NBA Power Rankings: How All 30 Teams Stack Up at the End of 2017-18
How good are all 30 NBA teams?
That's a more complicated question than you'd think because answering it means pricing in whatever extra gear we believe each team has while also taking into account its entire body of work from the 2017-18 regular season.
Mostly, we're ranking on the usual basis: stats, recent play and health are the key factors. But since this is the last set we'll publish ahead of the playoffs, we've also got to account for the more nebulous idea of switch-flipping.
That doesn't mean these will read like a rundown of who's got the best title odds, but there will be more "OK, deep down, how good do we know this team to be?" thinking than in previous editions.
Six months of power rankings highs and lows have led us to this.
It's been emotional.
30-26
1 of 14
Last week's ranking in parentheses.
30. Phoenix Suns (30)
The Phoenix Suns closed out their season with a 124-97 win over the Dallas Mavericks that represented, easily, their largest margin of victory all year. In that contest, a gentleman named Alec Peters scored 36 points. Admit it: You've never heard of him.
Phoenix finished last in offensive and defensive efficiency and will hit the lottery with the best odds of getting the No. 1 pick.
Congratulations, Suns. You were the worst team in the NBA this season. Mission accomplished.
29. Memphis Grizzlies (28)
The Memphis Grizzlies also logged a victory this week, which would normally have been enough to get them upward momentum. But if this final edition is to be reflective of the season as a whole, the Grizzlies can't be any better than second-to-last. They had two double-digit losing streaks in 2017-18, the longer of which spanned an incredible 19 games.
Bring on Luka Doncic!
28. Chicago Bulls (26)
If not for that ridiculous 10-3 stretch to close out December, the Chicago Bulls would have handily won the race to the bottom. But because Nikola Mirotic led them on that improbable spurt before getting traded to the New Orleans Pelicans on Feb. 1, they wound up with 27 wins and in a tie with the Sacramento Kings for sixth in the lottery odds.
If we acknowledge the roster that accumulated that 10-3 streak doesn't resemble the one that finished the season, it's fair to drop the Bulls this low. Especially since they concluded the year with a minus-7.8 net rating, tied for second-worst with the Kings.
27. New York Knicks (29)
Everything went south after Kristaps Porzingis tore his ACL on Feb. 6, and the New York Knicks won just six of their final 23 games. Rehabilitating Trey Burke was a plus, and he went for 19 points, nine assists, five rebounds and three steals in New York's season finale victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Someone new will be in charge of this mess next season. The Knicks canned Jeff Hornacek late Wednesday, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
26. Orlando Magic (27)
Terrence Ross, out since Nov. 29 with a knee injury, returned to action this past week and played two of the Orlando Magic's final three games. Like just about every other tanker, the Magic performed well in their final contest of the year, a 101-92 win over the Washington Wizards.
The victory wasn't enough to save coach Frank Vogel's job. He got the (mostly unfair) ax after an injury-riddled, ill-constructed Magic roster finished 25-57 with the league's sixth-worst net rating.
25-21
2 of 14
25. Atlanta Hawks (25)
The Atlanta Hawks won two of their final three games...on the road...against playoff teams.
Go figure.
Though those victories blew Atlanta's shot at the second-best lottery odds, this group still finished with the East's fewest wins (24)—thanks mostly to a makeup that, while not the worst in any one area, was consistently crummy across the board. The Hawks ranked in the bottom five in offensive and defensive efficiency, turnover percentage and defensive rebound rate, per Cleaning the Glass.
24. Sacramento Kings (24)
The Kings went 3-2 in April, and Buddy Hield scored in double figures in each of his final 14 games, hitting multiple threes in all but one of those contests. In his second season, he solidified himself as (at least) a deadly three-point specialist who'll hang around the league for a decade. If he sharpens up defensively or learns to dribble, he could be better than that.
23. Brooklyn Nets (23)
The Brooklyn Nets won eight more games in 2017-18 than the year before, despite losing Jeremy Lin for all but 25 minutes to a knee injury. Caris LeVert, Joe Harris, Spencer Dinwiddie and D'Angelo Russell all made strides, and rookie center Jarrett Allen emerged as a possible defensive anchor inside.
With wins in three of its final four contests and the era-appropriate three-heavy approach, Brooklyn is on the right track. Most importantly, this'll be the last offseason in which it has to watch someone else make its first-round pick. The draft considerations the last regime gave up in the massive deal with Boston will finally be fulfilled after June.
