NBA Power Rankings: Who's off to a Hot Start and Who's Struggling?
The 2014-15 NBA season is underway, and so are the power rankings. Teams have played at least three games thus far, so it is not at all too soon to start ordering them based on their starts out of the gate.
From the 5-0's to the 0-5's, we will be ranking these teams based solely on what they have shown us this season.
30. Los Angeles Lakers (0-5)
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The Lakers stink. There, I said it. They aren't going to be better unless they make a trade, and that's that.
Kobe Bryant can only carry this squad so far, and any team whose No. 2 and 3 options are Jeremy Lin and Jordan Hill is destined to struggle.
The Black Mamba will get his records, including the one for most missed shots in NBA history, according to ESPN Stats and Info. He will hope the Lakers can land someone like Jahlil Okafor with the first pick next spring.
29. Philadelphia 76ers (0-5)
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Well, this was expected.
I'm not sure I've ever seen a team so blatantly tank as this 76ers squad. But somehow it's more palatable when they aren't playing worse players on purpose but instead building their roster so that even their best options will fail miserably.
The young players are doing well, but that won't stop a team with only two double-digit scorers—Tony Wroten and Brandon Davies—from losing at a historic clip.
28. Indiana Pacers (1-4)
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From first in the East last season to 1-4 the very next season. The Pacers are struggling to score, as expected, but do still have a top-eight defense.
Quick pop quiz! Who is the Pacers' leading scorer?
Chris Copeland.
On the bright side, Roy Hibbert looks fixed, averaging 12.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per game.
This team will struggle to make the playoffs but could still improve from this point.
27. Oklahoma City Thunder (1-4)
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Oh, how the great have fallen!
Without star players Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, the Thunder have struggled as expected. Serge Ibaka is being called on to fill the void, averaging 18 points and 7.8 rebounds, but several others are still injured or returning from injury.
The Thunder will have a chance to make the playoffs as they get healthy but will have a much smaller window of opportunity.
26. Detroit Pistons (1-3)
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No team in the league has struggled to score more than the Detroit Pistons, who are scoring less than 90 points per game.
Even the Denver Nuggets have managed to beat this Pistons squad. Greg Monroe is balling in a contract year, scoring 20.5 points and hauling in 14.5 rebounds per game.
The Pistons are going to be bad this year, and they seem to almost welcome it.
25. Boston Celtics (1-3)
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The Celtics are probably not as bad as their record indicates, losing to three good teams in Houston, Dallas and Toronto.
Rajon Rondo is averaging a near triple-double with 9.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 12.5 assists per game. Meanwhile, Jeff Green is scoring a career-high 22.3 points per game.
If this team can hang onto all of its pieces, namely Rondo, it has a chance to be sleeper playoff team, especially with Brad Stevens at the helm.
24. Orlando Magic (1-3)
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The Orlando Magic are a bottom-tier scoring team with a middle-of-the-road defense—not a recipe for success.
Tobias Harris has continued his improvement from last season, scoring 17.8 points and adding 7.6 rebounds. Rookie Elfrid Payton is leading the team in assists with seven per game.
Nikola Vucevic is tied for first on the team in scoring with 17.8 points per game and leads in rebounds with 13.
The Magic were always going to bad, but let's see how exciting they can be.
23. Atlanta Hawks (1-2)
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The Atlanta Hawks are off to a 1-2 start, losing to the Spurs and the Raptors.
They have both a middle-of-the-road defense and a middle-of-the-road offense. They are led by the frontcourt duo of Paul Millsap and Al Horford, who are combining for 28 points and nearly 15 rebounds per game.
The Hawks will have to play better to make the postseason in the improved Eastern Conference.
22. Denver Nuggets (1-2)
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The Denver Nuggets were supposed to be good. Arron Afflalo was returning to a team that already boasted Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried, plus a talented group of bench scorers.
Denver is giving up the third most points per game and has failed to beat the likes of Sacramento and OKC.
