Week 1 Power Rankings

30. Bucks (0-3, =)

I am holding firm on the Bucks being the worst team in the league. They are 0-3 and blew a big lead to a bad Bulls team on Friday.

29. Kings (0-3, =)

Sacramento is off to a bad start and have looked as bad as everyone thought they’d be. At 0-3, the Kings have the 3rd worst net rating in the NBA according to Cleaning the Glass.

28. Warriors (0-3, -4)

Our first dropper is the Warriors because they are worse than I thought they’d be, which was pretty bad. They haven’t had a particularly hard schedule and it feels like their season is over.

27.  Nets (0-3, =)

Another team that couldn’t rise from the bottom. Brooklyn played the Cavs tough but looked lifeless Sunday night against Indiana. When does Michael Porter Jr. get moved?

26. Pelicans (0-3, =)

The Pels had a real chance to climb the rankings on Saturday but blew a 22 point 2nd half lead to the Nuggets. I think for everyone's sake, it is time for a Zion Williamson trade.

25. Bulls (1-2, =)

The Bulls are the first team to win a game on this list but they beat the Bucks and looked bad in their other games. The good news is how good Caleb Wilson looks.

24. Suns (1-1, -7)

The loss on Wednesday was this bad, also the win on Saturday against the Warriors G-League team was pretty unimpressive. The Suns have the worst net rating through the first week of the season.

23. Jazz (1-2, -3)

A close win against the Pelicans is the only reason the Jazz have a win. The defense is a big concern, if you’re this reliant on Jusuf Nurkic, you are probably not a good team.

22. Hornets (2-1, =)

The Hornets have a winning record and have had injuries but I was unimpressed by their first week. Wins over the Nets and Heat and a blow out loss to the Hawks have them in the bottom 10.

21. Mavericks (1-2, =)

The Cooper Flagg injury is such a bummer but he will be okay. The win against Indiana was wildly impressive to spoil Tyrese Haliburton’s first home game. The schedule for Dallas has also been rough with their two losses to the Spurs and Rockets.

20. Clippers (1-2, +8)

Our first riser could be a surprise but when you lift the hood on the Clippers first week, they were impressive. They have a net rating of +2.4 and their losses were at the Thunder and at the Lakers in close games. Los Angeles might be better than we thought.

19. Heat (0-3, -8)

The only reason this team is not in the bottom 10 is I still think they are better than they’ve played. No one has had a worse start to the year than Miami, who were embarrassed in their first 3 games of the season.

18. Wizards (2-1, =)

Like the Hornets, the Wizards are a pretty unimpressive 2-1. Wins over the Bucks and Bulls but a blowout loss to the Raptors have Washington in the bottom half of the league.

17. Trail Blazers (2-0, +2)

The Blazers have the best net rating in the league through the first week. It’s 2 games against 2 bad teams so they don’t rise that high but it is still notable.

16. Magic (1-2, -1)

Orlando had a tough opening to the Hawks but a win against the defending champs prevented a drastic fall. The losses of Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs are both huge blows, however.

15. Grizzlies (3-0, +7)

The undefeated Memphis Grizzlies. Like the Blazers, Memphis hasn’t beaten anyone but the start has gone as well as possible. Ty Jerome very well may win Most Improved Player.

14. Hawks (2-1, +2)

The Hawks won their first 2 games of the season against teams they should beat and lost to a really good Rockets team. They are a middle of the league team and have played like it.

13. Cavaliers (1-1, +1)

A dramatic 29 point season opening blown lead was pretty rough for Cleveland and they only beat the Nets so it hasn’t been a great start for Cleveland. However, no one was good enough to jump them.

12. Pacers (2-1, -3)

A pretty unimpressive opener against the Pelicans and a blowout loss to the Mavericks was a bad start for Indiana. Hopefully a blowout win in Brooklyn helps them turn it around.

11. Nuggets (1-1, -1)

Like Cleveland and Indiana, it hasn’t been a good start to the season for Denver. A dramatic 22 point comeback against the Pelicans saved a pretty dramatic fall in the rankings for Denver.

10. Lakers (3-0, +1)

I would like to see the Lakers beat a good team before we call them a great team. However, a 3-0 start is what you are looking for when you start against bad teams.

9. Knicks (0-3, -6)

The start to defending the championship has gone about as bad as possible for the Knicks. With the Pistons next, 0-4 seems likely but I don’t think it is time to panic… yet.

8. Celtics (1-1, -4)

A tough first 2 games for Boston shouldn’t have them fall but other teams playing very well sees it anyways. Jayson Tatum’s monster 36/9/7 game on Friday should silence his critics for at least a week or 2.

7. 76ers, (3-1, +1)

A really impressive opening night win plus a comeback against the Cavs sees the Sixers jump both Boston and New York. This is a legit threat in the Eastern Conference.

6. Raptors (2-1, +1)

The Raptors looked like world beaters on defense until they played the Minnesota Timberwolves. No Kawhi Leonard avoids a big reaction to the game but that game prevented a big rise.

5. Spurs (1-2, -3)

A 1-2 start with the two losses being to really good teams happens. There could be some Finals hangover but I don’t think so, the Spurs remain a wagon.

4. Pistons (3-0, +9)

A 22 point comeback vs the Celtics, a blowout road win vs the Heat and a road win vs the Sixers have Detroit as the biggest riser of the week. The Pistons are, once again, awesome.

3. Rockets (3-0, +3)

The Houston Rockets look like a legit Finals threat and the Jalen Williams injury opens the door for them. Is a big trade coming to make the Rockets that much better?

2. Timberwolves (3-0, +3)

No one has had a better start to the season than the Minnesota Timberwolves. The LaMelo Ball-Anthony Edwards pairing looks as good as advertised and like Houston, the Wolves have a real chance to win the championship.

1. Thunder (3-0, =)

The Jalen Williams injury doesn’t move OKC down but it probably should. It changes what looked like a very clear picture in the west into one that is murky. It really sucks for a Thunder team that looked like the best in the league in their first 2 games.