22. Dallas Mavericks (22)
Dirk Nowitzki intends to return next year, which is all that matters if you have a heart and/or love old-man guile. His Dallas Mavericks lost seven of their final eight games but could, if Dennis Smith Jr. develops, return to playoff contention in 2018-19.
21. Charlotte Hornets (20)
The Charlotte Hornets had to win two of their last three games to equal last year's discouraging win total of 36. Dwight Howard rebounded the bejeezus out of the ball all year, and he continued that approach to the bitter end, grabbing 46 boards over his final three games to finish with an average of 12.5 per contest. He was a huge reason Charlotte ranked first in defensive rebound rate.
Unless new general manager Mitch Kupchak works some magic, the Hornets will return roughly the same roster next season—except the principals will all be a year older (and in Kemba Walker's case, a year closer to 2019 free agency). Malik Monk will have to build on the brief flashes with which he bookended his rookie year for there to be much hope of organic improvement in Charlotte.
20-16
3 of 14
20. Los Angeles Lakers (21)
The Los Angeles Lakers won nine more games than last year, defended well enough in some especially committed stretches to finish 12th overall on that end and got positive performances from just about every young player with a future on the roster.
And before you go burying Lonzo Ball for his busted shot, note that he posted the second-best DRPM among point guards, per ESPN.com, while also producing the highest on-court net rating of any Laker to log at least 1,000 minutes.
A pivotal summer awaits, but the 2017-18 regular season went about as well as could have been expected.
19. Detroit Pistons (19)
"Philadelphia is good, and everyone is praising the process, how great it was, but the process is based on being as bad as you can be, historically bad for as long as you can," Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy lamented after his team finished four games out of a playoff spot with a 39-43 record. "If that's the process and the accepted way to build a team in the NBA, then something needs to change."
Van Gundy isn't the only coach to think this way, but he's uniquely positioned as the leader of one of the teams stuck in the middle because it refuses to use the incentive structure the Sixers exploited.
With Detroit spinning its wheels over the next several seasons, locked into crippling deals for Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin, its unwillingness to embrace a real rebuild will look awfully misguided.
18. Washington Wizards (18)
The Washington Wizards must hope John Wall's 29 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds against Boston on Tuesday are a harbinger of what's to come. Because if they're not, that means the blown leads, lazy defense and selfish offensive play that produced a 3-9 mark over their final dozen games will be.
It's hard to find a playoff team that looks shakier than Washington.
17. Los Angeles Clippers (17)
The Los Angeles Clippers lost six of seven to close out a transitional year but managed to stay alive in the playoff race until the season's final week. Forty-two wins and a top-10 offense are nothing to be ashamed of for a team that used a league-high 34 starting lineups and gave nearly 2,000 minutes to players either called up on two-way deals from the G League or inked to 10-day contracts, per ESPN.com's Kevin Arnovitz.
This was a big year for resiliency in L.A.
16. Milwaukee Bucks (13)
The Milwaukee Bucks laid down in their season finale, trailing by more than 40 points in the second quarter and getting annihilated on the glass 57-43 against the indomitable Sixers.
An ankle injury cost Giannis Antetokounmpo two of six possible April games. The four he played weren't encouraging, even if they represent a tiny sample. His averages of 19.0 points and 42.9 percent shooting from the field in those contests were his lowest of any month.
If Antetokounmpo isn't ready for full-bore action, Milwaukee has no shot at a first-round upset—not even against a depleted, vulnerable Celtics squad.
15-11
4 of 14
15. Miami Heat (14)
Wayne Ellington's 32 points helped the Miami Heat take down the Toronto Raptors in overtime Wednesday, and the effort emphasized just how difficult it is to game-plan for a Miami team that has loads of good options but no true star. The damage can come from anywhere.
The Heat outperformed their plus-0.5 net rating this year, which was good for just 17th, but the No. 7 defense should give the 76ers a decent challenge in the first round.
14. Denver Nuggets (15)
If this feels too high for a lottery team, remember that the Denver Nuggets won more games (46) and owned a better net rating (0.8) than each of the East's bottom three playoff entrants.
Wilson Chandler played 48 minutes and didn't score in Denver's season-ending overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday. That's the kind of goose egg that'll stick with you over the summer.
13. Boston Celtics (8)
It's true that the Boston Celtics had little to play for once they were clear the Toronto Raptors weren't relinquishing the East's top seed, but four losses in their final six games still raise concerns. The Celtics head into the postseason without Kyrie Irving (knee), which means they'll rely on Al Horford (very good at everything, great at nothing), some young wings and a stout defense.
