NBA Power Rankings: Where Each Team Stands Heading into Preseason
The NBA dominated headlines for much of the summer, as big-name free agents switched teams and the defending champs quietly brought back the same pieces that won a title. In addition, many of the league’s stars played in the 2014 FIBA World Cup.
The regular season is right around the corner, and plenty of teams will look to use the preseason as a way of fitting the pieces together.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at some early power rankings heading into the preseason.
30. Philadelphia 76ers
It’s not exactly a secret at this point—the Philadelphia 76ers are looking to land a favorable draft pick next year and probably don’t mind sacrificing the 2014-15 season to get there.
There could be something of a core moving forward with Joel Embiid, Michael Carter-Williams and Nerlens Noel, especially if the 76ers add another high draft pick to the mix, but there won’t be many wins this season.
29. Orlando Magic
Like the 76ers, the Orlando Magic have a couple of nice pieces but are far away from competing for a postseason spot. Victor Oladipo, Aaron Gordon and Tobias Harris should help this team turn in a better season than last year, but Orlando is still a couple of years away.
In fact, Orlando has only won 43 games in the past two seasons since Dwight Howard left.
28. Utah Jazz
Gordon Hayward is back, but he may not have as many offensive responsibilities this season with Trey Burke and Dante Exum in the backcourt.
Even if Burke takes another step forward and Exum lives up to some of the hype right away, it’s still difficult to envision Utah racking together enough wins to compete in the loaded Western Conference.
27. Boston Celtics
This season is all about Rajon Rondo for the Boston Celtics. Questions about whether the team will keep him will dominate headlines, but he also needs to prove he is healthy and fully recovered from a torn ACL.
Elsewhere, Jared Sullinger, James Young and Marcus Smart could be the start of something in Boston, but it will not be this season. They better get used to answering Rondo questions.
26. Milwaukee Bucks
Jabari Parker, Jabari Parker, Jabari Parker.
The Milwaukee Bucks drafted a potential superstar of the future with the No. 2 pick, and he should pair nicely with Larry Sanders and Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks are still far away from fielding a competitive roster, but Parker provides a much-needed injection of optimism going forward.
25. Minnesota Timberwolves
The youth movement is in full swing for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
They traded Kevin Love as part of the deal that landed Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett and also have Zach LaVine, Thaddeus Young and Ricky Rubio. Rubio will be tasked with running the show from the point guard spot.
Like a number of these teams, Minnesota has a core in place and just needs a couple of years of seasoning.
24. Sacramento Kings
DeMarcus Cousins starred at the 2014 FIBA World Cup, which is encouraging for the Sacramento Kings moving forward. He has always been immensely talented and could be on his way to developing into a true star.
This team is going to miss Isaiah Thomas at point guard this year, though, even if Nik Stauskas impresses as a rookie and Darren Collison fills in admirably.
23. Detroit Pistons
Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond both have legitimate potential and could develop into a dominating big-man combination.
Still, the Detroit Pistons will be a coaching challenge for Stan Van Gundy with the two big men down low and Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings competing for shots. On paper, this team has some talent, but Van Gundy needs to make everything fit quickly.
22. Los Angeles Lakers
Acquiring Carlos Boozer and Jeremy Lin doesn’t exactly represent the best offseason of all time, but the Los Angeles Lakers will get a healthy Kobe Bryant this year. The Lakers should be better this season just based on Bryant’s presence alone.
Bryant discussed his role this year, via Sports Illustrated's Chris Ballard: "So when I hear pundits and people talk, saying, 'Well, he won’t be what he was.' Know what? You’re right. I won’t be. But just because something evolves, it doesn’t make it any less better than it was before."
It won’t be the same Bryant this season, but how he performs will be one of the most intriguing storylines to watch across the league.
21. Denver Nuggets
Kenneth Faried was arguably the United States’ best player at the World Cup, which should give him more confidence going forward for the Denver Nuggets this year.
