NBA Power Rankings: New York Knicks Surging Ahead of Trade Deadline
With the NBA's trade deadline and All-Star Weekend rapidly approaching, several teams are starting to separate themselves as the bona fide title contenders.
A handful of others are getting an idea of what they might need to acquire before the Feb. 8 deadline to join that throng. Still others may be coming to the painful realization that this just isn't their year. They'll be among the sellers.
As all that sorting takes place, the games are rolling on as scheduled—and Bleacher Report is doing its own weekly sorting.
As usual, based on team and individual numbers, championship chances, recent success and plenty of subjectivity, here's how the entire NBA stacks up right now.
30. Charlotte Hornets (10-32)
1 of 31
Previous Rank: 29
Net Rating: -11.1
Even before losing to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, the Charlotte Hornets somehow had the worst net rating in the NBA.
And this week, they traded their second leading scorer, Terry Rozier.
Without his 23.2 points, 6.6 assists and point guard play in the absence of LaMelo Ball, who misses plenty of time with injuries, Charlotte is going to cruise even harder toward one of the league's bottom three records.
29. Detroit Pistons (5-39)
2 of 31
Previous Rank: 30
Net Rating: -10.0
In a battle of two of this season's most spectacular tankers, the Detroit Pistons upended the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, 113-106.
And mere days after Charlotte intensified its push to the bottom of the standings, Bojan Bogdanović made a push for Detroit to move him, too.
The Croatian had 34 points, five threes and four assists in a win that was a solid reminder of how he can help contenders.
At 6'7", Bogdanović has forward size and a quick trigger that can force opposing big men away from the paint.
As we approach the deadline, plenty of teams should be interested in someone on a reasonable $20 million salary averaging 19.5 points and shooting 41.1 percent from deep.
28. Washington Wizards (7-37)
3 of 31
Previous Rank: 28
Net Rating: -9.1
The Washington Wizards have one win in their last 13 games, and it's becoming increasingly clear that the only real light on the horizon is the trade deadline.
As bad as Washington has been, there may be a suitor or two out there for Kyle Kuzma (a former champion averaging 21.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists) and Tyus Jones (a point guard who almost never turns the ball over).
If either or both turn into some form of draft compensation, the pain of the last few weeks will feel a lot less intense in hindsight.
.png?w=256)
27. San Antonio Spurs (8-36)
4 of 31
Previous Rank: 26
Net Rating: -9.2
The Charlotte Hornets may join the mix soon, but the San Antonio Spurs are still cruising toward a bottom-three record.
In the end, even with a relatively weak draft class incoming in 2024, that's probably the preferred outcome for the Spurs' 2023-24.
But they might have the skeleton of a legitimately competitive team already on the roster.
San Antonio is plus-17.5 points per 100 possessions (99th percentile) when Victor Wembanyama, Tre Jones (an actual point guard) and Devin Vassell are on the floor.
That just happens to be the team's 10th-most used trio.
26. Portland Trail Blazers (13-31)
5 of 31
Previous Rank: 27
Net Rating: -9.0
The Portland Trail Blazers had a controversial finish on Tuesday in which officials missed Chauncey Billups calling a late timeout. They've already filed an official protest of the result, but the players moved on admirably on Wednesday.
The Blazers beat the Houston Rockets on the road and in overtime, and the veterans who should almost certainly be moved for more rebuild-ready assets had a strong showing.
Malcolm Brogdon went for 19 points and six assists, while Jerami Grant had 21 points and a career-high nine assists.
Both of those players can help contenders win, and some will be willing to surrender real draft consideration to get them.
25. Brooklyn Nets (17-27)
6 of 31
Previous Rank: 25
Net Rating: -1.6
The Brooklyn Nets' descent beyond the East's play-in range continued this week, as they went 1-3 and moved into 11th place.
Few teams feel quite as rudderless as Brooklyn has since about mid-December. Over their last 21 games, the Nets are 4-17.
If you're looking for a bright spot, maybe it's 22-year-old Cam Thomas, who scored 25 in Thursday's two-point loss and has eclipsed 20 points 11 times in the aforementioned 21-game span.
24. Memphis Grizzlies (17-27)
7 of 31
Previous Rank: 24
Net Rating: -5.2
The Memphis Grizzlies deserve a ton of credit for the way they've competed in the wake of a terrible bout of injuries.
The absences of Steven Adams, Brandon Clarke and Ja Morant have been well-publicized, but even Desmond Bane has now missed six straight.
