L.A Lakers, Golden State Warriors Risers Entering 2025 Playoffs In NBA Power Rankings
Following the conclusion of the play-in tournament, the NBA's 2025 playoff field is officially set.
Now, it's time to rank the 16 teams still standing based (mostly) on the same criteria we used throughout the regular season: team and individual numbers, recent performance, championship chances and plenty of subjectivity.
The difference, now that we're in the playoffs, is that we're going to emphasize the title prospects even more than we did during the regular season. And contained within that criteria will be some consideration of each team's potential path to the Finals, and ultimately, a championship.
16. Miami Heat (+10000)
1 of 16
Previous Rank: 17
Net Rating: 0.4
The Miami Heat came from behind in the fourth quarter on Friday, beat the Atlanta Hawks in overtime and became the first team in play-in history to make the playoffs from 10th place.
Their prize? A matchup with a Cleveland Cavaliers team that just had the 16th-best single-season average point differential in NBA history.
Miami and the players who've made deep playoff runs (like Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo) have enough pride, talent and fight to sneak a game (or maybe two), but it's hard to imagine them matching Cleveland's firepower.
This Cinderella run is likely to end in the first round.
15. Orlando Magic (+100000)
2 of 16
Previous Rank: 15
Net Rating: -0.2
The Orlando Magic were expected to be better than they were this season, but the obvious reason for the underwhelming 41-41 finish is injuries.
Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero both missed significant time (and at different times) with torn obliques. Jalen Suggs hasn't played since January. And that trio only shared the floor for just over 200 possessions.
But Orlando was still a respectable plus-3.8 points per 100 possessions when Wagner and Banchero played together, thanks mostly to a dynamic, versatile defense that covered the floor in a way few others could.
If Banchero and Wagner get hot, especially if that happens at the same time, this team can at least make the Boston Celtics uncomfortable.
But the chances of that happening in four out of seven games against the reigning champions are exceptionally slim.
14. Memphis Grizzlies (+50000)
3 of 16
Previous Rank: 13
Net Rating: 4.7
The Memphis Grizzlies could very well be a better team than some of those listed in front of them here, but none of those squads have to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round.
The Grizzlies are headed into an absolute basketball buzzsaw that's likely to end their run relatively quickly.
Memphis won't simply lay down for OKC, though. They have three legitimate star-level players in Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane. And the Grizzlies were plus-9.3 points per 100 possessions when all three were on the floor this season.
But they also went 0-4 against the Thunder this season, losing those games by an average of 18.8 points. So, uh, yeaaah... We probably won't see Memphis in the second round.
13. Detroit Pistons (+41000)
4 of 16
Previous Rank: 14
Net Rating: 2.1
The Detroit Pistons deserve a wave of credit for more than tripling their win total from a year ago, but this group's first trip to the playoffs isn't likely to be a long one.
There's very little postseason experience among the team's most important players. Cade Cunningham, of course, has none. And the Pistons have to face Jalen Brunson in the first round.
Even if they survive that matchup, they'd have to face the Boston Celtics in the second round. Knocking off the reigning champions would give Detroit one of the biggest upsets in league history.
And while the Pistons will surely play hard, rough a few opponents up along the way and win a game or two, they're probably not quite ready to make history.
12. Milwaukee Bucks (+12000)
5 of 16
Previous Rank: 12
Net Rating: 2.4
Damian Lillard is going to miss the start of the playoffs. And given the fact that we just learned of his diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis last month, it wouldn't be surprising for him to miss the entire first round.
Any team without its second-best player is a long shot, at best, to make a deep playoff run.
But the Milwaukee Bucks are in a little different position than most injury-hampered playoff teams. They have one of the top 20-25 players of all time in Giannis Antetokounmpo.
And he's playing out of his mind right now.
In 11 games since Lillard left the rotation, Giannis has averaged 31.2 points, 11.3 rebounds and 8.6 assists. And for the entire season, Milwaukee is plus-9.0 points per 100 possessions when Giannis plays without Lillard.
Having the big man play point center, surrounded by as much shooting as possible, has clicked. And Giannis undoubtedly gives the Bucks a chance.
11. Indiana Pacers (+8000)
6 of 16
Previous Rank: 11
Net Rating: 2.1
Just one year ago, the Indiana Pacers made an unexpected run to the conference finals. And during a 13-3 closing kick to the season, they looked an awful lot like that team again.
