It’s early in the NBA season and that means not only means the NBC Sports NBA Power Rankings are back, but there will be huge swings the first few weeks. We’re learning who is better than we thought, who is worse, and then there are the teams just on a hot (or cold) streak. Here are the rankings after a week of the NBA season, but expect big shifts the first few weeks.
1. 76ers (3-0, Last week No. 3). Size and defense are winning out for Philadelphia early on. Their size wore down Boston on opening night, and the combination of Josh Richardson and impressive rookie Matisse Thybulle ground down and smothered Trae Young. Questions about where the shooting will come from on this team still exist — they take an average number of threes but are hitting just 32 percent so far — but a defense allowing less than a point per game is getting them wins.
2. Clippers (2-1, LW 7). Kawhi Leonard is dishing the ball like never before — he is averaging 7.5 assists per game, when he had never been above 3.5 per game before. Or, look at it this way: He is assisting on (an estimated) 47.6% of teammates buckets when he is on the floor, when he has never been above 19% in any previous season. The Clippers have impressed to start the season with an insanely efficient offense, but their defense has not been good (25th in the league on Cleaning The Glass, which eliminates garbage time). If that doesn’t improve it will catch up with them.
3. Bucks (2-1, LW 1). Giannis Antetokounmpo fouling out of his first two games was a surprise, but the Greek Freak is still putting up monster numbers — 24.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 9 assists per game — and he’s still making game-saving plays like against Miami. The Bucks defense has been pedestrian so far this young season, but expect that to turn around.
Giannis tips it in to force OT!!#FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/8n5cyX2fgY
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) October 26, 2019
4. Timberwolves (3-0, LW 18). Karl-Anthony Towns is locked in, seems to have taken another leap forward this season, and has put up monster numbers — 32 points, 13.3 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks per game so far. He’s been incredibly efficient and much more active on defense. Andrew Wiggins has looked much better… in the fourth quarter. Only. He’s shooting 33 percent in the first half, but has averaged 7.7 points per game on 57.1% shooting (inlacing 57% from three) in the fourth quarter. The NBA doesn’t really have a closer out of the bullpen role, but Wiggins is trying.
5. Jazz (3-1, LW 4). Their offense has been clunky this season, not always getting open looks and guys missing open shots when they do come. Only one game has seen Utah score more than a point per possession (Sacramento) but thanks to an elite defense keeping opponents at below a point per possession also they are 3-1. Internally, they expect the offense to turn around as guys just get more familiar and comfortable with each other. Mike Conley isn’t going to shoot 20% overall and 15% from three all season.
6. Lakers (3-1, LW 6). So far this season Anthony Davis has spent three quarters (74% officially) of his time at the power forward spot and one quarter (26%) of the time at center. AD at the five worked well against Utah, which drops Rudy Gobert back in the paint and the Lakers needed to draw him out. Wherever he plays he’s putting up numbers, including a historic 40 points and 20 rebounds in just three quarters against Memphis.
AD (40 PTS & 20 REB) had a historic night at the Staples Center! 👏#LakeShow pic.twitter.com/QJT2Vy14Jq
— NBA TV (@NBATV) October 30, 2019
7. Spurs (3-0, LW 13). Before an injury robbed him of last season, the Spurs were quietly preaching the improvement in DeJonte Murray’s jump shot. The jumper is a work in progress but Murray is scoring — he is shooting 54.5% from the floor this season (up from 44.3 the last time he played), and his True Shooting Percentage is at an impressive 60.2 percent. Mostly, he’s getting to the rim more and finishing there at a high rate (84.2%, that will come back to earth). The Spurs are undefeated, and while the wins over the Knicks and Wizards are not going to turn heads, beating the Trail Blazers in Portland is impressive.
8. Heat (3-1, LW 15). Kendrick Nunn for Rookie of the Year? Don’t laugh. The undrafted, unheralded two guard is averaging 21 points a game, shooting 44 percent from three, and has played his way into the starting lineup in front of Goran Dragic. It’s a long season, but the undrafted rookie has impressed early and may be another steal for the Heat scouting staff. They went 2-1 in three games without Jimmy Butler (out for the birth of his child) and one of those wins was in overtime against Milwaukee. Butler returned and the Heat knocked off the Hawks.
9. Celtics (2-1, LW 8). The Celtics have two interesting big man prospects — “Time Lord” Robert Williams and Tacko Fall — and both have gotten a little NBA run. The Celtics offense takes a big leap forward when Williams is in the game, but he just makes too many mistakes, particularly on defense (chasing blocks he shouldn’t, for example). Both just need time on the court and should probably get it with the Maine Red Claws. As for the rest of the roster, after looking overmatched on opening night in Philly, the Celtics picked up a good win in Toronto and an expected one against New York. Wednesday night is a good test against Milwaukee.