The Bucks closed the season with a whimper, so an upset remains unlikely. But it's unreasonable to rate Boston as if Irving, a vital playoff shot-creator for a substandard offense, were available.
12. New Orleans Pelicans (16)
Take a bow, Anthony Davis. You hauled a team that had no business cracking .500 to 48 wins and the sixth seed in a brutal Western Conference.
After DeMarcus Cousins went down with a torn Achilles on Jan. 26, the New Orleans Pelicans ran up a 21-13 record and the league's seventh-best net rating, which will raise some difficult questions about what to do if Cousins wants a fat new contract this summer.
Just kidding! This is the easiest call in history: Don't pay it.
11. Indiana Pacers (11)
Discounted as overachievers around here all season, the Indiana Pacers won seven of their last 10 games and closed a shocking 2017-18 with 48 victories.
Just 12th in offense and 14th in defense, Indy doesn't profile as an elite outfit, and it feels risky to expect all those mid-range jumpers to keep falling as Victor Oladipo pilots an attack that seems to score more than it should. But the Pacers have proved us wrong for the last six months, so why stop now?
10. San Antonio Spurs
5 of 14
Last Week: 10
What a year from LaMarcus Aldridge, who increased his usage and true-shooting percentage (to a career high) while taking over No. 1-option duties in relief of an injured Kawhi Leonard (quad). If he doesn't wind up on an All-NBA team, it'll be a shame.
The San Antonio Spurs lost three of their final five games and fell to New Orleans on Wednesday, which resulted in a slip to an undesirable seventh spot in the West. Head coach Gregg Popovich isn't bothered by seeding, though.
"I think that is all psycho-babble," Popovich told reporters. "We have been on both ends of everything for all of these years, so, you just go play."
Seems like the Spurs are ready for the Golden State Warriors.
9. Oklahoma City Thunder
6 of 14
Last Week: 9
Russell Westbrook hoarded 20 boards in the Oklahoma City Thunder's final game to become the only player in history to average a triple-double (25.4 ppg, 10.3 apg, 10.1 rpg) in two straight seasons. His Thunder closed out the year on a three-game winning streak that helped secure home-court advantage in the first round against the Utah Jazz.
If Paul George's recent shooting is any indication, he seems to have snapped out of his slump at just the right time. He hit eight of 14 long-range shots on the way to 40 points in Wednesday's win over the Grizzlies and was 16-of-34 on threes in OKC's three wins this week.
With George rolling, the Thunder are suddenly a much more dangerous team.
8. Minnesota Timberwolves
7 of 14
Last Week: 12
If Jimmy Butler is available, the Minnesota Timberwolves are a handful. It's a quick-and-dirty way to approach team evaluation, but since Butler is back (as evidenced by his 31-point, playoff-clinching night against the Nuggets on Wednesday), it feels more realistic to view Minnesota as the team that went 37-21 with him than the one that went 10-14 without him.
Viewed that way, the Wolves' "with Butler" winning percentage puts them right there with Philadelphia's fifth-best figure of 63.4 percent.
The Houston Rockets shouldn't be concerned, but Minnesota rises in our final week because it has its key difference-maker back.
7. Golden State Warriors
8 of 14
Last Week: 6
The Golden State Warriors would be right back at the top of these rankings (or at the least no lower than second) if Stephen Curry's knee were healthy. But it's not, and nobody knows for sure when he'll play again. Just as importantly, nobody knows how close he'll be to peak form if/when he makes it back from the sprained MCL.
Anyone who remembers Curry's failure to get past Kevin Love in isolation during the 2016 Finals understands a hobbled Curry isn't enough for the Warriors to get where they want to go.
So in the wake of a mostly disappointing, injury-riddled season, this is where the current version of the Dubs resides: barely in the top 10 and perhaps only that high because of reputation and the belief that, even without Curry, there's a switch they can flip.
A 29-point halftime deficit against Utah on Tuesday was the franchise's largest in more than a decade, leading to a 40-point loss. That result (and a 7-10 finish to the season) highlighted a level of vulnerability we haven't seen from the Steve Kerr-era Warriors.
6. Portland Trail Blazers
9 of 14
Last Week: 7
A late four-game losing streak nearly cost the Portland Trail Blazers their No. 3 playoff seed, but Wednesday's home win over the Utah Jazz preserved the fruits of a tremendous second-half surge.
