomas
1. Milwaukee Bucks
Highest Rank: 1
Lowest Rank: 4
Despite being 2-1 the Bucks are still the most dominant team in the league. The Bucks made a statement on opening night beating the Nets by 23 points. In that game Giannis scored 32 points and had 14 rebounds. They followed that game with an extremely disappointing loss against the Miami Heat. The Bucks shored up their roster this offseason by re-signing Bobby Portis, trading for Grayson Allen, and will get Donte DiVincenzo returning from injury. Now that Giannis has realized his dominance and his role as the best player in the NBA, the Bucks are a team to be feared.
-Joey Barrett