Denver can only afford to drop so many games in a tough Western Conference before it will be out of the playoff hunt.
21. Cleveland Cavaliers (1-3)
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Well, well, well, fancy seeing you here, Cleveland.
The Cavaliers have struggled, only managing 96.5 points per game while giving up an eighth-worst 101.5 points per game.
LeBron James has been, dare I say it, passive. The team isn't moving the ball well, with James' 4.8 assists per game leading the team. Kyrie Irving has fewer than four per game.
The Cavs have a lot of time to figure it out, but as of right now, they haven't had a very fast start.
20. Milwaukee Bucks (2-3)
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The Jason Kidd-led Bucks have been disappointing thus far.
They have only managed wins against the hapless Pacers and 76ers while falling to the Hornets, Wizards and Bulls.
Brandon Knight is having a great start, but this team is so young—the third youngest in the league.
A top-10 defensive effort will help stabilize this squad, but Milwaukee will need better scoring production to avoid losing as much as it did last year.
19. Minnesota Timberwolves (2-2)
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The Minnesota Timberwolves made the commitment to the youth movement when they traded away All-Star Kevin Love for first overall pick Andrew Wiggins.
The Timberwolves have shown the ability to defeat beatable teams while failing to beat the playoff teams, much as we would expect from a young club. They have wins over the Brooklyn Nets and Detroit Pistons but fell to the Chicago Bulls and Memphis Grizzlies.
Wiggins has been solid, and Kevin Martin is having a revival to the tune of 23.7 points and 5.3 rebounds. Nikola Pekovic is averaging 8.3 rebounds, and Ricky Rubio has 11 assists per game.
It will be interesting to see how far this team can go.
18. Brooklyn Nets (2-2)
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The Brooklyn Nets have somehow become the 2012-13 Celtics, and the Celtics got picks for the privilege of allowing that. What a crock!
The Nets look past their prime but are still fighting because their players are too good to fall into the lottery.
On the bright side, Brook Lopez is back. Deron Williams looks better than last season, and owner Mikhail Prokhorov is publicly dissing his former coach.
17. New Orleans Pelicans (2-2)
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Anthony Davis has arrived.
Can we all agree to stop referring to Davis as an emerging superstar and just be real with ourselves? The Brow is averaging 23.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and a jaw-dropping four blocks per game.
By the same token, is Eric Gordon done? He is putting up less than six points per game and shooting 20 percent from the field. He was once known as a scorer.
New Orleans is giving up the sixth fewest points per game and boasts wins over Charlotte and Orlando, though they Pelicans didn't get it done against Memphis or Dallas.
16. New York Knicks (2-3)
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We all thought maybe Phil Jackson had done some sort of witchcraft on the Knicks after they defeated the vaunted Cavaliers and a playoff-caliber Hornets team.
Such a hot start had the Big Apple abuzz, but since then, they have lost to Detroit and Washington.
The pleasant surprise has been the play of the Knicks' $23 million man—Amar'e Stoudemire—who is putting up more than 11 points and eight rebounds per game so far in his contract year.
This Knicks squad will be better than last year's, but there is no guarantee of making the playoffs.
15. Utah Jazz (2-3)
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The Utah Jazz have played Dallas, Cleveland, Houston, Phoenix and the LA Clippers thus far and stand at 2-3. Most would have probably picked this team to go 1-4 or 0-5 during that stretch, but they have done better than expected against the best.
Gordon Hayward is attempting to live up to this contract, averaging 19.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists thus far. He and frontcourt mates Enes Kanter, Derrick Favors, Rudy Gobert and Trevor Booker are combining for 30.6 rebounds per game.
The Jazz should continue to improve and could sneak into the playoffs if they keep up this level of play.
14. San Antonio Spurs (2-1)
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The Spurs have been the Spurs.
