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NBA Power Rankings: Every Team From Worst to First
A week into the new year and we’re already seeing a bit of chaos in the NBA, leading to some movement within our power rankings. Who’s moving up? Who’s moving down? Who’s the next team Jimmy Butler will say he doesn’t want to be traded to? Keep on reading to find out.
30. Charlotte Hornets (8-27)
Last Week: 28
It’s not a great time in Charlotte right now. They’ve got just two wins since Thanksgiving and have the second worst net rating in the league over their last 10 games. LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller are both back on the court but there’s not much else happening in Charlotte. A surprise victory over the Suns on Tuesday is nice, but probably won’t be the norm going forward. They drop to our bottom spot this week.
29. Washington Wizards (6-28)
Last Week: 30
The Wizards opened up 2025 with a surprising win over the Chicago Bulls, giving them their first win over a team not named Charlotte since they upset the Nuggets in early December. This upstart win was immediately followed by back-to-back losses to the Pelicans while allowing CJ McCollum to put up 50 points in the first matchup. With trade rumors continuing to revolve around Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole, don’t expect their record to look much better any time soon.
28. New Orleans Pelicans (7-30)
Last Week: 29
The Pelicans are…getting healthy? Believe it or not, it’s true! Zion Williamson returned to the court on Tuesday night and put up 22 points, giving a semblance of hope to the Pelicans that maybe they can muster up some magic and look competitive for a few games in a row. They posted back-to-back wins against Washington and have an opportunity for more potential wins with the Blazers, Jazz and Hornets all on their upcoming schedule. They’re likely too far out of the play-in picture to be able to make noise but this stretch of horrid basketball may finally be coming to an end in the Big Easy.
27. Utah Jazz (9-26)
Last Week: 27
Thanks to a couple big wins against the Heat and Orlando, both on the road, the Jazz have actually posted a -1.7 net rating over their last 10 games coming into Tuesday night’s battle against the Hawks. Given that’s the 16th best net rating in that span, that’s quite the accomplishment for a cellar dweller in the West. Their eFG% of 55.7% in that span ranks sixth best overall. The offense is there but it’s the defense that may hold the Jazz back from being a pesky underdog going forward.
26. Portland Trail Blazers (12-23)
Last Week: 26
The Blazers have been an intriguing team as of late, going 3-3 in their last six games with big wins over the Mavericks and the Bucks. While Dallas didn’t have Doncic healthy, Milwaukee had both of their superstars Giannis and Dame healthy and starting. Could something be brewing here other than yet another craft beer in Portland? Anfernee Simons has dropped 20 or more points in five straight games, all of which he’s hit four or more threes in. He hit eight threes against Detroit, though Portland couldn’t escape with a win there. But maybe the tide’s turning some for the Blazers.
25. Toronto Raptors (8-28)
Last Week: 24
Owners of the worst net rating in the league over the last 10 games, Toronto’s season has pretty much been derailed. RJ Barrett hasn’t been able to stay healthy as of late, though Scottie Barnes has. Immanuel Quickley returned to Toronto’s lineup and has been able to play in three straight games, putting up 11+ assists in two of them. But with a defensive rating of 121.4 in their last 10 games, almost nothing they do on offense will matter if they can’t stop the bleeding on the defensive end. At least those purple jerseys are a thing of beauty because the product on the court isn’t.
24. Brooklyn Nets (13-23)
Last Week: 25
At 3-7 in their last 10 games, and trade rumors swirling around their roster, there’s not much to be excited about in Brooklyn. They’ve surprisingly been able to get past the Bucks twice in December, but everything else has pretty much been downhill. Newly acquired D’Angelo Russell has been a decent facilitator in his three games as a Net this season, but it’s not enough for Brooklyn to stack up dubs in the win column.
23. Golden State Warriors (18-18)
Last Week: 21
It looked like things were starting to get better for the Warriors until getting smacked by 30 when the Kings came to town on the second leg of a back-to-back. Jonathan Kuminga is now out for significant time with an ankle sprain, weakening Golden State’s bench production. Steph Curry will only be able to take this team so far unless Golden State gets active at the trade deadline. Until then, they’ve got a long road ahead of them to get back into a dominant spot.
22. Chicago Bulls (17-19)
Last Week: 22
Maybe things are heating up in Chicago this winter. Winners of four of their last five, all Bulls fans want to do is believe this is real. After all, the only way to get over a loss to the Wizards is to watch Coby White throw down a huge dunk over Wemby. That’s what their therapists say, at least. A stretch of very winnable games is on deck for the Bulls. At only 1.5 GB of the Indiana Pacers for the sixth seed, there’s a realistic chance Chicago jumps fully into the playoff picture if they stay mentally focused for a full 48 minutes every night.
