NBA Power Rankings: Where Every Team Stands Entering 2024 All-Star Weekend
We've made it to the NBA's 2024 All-Star Weekend.
With the exception of a few remaining buyout candidates, rosters are set. Contenders are emerging (or solidifying their status as such). For other teams, the race to the bottom is on (or in the case of a few, persists).
As we prepare for this season's stretch run, which will commence when everyone returns from the week-long break that starts Friday, it's time to see how the league stacks up.
Based on team and individual numbers, championship chances, recent performance and lots of subjectivity, here's where all 30 teams stand.
30. Detroit Pistons (8-46)
1 of 31
Previous Rank: 27
Net Rating: -8.9
The Detroit Pistons are on a three-game losing streak (no surprise there), but all three losses came on the road, and the team has generally been more competitive of late.
Perhaps the biggest reason for the slight turnaround (by Pistons standards) is Jaden Ivey.
Prior to an 0-of-6 outing against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, Ivey had averaged 20.5 points, 4.7 assists and 2.5 threes, while shooting 41.6 percent from deep across 17 games.
29. Washington Wizards (9-45)
2 of 31
Previous Rank: 28
Net Rating: -8.5
Reasons for optimism have been few and far between for the Washington Wizards this season, but 23-year-old Deni Avdija is undeniably one of them.
He had 43 points, 15 rebounds and three assists in a competitive loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday, and it was hardly his first eye-opening performance of late.
Avdija has scored at least 21 points in five of his last six appearances, and he's averaging 19.2 points while shooting 56.1 percent from three over his last 12.
28. San Antonio Spurs (11-44)
3 of 31
Previous Rank: 29
Net Rating: -8.5
Victor Wembanyama has been on an absolute tear for over a month now. In his last 23 appearances, he's averaging 23.0 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.3 blocks.
But in Monday's win over the Toronto Raptors, he exceeded his own increasingly lofty standards with a non-assist triple-double.
27. Charlotte Hornets (13-41)
4 of 31
Previous Rank: 30
Net Rating: -10.8
Break up the Charlotte Hornets!
They're suddenly on a three-game winning streak, and their only loss since the trade deadline came on the road against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.
And after finishing the game as a plus-10 against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, Grant Williams is plus-43 in his first four games in the purple and teal.
And after barely cracking the Oklahoma City Thunder's rotation for most of the season, Vasilije Micić is having a mini-breakout too. He has 18 assists in his three games as a Hornet.
If those two continue to energize the bench, Brandon Miller keeps lighting up from the outside and LaMelo Ball eventually returns from his ankle injury, Charlotte might even be able to play some spoiler down the stretch.
26. Portland Trail Blazers (15-39)
5 of 31
Previous Rank: 26
Net Rating: -8.8
The Portland Trail Blazers are in the strange position of being one of the worst teams in the NBA while also possibly being too competitive to challenge the Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards and San Antonio Spurs for having one of the league's three worst records (and a 14.0 percent shot at the No. 1 pick).
And for this year's draft class, often referred to as "weak" by draft analysts, maybe that's not the worst possible outcome for Portland.
Continue to stay in games to a degree some of the other tankers typically can't with veterans like Malcolm Brogdon and Jerami Grant. Let Scoot Henderson continue to learn and develop behind Brogdon. And try to find the diamond outside the top three in this year's draft.
25. Toronto Raptors (19-36)
6 of 31
Previous Rank: 24
Net Rating: -3.8
The Toronto Raptors went 3-1 in Immanuel Quickley's first four appearances, but they're 4-15 since then. And their trade deadline acquisitions of Ochai Agbaji and Kelly Olynyk don't look like they're going to turn things around either.
After losing to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, Toronto's on a three-game losing streak that includes a 23-point drubbing by the San Antonio Spurs that Scottie Barnes left before the final buzzer sounded.
As recently as when the deal for Quickley and RJ Barrett happened (Dec. 30), the Raptors could've fancied themselves play-in contenders. Now, they're about as close to that as they are to the East's season-long tankers in the standings.
24. Memphis Grizzlies (20-36)
7 of 31
Previous Rank: 25
Net Rating: -5.9
They've lost almost twice as many games as they've won. Their starting center from 2022-23, Steven Adams, underwent season-ending surgery just before this season started. Ja Morant only made nine appearances before a shoulder injury sidelined him for the year. And Desmond Bane hasn't played since January 12 because of an ankle issue.
And somehow the Memphis Grizzlies could easily be seen as one of this season's success stories.