However, since Morant's abbreviated return from suspension was ended by a shoulder injury, the Grizzlies are 5-4. They closed out this week with back-to-back road wins over the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat.
And they're competing with players like 5'8" Jacob Gilyard, second-round rookie GG Jackson and Vince Williams Jr.
In this nine-game stretch alone, Williams—another second-round pick—is putting up 15.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.6 threes and 1.7 steals, while shooting 47.9 percent from deep.
23. Atlanta Hawks (18-26)
8 of 31
Previous Rank: 22
Net Rating: -3.0
The trade deadline can't get here soon enough for the Atlanta Hawks.
The Trae Young-Dejounte Murray pairing simply hasn't worked, the team is in the middle of its fourth losing streak of at least three games and Murray is playing well enough individually to entice some team to trade for him.
Over his last 20 games, Murray is averaging 23.3 points, 4.5 assists and 2.5 threes while shooting 39.7 percent from deep.
22. Toronto Raptors (16-28)
9 of 31
Previous Rank: 21
Net Rating: -1.8
It's been almost a month since the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors' OG Anunoby trade. And while there were some promising signs from the new Raptors early, things have gotten bleak lately (thanks in part to the Pascal Siakam trade).
Toronto is suddenly 1-7 in its last eight, a stretch that has to have some Raptors fans lamenting, at least a little bit, the organization turning the page on the previous era.
But it was time. Toronto had gone as far as it could with the remnants of the 2019 title team. And even if the start of the next era includes plenty of losses, accumulating as much young talent and picks as possible is the smart approach right now.
21. Chicago Bulls (21-25)
10 of 31
Previous Rank: 20
Net Rating: -1.9
The Chicago Bulls are about as ho-hum as NBA teams get. After closing the week with back-to-back road losses, they're 2-2 in their last four, 3-3 in their last six and 6-6 in their last 12. Very Even Steven.
That, of course, shouldn't throw the Bulls off what this entire season has been indicating they should do.
It's past time for Chicago to get whatever it can for DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučević and step into a new era with Coby White and as much draft capital as it can accumulate.
20. Golden State Warriors (19-23)
11 of 31
Previous Rank: 23
Net Rating: -0.6
Real contention feels less likely for the Golden State Warriors with each passing week.
In this one, they crushed the flailing Atlanta Hawks but then failed to capitalize on that momentum, losing at home to the Sacramento Kings on Thursday.
Every little step forward seems to be almost immediately followed by a bigger one back. And now that we're halfway through the season, and some of the West's real contenders have revealed themselves, that pattern just doesn't inspire any confidence.
On the bright side, 21-year-old Jonathan Kuminga, who'd reportedly "lost faith" in coach Steve Kerr earlier this season, is suddenly on fire.
He had 25 points on 11-of-11 shooting in Wednesday's win over Atlanta. And on Thursday, he had 31 on 12-of-19 shooting against Sacramento.
That could mean more hope for a fanbase that hasn't had to look to the future much in recent years or better trade value for Kuminga. Either way, it's a silver lining in a season without many.
19. Houston Rockets (20-23)
12 of 31
Previous Rank: 19
Net Rating: +0.1
The vibes from the Houston Rockets' better-than-expected start have almost entirely worn off.
They're still barely clinging to a positive point differential, but they're three games below .500, have dropped seven of their last nine and ended this week with a loss to the 13-31 Portland Trail Blazers.
There are still reasons for optimism, though. Alperen Şengün has a real All-Star case, and the Rockets are still plus-4.7 points per 100 possessions when he shares the floor with veteran additions Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks.
However, it's becoming increasingly clear that Houston needs more reliable offensive options around Şengün (it has nine players with at least 100 minutes and a below-average true shooting percentage).
That could mean development for players such as Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr., but that'll just take a bit more patience than the start of this season suggested the Rockets would need.
18. Los Angeles Lakers (23-23)
13 of 31
Previous Rank: 18
Net Rating: -0.9
The back-to-.500 Los Angeles Lakers had a feel-good win Thursday, when they dropped 141 points and got at least 20 from each of Austin Reaves, D'Angelo Russell, Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
It was a far cry from the bottom-10 offense we've witnessed for most of the season. And while it's easy to chalk up the performance to an outlier shooting line (L.A. was 20-of-31 from deep), ball movement was key too. The Lakers had 35 assists, and that's something that's more replicable.
