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NBA Power Rankings: Every Team from Worst to First
It’s our Christmas Day edition of NBA Power Rankings, the NBA content everyone waits for that signifies the true start of the NBA season. The games you’re all waiting to watch are one thing, sure. But nothing gets the people more excited than discussions about net ratings and increases in three-point attempts.
It’s what the people want this holiday season and I’m here to provide. So gather ’round the tree as we find out whether your favorite team has been nice enough to rise or is naughty and falling in this week’s power rankings.
30. Washington Wizards (4-23)
Last Week: 30
Washington fans got their Christmas gifts early this year with a win over Denver and a win over Charlotte. The rest of December has been one of the toughest tests for any NBA teams with games against Memphis, Cleveland, Boston, Milwaukee and Oklahoma City. Santa obviously hasn’t viewed them highly this holiday season. To make things worse, the trade market for Kyle Kuzma has cooled down significantly as contenders doubt he’ll be a good fit on their rosters. A bad season for Washington fans doesn’t look to be getting much better any time soon.
29. New Orleans Pelicans (5-25)
Last Week: 28
Just one win in their last 17 games is pushing this team closer to the bottom than anyone thought they’d be coming into this season. Trade rumors are starting with teams interested in Brandon Ingram, but just how much can they get back for a guy who has already missed 12 games this season and is sidelined indefinitely with a low left ankle sprain? It’s a rough go in the Big Easy right now as New Orleans is almost certain to miss the play-in tournament being 10 GB of Minnesota for the 10 seed.
28. Utah Jazz (7-21)
Last Week: 29
Winners of two of their last three, the Utah Jazz move up a spot in our power rankings. A Christmas miracle, some would say. They held on to beat the Pistons in Detroit last Thursday after an absolute throttling in the first quarter where they outscored the Pistons 48-19. They then took care of the Brooklyn nets two days later. Not the most impressive wins but something positive in Utah! They’re still struggling on defense, giving up 130+ points in four of their last eight games, but it’s not all bad news for Jazz fans right now.
27. Charlotte Hornets (7-22)
Last Week: 27
The Hornets are on a 1-13 slide and just lost Brandon Miller in the same game they got LaMelo Ball back. They’re lost six of their eight games in December by double-digits that barely excludes a loss to the Wizards, who beat them by nine. Their 106.7 offensive rating in their last ten games is tied for fifth worst in the league. Charlotte fans will need LaMelo Ball to continue putting up threes at a sky-high rate to make this team watchable for the rest of the season as there’s really not much else to be excited about when this roster doesn’t have both him and Miller healthy.
26. Portland Trail Blazers (9-20)
Last Week: 26
Portland is just 1-8 in the month of December with the lone win being a 126-124 upset over the Denver Nuggets. It’s just the second time they’ve scored 120 or more since Thanksgiving. While the offense generally hasn’t been there, it’s their defense that’s lacking as their 123.6 defensive rating in the last 10 games rates as the worst in the league. All but one team in December has put up 114 or more points against the Blazers. The offense simply hasn’t been able to make up for its porous defense and is keeping the Blazers from potentially disrupting the play-in picture (5.5 GB of Minnesota).
25. Brooklyn Nets (11-18)
Last Week: 25
The fire sale appears to be on in Brooklyn. Trade rumors are swirling around Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith. They’ve won just two games in December and have only scored 103+ points just twice. Cam Thomas should be returning to Brooklyn’s lineup soon, which will help those lowly offensive outputs, but what may be more exciting in Brooklyn is simply what the roster will look like after the trade deadline. What started as an interesting upstart in Brooklyn has turned into a picture similar to what experts predicted for the Nets coming into this season.
24. Toronto Raptors (7-23)
Last Week: 24
It still feels like there could be something here when Toronto has both RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes healthy but they’re quickly running out of time. With a six game deficit to the final play-in spot, Toronto needs both luck and health on their side in order to make a run. With Barrett and Barnes both on the floor Toronto has a +3.54 net rating, but they post a negative net rating whenever that’s not the case. Their 139-125 loss to New York shows their offensive potential against strong defenses, but that defense can’t give up gaudy numbers if they want any hope of jumping into the play-in.
23. Detroit Pistons (13-17)
Last Week: 23
Winning four of their last six games, Detroit continues to ride the hot hand of Cade Cunningham. The former #1 overall pick is averaging 24.8 PPG and 11.4 APG in December. Malik Beasley has also been a major contributor for the Pistons in December, averaging 18.5 PPG while shooting 45.7% from three. That’s at a high clip too as Beasley is averaging 10.1 three-point attempts per game. The defense needs to tighten up for the Pistons to really make a run, though, as they’ve given up 120+ points in six of eight December games. If that tightens up while Cunningham and Beasley stay hot, things could get real fun in Detroit.