Yes, the losses have piled up, especially of late, but Memphis enters the All-Star break on a two-game winning streak. The team refuses to quit on this season, and that persistence paid off with a win over Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday.
The NBA on TNT showcase served as a solid introduction for Vince Williams Jr. and GG Jackson to a national audience, too. Both had 27 points in that contest, and both look like bona fide pieces of the team's core going forward.
23. Brooklyn Nets (21-33)
8 of 31
Previous Rank: 23
Net Rating: -2.3
After managing to appear in four straight games, Ben Simmons missed Wednesday's contest with the Boston Celtics, which ended as an embarrassing 50-point loss for the Nets.
Simmons' individual averages are way down, but they're 6-6 in the few games he's played. After Wednesday, they're now 15-27 in all other games.
Even if he's not scoring a ton, the defensive versatility, mismatch creation, rebounding and transition playmaking from the 27-year-old still help. Brooklyn just has to find a way to keep him on the floor.
22. Utah Jazz (26-30)
9 of 31
Previous Rank: 21
Net Rating: -3.0
Last season, the Utah Jazz's shot at a play-in berth went awry fairly quickly after Mike Conley was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
This season, the slide probably started before the trade deadlines moves, but unloading Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji for Otto Porter Jr. (who's yet to appear in a game for Utah) and Kira Lewis Jr. (who's played less than five minutes) didn't help.
After losing to the Warriors on Thursday, the Jazz are now 4-10 in their last 14. And with Golden State and the Lakers surging, it feels pretty safe to count Utah out for the second February in a row.
21. Atlanta Hawks (24-31)
10 of 31
Previous Rank: 22
Net Rating: -2.4
Right when it looked like the Atlanta Hawks might be making a little push toward .500, they closed out the week with back-to-back losses to the sub-.500 Chicago Bulls and tanking Charlotte Hornets.
The two contests felt perfectly on-brand for a team that just cannot seem to break free of mediocrity since making the conference finals in 2021.
A step forward is almost always followed by a step (or two back), and it was the defense causing the moonwalking in this case.
After surrendering 136 to the Bulls on Monday, Atlanta gave up 122 to the Hornets on Wednesday. It was Charlotte's ninth time getting to 120 points this season, which is tied for the second lowest total in the league.
The only reason the Hawks crept up a spot is the ongoing demise of the Utah Jazz.
20. Chicago Bulls (26-29)
11 of 31
Previous Rank: 20
Net Rating: -1.4
He had a bit of a letdown in Wednesday's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, scoring 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting, but Ayo Dosunmu had averaged 15.9 points, 3.4 assists and 2.2 threes while shooting 52.5 percent from deep over his previous 14 games.
And while he's probably not what you'd call a "prospect," he is still just 24 years old. There's still some time between now and his prime to develop.
For a team and front office that seems hellbent on remaining mediocre, little stretches like this—or Coby White's season-long breakout—are the occasional rays of hope for those Chicago Bulls fans who may have given up on the organization (at least in its current form) ever officially rebuilding.
19. Houston Rockets (24-30)
12 of 31
Previous Rank: 19
Net Rating: +0.5
The Houston Rockets took a bad loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, continuing their slow, steady, two-month descent out of play-in contention, but they're getting some encouraging play from a pair of rookies to make this stretch more palatable.
Amen Thompson has played in Houston's last five games and averaged 12.0 points, 11.6 rebounds (wild for a point guard), 4.0 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.8 blocks in those contests.
Cam Whitmore, meanwhile, missed the Rockets' last three games with an injury, but he'd averaged 15.4 points and 2.4 threes in 21.0 minutes over 14 games prior to those absences.
18. Philadelphia 76ers (32-22)
13 of 31
Previous Rank: 14
Net Rating: +4.5
To no one's surprise, life without Joel Embiid is proving to be difficult for the Philadelphia 76ers.
After losing to the Miami Heat on Wednesday, they're now 3-5 since he left the rotation with his latest injury and 3-6 if you count the Golden State Warriors game in which he hurt his knee.
But that's sort of the glass-half-empty view of the last couple weeks.
Philadelphia had actually managed a couple road wins, including one against the Cleveland Cavaliers, after the trade deadline and before the Miami loss.
And even Wednesday offered reasons for optimism, such as Tyrese Maxey's 30 points and seven assists, or Buddy Hield's 22 points, 10 assists and five threes.
If Philly is indeed able to get Embiid back in time for a stretch or playoff run, the reps Maxey and Hield are getting now will pay dividends. And having another high-end floor spacer on the floor like Hield will make it tougher for opposing defenses to focus on Embiid too.