21. Phoenix Suns (16-19)
Last Week: 19
It continues to be strange times in Phoenix where Bradley Beal has now been pushed to Phoenix’s bench unit along with Jusuf Nurkic. That’s accompanied with rumors that Phoenix wants to trade the 31-year-old which coincide with more trade rumors about Jimmy Butler potentially being a good fit with the Suns. It’s a mess in Phoenix that doesn’t appear to be getting cleaner any time soon. Oh yeah, they just lost to the Charlotte Hornets as well so throw that into the mix.
20. Detroit Pistons (18-18)
Last Week: 20
After losing Jaden Ivey to a broken fibula, the Pistons have continued to excel by going 3-0 without him. Tobias Harris has picked up some of the scoring left on the table by Ivey’s absence, averaging 19.0 PPG in those three games. Detroit’s currently a half game behind the Pacers for the sixth seed and they’re looking to make noise after last season’s 14-68 tank job. Their first half of the month is very winnable, but the second half of January will be a test for this young squad.
19. Sacramento Kings (18-19)
Last Week: 23
After losing six straight and getting Mike Brown fired, the Kings have rattled off five straight wins, putting up 123+ in each of their last three games. It hasn’t quite dug them out of the hole they built for themselves, but it’s getting them in the right direction. A tricky three-game east coast road trip will put their win streak on the line. After that they’re home for three games and then 17 of their next 23 games will be on the road.
18. Philadelphia 76ers (14-20)
Last Week: 17
After starting to turn things around, Philly has lost three of their last four games. Embiid’s health is yet again in question, though this time the big man is dealing with a foot issue rather than his knee issues that have held him out of much of the season. Tyrese Maxey has continued to hold the Sixers together, averaging 25.4 PPG this season on 37.2 minutes per game, fourth most in the league. Paul George and Embiid need to be healthy to relieve some of the pressure off Maxey so that the Sixers can jump back into the playoff picture.
17. San Antonio Spurs (18-18)
Last Week: 18
As someone who got to watch Victor Wembanyama face off against Nikola Jokic in Denver last Friday, I wasn’t prepared for just how freaky it is to watch him in person. A 35 point, 18 rebound performance in Denver was followed by a 20 point, 23 rebound performance in San Antonio the very next night. Though 5-5 over their last 10 games, they’re posting the seventh best net rating in that span. They’re holding onto the final play-in spot at the moment but things are trending up in San Antonio.
16. Miami Heat (17-18)
Last Week: 14
Miami’s season continues to be defined by Jimmy Butler’s trade saga, which has led to the team suspending him due to the issue. With Butler sidelined it will be Tyler Herro’s team to lead. The 24-year-old has averaged 23.2 PPG over his last 10 games while grabbing 6.1 RPG and 5.7 APG. In the midst of a six game west coast road trip, he’ll really need to drive this team in order for them to rattle off some wins and help forget about the trade drama surrounding Miami.
15. Atlanta Hawks (19-18)
Last Week: 13
Atlanta seems to keep falling down as soon as they get back on the come up. After winning seven of eight, they lost three straight. Then they rattled off four wins before losing another three straight coming into Tuesday night’s matchup against the Jazz where Trae Young hit a half court buzzer beater for the win. Atlanta has the firepower on offense thanks to Trae Young’s facilitating skills, but they’ve got to be consistent. Currently in the eighth seed, they’ve got some work to do to stay out in front of the rest of the teams in the East chasing them.
14. Los Angeles Lakers (20-16)
Last Week: 16
At 7-3 in their last ten with a +4.1 net rating coming into Tuesday night’s games, the Lakers may have finally gotten some things straight. LeBron James is averaging 26.7 PPG in that span while Anthony Davis is grabbing 13.6 RPG. LA has a pretty winnable schedule ahead of them for January, giving them a good chance to shoot up the Western Conference standings if they stay focused.
13. Indiana Pacers (19-18)
Last Week: 15
Winners in 10 of their last 14 games, things have turned around for the Pacers. Tyrese Haliburton has averaged 19.8 PPG and 9.4 APG during this stretch. Pascal Siakam is right behind him at 18.9 PPG with 8.9 RPG. The Pacers are starting to turn back into the team that made noise last season and that’s a great thing for Indiana. January looks very winnable for them as well. Look out for them to continue making noise.
12. Minnesota Timberwolves (19-17)
Last Week: 11
Once known for their defense, Minnesota has started to slip up on the defensive end a bit. Since facing the Knicks on December 19th, the Timberwolves have given up 110 or more points eight times. Six of those games were losses, pointing to some more of the offensive inefficiencies for Minnesota. The offensive has ticked up into the league average range by offensive rating and eFG% over their last 10, but it needs to be better for when the defense doesn’t show up.
