NBA Power Rankings 4 weeks into the season

The Lakers are in shambles, the Heat look as good as ever, and the Warriors dynasty doesn't seem to be over just yet

A lot has happened in the first 4 weeks of the season, including the Lakers blowing two 20+ point leads to the worst team in the NBA, the Thunder, and the Warriors looking as dominant as ever with a 9-1 record to start the year behind Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and the rise of Jordan Poole and valued role player Gary Payton II. Even Andrew Wiggins is playing great and Klay Thompson isn’t even back yet. Neither is big man James Wiseman, who will undoubtedly provide even more talent and depth to the West’s best team.

The Nets are 7-3 behind Kevin Durant and James Harden, while the Miami Heat are 7-3 because of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro’s bounceback season. The 76ers are 8-4 without Ben Simmons, and the Wizards are 7-3 behind Bradley Beal and the old Lakers (Montrezl Harrell, Kyle Kuzma, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope). The Eastern Conference is as good as it’s ever been, and there is finally a serious argument that it is better than the stacked Western Conference.

30. Detroit Pistons, 1-8

Cade Cunningham is off to a shaky start, and with that, the Pistons are as well. If Cunningham doesn’t start to get going, it will be hard for this team to win more than 15 games all season long. It doesn’t matter how good Jerami Grant is.

29. Houston Rockets, 1-9

Just like the guy picked before him, Jalen Green is also off to a very slow start. He has had some games that could be considered gems (his 30 point game and his 24 point game this season), but the amount of turnovers he has committed to go along with his inefficiency from the floor is obviously one of the biggest problems of this team.

However, it’s not like the Rockets are going anywhere anyways this season, so why not let Green go through some growing pains just like Anthony Edwards did last season.

He turned out okay obviously. Again this season, Christian Wood has been the star of this team, while Jae’Sean Tate, Alperen Sengun, and Eric Gordon have also played very well. Kevin Porter Jr, like Green, needs time to get going, but when both of those guys start to hit their stride, this could be a whole different team in March.

28. New Orleans Pelicans, 1-9

No Zion Williamson has proven to be incredibly difficult for the Pelicans as they have started off the season with only one win. Now, you would think Brandon Ingram would win games for the Pelicans by himself (or in this case with Jonas Valancuinas this season) but for whatever reason, that hasn’t been the case.

Valancuinas has been his usual self, a sparkplug that plays bully basketball and averages over 13 rebounds per game with 19 points per game (which would obviously be his career-high in points). Brandon Ingram is injured at the moment, but he is also off to a great start averaging over 25 points per game. Even Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Josh Hart, and Devonte’ Graham are playing great to start the year as well.

So what’s the problem? Why are they losing so much? Well one, Zion is a huge mismatch when he is on the floor allowing more open looks and obviously he is out.

Two is the loss of Lonzo Ball. Ball’s defense, 3PT shooting, and playmaking allowed this team to do so much more, especially in close games since he provided some of the best on-ball defense in the NBA for them. Not extending Ball will obviously prove costly, it already has. Time will tell with this team, but everything should be much better when Williamson returns.

27. Oklahoma City Thunder, 3-6

The Thunder, on paper, are the second-worst team in the NBA behind the Pistons. The only reason why they are the second-worst team and not the worst team overall is because the Pistons don’t have a player even close to being as good as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Gilgeous-Alexander established himself as an NBA star last season and has only improved more.

It obviously showed when he orchestrated two comeback wins down 20+ points against the Lakers. Another positive for this team was drafting Josh Giddey, who already seems to have been a steal at #6 overall since he is off to an amazing start to his rookie campaign.

This team is gritty, but they can’t play the Lakers every night. Even with Gigleous-Alexander and Josh Giddey, the Thunder don’t have enough depth to win games against good basketball teams. And don’t say the Lakers, because the Lakers at the moment are not a good basketball team.

26. Minnesota Timberwolves, 3-5

Karl Anthony-Towns is back and is as good as ever. Anthony Edwards has improved and looks fantastic, but this team lacks depth and D’Angelo Russell still hasn’t completely found himself since joining the Wolves. Yes, Russell is coming off of a 30 point game after being out due to injury, but he needs to be more consistent for this team to win more games.