Tyrese Haliburton is one of the most dynamic playmakers in the league and has one of the its more underrated All-NBA cases. Pascal Siakam quietly acclimated to his new team and averaged 20.2 points, while shooting 38.9 percent from deep. And Indiana's supporting cast brings tons of shooting and passing to support those two.
The team's even been a bit peskier on the other end this season, thanks in large part to Myles Turner's rim protection and Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith's defense at the point of attack.
In other words, this team is just plain good. With Damian Lillard likely out for the first round, it should probably beat the Milwaukee Bucks. But being in the 4-5 matchup means the Pacers would likely have to beat both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics to make the Finals.
And that's almost certainly not going to happen.
10. Houston Rockets (+7000)
7 of 16
Previous Rank: 6
Net Rating: 4.6
From the moment the Golden State Warriors won their play-in game against the Memphis Grizzlies, just about everyone seemingly counted out the Houston Rockets. A few days later, they're still clear underdogs to win the series.
The reason is clear. Alperen Şengün, Jalen Green and Amen Thompson are all appearing in the playoffs for the first time in their careers. And lack of experience can be a killer in the NBA postseason, especially when facing multiple Hall of Famers.
But Houston isn't going to lay down in the first round. It has a gritty defense that can help the Rockets overcome some of the jitters. Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks and Steven Adams can all brace the younger players for the shock of playoff basketball.
And the team can ride into the first round with some confidence, after beating the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier this month.
9. Denver Nuggets (+3800)
8 of 16
Previous Rank: 8
Net Rating: 3.8
The Denver Nuggets firing general manager Calvin Booth and longtime head coach Michael Malone with just three games left in the season would seem to doom their title chances, but this situation is unique (and not just because of the timing of the firings).
Denver still has the best player in the world in Nikola Jokić. With a exception of a down postseason from his running mate in 2024, Jokić and Jamal Murray are among the league's bigger playoff risers. And the Nuggets ending the season 3-0 under their interim coach could be more than the typical "new coach bump."
David Adelman has been an assistant for this team since 2017, and he's run the offense (one of its biggest strengths) for years.
The organization turmoil wasn't ideal. And Denver having to start with the Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder gives it one of the tougher paths to the Finals. But there's at least a chance, even if it's remote, for the Nuggets to go on a deep run.
8. Minnesota Timberwolves (+5000)
9 of 16
Previous Rank: 7
Net Rating: 5.0
The Minnesota Timberwolves having to start this playoff run against Luka Dončić, the superstar who eliminated them in five games last year, is a tough draw.
But they have the talent (and size) to pull off the first-round upset. Ending up in the 3-6 matchup delays a potential matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder too.
And if those two teams do end up meeting in the conference finals, Minnesota can feel about as confident as anyone in that potential matchup.
The T'Wolves went 2-2 against the Thunder in the regular season. They have a superstar scorer, who at least for seven games, can trade haymakers with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. And they have tons of perimeter defenders to throw at the soon-to-be MVP.
7. New York Knicks (+3100)
10 of 16
Previous Rank: 10
Net Rating: 4.0
Particularly among New York Knicks fans, there's been some consternation over the team going 11-11 over the last quarter of the season, but star guard Jalen Brunson missed 16 of those 22 games.
That's a more than acceptable reason for a late-season lull.
When Brunson is on the floor with Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns, New York was a solid plus-4.1 points per 100 possessions, with an 84th percentile offense.
The starting five has plenty of shooting, one of the best lead playmakers in the league and multiple, rangy wings.
New York's biggest problem, at least relative to these rankings, is just the fact that they're right next to the Boston Celtics in the bracket and might have to face them in the second round.
That path makes a title run for the Knicks feel a lot less likely.
6. Los Angeles Clippers (+3200)
11 of 16
Previous Rank: 4
Net Rating: 4.9
On February 23 and 24, Kawhi Leonard missed back-to-back games for the last time this season. Since then, the Los Angeles Clippers are 19-6, ranked second in points per 100 possessions, ranked fifth in points allowed per 100 possessions and ranked second in net rating (behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder).
With full-time Kawhi, who's averaging 25.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.4 threes and 2.0 steals during this stretch, L.A. is playing like a very real title contender.
But of course, he's not alone. The players who kept the Clippers afloat while Leonard were out deserve plenty of credit for this surge. James Harden's playmaking and Ivica Zubac interior defense and scoring give both All-NBA cases. Norman Powell's shooting is the pressure release that makes life easier for everyone.