10. Mavericks (3-1, LW 14). Luka Doncic is putting up numbers — 25 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 6.8 assists a game — and Kristaps Porzingis is right with him, scoring 22.3 a night with 7.8 boards. However, when they have been on the court together this season the Mavericks have been outscored by 1.9 points per 100 possessions, with the offense being the weak link. Don’t expect that to last. Rick Carlise is clearly still toying with lineups, trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t.
11. Nuggets (3-1, LW 2). Two of their wins came despite them trailing by double digits, and they gutted out a win in Phoenix despite Michael Beasley’s horrible foul of Ricky Rubio on a half court heave. They came back to earth a little against Dallas Tuesday, but Denver seems on track for a high seed again (despite the slip in these rankings). Denver has really missed Jamal Murray when he sits, the offense has scored less than a point per possession and the team gets outscored by 2.4 per 100.
12. Raptors (3-1, LW 9). When Pascal Siakam got a max extension, there were those questioning if he really would grow into that contract and be worth it. So far, yes. Through four games he’s averaging 27.5 points per game, shooting 42.9% from three, and has a team best PER because he’s so efficient. The other guy standing out in Toronto: Fred Van Vleet, who is scoring 18 points a game and shooing 40.7% from three. He’s going to be one of the biggest name free agents next July and he’s going to see a lot of zeros after the first number on his check.
13. Rockets (2-1, LW 5). Russell Westbrook and James Harden have found a balance on offense already, and the Rockets have an impressive 109.3 offensive rating so far. However, Houston is simply not consistent defensively and that is going to catch up with them at some point, likely in the postseason (and against elite teams in the league). During the regular season, the combination of Harden and Westbrook should be able to cover up the D with energy and scoring. That theory will be put to a better test as they head out on a four game road trip.
14. Suns (2-2, LW 25). The fourth best net rating in the NBA? A defense that gives up less than a point per possession? Devin Booker hustling and making plays on defense? The Phoenix Suns are arguably the biggest surprise in the NBA to start the season and Monte Williams deserves a lot of credit for coaching this team up. They’ve had a tough schedule to start the season, and they have had to do most of this without the suspended Deandre Ayton, which makes it all seem sustainable. The Suns look legitimate.
15. Hawks (2-2, LW 24). Trae Young is out for at least a couple of weeks, and that is bad news for Atlanta — the Hawks are 22.5 points per 100 possessions better this season when Young is on the court. Or, put in raw numbers, Atlanta is +28 when Young has been on the court this season and -24 when he has sat. Atlanta’s backup point guard was supposed to be Evan Turner but he is out injured (left Achilles pain), which means just-claimed-off-waiver Tyrone Wallace has a lot on his shoulders.
16. Trail Blazers (2-2, LW 11). This ranking may be a little low because no team has a tougher schedule to start the season than Portland — six of their first eight on the road, and the two home games are the Nuggets and Sixers. Going against those good teams has had Portland taking fewer threes than a season ago and making fewer (33.3% so far this season), something that’s going to need to improve if they want to climb back up the standings.
17. Thunder (1-3, LW 23). Oklahoma City has kept games close because of an impressive defense holding teams down to less than a point per possession this young season. The offense showed up against Golden State in that beatdown, and they put up points against Houston, but buckets have not come easily to OKC. The standout has been Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is averaging 23.8 points per game, both getting to the rim and knocking down his threes. Danilo Gallinari is playing well enough to make other teams covet him in a trade.
18. Wizards (1-2, LW 26). Isaiah Thomas is back and getting his chance, playing almost 20 minutes against the Spurs and scoring 16 points on 6-of-14 shooting, including 4-of-10 from three. The biggest positive for Washington’s future may be a solid start to the season buy rookie Rui Hachimura, who is averaging 16.3 points a night on 46.9% shooting. He’s not hitting threes yet, he doesn’t get to the line enough, but the rookie has potential.
19. Nets (1-2, LW 12). Whatever the Nets think of Kyrie Irving’s mood swings and attitude, the guy is carrying their offense — 37.7 points per game with a ridiculous 61.6 true shooting percentage. The Nets know what they have — that’s why they gave away mock Irving jerseys to fans the night the Nets took on the Knicks. That’s some quality trolling of Knicks fans (who, of course, showed up at the Barclay’s Centre to boo Irving for not wanting to play for James Dolan).