There will be rough patches without the big man (hence the aggressive drop in the rankings), but it's not hard to still feel generally optimistic about this team.
17. Orlando Magic (30-25)
14 of 31
Previous Rank: 16
Net Rating: +1.0
The Orlando Magic got blown out on Shaquille O'Neal's jersey-retirement night on Tuesday, but they rebounded on the second night of a back-to-back, beating the New York Knicks on Wednesday and again showcasing the upside of their forward duo.
Against New York, Franz Wagner was plus-25 in 32 minutes, scored 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting and handed out six assists. Paolo Banchero finished with 36 points, dished five assists of his own and shot 15-of-20 from the field.
And that last number may be worth examining a bit deeper.
16. Indiana Pacers (31-25)
15 of 31
Previous Rank: 15
Net Rating: +1.3
After missing 10 games in January and playing his first few back on a minutes restriction, the pre-injury version of Tyrese Haliburton seemingly returned this week.
The Indiana Pacers went 2-1 since the last power rankings came out, and Haliburton averaged 18.7 points, 12.0 assists and 4.0 threes, while shooting 46.2 percent in those games.
Now that Pascal Siakam is on the team, Haliburton's numbers may not be quite as gaudy as they were in November in December, but if he can maintain production like this, the Pacers should be fine.
So, why the dip in the rankings? Both Indiana and the Orlando Magic have been solid of late, but a pair of Western Conference standbys are surging.
15. Golden State Warriors (27-26)
16 of 31
Previous Rank: 18
Net Rating: +1.4
Blowing a fourth-quarter double-digit lead to the Kawhi Leonard-less Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday was a bit of a downer, but the Golden State Warriors had a generally strong 3-1 week highlighted by a mind-blowing game-winner by Stephen Curry on Saturday.
Curry's heroics, the fact that he hit at least seven threes in four straight games from February 8 through the Clippers loss, Draymond Green being back, Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski breaking out and Golden State being 8-2 in their last 10 has the vibes flowing.
And while Klay Thompson's basketball mortality remains a pretty steady topic of conversation, even he had a moment in Thursday's win over the Utah Jazz. Coming off the bench must have been a tough proposition for someone who hasn't done that since his rookie campaign in 2011-12, but he scored 35 points as a reserve against the Utah Jazz.
As recently as January 27, the Warriors were five games under .500. Today, they enter the All-Star break a game above that line.
14. Los Angeles Lakers (30-26)
17 of 31
Previous Rank: 17
Net Rating: -0.2
Are the Los Angeles Lakers about to follow last season's script?
After they won three straight and six of their last seven, a spot in the play-in tournament almost feels like a given. And despite their standing pat at the trade deadline, when Darvin Ham deploys the right players, L.A. often looks like the team that made a surprise conference finals run in 2023.
The Lakers still have the negative point differential indicated by their net rating, but they're plus-2.1 points per 100 possessions when at least two of D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura on the floor.
13. Sacramento Kings (31-23)
18 of 31
Previous Rank: 13
Net Rating: +0.5
The Sacramento Kings are 2-2 in their last four, but the two losses were on the road and against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Phoenix Suns. The two wins came against the reigning champion Denver Nuggets (including one game in Denver).
And while no one is going to make an MVP argument for Domantas Sabonis any time soon, he's now 3-0 against Nikola Jokić this season, has outplayed him in the last two games and recently took the season lead for triple-doubles.
Sabonis now has 18 triple-doubles, while Jokić is in second place with 15.
Perhaps even more surprising, with his 18 triple-doubles this season, Sabonis is up to 50 for his career, a total that ranks 11th all-time.
12. Milwaukee Bucks (35-21)
19 of 31
Previous Rank: 10
Net Rating: +3.1
The Milwaukee Bucks entered the All-Star break with a whimper, losing a home game to the Jimmy Butler-less Miami Heat by 26 on Tuesday and following that up with a three-point loss to the 20-36 Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday.
Doc Rivers, slated to coach the Eastern Conference All-Stars, is now 3-7 since he assumed coaching duties. And outside of perhaps Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had 35 points on 15-of-17 shooting and 12 assists on Thursday, nothing and no one seems right on this team at the moment.
The defense is still far too easily breached on the perimeter. There are nights when the reserves look totally inept on both ends of the floor. And Damian Lillard remains on track for one of the least efficient shooting seasons of his career.
On raw talent, Milwaukee should be seen as an inner-circle contender, but it's generally been anything but that under Rivers. And he only has a couple months to implement a defensive scheme that works and find the right offensive balance between Giannis and Lillard before the playoffs.