Last season, the Lakers were 21-25 through 46 games, and they obviously righted that ship to the point it wound up in the Western Conference Finals. If this version of the team can play with the same level of ball and player movement it had on Thursday, another turnaround isn't out of the question.
17. Utah Jazz (23-23)
14 of 31
Previous Rank: 15
Net Rating: -2.0
The good vibes generated by the Utah Jazz's 12-2 stretch were stymied by a three-game losing streak this week, but they finished with a blowout win over the Washington Wizards on Thursday.
And they looked a lot more like the team that charged back into the playoff picture in that one.
Sure, it helps that it was against the Wizards, but teams sometimes just need a get-right opponent to return to their course.
Behind a balanced effort led by Lauri Markkanen's 29 points, Utah cruised to a 15-point win. The team is now 10-5 when Markkanen scores at least 25 points.
16. Orlando Magic (23-21)
15 of 31
Previous Rank: 17
Net Rating: +0.4
Paolo Banchero is understandably seen as one of the league's brightest up-and-coming stars, but the Orlando Magic's recent struggles have brought his inefficiency as a scorer back into focus.
Banchero is shooting just 40.8 percent from the field and 27.9 percent from three over his last 10 games. And now, when you account for volume, only Jalen Green and Scoot Henderson have taken more points off the board with scoring opportunities (he was fifth worst in points added by overall shooting last season).
That's made it difficult for Orlando to win Banchero's minutes. For his career, the Magic are minus-3.9 points per 100 possessions when Banchero plays and plus-2.9 when he doesn't.
This isn't to suggest Orlando needs to do anything drastic. Banchero is 21 years old, and this reboot is probably still ahead of schedule. Taking the lumps he's taking now could make Banchero better in the long run. But a bit more judicious shot selection and maybe more playmaking volume could push him closer to a positive impact.
15. Dallas Mavericks (24-20)
16 of 31
Previous Rank: 14
Net Rating: +0.2
Injuries certainly deserve a lot of the blame for another underwhelming regular season, but they don't absolve the team entirely.
After closing out their week with a blowout loss to the Phoenix Suns, the Dallas Mavericks have now lost three straight and five of their last seven. After the slide, they're firmly in the West's play-in range. And they're barely even winning Luka Dončić's minutes.
When he's on the floor, the Mavs are plus-0.8 points per 100 possessions, a mark that's nowhere near the individual net ratings of some contenders' best players.
Again, it may be as simple as getting healthy. That number skyrockets to plus-12.2 when Luka is on the floor with Dante Exum. But we're now at a season and a half of mediocrity since Dallas made the conference finals with Jalen Brunson in 2022. Much more might require some drastic adjustments.
14. Sacramento Kings (25-18)
17 of 31
Previous Rank: 16
Net Rating: 0.6
The Sacramento Kings seemed to be reeling at last check-in, but they closed this week with back-to-back wins. Both came against sub-.500 opponents, but the Kings have historically struggled with the Golden State Warriors, and Thursday's win was in the Chase Center.
These two games came with a bonus, too, as Harrison Barnes dropped 71 in them and perhaps reminded some potential suitors of his ability to raise a lineup's floor.
Sacramento has appeared in need of at least a slight shake-up for much of the season, and if this mini-run juices Barnes' trade value a bit, perhaps he could be involved.
13. Miami Heat (24-21)
18 of 31
Previous Rank: 11
Net Rating: -0.6
The Miami Heat are on a five-game losing streak that includes a game against the woefully short-handed Memphis Grizzlies. And the last two losses came after the Terry Rozier trade.
In his first two games with the Heat, Rozier has gone 6-of-21 from the field and is minus-41 in 58 minutes.
Fortunately, things can't really go down from here for the Rozier deal. And we've seen the Heat bounce back from adversity too many times during the Jimmy Butler era to be too alarmed by this stretch.
12. Indiana Pacers (25-20)
19 of 31
Previous Rank: 12
Net Rating: +1.7
On Thursday, the Indiana Pacers got their first win of the Pascal Siakam era, and they actually did it with a little defense.
Yes, they gave up 122 points to the Philadelphia 76ers, but they also held Joel Embiid to 31 points in 31 minutes. Against someone who's totaled more points than minutes this season, that's a win.
Of course, Indiana's own high-octane offense—even without Tyrese Haliburton—deserves some credit too. And on Thursday, we got a pretty good idea of the kind of impact he can have.
Siakam outdueled Embiid with 26 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, revealing himself to be another playmaking weapon that coach Rick Carlisle can unleash.
