RADIO
Power Rankings for NBA teams in the 2025-2026 NBA season. RotoBaller's Kevin Larson analyzes every NBA Team with Power Rankings from worst to first as of December 1, 2025.
NBA Power Rankings: Every Team From Worst to First
With the calendar flipping to December we’re starting to get a little more clarity in the NBA. Some things have stayed just as expected (OKC being very good), some offseason moves are starting to come to fruition (Orlando says hello) and some fanbases are wondering if the promise of the offseason is ever going to show up (Clippers fans aren’t having fun). Let’s dive in and find out where each team ranks as we enter into December.
30. Washington Wizards
A surprising NBA Cup win over the Atlanta Hawks helped get the Wizards off the schneid, snapping a 14-game losing streak. That high was short lived, though, as the Indiana Pacers throttled them in a 33-point blowout. It wouldn’t appear that things are going to get any better in DC any time soon. The big question for the next couple months will be just how high they can prop up CJ McCollum and Khris Middleton as valuable rentals for contenders. But neither look all that appealing right now, making things even tougher for Wizards fans.
29. Brooklyn Nets
Brooklyn continues to battle injuries as Michael Porter Jr. now has missed two straight games thanks to a back issue, something he’s been familiar with for his entire career. It’s making the product in Brooklyn a bit more tough to watch, though their most recent four-game losing streak has come against rather stiff competition. Nets fans would love to see MPJ and his counterpart Cam Thomas to both be healthy, even if it doesn’t add up to wins. But Thomas’ health has continually been in question during his time in Brooklyn, making his future with the Nets all the more murky as he becomes an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.
28. New Orleans Pelicans
It wasn’t a fun November for the Pelicans. On top of an abysmal record, fans in New Orleans have to be getting frustrated with how those losses are coming about. Not only is it subpar basketball, but they’re still dealing with injuries to main contributors. Zion Williamson has missed quite a few games this season alongside Jordan Poole, who missed almost all of November. Injuries ruined their 2024-2025 season and they’d like to at least be able to put out a somewhat competitive product on the court at some point. But if injuries keep adding up then they’ll have to find silver linings, such as the continued development of Derik Queen, who has shown some sparks of real effectiveness when given the chance this season.
27. Indiana Pacers
Don’t look now but the Indiana Pacers have won back-to-back games. Maybe the nightmare start to a season marred by injuries is finally over. Sure, it happened against the Washington Wizards and a slumping Bulls team but hey, they’ll take anything at this point. Pascal Siakam has been the Pacers’ leader, unsurprisingly, but is doing well. He’s put up 20+ points and 8+ rebounds in four of his last five games, giving Indiana a reliable option night in and night out. But Indiana likely won’t be pivoting towards more winning any time soon as the appeal of snagging a lottery pick to pair with the return of Tyrese Haliburton next season may be the option Indiana’s front office views as most appealing.
26. Utah Jazz
At the very least, you’re going to see a ton of points in Jazz games. Utah fans would prefer if a few more of those points were credited to the Jazz, but points are happening nonetheless. Their 123.6 defensive rating over the last five games ranks as second worst over the last five games, only ahead of the Denver Nuggets. But unfortunately they won’t experience some of the same success that their division rivals do given their 112.8 offensive rating in the same span in just below league average. But in a season where there aren’t really expectations for the Jazz that’s going to be all that bad. As long as guys like Keyonte George keep showing consistent improvement throughout the season then they’ll be set for a shot at returning to competitiveness in 2026-2027.
25. Sacramento Kings
Most teams at the bottom of our rankings are at least in a rebuilding stage where development is key. That’s not the case for Sacramento. The Kings were looking to make a run at the playoffs but instead are torpedoing to the bottom of the standings in the West. Injuries to two key starters, Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray, have missed quite a bit of time and that’s contributing to Sacramento’s struggles. But even without them they should be better with the talent that Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan provide. A rebuild feels imminent, making the next few months very important for the franchise as they balance out health alongside availability and value among their starters.
24. Charlotte Hornets
Hornets fans got a glimpse this weekend of a team they’ve been waiting to see: Healthy and competitive. On Friday night they defeated the Chicago Bulls, snapping a seven-game losing streak. Then, on the following night, they forced OT against Toronto and won by seven. That win might be a huge confidence booster for the Hornets given how strong the Raptors have been this season. They also won with defense, holding the Raptors to just 24 points in the fourth quarter and OT combined. If this weekend’s team is who shows up for Charlotte on a nightly basis then they’ll find themselves in the thick of the play-in race, but that’s still a ways away at this point.
