There have been zero games played but even still, the NBA power rankings have seen some shifts. Some late-summer activity, including the Cavs’ move for Peyton Watson and the Timberwolves landing Jonathan Kuminga added some wrinkles to how things stack up across the league.
Now, the Top 2 have not changes, and might not change at all this season unless there is an injury. Barring injury, the Spurs and Thunder will be the best two teams in the NBA throughout the next eight months, and they appear to be on a crash course for the Western Conference finals, as they were last season.
Yes, OKC lost players–Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins, Lu Dort–but they have ample replacements and the core is still together. We’re keeping them at No. 1. But we checked back in with scouts as we looked at the way things are unfolding as training camp nears.
NBA Power Rankings: Can the Cavaliers Catch the Knicks?
This was expected to be a season in which the Cavaliers had to dismantle a bit to get the right pieces together going forward and remain under the second apron. But they managed to offload unneeded pieces and actually still get better. Keeping their starting five together into the future might not be possible, but they’re going to give it another run, and the addition of Peyton Watson could be huge.
Good enough to beat the Knicks, though?
Eastern Conference scout: “I still think it is the Knicks in the East. They lost Mitchell Robinson, but they figured out a lot of things in that postseason run. They got Karl-Anthony Towns in the right positions–people forget that they struggled to use him the right way all season–they showed how valuable OG Anunoby is and you still have Brunson. I still think the Cavaliers are more a good collection of players but have a hard time fitting together as a team, especially in the playoffs.”
| 1. | Oklahoma City Thunder | 64-18 |
| 2. | San Antonio Spurs | 62-20 |
| 3. | New York Knicks | 53-29 |
| 4. | Cleveland Cavaliers | 52-30 |
| 5. | Minnesota Timberwolves | 49-33 |
| 6. | Detroit Pistons | 60-22 |
| 7. | Philadelphia 76ers | 45-37 |
| 8. | Denver Nuggets | 54-28 |
| 9. | Houston Rockets | 52-30 |
| 10. | Miami Heat | 43-39 |
NBA Power Rankings: Lakers at 12
The most interesting teams in this bunch are probably the Pacers and Jazz, because both were intentionally terrible last season but stand to bounce back this year. It might be too early to count the Jazz as a legitimate playoff team in the West, but it’s not hard to envision that unit coming together quickly.
The Lakers revamped the roster by dumping LeBron James, paying Austin Reaves, selling out for Walker Kessler and adding role players around Luka Doncic. Not everyone’s a believer, though.
Western Conference coach: “They will score and they will be fun to watch, but they’re lacking size and rebounding and they’re asking too much of Kessler. They just have too many holes, I see them as a 46, 47-win team.”
| 11. | Boston Celtics | 56-26 |
| 12. | Los Angeles Lakers | 53-29 |
| 13. | Atlanta Hawks | 46-36 |
| 14. | Indiana Pacers | 19-63 |
| 15. | Toronto Raptors | 46-36 |
| 16. | Golden State Warriors | 37-45 |
| 17. | Utah Jazz | 22-60 |
| 18. | Charlotte Hornets | 44-38 |
| 19. | Orlando Magic | 45-37 |
| 20. | Phoenix Suns | 45-37 |
What Becomes of the Clippers?
It is hard to say what, exactly, will happen with the Clippers. They are down five first-round picks, and though owner Steve Ballmer has vowed to fight the draconian punishment leveled by the league in the Kawhi Leonard cap circumvention scandal, that’s probably not going to get anywhere. So, the best avenue for the Clippers might be to trade off pieces and recoup some of their picks.
There is some talent there and the Clippers should not be terrible. Unless they dump everyone.
But a team that has some buzz is the Grizzlies, after drafting Cam Boozer and bulking up the roster.
Western Conference scout: “(The Grizzlies) are a point guard away. They loaded up on size, they are just going to hammer you with big guys. I love what Cam Boozer brings, they got some toughness with (Quinten) Post and (Isaiah) Stewart. You’ve still got (Zach) Edey. They just need that point guard to tie it all together. I thought they should have tried to get that in the draft, but they made size their priority.”
| 21. | Portland Trail Blazers | 42-40 |
| 22. | Memphis Grizzlies | 25-57 |
| 23. | Washington Wizards | 17-65 |
| 24. | LA Clippers | 42-40 |
| 25. | Dallas Mavericks | 26-56 |
| 26. | Brooklyn Nets | 20-62 |
| 27. | Chicago Bulls | 31-51 |
| 28. | New Orleans Pelicans | 26-56 |
| 29. | Milwaukee Bucks | 32-50 |
| 30. | Sacramento Kings | 22-60 |
NBA Power Rankings: Clippers Fall, Knicks’ East Challenger & More