The Blazers were 22-21 on Jan. 14. From that point on, they went 27-12 with the league's sixth-best net rating. Led by Damian Lillard, who exploded for 36 points and 10 assists (with no turnovers) in the finale against Utah, Portland wrapped the season in style.
Moe Harkless' loss to knee surgery hurts, but Evan Turner played some suffocating defense on Donovan Mitchell on Wednesday. If he can contribute on D and as a playmaker, maybe it'll offset the loss of Harkless' shooting. And if Jusuf Nurkic continues anchoring the league's best interior defense, the Blazers will be a tough postseason out.
5. Toronto Raptors
10 of 14
Last Week: 3
The Toronto Raptors' closing run was appropriately shaky, concluding Wednesday with an overtime loss to the Heat. Because why should a team known for coming out of the postseason gate without much juice head into the playoffs any other way?
The Raptors were 7-6 in their final 13 contests and haven't defended at elite levels for over a month. Since March 1, they're 12th in defensive rating.
A fantastic bench led by Fred VanVleet was a huge factor in the Raptors' success this season, and they'll have to continue to trust it when they face the Wizards in the first round. But as rotations shorten and starters log more minutes in the playoffs, Toronto's reserves will be tested like never before.
4. Philadelphia 76ers
11 of 14
Last Week: 5
Sixteen straight wins to close the season.
Sixteen!
The Philadelphia 76ers own the longest winning streak in NBA history for a team heading directly to the postseason and are led by Ben Simmons and a defense that quietly climbed to third in the league. Everyone understands the Sixers are more dangerous with Joel Embiid on the court (plus-11.6 net rating), but this late surge revealed Simmons is ready to operate as a solo star if need be.
More than half of the Sixers' season-ending run came without Joel Embiid (orbital fracture). And during the 16-game sprint, Simmons averaged 14.0 points, 10.4 rebounds and 9.8 assists. It'll be fascinating to see how postseason defenses try to exploit his lack of a jumper. Clearly, nobody figured out how to do that during the year.
Finally, shout out to Markelle Fultz, who ended a tumultuous (and brief) rookie season by becoming the youngest player to record a triple-double in league history at 19 years and 317 days.
3. Utah Jazz
12 of 14
Last Week: 4
Playing better defense than anyone for nearly three months, the Utah Jazz head into the playoffs prepared for the slowed-down physicality they will find there.
Mitchell set the rookie record for made threes this week and wrapped up a season in which he became just the second rookie in league history with a usage rate over 29 percent and a true shooting percentage over 54 percent. Michael Jordan was the first.
Between Mitchell, 21, and Rudy Gobert, 25, Utah has one of the league's most promising young one-two punches.
Tuesday's 40-point demolition of the Warriors showed Utah is capable of playing with (and crushing) anyone. Though they finished the season with the league's fifth-best net rating, the Jazz have been No. 1 in that category since Gobert returned from a sprained knee Jan. 19.
Put another way, Utah has been the NBA's best team for nearly half the season.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
13 of 14
Last Week: 2
Friday's 132-130 loss to the Sixers in one of the season's best games wasn't enough to dislodge the Cleveland Cavaliers. We've seen too much evidence that there is another level this group can reach—one, in light of Cleveland's experience and LeBron James' presence, most of their competitors can't match.
When James, Kevin Love and George Hill share the floor, Cleveland cannot be stopped. That's what its 130.3 offensive rating (in an admittedly small sample) tells you.
Yes, the defense is suspect. And yes, we just watched an up-and-coming Sixers team knock them off. But are you ready to bet on anyone but James to come out of the East?
Me neither.
1. Houston Rockets
14 of 14
Last Week: 1
The Thunder nudged the Houston Rockets a bit Saturday, offering a slight reminder that nobody is invincible, and injury cropped up Tuesday to underscore that fact. Luc Mbah a Moute will miss the first round with a dislocated right shoulder, according to ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Still, there's no reasonable case to put anyone but Houston in the top spot.
James Harden will win the MVP award, Houston's defense finished No. 6 overall and we've known throughout the season that nobody's scoring attack is as devastating as the Rockets'.
The only thing left to prove is that the principals—Harden, Chris Paul and coach Mike D'Antoni—can carry regular-season excellence into the playoffs.
Stats courtesy of Basketball Reference, Cleaning the Glass or NBA.com unless otherwise specified and are accurate through conclusion of 2017-18 regular season.
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