Wild’s Weekly NBA Power Rankings and Tiers – Week 3

The second week of the NBA has come to a close, and it is time to find out who the best and worst teams in the league are.

Tier 1 – Championship Contenders

1. Los Angeles Lakers. 5-2 (3-1 this week) (-)

The Los Angeles Lakers lost a close game to a hot Portland Trail Blazers team before railing off three straight wins, with two against the San Antonio Spurs and one over the Memphis Grizzlies. LeBron James is averaging the lowest minutes per game of his career, exemplifying the depth of this dominant team. When the playoffs come, and LeBron is playing possibly an extra 10 minute per game this team will be even greater.

2. Los Angeles Clippers. 5-2 (3-1 this week) (-)

The Los Angeles Clippers pulled out three wins this week against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns, with their lone loss coming against the Utah Jazz. Paul George is averaging 4 more point per game than last season and is doing so on a 50-40-90 shooting split: a key reason for this team’s early success. This team tends to win whenever George plays well as Kawhi is extremely consistent. This team is still very underrated and will be able to hold its own come playoff time.

3. Milwaukee Bucks. 3-3 (2-1 this week) (+1)

The Milwaukee Bucks split two games with the Miami Heat and followed that with a win against a young Chicago Bulls team. The Bucks seem to have an issue where Giannis will consistently play well, but Middleton and Holiday will not. Whenever Holiday and Middleton each score more than 10 points, the Bucks are 3-1, while they are 0-2 when they do not. This could be a result of the team needing some time to gel with the addition of former all-star Jrue Holiday.

4. Brooklyn Nets. 3-4 (1-3 this week) (-1)

The Brooklyn Nets began their season with big wins over the Warriors and Celtics, but ever since, they have been 1-4. This past week they went 1-3, with their one win coming against the Atlanta Hawks, who they split two games with. Their other two losses came against the Washington Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies, two teams that should have been beat badly by a Nets team overfilled with talent. While the Wizards loss could have easily been a win with either KD or Kyrie making a last-minute shot, the fact the game was so close says a lot more about the poor defense of the Nets. Lastly, coach Nash, Bruce Brown needs some minutes.

Tier 2 – Guaranteed Playoff Teams

5. Phoenix Suns. 5-2 (3-1 this week) (+2)

The Phoenix Suns continue to improve as they beat some viable western conference playoff teams this week in the Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets, and New Orleans Pelicans. The Suns only loss came in a game against the Los Angeles Clippers where Paul George could make any shot he wanted to. This is amazing for a team who added a marquee player in Chris Paul. Devin Booker is averaging his lowest points per game since his rookie season, but I would not expect this trend to continue, leading to more scoring for the Suns.

6. Boston Celtics 4-3 (3-1 this week) (-)

The Boston Celtics won three games this week, but did not move up because of the caliber of their opponents. The Celtics beat the Pacers, Grizzlies, and Pistons, however they also lost a game to this Pistons. While the Celtics have shown to be a strong team, they are missing offensive firepower outside of Brown and Tatum. The Celtics have three players who average more than 10 points per game, with Brown and Tatum averaging 28.0 and 24.3 respectively while Marcus Smart averages 12.6. As you can tell, there is a strong need for another shot creator and maker.

7. Philadelphia 76ers 5-1 (3-0 this week) (+5)

The 76ers pulled out three wins this week against the Toronto Raptors, Charlotte Hornets, and Orlando Magic. It is interesting, as the 76ers added more shooting this offseason, yet so far are still hitting the same 11.7 three-point shots that they made last year (11.6) and with a slightly lower three-point percentage. Two key areas that have improved since last season are blocks per game (first in the league) and defensive rebounds per game (second in the league now). Both of these metrics show me that while we expected this team would be smoother on offense, surprisingly, their defense is what has led them to the top record in the league so far.

8. Miami Heat 2-3 (1-2 this week) (-3)

Miami had a rough week this past week after beginning the season 2-1. The Heat split two games with the Bucks before losing a game to the Mavericks that saw them score just 83 points on a defense that was in the bottom half of the league last year. While their one loss to the Bucks did come on a night where the Bucks hit an NBA-record 29 three-point shots, the Miami Defense that allowed that was poor. I still believe the Jae Crowder loss for this team is bigger than believed to be, as they now will have to either play with 2 non-shooters on the court in crunch time, or an extra small lineup that features either Iguodala or Butler at the 4. An extra small lineup was used in Golden State with Iguodala or Barnes at the 4 in 2015, but all 5 players on the court could shoot (Draymond shot 34%).