22. Philadelphia 76ers (10-17)
Last Week: 22
It keeps feeling like Philly is close to really turning it on but it’s not quite there yet. Joel Embiid has played in just four December games and has exited early in two of them (one to an injury, one to an ejection). Yet Philly is 6-3 in December and trending upwards. The loss of Jared McCain has changed how the Sixers are using Tyrese Maxey, who’s now shooting a ton of threes. In the four games McCain has missed Maxey has averaged five threes made per game on 11 attempts. You can’t expect him to hit at a 45.5% clip going forward, but he’s helping drive this Sixers team back into contention.
21. Chicago Bulls (13-17)
Last Week: 20
A big win in Boston on Thursday gave the Bulls a nice little three-game winning streak before losing two straight home games to Boston and Milwaukee, failing to score 100+ points in either of them. The loss to the Bucks feels more disappointing as Milwaukee had neither Giannis Antetokounmpo or Damian Lillard active. While they’ve tightened up a bit on defense, it’s the offensive struggles that are holding Chicago back as of late. And the Bulls need offense to win. They’re just 2-10 when they fail to score 117 or more. That can’t continue if they want to stay in the play-in picture.
20. Atlanta Hawks (15-15)
Last Week: 16
After disposing the Knicks in the NBA Cup, the Hawks have gone just 1-3 and may be coming back down to reality. Defense was an issue in two of Atlanta’s three losses, giving up 133 to San Antonio in OT and 128 to a Memphis team that didn’t have Ja Morant active. Atlanta may be active in the trade market as well with De’Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic both being thrown out as potential trade targets for teams like the Denver Nuggets. Hunter has been fantastic since returning from injury, averaging 22.1 PPG in December while shooting 47.5% from three. If he’s traded, Atlanta’s offensive production won’t look the same and they may start to slip out of the playoff picture.
19. Sacramento Kings (13-17)
Last Week: 15
Yikes. After winning four of five earlier this month and seemingly turning on the offensive switch we knew this team had, the Kings have now dropped four straight. They’ve failed to score 100 points in back-to-back games and the De’Aaron Fox trade rumors are swirling. San Antonio appears to be in the mix as a likely landing spot for Fox, should he become available, and that’s making this season all the more tumultuous in Sacramento. The schedule looking forward doesn’t seem to get a whole lot easier for the Kings, making a potential De’Aaron Fox trade all the more likely.
18. San Antonio Spurs (15-14)
Last Week: 19
Speaking of the Spurs, they rank just ahead of the Kings here. Though they have a negative net rating over their last 10 games, they still have a record of 5-5 in that span. An offensive threat like De’Aaron Fox alongside Victor Wembanyama may be the remedy to getting them fully over the .500 hump as Wemby is the only Spurs player in December averaging more than 20 PPG. Chris Paul has done a great job facilitating this offense, putting up 8.8 APG in December, but he’s averaging just 7.9 PPG in that span. If San Antonio wants to contend they need to get better against better teams as they’re just 5-10 against teams .500 or better. You can’t blame them for simply beating who they should beat but numbers like that only make a trade for De’Aaron Fox all the more appealing.
17. Phoenix Suns (14-14)
Last Week: 17
The Suns’ injury report never seems to catch a break. After finally getting all of their big three healthy, again, Phoenix has found themselves missing another one of their big three, again. This time it’s Devin Booker who went down with a groin injury. He’s missed the last two games for the Suns, both of which have been losses. His availability for Christmas night against Denver is currently in question. Head coach Mike Budenholzer said on Monday that Booker’s evaluation was positive and that they’ll take things day-by-day but he doesn’t know if he’ll be available for Christmas. If not, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal will have a ton of heavy lifting to do.
16. Los Angeles Lakers (16-13)
Last Week: 18
Have Laker fans finally caught their breath after their team won three straight before falling to the Detroit Pistons on Monday night? Probably not, but at least the sky’s no longer falling. At least for now. The Lakers dispatched the Memphis Grizzlies and rattled off two straight wins over the Sacramento Kings, putting them in the seven seed and just a half game out of the six seed. In those four games they’ve posted up a defensive rating of just 103.9, fourth best during that span. They’ll look to capitalize against a struggling Warriors team on Christmas Day.
