We’re just about 20 games into the NBA season so far.
The small sample-size theater that we’ve all been so cautious of is slowly starting to dissipate. The teams that are currently at the top of the league are beginning to show us how serious they are. The inverse goes for the teams at the bottom.
That’s why the Minnesota Timberwolves sit atop of this week’s NBA power rankings. This team has been the best in a tough Western Conference night in and night out.
If you haven’t begun to take this team seriously yet, you should start now. Minnesota has beaten Boston, Denver, New York, Golden State and Oklahoma City so far. Those are all really good teams — some of which may be the Timberwolves’ playoff competition later in the season.
This isn’t a fluke. It’s not a mistake. The Timberwolves are actually good. It’s only getting better from here, Minnesota.
30
Detroit Pistons
There’s not really much good to say about the Pistons. Again, this team lost to the WIZARDS, folks. This team couldn’t get a win in November and might not for quite some time here. Detroit is looking process-era 76ers bad. Sorry, Pistons fans. You deserve better.
29
San Antonio Spurs
The only reason this team isn’t very last here is because the Pistons are just dreadful. San Antonio has lost 13 straight games and continues to tinker with this Jeremy Sochan point guard experiment. It’s bad. But the Spurs are doing it to improve the team’s long-term prospects. We’ll see what the results yield down the line.
28
Washington Wizards
The Wizards are terrible, but this team won last week! Yes, it was against the Pistons. No, it wasn’t pretty. But, hey, man. A win is a win.
27
Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies aren’t good, but the only thing that should matter to this team is Ja Morant’s Dec. 19 return date from his suspension. That’s when Memphis may be able to get things back on track.
26
Portland Trail Blazers
The Trail Blazers’ young guards continue to show promising flashes. Since returning to the lineup, Scoot Henderson has been up and down. But this team pushed the Milwaukee Bucks to the brink. That’s a great sign and probably quite the confidence booster.
25
Utah Jazz
This Jazz team isn’t off to the same surprising start we saw from it last season. Lauri Markkanen has still shown brilliance, but the talent on this roster hasn’t quite meshed together the same way it did last season. Keyonte George has been a nice addition as a playmaker — he’s a piece the Jazz will keep around. But almost everyone else is probably available for trade at this point.
24
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls have won two straight games. I don’t care. It’s time to blow this team up. It doesn’t work. The chemistry isn’t there. The veterans don’t seem to enjoy playing with one another anymore. It’s just time, man. Let’s let this one go, Chicago.
23
Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets’ season was off to a tough start, but things got even tougher when LaMelo Ball went down with yet another ankle injury. His health matters most going forward. The Hornets need to see what works around its young, star point guard but Charlotte can’t figure that out if he’s not on the floor.
22
Toronto Raptors
The Raptors increasingly look like a team that needs to blow things up and start over. Scottie Barnes is still a promising young player, but this Raptors roster just doesn’t quite fit around him. It needs to take this season to retool and set the direction straight.
21
Houston Rockets
The Rockets have come back down to earth a bit after losing three straight games. This recent word tussle between LeBron James and Ime Udoka doesn’t look great, either.
But look on the bright side, Rockets fans. Alperen Sengun is the star you always knew he was. That’s all that matters this season.
20
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors are in a bad place today. It’s veterans don’t look quite as good as they used to, its first-round pick may be on the move to Portland this season and this team just can’t stay healthy with Chris Paul out of the lineup.
The season is far from over for Golden State. But this is certainly not where this team wanted to be.
19
Atlanta Hawks
Trae Young has finally found his shot again with the Hawks but it hasn’t quite translated into wins. The Hawks’ defense is still one of the worst in the NBA. The loss of Jalen Johnson certainly doesn’t help there. But Atlanta has to figure something out or it’ll fall too far behind in the conference.
18
New Orleans Pelicans
A few weeks ago Zion Williamson told us he was still trying to “buy in” to the Pelicans program. The team was struggling a bit on offense and it was clear Williamson couldn’t find his groove. Despite a disappointing loss to the Bulls over the weekend, New Orleans has improved. It’s made the In-Season Tournament, too, so a run here could be a nice boost.
17
Brooklyn Nets
This team is on a roll. Brooklyn has won four of its last five games including a brilliant win over the Orlando Magic with Mikal Bridges finally finding his flow offensively. He dropped 42 points on one of the best defenses in the league. That’s a great sign for this team’s playoff hopes.
16
L.A. Clippers
This Clippers team still doesn’t look great — it’s still below .500 after that rough start to the James Harden era. But it’s also picked up some pretty impressive wins against the Warriors, Kings and Mavericks in the last week and change. That’s a step in the right direction for L.A.