23. Dallas Mavericks
The Cooper Flagg we’ve been advertised may be starting to show up. On Friday the rookie racked up 11 assists against the Lakers and he followed up that performance on Saturday night by putting up 35 points against the Clippers. He hasn’t been able to string together fully dominant performances but he’s showing the league just why he was drafted number one overall. As a team, the Mavericks have been more competitive in the last five games, but there’s obviously still work to be done. With Anthony Davis returning to the lineup on Friday, the Mavs are getting healthier and we may be able to see a different version of them soon.
22. Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers posted up just two wins in November and over not exactly great competition (Dallas, Charlotte). If not for James Harden putting up 55 against the Hornets then they could have gone 1-14 in November. Instead, they “escape” with a 2-13 November record. Regardless of how they’ve gotten there, it’s a massive disappointment for a team that looked like it could have competed for a title coming into this season. Their offseason acquisitions haven’t paid off either. Bradley Beal has played in just six games. Brook Lopez is only averaging 14 minutes per game and hasn’t stepped on the floor in any of LA’s last three games. John Collins may be the best of the bunch but he’s only averaging 12 PPG. The Clippers are a mess and they desperately need to get things turned around.
21. Memphis Grizzlies
The Ja Morant drama has taken a back seat as he deals with a calf strain, but that hasn’t exactly been the worst development for Memphis as they’re actually winning games without him. He’s missed seven of the last eight games coming into Sunday night’s action and Memphis has won four of those last five. Jaren Jackson Jr., Santi Aldama, Jaylen Wells and Jock Landale are all averaging 15+ PPG in that span, continuing the team ball aspect that’s made them successful in their recent history. They’ll obviously want Morant back in the lineup as soon as possible, but they’re surviving well without him.
20. Portland Trail Blazers
Portland is the first of a string of three teams whose hot starts are now a thing of the past. Portland started the season with a 5-3 record that saw them be the first and only team so far to beat the Thunder. But it’s been a rocky road since as they’re 3-8 since that start. Some of that can be due to their schedule as they’re not exactly catching many breaks early on with the level of competition they’re seeing (second toughest strength of schedule so far). That’s going to ease up soon, which is good news for their play-in hopes. Portland nearly made it last season but now, with how the bottom of the West is shaking out, that’s a very realistic possibility for the Blazers.
19. Chicago Bulls
So much for the hot start to this season. After going 6-1 to open the year, the Bulls are just 3-9 in their last 12 games. In the last five games they’ve posted up a -12.0 net rating, worst in the league. Their 107.9 offensive rating in those five games is the worst in the league as well, driving much of their failures. Even worse over those five games is the teams they’ve lost to are not solid competition. The front office gambled on their current roster being their identity with no need to change. But if they continue to falter to the degree they have been then they will yet again be fighting just for a play-in spot.
18. Milwaukee Bucks
Another team here who started the season off strong but have been flailing lately. Sure, some of that was due to Giannis Antetokounmpo missing a four game stretch, but the on floor product has still been a bit porous when he’s been active. Their recent slide has Milwaukee on the outside of the play-in, though not by much. That’s not an area that will keep Bucks fans happy, especially as the offseason rumors of Giannis potentially departing soon kept swirling. How real those were may never be revealed, but if the Bucks keep dwindling then that’s only going to make the noise louder. Milwaukee wants to avoid that, but they need to be much better in order to do so.
17. Philadelphia 76ers
With Joel Embiid and Paul George both returning to the starting lineup on Sunday for Philadelphia, Tyrese Maxey can seemingly take a big breath of fresh air for a job well done keeping Philadelphia afloat. The 25-year-old has averaged 31.7 PPG this season, well above his 26.3 PPG he posted last year in a very similar scenario where both Embiid and George were out dealing with injuries. Now with both back in the lineup Philadelphia can hopefully try to reap the rewards of the big three they envisioned when they signed PG13 in the 2024 offseason.