11. Los Angeles Clippers (20-16)
Last Week: 10
Kawhi Leonard has finally returned for the Clippers. He’s played in each of their last two games with about 20 minutes played in each. Los Angeles is 1-1 in those games but they’re just happy Kawhi is back. Sitting at the seven seed they’ve got some wiggle room to get things totally figured out with Leonard back. Outside of a matchup against the Denver Nuggets, their next five games are very winnable.
10. Orlando Magic (22-16)
Last Week: 12
It doesn’t matter who’s playing for them, they just keep winning. The main question that surrounded the Magic had been, “How much longer can they keep this up with all these injuries?” But with Paolo Banchero’s return right around the corner Orlando has the chance to make people stop believing their current winning ways are just a fluke.
9. Dallas Mavericks (21-16)
Last Week: 7
Speaking of injuries piling up, the Mavericks all of a sudden look depleted thanks to both Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving landing on their injury list. Since Luka’s been out the Mavs are just 2-5 while they’re 1-3 in the last four games Irving has missed. Neither were needed for a 118-97 victory over the Lakers, but it will be hard for Dallas to stay competitive often with both out of the lineup. Doncic will be re-evaluated in mid-January, right around the time Irving will be back active. If they can’t survive missing both, they’ll likely fall into play-in territory.
8. Denver Nuggets (20-15)
Last Week: 9
The Nuggets need two things to happen in order to win. The first is they need to be mentally focused, an issue with them over past seasons where they play down to the level of their competition (see losses against the Wizards and injury-depleted Suns on Christmas night). The other thing that needs to happen is Nikola Jokic needs to be active. His absence was noticeable on Tuesday night as he was ruled out with an illness and the Celtics handled the Nuggets late though Denver put up a resilient effort without the three time MVP. He’ll have to wait until March to get his chance to face Boston again.
7. Milwaukee Bucks (18-16)
Last Week: 5
After rising to the top during the NBA Cup it looks like the Bucks may have gotten complacent. Injuries with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard gave some leeway early, but the losses now are starting to look bad. Two losses to the Nets, a loss to the Bulls and a full-strength loss to the Blazers should be cause for concern for Bucks fans. Similar to the Nuggets, the Bucks’ issues of not being mentally focused need to change if they want to become a more dominant force in the East.
6. Memphis Grizzlies (24-13)
Last Week: 8
Memphis continues to roll with or without Ja Morant healthy. They’re 6-4 in their last 10 with a +7.1 net rating, fourth best in the league over the last 10. Much of that can be attributed to a 51-point win over the Warriors along with a 29-point win over the Raptors. Their next six games may be a bit sluggish but there are winnable opportunities for them as one of the most under-the-radar forces in the West.
5. Houston Rockets (24-12)
Last Week: 6
A little back and forth here, the Rockets are 3-3 in their last six games. Offense has still been a bit of an issue for them but it’s getting better. Their 53.1% eFG% over their last 10 games ranks 21st in the league, much better than the bottom five eFG% they’ve had as of late. Two matchups against the Grizzlies will really test their grit while games against the Nuggets and Hawks should allow their offense to flourish.
4. New York Knicks (24-13)
Last Week: 4
Right when you think the Knicks are in a great spot they go out and do things like lose to the injury-depleted Orlando Magic to give them three straight losses. We need to give Orlando credit, but this is a team that New York had already taken care of three times this season. The loss to the Thunder is excusable, but the loss to the Bulls just feels like they weren’t focused. The Knicks have all the tools to be a contender in the East, they just can’t take nights off and get away with it.
3. Boston Celtics (27-10)
Last Week: 3
After a 2-4 stretch that featured quite a few disappointing losses, the Celtics have rebounded to win four of their last five games. Quite a few of those losses were underwhelming efforts from Boston where they absolutely should have won, specifically games against the Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls. They’ve played down to the level of their competition for a few years now, but when they’re locked in they’re a force. The reigning champs aren’t in the top spot, but they’re a threat until they’re out.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder (30-5)
Last Week: 2
Oklahoma City comes into Wednesday with a 15-game regular season winning streak on the line in the biggest game of the NBA season. It will be the Thunder’s biggest test to date after a streak of impressive wins against the Grizzlies, Timberwolves, Clippers, Knicks and Celtics. The best in the West may struggle against Cleveland because, let’s be real, everyone has. But it will be a great showcase for one of the best rosters in the league. After losing out on a big stage against the Bucks in the NBA Cup, how will the Thunder perform against the best in the East?
1. Cleveland Cavaliers (31-4)
Last Week: 1
Back in our top spot because things just don’t change with the Cavs. They play with pace and they don’t stop coming. As with the Thunder, the matchup against OKC will be their biggest test of the season. After having a similar test against the Celtics in the NBA Cup, in which they lost, they’ll look to show the nation they’re the top team in the league for a reason. With a 59.6% eFG% over their last 10 games, they’re well ahead of the pack in terms of offensive efficiency. Until someone can bring them back down to earth, they’ll hold the top spot in our rankings.