11. Cleveland Cavaliers (26-16)
20 of 31
Previous Rank: 13
Net Rating: +4.1
They ended the week with a loss to the title-contending Milwaukee Bucks, but the Cleveland Cavaliers had been one of the league's hottest teams prior to Wednesday.
Thanks in large part to Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen, the Cavs took an eight-game winning streak into Milwaukee (which, again, the Bucks snapped).
Over these nine contests, Mitchell is averaging 26.8 points, 7.3 assists and 3.0 threes, while Allen is adding 16.7 points, 13.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 blocks.
10. New Orleans Pelicans (26-18)
21 of 31
Previous Rank: 8
Net Rating: +5.2
The New Orleans Pelicans are a sort of uneven 5-4 in their last nine, but they may have recently stumbled into something that could push them closer to the contenders' tier.
Zion had 11 assists in New Orleans' win over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday. Six days earlier, he had nine dimes in a win over the Charlotte Hornets.
For a team that starts career shooting guard CJ McCollum as a nominal 1, embracing "Point Zion" makes sense. During his career, the Pelicans are 41-19 when Williamson has at least five assists and 124-168 in all other games.
9. New York Knicks (28-17)
22 of 31
Previous Rank: 10
Net Rating: +5.5
The New York Knicks are 11-2 since OG Anunoby entered the rotation on January 1. Their most recent victory was a 38-point drubbing of the reigning champion Denver Nuggets on Thursday. And Anunoby has yet to have a single game with a negative plus-minus in a Knicks jersey.
But he's obviously not the only reason New York is one of the hottest teams in the NBA.
Damian Lillard was named an All-Star starter on Thursday, but there's a real argument that Jalen Brunson has been better. The Knicks point guard has the 2023-24 edge in points per game, three-point percentage, effective field-goal percentage and box plus/minus.
With those two, Julius Randle and one of the grittiest supporting casts in the NBA, this team screams Tom Thibodeau-style basketball. And that's now translating into plenty of wins.
8. Phoenix Suns (26-18)
23 of 31
Previous Rank: 9
Net Rating: +2.5
We're finally working with a pretty decent sample size on the Kevin Durant-Devin Booker-Bradley Beal trio, and the results are eye-opening.
Phoenix is scoring 135.7 points per 100 possessions and outscoring opponents by 25.1 points per 100 possessions when all three are on the floor. Both of those marks, unsurprisingly, rank in the 100th percentile leaguewide.
There really are no good options for opposing defenses faced with three of the game's best scorers over the last several years. All three can get quality looks for themselves, and they're ably sharing traditional point guard duties too. Beal's 4.2 assists per game is the low mark of the trio in that category.
The risk of injury will loom throughout the season and into the playoffs, but the healthy Suns are proving a Tier 1 contender.
7. Denver Nuggets (31-15)
24 of 31
Previous Rank: 7
Net Rating: +4.4
Few teams seem capable of as wide a range of outcomes as the Denver Nuggets this season.
They started this week with a locked-in-for-48-minutes win over the league's best team in Boston. The Jamal Murray-Nikola Jokić two-man game looked as lethal that night as it did during the 2023 postseason.
A few days later, they had another clutch win in which Jokić hit a backbreaking three down the stretch to beat the Indiana Pacers.
But on Thursday, they closed out their week with a 38-point blowout loss to the New York Knicks in which it was clear within five minutes that the team just wouldn't have the energy necessary to compete.
Yes, it was the final night of a five-game road trip, but this wasn't the first time Denver's no-showed for a game this season. And while the Nuggets might just chalk it up to being in post-championship cruise control, nights like this one are cause for at least mild concern.
6. Minnesota Timberwolves (32-13)
25 of 31
Previous Rank: 5
Net Rating: +5.4
The Minnesota Timberwolves had a wild Monday, when Karl-Anthony Towns dropped 44 in the first half on the Charlotte Hornets, seemingly chased the 70 Joel Embiid reached on the same night, wound up at 62 and lost to the lowly Charlotte Hornets.
After the loss, head coach Chris Finch lit into his own team in the postgame presser, calling their efforts immature, saying they disrespected the game and acknowledging Towns' pursuit of an individual point total.
In fairness to the Wolves, they're still in the hunt for first place in the West. Towns was hammered by the Hornets on his attempt to win the game at the end of the fourth quarter, but the officials didn't call a foul. And they bounced back with wins over two other sub-.500 Eastern Conference opponents in the Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets.
At the very least, this stretch is a reminder of just how important Mike Conley's maturity is, as well as how young others on the team are.