16. Phoenix Suns
A recent 1-3 slide shouldn’t discourage Suns fans all that much as Phoenix is far surpassing their preseason expectations. Vegas had them pegged for 30.5 wins, yet they’re off to a 12-9 start. Mind you nearly all of this has come without Jalen Green, who’s still dealing with a hamstring injury that he re-aggravated in his second game this season. Their 113.5 defensive rating has been a very pleasant surprise, especially with the preseason expectation that points would be plentiful on both sides of the ball. The Suns will now focus on a rough December schedule in which they currently only have two home games compared to nine road games.
15. Boston Celtics
Slowly but surely it seems like the Celtics are starting to find their groove. losing Jayson Tatum to injury and Kristaps Porzingis via trade seemed to be a death knell to their playoff chances this season but they’re starting to string together wins. Prior to Sunday’s matchup against Cleveland they had gone on a 7-4 run, proving that their season-long +4.3 net rating (10th overall) may be more telling to their true strength than their record. That’s going to be put to the test in December as their upcoming schedule, outside of a few snoozers, is going to show just how good they are in the East.
14. Golden State Warriors
When Steph Curry returned against the Spurs two weeks ago, leading to back-to-back wins over San Antonio, it felt like the Warriors were ready to get back on track. But they’re just 2-4 in their last six games with those two wins coming over uninspiring competition. They sit at eighth in the West, in the play-in yet again. With the Warriors’ roster, knowing their biggest contributors are coming up on the tail end of their careers, they’re going to want to avoid the play-in. To do that they need to turn the burners on and gain some ground in the West.
13. Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks received some good news regarding Trae Young this week as it was reported he’s making good progress in his rehabilitation process and will be re-evaluated in two weeks. But without him they’ve been holding up well. I’ve mentioned how well Jalen Johnson has played multiple times in these rankings and that was exemplified again in a double OT victory over Philly on Sunday night when Johnson racked up 41 points to go alongside 14 rebounds and seven assists. If he keeps up this type of production when Young returns then the Hawks will have a very formidable 1-2 punch. Atlanta fans have known that for some time now but the rest of the NBA world will need to be on the look out sooner than they likely anticipated.
12. Minnesota Timberwolves
Don’t look now but Anthony Edwards is scorching hot. He’s scored 30+ points in each of his last five games while shooting 48.9% from three. That includes five straight games of making at least four threes. He’s been blistering hot at a time where Minnesota needs him. However, the Timberwolves are just 2-3 in those five games. Most of that’s been against good competition but that won’t help Timberwolves fans feel any better. The good news is they hold the six seed in the West, but the lead over Phoenix is just a half game. There’s not much room for error, but Minnesota can turn it around if Anthony Edwards keeps cooking and gets some help from his counterparts.
11. San Antonio Spurs
If you haven’t checked in on the Spurs since they lost Victor Wembanyama to the IL for several weeks due to a calf strain then you might assume that they’re flailing without the French phenom. That’s actually not been the case at all. Though they lost Sunday night to Minnesota, the Spurs are 5-2 in Wemby’s absence. De’Aaron Fox (26.1 PPG) and Devin Vassell (19.7 PPG) have been elevating for the Spurs, leading the offensive attack. They’re giving the Spurs and Wembanyama more flexibility to handle his injury properly and that’s a great thing in San Antonio.
10. Miami Heat
Very quietly the Heat have jumped up to the four seed in the East, posting a 6-1 record in their last seven games with the only loss coming to the Detroit Pistons. Tyler Herro has rejoined the lineup and he’s put up 24+ in all three games, giving Miami a boost against a couple tough defensive teams in Dallas and Milwaukee when they needed it. Their +9.7 net rating over the past five games ranks fourth in that span and their season-long net rating of +4.8 ranks ninth. The Heat always seem to put together a competitive season and they’re well on their way to another one that should see them in the playoffs for the seventh straight season.
9. Los Angeles Lakers
Who needs LeBron James? The 40-year-old hasn’t needed to shoulder the load for the Lakers with just how well Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have been performing. Those two have combined for an average of 59.0 PPG over the Lakers’ last 10 games (32.7 PPG for Luka, 26.7 PPG for Reaves). That’s going to provide LeBron with a lot of breathing room when he’s fully in the swing of things after missing the season’s first 14 games with a sciatica injury. Once he really gets it going then the Lakers are going to be even more frustrating for opponents to face.