I love watching the Spurs, even when they bore me. And they can be boring; they just have a certain level of control over every game that is awe-inspiring.
But either way, they have good wins over the Hawks and Mavericks but fell to the Phoenix Suns. Kawhi Leonard is struggling to score, putting up only 8.5 points through three games, but he has rebounded well to the tune of seven per contest.
Their first real test will come Thursday night in Houston.
13. Charlotte Hornets (2-3)
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The Charlotte Hornets have looked every bit a team that has two new starters and several new contributors.
Some things have gone well: They defeated the Miami Heat for the first time in 16 games but also lost to the Knicks.
Lance Stephenson has struggled to score, averaging 6.6 points, but he is leading the team in rebounds and assists with 10 and 5.6, respectively.
Big Al Jefferson is scoring 20 points and pulling in seven rebounds. He also put in his best game yet against the Miami Heat.
The Hornets will have to score better than their fifth-worst mark right now but will look to continue a top-five ranking for points against.
12. Portland Trail Blazers (2-2)
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The Trail Blazers have fallen to two of the best teams in the Western Conference—the Kings and Warriors—but beat the Thunder and Cavaliers.
LaMarcus Aldridge is still a stud, and Wesley Mathews is having a career year thus far.
The key for this team will be maintaining a top-five defense; we know they have enough offensive firepower to get it done.
11. LA Clippers (3-2)
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The LA Clippers were off to a great start before getting embarrassed by the Warriors Wednesday night in the Bay.
They failed to play any defense whatsoever and stood idly by as the Warriors scored 15 threes. Star forward Blake Griffin is off to yet another career scoring year with 25.8 but has a career-low 6.4 rebounds per game.
The Clippers can figure it out, and Doc Rivers usually will, but for now their start has left much to be desired.
10. Dallas Mavericks (3-1)
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The Dallas Mavericks failed to beat the San Antonio Spurs in their first game of the season but have since ripped off three straight wins.
They are, by points scored, the best offense in the league so far. They are led by Dirk Nowitzki, Chandler Parsons and Monta Ellis, who are all scoring above 17 points per game so far.
Parsons, the new addition, is scoring 18.8 points, pulling down 4.5 rebounds and shooting 50 percent from the field.
The Mavericks will have to shore up a shaky defense to beat the true contenders, but they have an elite offense.
9. Toronto Raptors (4-1)
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The Raptors have jumped out to a fast start, courtesy of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry.
The former is averaging 22 points, five rebounds and 2.8 assists, and the latter is averaging 19.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists.
The Raptors have notched four wins but failed to win a close game against the Miami Heat.
Look for the continued improved play of Jonas Valanciunas, who is building on a solid sophomore campaign, as well as Amir Johnson, who is playing great in a contract year.
8. Phoenix Suns (3-2)
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The Phoenix Suns are no longer an unknown commodity; we all know that they have the potential to make the playoffs. They are now 3-2 to start the season, with a victory over the reigning champion Spurs as their first marquee win.
They have also added two wins by way of defeating the 0-5 Lakers.
The Slash Brothers—Isaiah Thomas, Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic—are combining for 44 points and 11.5 assists per game while shooting 44 percent from the field.
7. Miami Heat (3-2)
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Much of the talk surrounding the post-LeBron-James era of the Miami Heat was centered on two questions. Is Chris Bosh still an elite player who can be the centerpiece of a team? And can Dwyane Wade still be a major contributor to a contender?
The answer to both of these questions, thus far, has been a resounding yes.
Bosh is scoring 24.2 points and 11 rebounds per game, and Wade is putting up 18.6 points and six assists per game.
Both players, health permitting, look ready to lead the Heat to another deep playoff run. The Heat have beaten two Eastern Conference playoff teams in Washington and Toronto but lost to the Hornets Wednesday night.
In addition, new acquisition Luol Deng is scoring 13 points and pulling down 3.2 rebounds per game. He's no LeBron James, but Deng is doing well to contribute some of that lost production.