11. Miami Heat (30-25)
20 of 31
Previous Rank: 11
Net Rating: +0.3
The Miami Heat have more than emerged from their seven-game losing streak in January, winning six of eight since then and crushing the Milwaukee Bucks (in Milwaukee) on Tuesday.
In a game that was missing Jimmy Butler, a seemingly random contributor stepped up to replace the production of a regular—in typical Miami fashion. In this case, it was Nikola Jović, who dropped 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-8 from three.
But that was more of a one-off. The bigger and more consistent reason for Miami's in-season turnaround is center Bam Adebayo. He had a triple-double in the win over the Bucks and is averaging 18.1 points, 11.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists over these eight games.
10. Dallas Mavericks (32-23)
21 of 31
Previous Rank: 12
Net Rating: +1.3
The Dallas Mavericks' deadline-day acquisitions of Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington may not have gotten quite as much attention as last year's Kyrie Irving trade, but the impacts of both have been felt immediately.
Washington has a positive plus-minus in all three of his appearances for the Mavs, while Gafford is averaging 15.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in just 21.4 minutes since the deal.
But the biggest catalyst behind Dallas' current six-game winning streak may be Irving. That just happens to be the exact number of games he's been back from injury, and Kyrie is averaging 26.7 points, 6.3 assists and 3.0 threes, while shooting 42.9 percent from deep in that span.
9. New York Knicks (33-22)
22 of 31
Previous Rank: 8
Net Rating: +4.8
Right when it looked like we could crown the New York Knicks as the unofficial winners of January and February, they've suddenly lost four in a row and five of their last six.
The latest defeat came at the hands of the Orlando Magic, who held New York to an even 100 points and saddled a single-game plus-minus of minus-28 in new Knick Alec Burks.
There's no real reason for any kind of alarm bells, though. OG Anunoby and Julius Randle, two full-time starters, have missed this entire six-game stretch. Bojan Bogdanović was out for Wednesday's loss to Orlando.
And guards Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo are still cooking in the losses. The former is averaging 32.4 points since this run started, and the latter is at 26.2.
If that backcourt continues to produce anywhere near this level upon the return of the forwards, New York will start rattling off wins again.
8. New Orleans Pelicans (33-22)
23 of 31
Previous Rank: 9
Net Rating: +4.4
Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram can reach higher single-game ceilings than CJ McCollum, but the veteran guard has been a constant for the top-six New Orleans Pelicans all season.
McCollum is averaging 19.0 points, 4.6 assists and 3.4 threes, while shooting 42.1 percent from deep. And in Wednesday's win over the Washington Wizards, he went for 26 points and six dimes.
It was McCollum's 10th 20-and-5 game, and the Pelicans are 10-0 when he clears both benchmarks.
7. Denver Nuggets (36-19)
24 of 31
Previous Rank: 2
Net Rating: +3.3
Immediately after getting a benefit-of-the-doubt bump in last week's power rankings, the Denver Nuggets reminded us why they've hovered around fifth for most of the season.
After a second-half collapse at home against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, Denver enters the All-Star break on a three-game losing streak that underscores a generally underwhelming and often unenergized title defense (to this point).
The Nuggets are 13th in offense, 11th in defense, tied for ninth in net rating and 15th in double-digit wins. Those aren't exactly the markers of a team hungry to repeat.
In fairness, Denver showed flip-a-switch ability in its win over the Boston Celtics in Boston in January. Jamal Murray missed much of the early portion of the season (and Wednesday's loss) with injuries. And the starting five still has an overwhelmingly positive plus-minus.
But the Nuggets have generally been uninspiring in plenty of games and stretches this season. Keeping them at this point of the power rankings is more of a nod to the last postseason than anything they've done in 2023-24.
6. Phoenix Suns (33-22)
25 of 31
Previous Rank: 7
Net Rating: +3.3
A hamstring injury has Bradley Beal sidelined once again, but he was starting to find his way for his new team prior to Tuesday's setback.
Over a 22-game stretch from New Year's Eve to mid-February, Beal put up 20.3 points and 5.0 assists.
And for the entire season, Phoenix is plus-15.4 points per 100 possessions when Beal shares the floor with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
5. Cleveland Cavaliers (36-17)
26 of 31
Previous Rank: 6
Net Rating: +5.8
This week featured a little hiccup of a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, but the Cleveland Cavaliers remain one of the hottest teams in the league behind superstar guard Donovan Mitchell.