Throw in Arron Afflalo, JaVale McGee, Danilo Gallinari and Nate Robinson, and the Nuggets could contend for a playoff spot this season. The key will be Faried parlaying his growth on the international stage to the NBA game.
20. New York Knicks
There was plenty of attention surrounding Phil Jackson and Derek Fisher this offseason, but many of the same pieces from last year’s disaster are still in place for the New York Knicks.
Carmelo Anthony is one of the best players in the NBA, but he may need some help from rookie Cleanthony Early if he hopes to return to the playoffs this year. At least New York could look to add some future pieces with Jackson pulling the strings now.
19. Indiana Pacers
We may be a bit higher on the Indiana Pacers than some.
Obviously, Paul George is a huge loss, but Rodney Stuckey could be a better replacement for Lance Stephenson than many think, as ESPN Stats & Info noted:
The key will be Roy Hibbert and David West carrying the team. Based on Hibbert’s postseason performance last season, that may be a risky proposition, but Indiana is going to need its big men to pick up some of the slack.
18. Brooklyn Nets
Marc Stein of ESPN.com didn’t exactly paint a pretty picture for the Brooklyn Nets:
"In Year 5 of the Mikhail Prokhorov regime, which he openly hoped would deliver a championship in five years or less, Brooklyn just wants to hang on as a playoff team until it has cap space to play with in 2016. 'Til then? Everything hinges on big comebacks by Brook Lopez and Deron Williams.
"
This team had hopes of competing in the Eastern Conference last year, but that may not be the case this season. As Stein noted, Deron Williams and Brook Lopez need bounce-back seasons if the Nets have postseason aspirations.
17. Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks put a serious scare in the Pacers in last year’s playoffs, and now they get Al Horford back.
The combination of Horford and Paul Millsap will be difficult for opponents to deal with all year, and Kyle Korver will benefit from behind the three-point line when the big men attract double-teams.
Jeff Teague is also there to direct the show, and the Hawks could be back in the playoffs this season.
16. New Orleans Pelicans
Anthony Davis is about to take off as one of the best players in the league, which may lead to a playoff appearance for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Throw in a healthy Jrue Holiday and Ryan Anderson, and the pieces are starting to come together. This still isn’t a top-notch squad, but it will prove difficult for some of the better teams in the league if it sneaks into the postseason.
15. Miami Heat
Clearly, the storyline with the Miami Heat is the loss of LeBron James, but there is still enough here to compete in the Eastern Conference.
Luol Deng, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade give the Heat some offensive options, and they may just play with a chip on their shoulder this year. Whether Wade has enough left in the tank remains to be seen, but Bosh may be asked to carry much of the offensive load.
14. Charlotte Hornets
Don’t sleep on the Charlotte Hornets this season.
Sure, they missed on Hayward, but they landed Stephenson on a great contract and still have Al Jefferson in place as one of the most underrated players in the NBA. We could be talking about a second-round appearance in the playoffs for Charlotte this season with the combination of Stephenson and Jefferson.
13. Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns have plenty of guards to go around after bringing Eric Bledsoe back into the fold.
Bledsoe joins a roster that has Zoran Dragic, Goran Dragic, Isaiah Thomas and Tyler Ennis. If nothing else, the Suns could get out in transition this season with a plethora of ball-handlers and shooters. Phoenix came incredibly close to making the playoffs last year, but it has the pieces to actually get in this time around.
12. Toronto Raptors
The biggest news for the Toronto Raptors in the offseason was the return of Kyle Lowry, and this team may just be ready to improve on its loss to the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the playoffs.
The young talent is in place to do just that, especially with DeMar DeRozan and Jonas Valanciunas surrounding Lowry.
11. Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards added some playoff experience with Paul Pierce to a group that could compete in the wide-open Eastern Conference behind the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls.
