Yes, we're six calendar days into the season, which can only mean the hot-take cannon is locked and loaded. The truth is doing power rankings this early in the season is a little unfair, as sample sizes are much too small to tell what's for real and what's not.
That being said, teams like the Warriors, Pistons and (for the wrong reasons) Rockets all made statements with their play. We'll have a better idea in a few weeks about these rankings, but as we're rolling these out every Monday this is all we've got to go on for now.
Previous power rankings: Preseason |
| Rank (LW) | Team |
Record | Comment |
| 1 (1) | (3-0) | Steph Curry (39.3 PPG) couldn't have started hotter for the defending champs, and has fourth most points in NBA history to begin a season. | |
| 2 (4) | (3-0) | Both Westbrook (32.0) and Durant (30.0) are averaging 30+ points per game. So far, so good. (Last week: 4) |
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| 3 (6) | (3-0) | Easy schedule to open things up but they took care of business, and Blake Griffin hasn't slowed down after last year's playoffs. | |
| 4 (2) | (2-1) | They've looked the part - especially Kevin Love (19.7 points, 11.7 rebounds) - after an opening night hiccup in Chicago. | |
| 5 (3) | (2-1) | They had Oklahoma City on the ropes opening night, and LaMarcus Aldridge is still in the feeling out process with his new team. | |
| 6 (13) | (3-0) | DeMarre Carroll is fitting in just fine in Toronto, helping the Raptors to the No. 7 defense through the season's first week. | |
| 7 (9) | (3-1) | Nikola Mirotic was made for Fred Hoiberg's offense, but it's been the Bulls defense earning them victories in the early going. | |
| 8 (8) | (2-1) | Ran into the Cleveland buzz saw on opening night but responded with two wins, scoring 100+ points in both. | |
| 9 (10) | (2-1) | Their offense is rolling - No. 4 in efficiency - behind a healthy and energetic Dwyane Wade (21.7 points, 5.3 assists). | |
| 10 (23) | (3-0) | Andre Drummond is playing like an All-Star, and Marcus Morris (19.3 points, 7.7 rebounds) has been a welcome addition to the league's biggest surprise in Week 1. | |
| 11 (7) | (3-1) | Al Horford is 5-for-18 from beyond the arc in four games this season. He attempted 36 triples in 76 games a year ago. | |
| 12 (19) | (2-1) | Impressive starts for Derrick Favors (21.3 points, 8.3 rebounds) and Rodney Hood (15.3 points). They lead the NBA in defensive efficiency through one week. | |
| 13 (5) | (0-3) | Yikes. The first team in NBA history to lose their first three games by 20+ points. James Harden is shooting 9 percent from deep. Nine. Percent. | |
| 14 (12) | (2-1) | John Wall is 10th in the NBA in assists per game (6.7) and 8th in blocks per game (2.7). Yeah. | |
| 15 (15) | (2-1) | Wesley Matthews tore his Achilles less than 8 months ago and is already logging 26 minutes a night (while sitting out a back-to-back). Just remarkable. | |
| 16 (16) | (2-1) | Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight are off to hot starts, but Markieff Morris or T.J. Warren must step up as a third scorer to give the Suns a chance. | |
| 17 (11) | (0-3) | They're as banged up as any team in the league, and a pair of games against the Warriors in the first week didn't ease any pain. | |
| 18 (17) | (1-2) | Not a great start as Brad Stevens continues looking for ways to efficiently divide up frontcourt minutes. | |
| 19 (14) | (0-3) | The Bucks were the second most efficient defense in the NBA last year. In three games this season, they're allowing a league-worst 117.1 points per 100 possessions. | |
| 20 (25) | (1-2) | They hung with the Clippers twice (both losses) and embarrassed the Lakers. Odd week for them, but the talent around DeMarcus Cousins is improving (he is, too). | |
| 21 (27) | (2-1) | It hasn't looked pretty, but wins against two playoff teams from a year ago is a solid way to begin the year for Carmelo and Co. | |
| 22 (18) | (0-3) | Wait for Paul George to knock off some rust and Monta Ellis to mesh. Indiana will be fine. George Hill's bleached hair will never be. | |
| 23 (24) | (0-3) | They've looked REALLY good for a winless team, nearly beating the Wizards (lost by 1), Thunder (lost by 3 in 2OT) and Bulls (lost by 5). Their time is coming. | |
| 24 (29) | (2-0) | The Timberwolves are one of four teams ranked in the top-10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. The other three? The Clippers, Cavs and Raptors. | |
| 25 (20) | (0-3) | Their top four scorers are shooting a combined 40.5 percent. Not a great start for MJ's squad, though they hung tough in a pair of losses to the Hawks. | |
| 26 (21) | (1-2) | Chalk up C.J. McCollum as the biggest surprise of the week. The shooting guard averaged 22.7 points in three games, including 37 on opening night. | |
| 27 (26) | (1-2) | The Nuggets are going to let Emmanuel Mudiay work through his early struggles. He has 20 turnovers but is also averaging 30 minutes in three games. | |
| 28 (22) | (0-3) | Second worst point differential, but opening with Chicago, San Antonio and Memphis was no gift from the scheduling gods. | |
| 29 (28) | (0-3) | Kobe is 16-for-51 to begin the year, which sums up the Lakers' start. The good news? Julius Randle (13.3 points, 9.3 rebounds) has looked stellar. | |
| 30 (30) | (0-2) | Jahlil Okafor has looked the part in two games, averaging 18.0 points and 6.5 rebounds. Maybe he and Nerlens Noel can co-exist. |