Everybody else does ‘em, so why not get in on the fun?
Welcome to the debut edition of our NBA power rankings where we’ll survey the entire league and appropriately order all 30 squads based on their record, recent play, net rating, and the ultra-subjective eye test. You’ll agree with most of the order. There will, of course, be some disagreements, most especially the closer we get to the top. But that's fine. And to be expected. This ain't gospel and, more than anything, it's a tidy snapshot of what’s going on across the Association right now.
Quick note: If you’re unfamiliar with net rating, know that it’s a team's average point differential, or more specifically the difference between a team's offensive rating per 100 possessions compared to its defensive rating per 100 possessions. We’re featuring it because NBA champions almost always end up owning a top 5 net rating—team's that barely score more points than they allow usually do not end up having deep playoff runs. So it’s kind of noteworthy/important.
We’ll be updating the rankings every other week, so there are no massive knee jerk reactions to a few bad games. As we enter February, here’s where we stand:
30. Wizards
29. Timberwolves
28. Pistons
27. Magic
26. Thunder
25. Kings
24. Bulls
23. Cavaliers
22. Pelicans
21. Hornets
20. Knicks
19. Heat
18. Raptors
17. Mavericks
16. Hawks
15. Rockets
14. Warriors
Record: 11-9
Net Rating: -0.72
After a tough stretch of games in the middle of January, the Warriors took advantage of a relatively soft portion of their schedule to close out the month with a better record than a lot of us thought they’d have at this point before their season tipped Dec. 22 in Brooklyn. Kudos to the Warriors’ defense (8th in defensive rating) for helping make it happen.
13. Spurs
12. Blazers
11. Suns
10. Grizzlies
9. Pacers
8. Celtics
Record: 10-8
Net Rating: 2.12
I thought ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins was talking wild when he was saying Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are a top three duo in the NBA before the season started. Well, he was right. They are dynamite and the Celtics are yet again one of the top teams in the East. No Marcus Smart—calf strain—for possibly three weeks isn't ideal, but I'm going to go out on a limb here and say the Celtics will be just fine.