20. Pistons (0-0, LW 20). Considering Blake Griffin remains sidelined to start the season, the fact the Pistons have a middle-of-the-pack offense is a positive sign. Andre Drummond has been in “pay me my money mode” heading into free agency averaging 21 points and 16.3 rebounds a game, but the surprise is an efficient Derrick Rose giving them 21.5 points a game off the bench.
21. Bulls (1-3, LW 22). Chicago has struggled with the three-ball this season, attempting almost 36 a game but hitting just 27.5 percent of them. Thaddeus Young has been good from deep (43.8%) and Zach LaVine respectable (34.8%) but Otto Porter (21.1%) and especially Lauri Markkanen (18.2% on 6.8 attempts a game) have to get those shots to fall. Or stop taking them. Games against Cleveland, Detroit, and Indiana give the Bulls a chance to right the ship this week
22. Magic (1-2, LW 19). Markelle Fultz is playing well in his sixth man role, averaging 12.3 points a game and not shying away from the three ball when it’s open (4.3 attempts per game, hitting 23.1%). Paired with Al-Farouq Aminu and Mo Bamba, the trio has given Orlando a solid bench that Steve Clifford can trust.
23. Cavaliers (1-2, LW 29). He may just be playing his way into a trade, but Tristan Thompson has started the season strongly averaging 19.3 points and 12.3 rebounds a game this season while shooting 60% overall. He even drained a three. Collin Sexton has looked improved and solid this season, but the Sexton/Darius Garland backcourt has a ways to go (the Cavs have a net rating of -11 when those two have share the floor this season, with the offense in particular sputtering.
24. Warriors (1-2, LW 10). Oh, how the mighty have fallen. The Warriors’ offense has been good enough, actually, top 10 in the league so far. The defense is dead last — that is where games are lost. Some of that is bad luck (teams are shooting 43.2 percent from three against them, that will come back to earth a little) but it’s mostly not having a real defensive rim protector or good wing defenders. Draymond Green’s value as a switching defender onto bigs is only effective if you’re trying to get away from the original defender, teams aren’t really intimidated by the Warriors’ defensively.
25. Knicks (1-3, LW 27). After stumbling through Summer League, RJ Barrett has come out and found a groove to start the season averaging 20.5 points per game, shooting 50% from the floor (and 46.7% from three), and pulling down 7.5 rebounds a game. He’s one of the guys (along with Ja Morant and Kendrick Nunn) stepping forward early and showing that Zion Williamson cannot just return and waltz to the Rookie of the Year award.
26. Pelicans (0-4, LW 21). It was a good week for Brandon Ingram. First, other potential free agent targets next summer signed extensions with their teams (Jaylen Brown, Bradley Beal, Kyle Lowry, etc.) making him one of the biggest names in the class. Then he has gone out and looked like a guy who deserves to get paid, averaging 27.3 points and 9.5 rebounds a night. A few teams — the Knicks, Hawks, Hornets and others — will have cap space to spend next summer and may see Ingram as the kind of versatile scorer on the wing they could use.
27. Pacers (0-3, LW 16). Without Victor Oladipo it was right to expect some stumbles out of the gate in Indiana, but this has been ugly — a bottom 10 offense and defense with losses to Detroit and Cleveland. Against the Pistons, Drummond pushed around Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis, which was concerning. What should really be concerning is this is the soft part of the Pacers schedule, it gets much tougher in a little over a week. Indiana needs to stockpile a few wins before things get harder.
28. Grizzlies (1-3, LW 28). This team is fun to watch, an early League Pass favorite, and that starts with rookie Ja Morant. He is averaging 17.5 points a game, dishing out five assists, shooting 42% from three and even blocking Kyrie Irving’s shot with the game on the line. His athletic and skill are on display and are must watch. Even if they aren’t going to win a lot (and are likely to trade away some veterans once we get closer to the trade deadline).
29. Hornets (1-3, LW 30). Terry Rozier came to Charlotte because he wanted the ball in his hands and a chance to show what he can do and… meh. So far i.e. is averaging 13.5 points per game, 5.5 assists a night, with a PER of 12.2. If you’re looking for a bright side, coach James Borego is getting young stars PJ Washington, Dwayne Bacon, Miles Bridges and Devonte’ Graham good run, and each of them is showing some thing in flashes.
30. Kings (0-4, LW 17). The “what happened to these guys?” surprise to start the season. Everyone’s League-Pass favorite last season is playing at a bottom 10 pace, in part because they have to keep taking the ball out from under the basket because of their league-worst defense (once you remove garbage time, like at Cleaning The Glass… leave in garbage time and they’re second worst). Sacramento has lost its games by an average of 19.5 points per game. Fans in Sactown want to see Richaun Holmes start over Dewayne Dedmon, and he’s probably earned that.