9. Denver Nuggets 2-4 (2-2 this week) (-)

Denver went 2-1 this week with victories over the Rockets and Timberwolves, and losses to the Kings and Suns. So far this season it seems as though Nikola Jokic has to have a triple-double every night to keep this team in games. While Jamal Murray has come along lately, this team lacks wing defense. Even with a guy like Gary Harris, while the defense is there, the shooting is not as Harris has shot 12.5% from deep to start this season. Denver needs some help on the wings, and they need it soon. Who knows, maybe a push for Harden could be in the works for a team that is under-achieving after their western conference finals appearance last season.

10. Utah Jazz 4-2 (3-1 this week) (+1)

Utah went 3-1 this week with their three wins coming against the Jazz, Clippers and Spurs, while the lone loss came against the Suns. The main issue for the Utah Jazz so far is that Mike Conley is the leading scorer for the team. This says a lot about Donovan Mitchell’s lack of production. Mitchell is shooting just 37% from the field after his coming out party in the bubble where he averaged 36 points per game on 53% shooting from the field. While this could be do to shifting back to the arena, it sure leaves a lot to be desired both by NBA fans and the Utah Jazz franchise for a thought-to-be upcoming star.

Tier 3 – Exciting, But Need More Time to See

11. Indiana Pacers 4-2 (1-2 this week) (-1)

Indiana went 1-2 this week, winning against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and losing to both the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics. The Pacers began their season going 3-0, and while they did lose to a Knicks team who they should have beat, the way in which they played, losing closely to the Celtics, and dominating the Cavs, shows more about the skill level of this team. Losing T.J. Warren to a foot injury is rough for a team that was built around having above-average starters at each position, but now we will get to see if Oladipo can return to his all-star form, and if Sabonis can become more than an all-star.

12. Dallas Mavericks 2-4 (1-2 this week) (-4)

In reality, the strength of this Dallas team was not exemplified this week as they lost to the Charlotte Hornets, then beat the Miami Heat before losing to the Chicago Bulls in a game they played without Luka Doncic. At the end of the day, this team is extremely unpredictable. The Mavericks play great defense on some nights, while being atrocious on the same side of the ball come other nights. Similarly, Luka Doncic is one of the most streaky three-point shooters in the league, shooting 0% in some games, and 50% in others. The Mavs can still be a great team, but right now there is no true second option and second shot creator. They need Porzingis, and lucky for them, it sounds like he may be back soon.

13. New Orleans Pelicans.4-2 (2-1 this week) (+2)

The New Orleans Pelicans went 2-1 this week, losing to the Phoenix Suns before winning against both the Oklahoma City Thunder and Toronto Raptors. While the Suns were the only good team New Orleans faced, the reason the Pelicans moved up is because of how strongly they have played as a team. The Pelicans are third in the NBA in rebounds, and last in personal fouls. This has lead the Pelicans to having the 4th ranked defense in the NBA.

14. Portland Trail Blazers. 3-3 (2-2 this week) (-)

Portland went 2-2 this week, splitting a two game series with the Warriors, beating the Los Angeles Lakers, and losing to the Los Angeles Clippers. Portland has finally put a strong team around Dame and C.J. but the issue is that this team lacks defense. The Blazers rank second to last in the NBA in defensive rating, and I would attribute this mostly to their Centers. The Blazers often have either Nurkic or Kanter on the court, two slow-footed big man who struggle to defend quick point guards in the pick and roll. This is why Steph dropped 62, and why I would believe Brooklyn will kill this team whenever Kyrie is on the court. Portland may love Kanter on their bench, but having a big who can score is useless if they cannot stop another team from scoring.

15. Atlanta Hawks. 4-2 (2-2 this week) (-2)

Atlanta went 2-2 this week, splitting two games with the Brooklyn Nets, beating the Detroit Pistons and losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Atlanta is playing well, mostly due to their high scoring offense, as the Hawks have the second-best offensive rating in the league. One major concern for the Hawks is that one of their core bench pieces in Danillo Gallinari is now out for up to two weeks, news that could make a big difference in a possibly tight eastern conference playoff race in a few months.