15
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks’ loss to the Thunder on Saturday perfectly captures this team’s season. At times, Dallas looks incredible. The 30-0 run against the Thunder in the 4th quarter shows us what this team can be. But, ultimately, Dallas still lost the game. The highs are high. But the lows are also extremely low. Something about this mix isn’t working quite right yet.
14
LA Lakers
The Lakers have looked like a solid team outside of some extremely tough blowout losses to the 76ers and the Thunder in the last week or so. This team doesn’t feel like it’s hit its top gear yet, though. There’s lots of basketball left to be played and, if the Lakers stay healthy, this team can win a lot of games.
13
Miami Heat
Miami Heat, I must apologize. I drastically underestimated you. Again. This team is good. Very good. At 11-9 it’s right in the thick of things in the East. Plus, Jaime Jacquez Jr. is an absolute stud. Miami has done it again, man. It’s wild.
12
Indiana Pacers
Tyrese Haliburton has been phenomenal for the Pacers this season. He’s legitimately playing some of the best basketball at his position that we’ve ever seen.
But the Pacers just can’t stop anybody, man. As good as the offense is, it’s hard to trust a team that’s that bad defensively.
11
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers have been mostly up and down to start this season, but things have turned around in recent weeks. Cleveland is 7-3 in its last 10 games and are in the thick of the playoff race again in the East. It’s early, but it’s good to see the Cavs back on track.
10
New York Knicks
Julius Randle’s season has been a disappointment so far. But his 44-point explosion against the Raptors should give Knicks fans a ton of hope. If this Randle shows up along with Jalen Brunson’s brilliance? Look out, NBA. The Knicks are a problem.
9
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns just can’t seem to get healthy. All three of the team’s stars haven’t played a game together yet. Still, this team is 12-8 with one of the best offenses in the league. That’ll only get better when Bradley Beal returns to the lineup.
8
Sacramento Kings
Whatever ground the Kings lost early in the season when De’Aaron Fox left the lineup with an ankle injury seems to have been regained. At 11-7, Sacramento is still in the lead of a tough Pacific division. A run in the In-Season Tournament would solidify just how serious this team is.
7
Philadelphia 76ers
With Joel Embiid out of the lineup for the last few games, things have been a bit rough for the 76ers. Philly has lost two straight to the Celtics and Pelicans. Still, this 12-7 start is impressive considering how this team traded away a star to start its season.
6
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets’ struggles in winning on the road are quite concerning this year. This Denver team hasn’t been elite on the road typically — it went 19-22 overall last season. It’s on a similar pace so far at 5-7 through this year. But the West around it seems to be much improved. There’s a solid chance this might not be a No. 1 seed. The Nuggets have to get things in gear early to make sure home court is secured.
5
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks are still cleaning things up around the margins, but the pieces of an elite team are finally starting to show. The combination of Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo is beginning to click. Milwaukee just has to figure something out defensively.
4
Oklahoma City Thunder
Off-court allegations against Josh Giddey have put a bit of a damper on an otherwise incredible start to the season for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looks like a top-5 player on both ends of the court. Player Efficiency Rating isn’t the end-all, be-all as far as metrics are concerned, but ranking 3rd in PER is still extremely good. Chet Holmgren is already a legitimate second option 20 games into his NBA career and Jalen Williams is settling in nicely as another shot creator alongside SGA.
This team is going to be tough to beat in the postseason.
3
Orlando Magic
Again, folks, what a season. The Orlando Magic being near the top of the Eastern Conference is not something anyone could’ve forseen. But here we are. This team’s defense is elite. This Jalen Suggs thing is real — his shot is working and he’s a monster in transition. The more the Magic play, the more confidence I have that this lasts for a long time.
2
Boston Celtics
With the way things have gone for the season I don’t think the Celtics could’ve asked for a better start. They’ve had to shuffle players in and out of the lineup with key injuries to Kristaps Porzignis and Jrue Holiday. But Boston has the NBA’s second-best defense and the offense is steadily catching up. As expected, the Celtics look like a legit title contender.
1
Minnesota Timberwolves
What a season this has been, folks. There was no way I could’ve imagined this start for the Timberwolves so far. The Wolves boast the NBA’s best defense by a full point per 100 possessions. This has buoyed Minnesota as it floats at the top of a tough Western Conference. The offense could use some work and Anthony Edwards is out with a hip injury, so we may see a bit of a slowdown here for the Wolves. But this team is very real and we should take it seriously.