8. Orlando Magic
It took a little time but the Magic are finally looking like the team that was promised to us in the offseason. They went 10-4 in November with a +9.3 net rating that ranks fourth in the league for the month. That’s great for Magic fans to see after they started the season pretty slowly. Never mind the fact that Paolo Banchero has missed the last eight games and Orlando’s only going to get better once he returns. They’re only in the six seed right now but, with how they’ve been playing, it won’t be shocking to see them compete for a top three seed in the East once all is said and done.
7. Cleveland Cavaliers
We know the Cavs can be a very dominant team, but why isn’t it feeling like they’re that same team this season? After a two-point loss to Boston on Sunday night they’ve now lost three straight, granted it’s all been to solid competition in the East (Atlanta, Toronto, Boston). We’ve highlighted in past rankings that the defense has been improved this season, which is helping a less effective offense. But the same dominance we saw in 2024-2025 just hasn’t reappeared yet. Luckily the Cavs have a lot of time to get it figured out, and they’re not in danger of becoming a play-in team, but we’d love to see Cleveland turn on the burners and turn into the regular season juggernaut we saw last year.
6. Toronto Raptors
It would appear that maybe they are human after all. After winning nine straight, and 13 of 14, they lost back-t0-back games this weekend against the Hornets and Knicks. It was inevitable that it’d fail, but maybe that takes some of the expectations off the Raptors and allows them to play a bit more free here soon. They’ve at least gotten themselves off to a great start and are positioning themselves well for the playoffs, something they certainly were eyeing when they traded for Brandon Ingram last season. We’ll see how they recover this upcoming week, which poses some challenges with matchups against the Blazers, Lakers and Celtics.
5. New York Knicks
It doesn’t seem like there’s been much talk about the Knicks this season, yet here they are with a 13-6 record and the two-seed in the East. Their +10.5 net rating in November was third best in the league behind only the Thunder and Rockets. They’ve been handling teams on what feels like a nightly basis. Their only kryptonite appears to be teams from Florida as their only November losses came to the Heat and Magic. But outside of that they’ve been rolling. They’ll get a chance to avenge two of their Florida losses as they face the Orlando Magic next Sunday as both prepare for the first round of the NBA Cup.
4. Detroit Pistons
The top seed of the East saw their 13-game winning streak come to and end this week with consecutive losses to the Celtics and Magic this week (there go the Magic again). But, as with the Raptors, that’s probably fine for now given what the Pistons have done so far this season. They have been winning with a solid offense and a really good defense, posting up a 111.1 defensive rating in November (sixth best in the league). Maybe more impressive, they’re doing this mainly with homegrown talent and not many big names. You know Cade Cunningham but you’d probably struggle naming many of their other key contributors. It’s a full team game in Detroit and they’re heading into December in a very good position.
3. Houston Rockets
With a +11.0 net rating, the Rockets have an argument for being the second-best team in the league. Since starting 0-2 they’ve gone 13-2, easily cementing themselves as a top threat not just in the West, but in the entire league. Kevin Durant (25.1 PPG, 3.9 APG) and Alperen Sengun (22.2 PPG, 6.7 APG) led the Rockets’ offense in November. Their 121.4 offensive rating was the third best in November. We’ve highlighted how last year the ineffectiveness of the offense was holding them back and it’d appear they’ve fixed those issues. The Rockets needed to show they were real this year and they’re doing just that.
2. Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets have had a few curious losses this past month in situations where they should have won. Those three losses (Chicago, Sacramento, San Antonio) also were their only losses in November. They’re dealing with injuries to key starters Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun, which could be an issue for some. But Peyton Watson has filled in admirably in AG’s spot, averaging 17.0 PPG and 5.8 RPG in the four games that Gordon has missed so far. Spencer Jones has been getting starts too without AG and Braun and the normally quiet forward put up a career high 16 points in his most recent start against Phoenix. Oh yeah, Nikola Jokic is averaging a triple-double on the season yet again. Denver will be fine moving forward.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
Our top seed, yet again, is the Oklahoma City Thunder. Though they’ve played the easiest schedule in the league (according to Strength of Schedule), they’re blowing out pretty much everyone they face. They’re winning nearly every game by double-digits and their likely not going to face tough competition until the NBA Cup. At which point they’ll certainly be hoping to avenge last year’s Cup loss to the Bucks. Not much is standing in their way and likely won’t be until the calendar flips to 2026. It’s only so long until the pundits start questioning if this team can break the 2015-2016 Warriors’ regular season record of 73 wins. They’re our top seed yet again.