6. Sacramento Kings (3-1)
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Are the Kings for real?
It sure looks like it. They are out to a 3-1 start, and their only loss has come from the seemingly unstoppable Warriors.
DeMarcus "Boogie" Cousins has jumped out to a hot start that has seen him average 24 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks.
Bonus question: What did Rudy Gay do this offseason?
He looks better than ever, with current career highs in points (24.4) and field-goal percentage (52 percent).
The Kings, if they can maintain this level of play, look to be a playoff team.
5. Washington Wizards (4-1)
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The Washington Wizards are off to a great start, only losing to the Miami Heat.
John Wall is scoring 21.4 points, dishing 10 assists and stealing 2.8 times per game, while Marcin Gortat has more than 15 points and nine rebounds per game so far.
The Wizards came into this season with aspirations of repeating the success of last season and are already off to a great beginning.
4. Chicago Bulls (4-1)
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The Bulls are 4-1 on the season, with their only defeat coming in an overtime meeting with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
With the deepest team that Chicago has had in years, the Bulls are legitimately 10-11 guys deep. There are, as of now, only two players on the roster who are not playing at least 12 minutes per game.
Health will always be the biggest concern for this team, and with Rose missing two games already, that may be a valid concern. But the best defense for health issues has always been depth, and no team in the league has it like Chicago.
Pau Gasol has been a great addition and a perfect complement to center Joakim Noah.
3. Memphis Grizzlies (5-0)
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The Grizzlies were one of the most-injured teams in the league last year, missing Tony Allen, Marc Gasol and Mike Conley for periods of time.
With a mostly healthy squad, the Grizzlies have jumped out to an impeccable defensive start, holding their opposition to an impressive 86.4 points per game.
This start will have to hold for a team that is seventh-lowest in points scored. Gasol and Zach Randolph are combining for 38.4 points per game and 18.8 rebounds.
Conley has been his usual steady self, putting up more than 15.4 points, 1.4 steals and 6.6 assists.
The last team to hold opponents to less than 86 points per game was the 2003-2004 Detroit Pistons, who won the championship that year. The Memphis Grizzlies will need to keep up this level of defensive play if they wish to advance in the playoffs.
2. Houston Rockets (4-0)
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The Houston Rockets have gotten off to one of the hottest start in the NBA, winning five games with an average point differential of plus-14.
James Harden is off to a career start, with 27.2 points per game, 7.4 assists, 6.8 rebounds and a 40 percent clip from downtown. He is shooting a career-low 38 percent from the field but is making a league-high 12.2 free throws per game.
Dwight Howard looks like himself once again, to the tune of 17.2 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.
The real difference for this team has been the defense; the Rockets are allowing only 91.4 points per game. Between Dwight Howard and Terrence Jones (1.75 blocks per game) the interior has been locked down. Out on the wings, Trevor Ariza and Harden have combined for 3.2 steals.
In fact, Ariza is having a career year as a scorer, adding three more points per game to his previous high of 14.4.
After defeating four teams that are unlikely to make the playoffs—the Lakers, Jazz, Philadelphia and Boston—Houston managed to add a great win over a hot Miami team on Monday night.
1. Golden State Warriors
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Golden State has run out to a 4-0 start on the strength of a league-leading 15.8 point differential.
Newly re-signed guard Klay Thompson is the third leading scorer in the league with 27 points per game, as well as a career-high three assists per game.
Stephen Curry has been no slouch either, putting up 25.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, seven assists and an absurd three steals per game.
The Warriors have beaten a very hot Sacramento team, crushed the Clippers, edged out a formidable Portland squad and smoked a hapless Lakers team.
It will still be interesting to see how this team fares against the top teams in the Western Conference, but if the Warriors continue to score like they have and keep up their top-five defense, they will have little trouble being a high seed in the postseason.
All advanced stats from Basketball-Reference.com.