15. Indiana Pacers (15-15)
Last Week: 21
A big jump for the Pacers this week but it’s warranted as they’ve won six of their last seven. At the beginning of this streak they were barely hanging onto the 10 seed and now they’re just a half game away from the six seed along with Atlanta. In those seven games they’ve got the fifth best offensive rating and the fourth best net rating. With numbers like those you wouldn’t expect their only loss in this streak to be to the Charlotte Hornets but here we are. Indiana did what they needed to do and now will be put to the test in their next five games, a gauntlet that features the Thunder, Celtics and Bucks.
14. Golden State Warriors (15-13)
Last Week: 11
The Warriors are dropping like a rock. On November 22nd they were 12-3 and tied for the lead in the Western Conference. Since then they’re just 3-10 and have a -7.6 net rating, a number similar to the Utah Jazz during that span. They have the fifth worst eFG% during that span at 50.6% and just cannot get things going. Dennis Schröder has failed to score 10 or more points in each of his three games as a Warrior. Oh yeah, they also lost by 51(!) to the Grizzlies. Trading for Jimmy Butler seemed like a nice idea in weeks past but with this streak it’s feeling more like a trade for Butler, or anyone else who can provide offense for this team, is more of a necessity than anything before things get really rough for Golden State.
13. Miami Heat (14-13)
Last Week: 14
The rise here for Miami is more about the fall of others than anything. Losers of three of their last four, Miami has to start turning things around. Though they have a +4.3 net rating in their last 10 games, that amounts to just a 5-5 record. The Jimmy Butler trade rumors may cool down a bit as long as it doesn’t become a distraction, per recent reports, but extending this losing streak may turn up the heat on those rumors. In the meantime, Tyler Herro’s averaging 24.5 PPG in December. Miami will need that to continue in order to get back on the winning side of things.
12. Orlando Magic (19-12)
Last Week: 13
Some way, some how, they just keep winning. After losing Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner for considerable time to oblique injuries, they’ve rattled off wins against the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics. Granted, Boston didn’t have Jayson Tatum, but these were unexpected wins given the circumstances for Orlando. It’s becoming a full team effort for the Magic, who are seeing more contributions now from Jalen Suggs and rookie Tristan Da Silva. Goga Bitadze has put up four double-doubles in the last six games as well, helping keep the boards clean for Orlando. If they can continue to stay afloat for Banchero’s return, Orlando may be positioned well to contend in the playoffs.
11. Minnesota Timberwolves (14-14)
Last Week: 10
Losers of three straight and a tough five-game run coming up for Minnesota, the Timberwolves may be hitting a breaking point. The offense has struggled throughout December, posting a 106.0 offensive rating that ranks fourth worst in the league. They had been fine for a while because of their defense, but they’ve given up 110+ in three straight games. Normally that wouldn’t be an issue for many NBA teams but the Timberwolves haven’t scored 110+ in regulation since November 17th. The offense has to pick up or else things may get contentious in Minnesota, especially with a rough schedule on the horizon.
10. Los Angeles Clippers (17-13)
Last Week: 12
The Clippers continue to find ways to win without the most flashy numbers. And that should be fine for them until Kawhi Leonard returns. Normal Powell and James Harden continue to lead this offense, both averaging over 20 PPG in December. It’s helped them win three of their last four games, including wins over the Mavericks and Grizzlies. Not too shabby at all for a team flying a bit under the radar right now. They’re just a half game ahead of the Lakers for the six seed but they’re in a much better spot than the Lakers overall given all of this has happened without Leonard.
9. Denver Nuggets (16-11)
Last Week: 9
Denver’s won five of their last six games heading into a Christmas night matchup against the Phoenix Suns. Seemingly able to turn on the offensive switch whenever they want, the only thing holding back the Nuggets is their mental focus. With their lone loss in this streak coming to the Blazers, and nearly a second loss to the Pelicans, Denver needs to stay mentally focused to avoid slip ups. Nikola Jokic leads the way for the Nuggets and has scored 32.6 PPG in December, highest in the league. Denver always has a shot as long as he’s active, but the defensive issues will need to be cleaned up for Denver to jump back into serious contender status.
8. New York Knicks (19-10)
Last Week: 8
The Knicks are 4-0 since Atlanta knocked them out of the NBA Cup and they’ve been doing it in all ways. Whether high scoring games (139-125 vs Toronto) or low scoring games (100-91 vs Orlando) they’re getting it done. In December they have three players each averaging 20+ PPG in Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges. Their 105.7 defensive rating in December ranks as fourth best. They’re not quite under the radar any longer, but they’re winning when they should and are doing it well.