Weeks ago, when Evan Mobley and Darius Garland both went down for injuries, there were calls to fold, trade Mitchell, pile up a bunch of losses and hope for a high draft pick in 2024.
Instead, Mitchell pushed them through with MVP-caliber play that might just put him in the MVP conversation.
Cleveland is 18-2 in its last 20 games. And during that stretch, the 27-year-old is averaging 29.0 points, 7.0 assists and 3.6 threes while shooting 37.6 percent from deep.
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (37-17)
27 of 31
Previous Rank: 4
Net Rating: +7.3
The Oklahoma City Thunder were blown out by the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday, but they rebounded with back-to-back 127-113 wins over the Sacramento Kings and Orlando Magic (yes, the score was the same in both games).
And while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has understandably gotten most of the attention this season, the two victories were good showcases of his excellent supporting cast.
Jalen Williams scored 65 points in those two contests, while Chet Holmgren had nine blocks.
On the season, when those two are on the floor with SGA, OKC is plus-9.8 points per 100 possessions.
3. Los Angeles Clippers (36-17)
28 of 31
Previous Rank: 3
Net Rating: +5.4
Kawhi Leonard missed Wednesday's win over the Golden State Warriors with an adductor strain, but Paul George and James Harden offered a reminder of the upside of the three-star model in that game.
On the road and against the surging Warriors, George had 24 points and five assists, while Harden had 26 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
For the season, L.A. is plus-13.5 points per 100 possessions when George and Harden play without Leonard.
2. Minnesota Timberwolves (39-16)
29 of 31
Previous Rank: 5
Net Rating: +7.0
Even those with the most optimistic preseason view of the Minnesota Timberwolves likely didn't foresee something like this through 55 games.
The Wolves are entering the All-Star break in first place in the seemingly never-ending gauntlet that is the Western Conference. Rudy Gobert is a runaway favorite for Defensive Player of the Year. Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns are both All-Stars. And Mike Conley is rocking a sweatshirt with his coach's face emblazoned all over it.
For a team that had the worst winning percentage in the league from the start of its first season through the end of 2022-23, and one that was lampooned for the Gobert trade in 2022, this pre-All-Star portion of the season couldn't have gone much better.
1. Boston Celtics (43-12)
30 of 31
Previous Rank: 1
Net Rating: 10.3
The Boston Celtics have been the best team in the NBA for the majority of this regular season, and they entered the All-Star break with an emphatic reminder of their upside on Wednesday.
It certainly didn't come against the most terrifying opponent, but the Celtics closing out this portion of the schedule with a 50-point win over the Brooklyn Nets felt like a message.
As evidenced by their league-leading net rating, no team buries opponents as thoroughly and regularly as this one. And it can seemingly do it with any lineup built out of the NBA's best eight-man rotation.
On Wednesday, Sam Hauser started in place of Jaylen Brown, and he was plus-40 in 29 minutes while going 4-of-7 from deep. Payton Pritchard dropped 28 points in 32 minutes off the bench.
The stars might get most of the attention, but there's some depth here that is going to make the Celtics a nightmare to play in a seven-game series.
Stat of the Week
31 of 31
This week, ESPN's latest MVP straw poll was published. Nikola Jokić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were unsurprisingly in the top two spots.
And while Jokić had a commanding lead over SGA there and continues to run away with Basketball Reference's MVP Tracker ("...based on a model built using previous voting results"), don't be surprised if the buzz around Shai gets louder.
His Oklahoma City Thunder look hungrier than the Denver Nuggets to finish first. Despite the addition of Gordon Hayward, they're still one of the youngest teams in the league. A guard leading a squad this inexperienced to first place in the gauntlet that is the West would be remarkable.
And while SGA's basic numbers (outside of points per game) may not leap off the screen quite as dramatically as Jokić's 26.3 points, 12.2 rebounds and 9.0 assists, he's consistently putting up his own gaudy lines. Jokić's assists set him apart. For Gilgeous-Alexander, it's steals.
Beyond leading the NBA in steals per game (and ranking in the 97th percentile in defensive estimated plus-minus), SGA had his 21st game with at least 30 points, five assists and two steals in Tuesday's win over the Orlando Magic
That means he's getting to those thresholds in a remarkable 39.6 percent of his appearances this season. At that pace, if he doesn't have anymore absences, he'll finish with 32 such games.
Michael Jordan (35 in 1987-88) is the only player who finished a campaign with more.
.jpg?w=600 "Cards Had Wrong Love Number 😅")
.jpg?w=600 "Best Remaining Players on 2026 NFL Draft Big Board")