They seem to be in every game just because of how dominant the duo of Karl Anthony-Towns and Anthony Edwards is, but until D’Angelo Russell gets out of his long slump, this Wolves team isn’t going anywhere.

25. San Antonio Spurs, 3-7

Dejounte Murray has been as good as advertised. The triple-double machine has stepped in nicely as the Spurs’ best player. Keldon Johnson, the team’s second-best player, had a rough start to the year but is finally hitting his stride. Jakob Poeltl has also been fantastic this year and when he comes back the Spurs have a solid group of young players in their rotation.

However, they aren’t experienced or good enough to hang with the juggernauts of the NBA. Any team coached by Greg Popovich is going to be okay, but it would take a miracle for this team to make the playoffs in the deep Western Conference.

24. Orlando Magic, 3-8

Cole Anthony has become a star in the NBA in only his second season. He is obviously the best player on the Magic and can win them close games by himself. He is that type of impactful player and it is very surprising so many teams passed on him in the 2020 NBA draft. Mo Bamba has also been amazing with increased minutes, while Wendell Carter Jr. is as good as ever as well.

When Johnathan Issac returns, this team will have a serious starting lineup, but not one that will be able to beat very good teams. The Magic are definitely trending upwards, but it’ll take time and this isn’t their year. They should just sit back and watch Cole Anthony’s development in awe.

23. Indiana Pacers, 4-7

Domantas Sabonis is off to his usual 20 points per game, 13 rebounds per game, and 3 assists per game start (although the assist numbers are kind of low for him). Malcolm Brogdon is dealing with an injury but seems to be as good as ever whenever he is healthy.

Caris LeVert looks great and Myles Turner does too. T.J. Warren obviously hasn’t returned yet and probably won’t for a long time. However, when Warren does return, this Pacers team could be dangerous in a now very deep Eastern Conference.

22. Boston Celtics, 4-6

The Celtics have had their struggles to start this year. Jayson Tatum hasn’t lived up to his “MVP season” hype. Jaylen Brown has been good but also is injured at the moment. Marcus Smart told the media that both Brown and Tatum have an issue giving up the ball, and it’s hurting the team since other teams know that the Celtics are going through Brown and Tatum on offense.

On the bright side, Dennis Schroder has stepped in at Point Guard and has played really well, Robert Williams and Al Horford are dominating the paint, and Marcus Smart is playing his usual tough defense. However, the Celtics don’t have much depth and teams have obviously figured out their offensive scheme very early on in the season, which is not a good sign.

I said before this season that the Raptors are even better than the Celtics and that the Celtics will have a hard time making the playoffs. I stand by my prediction, and until this team starts playing like a team, it will be a long and hard road for the Celtics.

21. Sacramento Kings, 5-5

Harrison Barnes is having the best season of his career averaging 23 points per game and 9 rebounds per game, and Richaun Holmes and Tyrese Haliburton have improved tremendously this season as well. The Kings sit at 5-5 even without great performances from their best player, De’Aaron Fox. Fox has been alright averaging 18 points per game and 6 assists per game, but that kind of production is a big drop off from his almost 25 points per game average of last season. He will obviously play better as the season goes on, and with that, the Kings should be better as well.

Rookie Davion Mitchell has been rubbing off on his teammates with his elite on-ball defending. The Kings are playing the best defense of the Luke Walton era. However, even with their improved defense, the Kings will have a hard time getting into the playoffs, just like every other fringe Western Conference 9-10 seed.

20. Los Angeles Lakers, 6-5

The Lakers may be the most talented team in the NBA and could have the most depth in the NBA as well. However, they are also the most undisciplined, lazy, and inconsistent team in the NBA as well. They don’t play team basketball, Frank Vogel’s defensive scheme seems to be lost, they run no plays, and are lazy and lackadaisical on both ends of the floor.

They play with no heart and when they play teams much worse than them, they are outhustled because those bad teams are gunning for them since they are the Lakers. The Lakers also give up 20 point leads on occasion. Vogel isn’t a good coach and it’s showing. A good coach would instill more discipline in his team.