Tier 4 – Could Possibly Sneak into the Playoffs

16. Golden State Warriors. 3-3 (2-1 this week) (+8)

The Golden State Warriors really struggled in their first two games of the season losing to both the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks, then finally got a win against a weak Chicago team. This past week they won against the Pistons, then split two games with Portland. One key reason for the Warrior’s ability to beat a sure playoff team in Portland – Draymond Green. While yes, Steph Curry had a career night, and drove the offense, the re-insertion of Draymond into the lineup after missing the first few games has jolted the Warriors. Overall in his first two games Draymond is a +4 when on the court, while the Warriors plus/minus in those two games overall has been -10. Somehow, the Warriors also seem to shoot better with Draymond on the court, possibly due to his ball-handling and playmaking skills

17. Orlando Magic 4-2 (1-2 this week) (-1)

Orlando went 1-2 this past week as they split two games with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and lost to the Philadelphia 76ers. Orlando has been playing well overall, as they have used their speed to their advantage, with a top-6 pace in the league. However, one issue for the Magic is that they are second-last in the league in assists. Outside of Markelle Fultz (if even) this team lacks a creator with strong passing ability. While this area is obviously lacking, it could be part of the reason they have the lowest turnovers per game in the NBA. Together, there are a lot of ups and downs with this team.

18. Houston Rockets. 2-2 (2-1 this week) (-)

Houston went 2-1 this week after a rocky start to the season with players being out due to COVID tracing protocols. The Rockets lost to the Denver Nuggets in a game they played without John Wall and Demarcus Cousins, before beating the Kings twice. As expected, Houston boasts a top -10 offense, coupled with a bottom 15 defense. Houston is in the middle of the pack for almost all categories, which is not bad for a team that has played games while missing key pieces, and could easily improve throughout the season with time to mesh

19. Sacramento Kings. 3-3 (1-2 this week) (-2)

Sacramento went 1-2 this week, beating the Denver Nuggets before losing two games to the Houston Rockets. Sacramento has been similar to Houston in that a lot of their stats put them near the middle of the league. This team is average, and that is okay for a Sacramento team in need of a star player alongside De’Aron Fox. Also, Buddy Hield is showing to be a shooter, and just a shooter. This might be why the Kings selected Haliburton, as they know Hield is not their shooting guard of the future. I would not be surprised if we see Hield moved, especially if the Kings are on the outside of the playoff picture before the trade deadline.

20. San Antonio Spurs. 2-4 (0-3 this week) (-1)

The San Antonio Spurs started off this season on a strong note, going 2-1 through three games, but struggled this past week losing two games to the Lakers and losing another to the Utah Jazz. A few important notes for the Spurs. The Spurs second-leading scorer is Keldon Johnson, someone who is not talked about nearly enough, after playing only 17 games last season coming off the bench. Also, Lamarcus Aldridge looks as though he has fallen off a cliff. Aldridge is averaging 12 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, down 7 points and 3 rebounds from last season.

21. Cleveland Cavaliers. 4-2 (1-2 this week) (+2)

Cleveland went 1-2 this week, losing to the Knicks and Pacers, then beating the Hawks. Cleveland has a record of a top team in the league for one reason, and one that is extremely unexpected given the Cavs roster, their defense. Cleveland is currently second in defensive rating, even while starting a lineup of two small guards in Sexton and Garland. We all know this defense is not a result of those two, or Kevin Love, and begs the question of: is Andre Drummond that great of a defender? Could he contend for Defensive Player of the Year? He is averaging 2 steals and 2 blocks per game.

Tier 5 - Lottery or Injured Teams

22. Memphis Grizzlies. 2-4 (2-2 this week) (+3)

Memphis has had a rough start to the season, as they have been hit with a bunch of injuries. Memphis lost their second-year star, Ja Morant, this week to an ankle sprain that put a scare into almost all NBA fans. Somehow, the Grizzlies managed to go 2-2, beating the Nets and Hornets, and losing to the Celtics and Lakers. This was a tough stretch of games for the Grizzlies as they faced 3 of the top 6 teams in the league, somehow coming out with a win, yet it still feels as though they got lucky, and will not continue with this success. Regardless, it is tough to see this team rising to playoff contention until Jaren Jackson Jr. returns.

