NBA Power Rankings: Breaking Down Teams on the Rise Entering 2021-22
Training camp begins Tuesday, so it's official: NBA basketball is back and hopefully better than ever.
High-profile rookies got the chance to showcase their skills last month in Las Vegas for the Summer League, so now it's time for fans to get a glimpse of all the players who have landed on new teams because of trades and free agency.
Opening night for the regular season is less than a month away on Oct. 19, so it won't be long before it becomes more clear if the reigning league champion Milwaukee Bucks look primed to repeat, if the Phoenix Suns look like they'll get back to the Finals, or if the Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks are good enough to go all the way.
Player movement and the draft have shaken things up, so here's the latest power ranking for the 2021-22 regular season and three teams that should take a step forward this year.
2021-22 NBA Power Rankings
1 of 4
1. Brooklyn Nets
2. Milwaukee Bucks
3. Los Angeles Lakers
4. Phoenix Suns
5. Utah Jazz
6. Miami Heat
7. Denver Nuggets
8. Philadelphia 76ers
9. Atlanta Hawks
10. Golden State Warriors
11. Dallas Mavericks
12. Los Angeles Clippers
13. Boston Celtics
14. New York Knicks
15. Portland Trail Blazers
16. Memphis Grizzlies
17. Indiana Pacers
18. Charlotte Hornets
19. Toronto Raptors
20. Chicago Bulls
21. Washington Wizards
22. New Orleans Pelicans
23. San Antonio Spurs
24. Sacramento Kings
25. Minnesota Timberwolves
26. Detroit Pistons
27. Cleveland Cavaliers
28. Houston Rockets
29. Orlando Magic
30. Oklahoma City Thunder
Los Angeles Lakers
2 of 4
The Los Angeles Lakers were already good.
Any team with Anthony Davis and LeBron James on the roster will always be able to compete.
But this summer, they went out and added Russell Westbrook, perhaps the most full-tilt player in the NBA. Irrespective of his shooting percentage or decision-making, Westbrook will never cheat his team when it comes to effort.
It's undeniable that Davis, James and Westbrook are all box-office superstars, so the one lingering unknown is fit.
Can these three players play well together?
Can James and Westbrook share the backcourt and have the kind of synergy that helps them run roughshod during the regular season and win another title?
For their part, the players tried to address that concern early on.
According to Bill Oram, Shams Charania, and Sam Amick of The Athletic, it all came down to one word.
"Sacrifice," one source close to the discussions said of the message in those talks. "Just sacrifice. Sacrificing on both ends. They all have to sacrifice. It don't matter who you are. They've got to sacrifice. They know that.
"They talked about it. I think just out of respect for one another, 'Hey man, this is the only way this is going to work—if we can do it.' And so they had that understanding."
Besides Westbrook, the Lakers also brought back Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo, both members of the 2020 championship team, while also adding DeAndre Jordan and Carmelo Anthony.
On paper, the Purple and Gold are seasoned and chock-full of All-Star appearances. But can they hold up over the course of a full season? Can they play the kind of defense that helped them win the title two years ago?
If this version of the Lakers can find a way to work together, they will be dangerous.
Miami Heat
3 of 4
Just two years ago, the Miami Heat were in the Finals, giving the Lakers all they could handle. But they were just outmatched.
Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo played admirably, but they could not stop the dynamic duo of Davis and James. And then key players like Goran Dragic were hurt.
But for a team that played so well in the bubble, last year didn't quite go as planned.
The Heat were swept in the first round by the Bucks, and it was clear that they had to go back to the drawing board.
Enter Kyle Lowry, a player that fits Miami's culture like a glove.
He's tough and doesn't back down. And much like Butler and Adebayo, he plays with a chip on his shoulder and has been very successful because of it.
The Heat will look for him to be the facilitator they need to solidify their squad and get back to team that made the Finals in 2020.
"Kyle is damn near a genius knowing how to get people the ball, knowing his game to a 'T,'" Butler told Greg Cote of the Miami Herald. "He will take pressure off me and Bam. He gives Bam the room to just go and be who you are and not worry about too much else."
With Lowry in tow, along with new additions Markieff Morris and P.J. Tucker, Miami should be poised to make some serious noise this season.
Golden State Warriors
4 of 4
It seems like a long time ago now, but the Golden State Warriors used to be a team that went to five straight NBA Finals.
They were exciting, they ran up the scoreboard and they were dominant.
But then they were felled by their own bodies.
Kevin Durant hurt his Achilles' heel, Klay Thompson hurt his ACL, and Stephen Curry hurt his hand.
Durant left in free agency. Just when it looked as though Thompson was ready to get back to work, he suffered a torn right Achilles.
Curry, though, channeled his inner MVP and had a 2020-21 campaign for the ages, nearly willing Golden State back to the playoffs by himself.
And now that Curry and Draymond Green are back and Thompson will be back sometime this year, it looks as if the Warriors might get back to being the Warriors again.
ESPN's Ramona Shelburne said during an August episode of The Jump:
"A lot of this is conditioning. He's doing well in his rehab, but he's missed two seasons in a row now. So you don't bring him back [too early]. This is a conservative target. If he does well and his conditioning is up and he feels like he wants to come back earlier, he will. But this is a conservative target of Christmas Day because you need time to build your conditioning back up when you miss two NBA seasons."
It's still unknown if Andrew Wiggins will be able to play the whole season, but with new draft picks Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody on the roster along with a returning Andre Iguodala, Golden State should be able to not only have a great year but a vintage playoff run.