Now, the question is whether the backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal can take the next step and big guys Nene and Marcin Gortat can stay healthy and remain productive. There could even be a rivalry brewing, as Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal pointed out:
10. Memphis Grizzlies
As long as the big-man combination of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol is in place with the underrated Mike Conley running things on the outside, the Memphis Grizzlies are going to be a tough out.
They also added Vince Carter, so there is a veteran presence with playoff experience in place outside of the talented trio. The only problem for Memphis now is that the Western Conference is just too deep this season to look at the Grizzlies as a serious contender.
9. Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets did not exactly have a banner offseason and missed out on Anthony while losing Chandler Parsons, Lin and Omer Asik.
They are going to need James Harden to parlay his experience at the World Cup and take yet another step as a true superstar to offset the losses. It would also help if Howard can stay healthy for the whole season and play like the unstoppable center we saw in Orlando.
8. Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks had an impressive offseason with the signing of Parsons away from the Rockets and the re-acquisition of Tyson Chandler. Dirk Nowitzki is still in place as the rock that holds it all together.
However, much like the case with Memphis, the Western Conference may just be too deep for the Mavericks to seriously compete for a title.
7. Portland Trail Blazers
LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard represent one of the best one-two punches in all of the NBA, and both will likely take another step forward as superstars in this league. Nicolas Batum also got some experience in the World Cup and looks ready to be even better this year.
Portland is loaded with young talent and should be a postseason regular for years to come, but it isn’t quite on the same level as the Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio Spurs yet.
6. Golden State Warriors
We know the Golden State Warriors can light it up with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes, as well as Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green.
The main question is whether David Lee and Andrew Bogut can stay healthy for new coach Steve Kerr and if the defense is strong enough to compete in the deep West.
There will also be the added pressure of addressing Kevin Love questions, since the Warriors never really seriously pursued the big man even though they had a chance to do just that in the offseason.
5. Los Angeles Clippers
In terms of pure depth, the Los Angeles Clippers are arguably the top team in the league. They have superstars in Chris Paul and Blake Griffin and a whole list of shooters and productive complementary pieces ready to do their part.
As we have mentioned a number of times, the West is loaded, which could limit this team’s ceiling. Still, the fast breaks, three-point shooting and overall play will be excellent this year, and it is not difficult to imagine the Clippers contending for a title this season.
4. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are among the NBA’s best largely because of the superstar trio of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka.
That threesome alone makes them legitimate title contenders, but it really feels like they need another piece, especially down low, to compete with the San Antonio Spurs and maybe even the Clippers over the course of a seven-game series. It looked like Pau Gasol may have been that piece for some time this summer, but it didn’t come to fruition.
Now, the hope is the same core that came up short last year can make it further in the postseason this time around.
3. Chicago Bulls
While the world crowns the Cleveland Cavaliers as the best team in the Eastern Conference after an incredible summer, the Chicago Bulls went out and added Gasol, Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic to an already formidable roster.
How far this team goes will ultimately rest on the health of Derrick Rose, but the Rose, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, Gasol and Jimmy Butler rotation is intriguing. If nothing else, the Bulls should be a dominating defense.
Chicago is also deep with Mirotic, Mike Dunleavy, Kirk Hinrich, Tony Snell and McDermott, which could be a problem for Cleveland in the playoffs.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
Everything that needs to be said about the Cavs has been said this offseason.
James is the obvious headline-maker, while the presence of Love and Kyrie Irving means this new Big Three could be even better than LeBron's old one in Miami. The interior defense will have to hold up to win a title, but it is difficult to imagine anything less than an Eastern Conference Finals battle with Chicago for the new-look Cavaliers.
Still, with James on the roster, it is championship-or-bust.
1. San Antonio Spurs
The defending champs are No. 1 until proven otherwise.
While the rest of the league was busy making splashy moves, the Spurs brought back the same core that eviscerated James and the Heat in the Finals. Overlook San Antonio at your own risk.
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