So, why are they outside the top five? Knock on some wood if you're a Clippers fan. This just has to be mentioned for this team. Availability could be the single biggest factor for L.A. Harden is a few months shy of his 36th birthday. And Kawhi has finished each of the Clippers' last four playoff runs on the injury report and out of uniform.
5. Golden State Warriors (+2100)
12 of 16
Previous Rank: 9
Net Rating: 3.2
It might feel aggressive to have a team that finished seventh in its conference ranked this high, but it's justifiable on a couple fronts.
Most importantly, this team is far from the one that started 25-26 and put it on the track for this lower seed. The Jimmy Butler trade was transformative. He ratcheted up the intensity of the defense. His playmaking took a ton of pressure off Stephen Curry. And in the Golden State Warriors' play-in win over the Memphis Grizzlies, he showed Playoff Jimmy can still show up and dominate as a scorer.
Going from one bona fide superstar to two unsurprisingly turned this into an entirely different team.
Sliding into (and then escaping) the play-in might've actually helped, too. Instead of having to deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets or Los Angeles Clippers in the first round, Golden State gets to start with the inexperienced Houston Rockets. It avoids the Oklahoma City Thunder until the conference finals (assuming it gets that far).
No path in the West is easy, but this one should be slightly smoother than some of the alternatives.
4. Los Angeles Lakers (+1500)
13 of 16
Previous Rank: 5
Net Rating: 1.2
In the immediate aftermath of the Luka Dončić trade, it felt like the Los Angeles Lakers might still be a big man short of meaningful title contention. The Mark Williams trade L.A. eventually nixed suggests the Lakers shared that concern.
But the lack of options at the 5 may actually prove to have been a blessing in disguise. L.A. has played a fair amount of small ball since the deal, and it's dominant when LeBron James, Luka, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Dorian Finney-Smith are all on the floor.
That group is mobile on the defensive end, big on the wings, overloaded with playmaking and scoring and has three individual players who can completely take over a game in James, Dončić and Reaves.
The Lakers aren't just legitimate title contenders. They might be the safest outside of the 60-win teams.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (+500)
14 of 16
Previous Rank: 3
Net Rating: 9.2
The Cleveland Cavaliers finished the 2024-25 campaign with the league's best offense, a hyper-talented and -productive top four of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen and a supporting cast bolstered by the deadline acquisition of De'Andre Hunter.
In most years, this recipe would lead to the top rank among Eastern Conference teams, but Cleveland's breakout happened in a year when the reigning champions are loaded and suddenly looking hungry again.
The Cavs certainly could represent the East in the Finals, but it still feels like the Boston Celtics' experience will push them there.
2. Boston Celtics (+185)
15 of 16
Previous Rank: 2
Net Rating: 9.4
The Boston Celtics aren't the top seed in the East, but over the last several weeks of the season, they started to look an awful lot like last season's juggernaut and eventually overtook the Cleveland Cavaliers on the net rating leaderboard.
Boston is the most prolific three-point shooting team of all time, has the ability to play big or small, boasts tons of wing defense and will be one of the most playoff-experienced teams in the field.
Among active players, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are third and fourth, respectively, in career conference finals minutes (behind only LeBron James and Kevin Durant).
It's hard to imagine anything surprising this team, which is less than a year removed from a championship. And that makes a big difference in the playoffs.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder (+180)
16 of 16
Previous Rank: 1
Net Rating: 12.7
Even with the reigning champion Boston Celtics entering the playoffs as a 61-win team, the Oklahoma City Thunder are worthy favorites (and top-spot occupiers here) for a few reasons.
First, and perhaps most importantly, this team has a suffocating defense that will travel, can play big or small and has multiple playmakers. Games tighten up in the playoffs, and that's likelier to affect offense than it is defense.
Second, OKC just set the all-time record for point differential over the course of an entire season (both average and total). Almost invariably, teams anywhere near them on those listsI like the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers, 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks, 1995-96 Chicago Bulls and 2016-17 Golden State Warriors, go on to win the title.
Third, in any given series, the Thunder could have the best individual player on the floor. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn't guaranteed to outperform Luka Dončić, Nikola Jokić, Jayson Tatum or a handful of other stars he might eventually meet, but he certainly can.
And having the best player in a series goes a long way toward winning it.
.jpg?w=600 "New NBA Mock Draft 📝")