5. Milwaukee Bucks (31-13)
26 of 31
Previous Rank: 6
Net Rating: +4.0
Oh, what a week it was for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Just over halfway into his first season as an NBA head coach, Adrian Griffin was fired on Tuesday. Less than 24 hours later, former Philadelphia 76ers head coach and current ESPN analyst Doc Rivers was reported to be his replacement:
And suddenly, it feels like we're back to square one with this team.
Whatever we may have learned about this Damian Lillard-featured version of the Bucks over the last few months could be scrapped over the next few weeks.
Will Rivers run more two-man actions with Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo? Will he have the Bucks playing more like they did under Mike Budenholzer on defense?
With just a few months before the playoffs, Milwaukee is now one of the teams we know least.
4. Philadelphia 76ers (29-14)
27 of 31
Previous Rank: 4
Net Rating: +7.9
Joel Embiid made history Monday when he scored a Philadelphia 76ers record 70 points in just under 37 minutes.
And his season-long quest to total more points than minutes is starting to feel more like an inevitability than a challenge.
From the start of December through now, Embiid has scored 675 points in 575 minutes (or 39.7 points in 33.8 minutes per game).
3. Oklahoma City Thunder (31-13)
28 of 31
Previous Rank: 2
Net Rating: +8.3
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a bona fide MVP candidate. And Chet Holmgren may be the leader in the clubhouse in a Rookie of the Year debate with Victor Wembanyama, especially after the Oklahoma City Thunder crushed the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.
It's no surprise that they're getting the bulk of the attention, but it may be time to at least ask, "Is Jalen Williams OKC's second All-Star?"
The Thunder could be in first place by the All-Star Game, and Williams trails only Kevin Durant, De'Aaron Fox and LeBron James among Western Conference players in total fourth-quarter points.
In a season packed with gaudy individual stat lines, Williams' 18.7 points and 4.5 assists may get lost in the shuffle, but his steady-handed scoring and playmaking when SGA is on the bench is among the bigger reasons this team is within striking distance of the league's best record.
2. Los Angeles Clippers (28-14)
29 of 31
Previous Rank: 3
Net Rating: +5.7
The Los Angeles Clippers have won six of their last seven and 11 of their last 13, and you can trace the winning back quite a bit further than that.
Since the end of their six-game losing streak to start November, L.A. has arguably been the best team in the league.
At 25-7, it has the fewest losses in that span.
And during those 32 games, the Clippers are getting one of the most balanced Big Three-style attacks in the league.
Kawhi Leonard is averaging 24.9 points and shooting 54.4 percent from the field. Paul George is averaging 23.1 points and 3.7 threes, while shooting 42.8 percent from deep. And James Harden is calmly piloting the offense with 17.7 points, 9.2 assists and 2.9 threes, while shooting 43.0 percent from deep.
1. Boston Celtics (35-10)
30 of 31
Previous Rank: 1
Net Rating: +10.2
The Boston Celtics are a full-fledged juggernaut.
After crushing the Miami Heat by 33 points (in Miami) on Thursday, they're almost a full two points clear of the second-place Oklahoma City Thunder in net rating. They're second in the league in both offensive and defensive rating. And seemingly any combination of their top eight guys is dominant.
When at least two of Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, Payton Pritchard or Sam Hauser are on the floor, Boston is plus-10.0 points per 100 possessions.
Stat of the Week
31 of 31
One way to illustrate the statistical explosion taking place in the NBA this season is through Basketball Reference's game score, which is "a rough measure of a player's productivity for a single game."
The formula is pretty straightforward (at least relative to some of the adjusted plus-minuses out there these days) and accounts for all the basic columns from a box score.
And over the 50 seasons prior to this one, the average game score per minute played for an MVP season was 0.617. If you take out the last five MVPs from that mix (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokić and Joel Embiid), that average drops to 0.604.
In 2023-24 alone, there are a whopping 11 individual players over 0.6.
- Joel Embiid (0.908)
- Nikola Jokić (0.797)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (0.795)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (0.774)
- Luka Dončić (0.738)
- Tyrese Haliburton (0.713)
- Anthony Davis (0.657)
- Kevin Durant (0.624)
- LeBron James (0.616)
- Donovan Mitchell (0.602)
- Lauri Markkanen (0.601)
The numbers going up this season are positively bonkers.
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "4x All-Pro Justin Simmons Retires")
.jpg?w=600 "Rams Leapfrogged Cards for Simpson")