7. Memphis Grizzlies (20-10)
Last Week: 7
It’s a razor thin margin in these power rankings between the seven and six spots. Memphis stays at seven from last week after a poor second half kept them from getting past the Clippers at home. It brought down what would have been a phenomenal week after dismantling the Warriors in a 51-point victory last Thursday. Still, Memphis finds itself in the three seed in the West. But with how tight the Western Conference standings are, they’re just 3.5 games ahead of the seven seed Lakers in the play-in. Memphis must continue to play team ball. With a so-so schedule coming up, they should continue to roll.
6. Houston Rockets (20-9)
Last Week: 6
As I mentioned in the Grizzlies section, it’s a razor thin margin between Houston and Memphis. The Rockets have won five of their last six games and they’re continuing to keep things up on defense. The offense has broken out of its sub-1oo point slump, scoring 114 or more in three straight games. Given that they have the fifth worst eFG% in December (50.7%) it’s a positive sign for this young Rockets team. If the defense stays hot they can get away with sub-par offensive production. But as I mentioned with Minnesota, if the defense doesn’t show up then this offense won’t work. They’re an intriguing threat in the West but there’s still room for improvement.
5. Dallas Mavericks (19-10)
Last Week: 4
Dallas only has two losses since Thanksgiving. One being an NBA Cup loss to the Thunder and the other being a loss to the Clippers where neither Luka Doncic or Kyrie Irving were active. Outside of that, the Mavs have been rolling. Their 120.6 offensive rating in December is just 0.1 points behind the Cavaliers for the league lead. Klay Thompson is shooting 44.3% from three. Dallas has eight players averaging 10+ PPG in December, giving them a very well-rounded offensive attack that’s nearly unstoppable right now. The defense leaves a little bit to be desired right now, but modern day NBA calls for offense and Dallas’ offense can keep up with anyone.
4. Milwaukee Bucks (16-12)
Last Week: 5
Milwaukee’s 2-8 start to the season is a thing of the past and they’ve began to really show their dominance. After winning the NBA Cup they’ve gone 2-1, all without Damian Lillard. Their most impressive win may have been against the Chicago Bulls as they won by 21 with both Lillard and Giannis inactive. Their strength of schedule during their turnaround may be a fair thing to question as there haven’t been a whole ton of big tests for the Bucks outside of Oklahoma City, but they’re continuing to win regardless of who’s out on the floor. Things don’t exactly get all that tough for Milwaukee in January so expect them to continue to roll for the foreseeable future.
3. Boston Celtics (22-7)
Last Week: 1
A fall from the top spot due to a couple of disappointing losses that showcase a lack of focus that’s plagued this Celtics team in seasons past. A nine point loss to Chicago after getting outscored by 13 in the fourth quarter at home and a four point loss to the Magic (without Jayson Tatum) bring them down to number three. The reigning champs have the ability to compete with and beat anyone but they’ve got a lack of focus against lesser opponents that hinders them. They’ve lost to Atlanta, Chicago and Orlando all as double-digit favorites and nearly lost to Toronto in OT as 16.5 point favorites. While it’s not detrimental right now, that lack of focus can bite them if they let it seep through in the playoffs.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder (23-5)
Last Week: 3
Winners of 12 of their last 13 regular season games, the Thunder have been absolutely rolling. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is playing at an MVP level while Jalen Williams is averaging 21.6 PPG this season. Isaiah Hartenstein has been a great interior presence for the Thunder, averaging 12.8 PPG and 12.6 RPG. Chet Holmgren is still a month or two away from returning to the lineup, but his absence hasn’t been a detriment to OKC as their +14.3 net rating in December is second best in the league. The NBA Cup gave this young roster a small taste of playoff experience and what it’s like to compete against a championship caliber team in a postseason setting while the regular season is letting them thrive.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers (26-4)
Last Week: 2
The Cavaliers return to the top spot of our rankings as they just continue to demolish the teams in front of them. With a 9-1 record in December, their +15.6 net rating is best in the league during the month. All but one win in December has been by double-digits. Six players are averaging 10+ PPG while three (Mitchell, Garland, Mobley) are averaging at least 19+ PPG. The Cavs are cooking and are clearly on a roll. They’ve been a bit more under the radar since their NBA Cup loss to Boston stopped their 15-0 start to the season but that hasn’t stopped them from dominating everyone else in sight. What’s old is new again with Cleveland topping our rankings.