23. Toronto Raptors. 1-4 (1-2 this week) (-1)

The Toronto Raptors went 1-2 this week, nabbing their first win of the season against the New York Knicks, and losing to both the Philadelphia 76ers, and New Orleans Pelicans. The main issue for this Toronto team is that their previously thought-to-be star, in Pascal Siakam, has struggled continuously this season. Teams have figured out how to defend his spin move, and he has looked lost at times in the offense. Siakam is averaging a mere 16.5 points per game on 39% shooting from the field and 28% shooting from three (a 6.5 points per game drop from last season).

24. New York Knicks. 3-3 (2-1 this week) (+3)

The New York Knicks are a surprising 3-3, and look oddly well coached. The Knicks went 2-1 this week, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Indiana Pacers, while losing to the Toronto Raptors. One of the main reasons for this is because Julius Randle is doing his Nikola Jokic impersonation. Randle has averaged 21 points, 10.5 rebounds and 7 assists per game, reminiscent of Jokic last season who averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists per game. This is an interesting comparison, as while Randle has a better three-point percentage, Jokic had a better field goal percentage. If Randle can keep this up, he will become one of few big men to average 7 assists per game.

25. Chicago Bulls 3-4 (3-1 this week) (+4)

The Chicago Bulls went 3-1 this week, beating the Wizards twice, the Luka-less Mavericks and losing to the Milwaukee Bucks. All that this week has told me is that the Bulls are currently better than the Wizards. The Bulls got beat by the Bucks, which they were supposed to, and got a 10-point win over the Mavericks when they did not have their star player. Regardless, Chicago is still 25th in defensive rating, while being 20th in offensive rating, leaving a lot to be desired from this young and talented team. I would not be surprised to see a young piece moved in order to bring in some defense, as currently is looks like rookie Patrick Williams is their leader on the defensive side of the ball.

26. Washington Wizards. 2-5 (2-3 this week) (-5)

The Washington Wizards went 2-3 this week, losing to the Orlando Magic, and losing twice to the Chicago Bulls, before winning games against both the Minnesota Timberwolves and Brooklyn Nets. Let’s be honest, the Nets should have won that game, but unlucky misses by two of the best clutch-time players in the world in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving led to a win. The big red flag for this team is that they have a bottom five defense in the league (unsurprisingly given the roster). This, coupled with their 3rd ranked pace means that most of their opponents will spend a lot of time with the ball playing offense on a team that is very weak at defense.

27. Minnesota Timberwolves. 2-4 (0-3 this week) (-7)

Minnesota went 0-3 this week, losing to the Los Angeles Clippers, Washington Wizards and Denver Nuggets. Minnesota is currently ranked 28th in defensive rating, which was clearly shown by their loss to Washington. The Timberwolves also have a bottom-10 offense, even with two offensive stars in Karl Anthony-Towns and D’Angelo Russell. This team is clearly lacking the pieces to put together a playoff push, and will struggle to build their team any further given that Golden State has their pick for the 2021 draft. The one bright spot has been Anthony Edwards.

28. OKC Thunder. 2-3 (1-3 this week) (-)

Oklahoma City went 1-3 this week, splitting two games with the Orlando Magic, and losing to the Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans. While the Thunder may sit at 2-3, their loss to the New Orleans Pelicans was the first time this team had lost by more than twelve this season. This shows that this team is still the same gritty, and hard fighting group of guys that made it to the playoffs last season even when no one believed they could. One key to this team’s success: Luguentz Dort is shooting 44% from three-point range, a number that ensures he can stay in a game late. This is scary for opposing wings.

29. Charlotte Hornets. 2-4 (1-2 this week) (-3)

Charlotte went 1-2 this past week, beating the Dallas Mavericks before losing to both the Memphis Grizzlies and Philadelphia 76ers. One big issue for the Hornets is that one of their backcourt starters, Devonte’ Graham, has not been shooting efficiently this season. Graham, a player who averaged 18.2 points per game on 37% shooting from three point range last season is now averaging 9 points per game on 29% shooting from three point range. It is time to put LaMelo into the starting lineup and experiment with this potential franchise-changing talent.

30. Detroit Pistons. 1-5 (1-3 this week) (-)

The Detroit Pistons went 1-3 this week, splitting two games with the Boston Celtics, and losing to both the Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors. Detroit has a bright spot in Jerami Grant who is averaging 22.3 points per game, but is struggling to find an identity, ranking in the bottom 10 for both defensive and offensive rating. Another issue for this team is that Blake Griffin is constantly hurt. It is tough to watch a player go through so many injuries, and continuously show flashes of how good he can be when he is on the court.