With that talent, this team should never lose. Yes some of the blame is on the players like Westbrook who is averaging over 5 turnovers a game and losing them games trying to hit threes that he knows he won’t make in crunch time.

However, LeBron James makes this team an entirely different team and he is hurt at the moment. They didn’t look great with James to start the year, but they are obviously better with him than without.

Anthony Davis looks the best he has looked in a Lakers uniform and is an MVP candidate. Carmelo Anthony was the pickup of the offseason as he’s averaging 18 points per game and is shooting 53 percent from 3PT range. Anthony also doesn't play defense, which obviously hurts this team, but the offensive production from him has been otherworldly so he has to be on the floor.

Talen Horton-Tucker and Kendrick Nunn, who are both elite on-ball defenders, are still out, and who knows what this team will look like at full strength. However, as of right now, they are a terrible basketball team that doesn’t play team basketball.

They like to give the ball to Westbrook, LeBron, and Davis and hopefully, they can make things happen. That is literally the game plan and teams know that ball movement and spacing are huge issues for this Lakers team.

A 6-5 record with two losses coming to the Thunder after blowing two 20 point leads is unacceptable and it’s time for the media to start calling this team what it is at the moment… a bad basketball team and not a fun one to watch yet. Could they become the #1 team by the end of the year? Obviously, with their talent, it is a possibility, but as of right now they need to be taken off national television since the whole team is in shambles and is undisciplined.

19. Portland Trailblazers, 5-6

Before the season started, I predicted that the Trailblazers wouldn’t make the playoffs, even with Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, and Jusuf Nurkic. I stand by my prediction since I truly believe 8+ teams are better than them. Lillard obviously has had a rough start to the year, only averaging 20 points per game, and the whole team has been hit or miss every game with their offensive production.

What I do like about this team is that Head Coach Chauncey Billups is implementing a defensive scheme, something this team didn’t have last year. If this defensive scheme ends up working and Damian Lillard starts to go off again in a play-in tournament, my prediction could be wrong. As of right now though, this team is way too inconsistent to be ranked higher than 19th.

18. Atlanta Hawks, 4-8

Trae Young and John Collins look fantastic, but this team doesn’t have the edge that they had in the playoffs last year that got them into the Eastern Conference Finals. Well, they don’t have it yet at least.

The Hawks are obviously going to be in the playoffs and be a lethal team down the stretch of the season, but they are struggling to maintain leads in the 4th quarter and compete with the league’s juggernauts.

They aren’t one of those juggernaut teams yet, but they should start racking up wins and jumping up the rankings as they are one of the deepest teams in the league.

17. Charlotte Hornets, 5-7

LaMelo Ball is an NBA superstar who has vastly improved his defense. Other than averaging almost a 21 point triple-double, Ball is averaging almost 2 steals per game and has become a good on-ball defender.

Ball is a gem and should be one of the league’s 15 best players by year’s end. The Hornets have also benefited from Miles Bridges’ breakout season, where he is averaging 23 points per game, 2 steals per game, and 8 rebounds per game, and could be on his way to his first All-Star appearance.

LaMelo Ball will definitely get his first All-Star appearance this year, but Bridges could pick up the nod as well if he keeps it up. Gordon Hayward looks healthy and great as well, and even though Terry Rozier isn’t playing fantastic, this team has so much depth and talent that they don’t need him to play like his usual self. The Hornets should finish in the top 7 of the Eastern Conference.

16. Los Angeles Clippers, 6-4

MVPG? Paul George is having a fantastic year and is in the MVP conversation, especially if this team makes the playoffs. He hasn’t missed a beat and looks like the exact same player he was in the playoffs last season where he almost single-handedly willed the Clippers into the Western Conference Finals. Sometimes George struggles with inefficiency due to every team knowing he is the focal point of the Clippers’ offense, forcing him to take awful shots sometimes.

However, Terrance Mann, Nicolas Batum, Reggie Jackson, and others have stepped up and played great in the clutch to win this team big games to start the season. Ty Lue is one of the best coaches in the NBA and this Clippers team is highly underrated, especially if Batum continues to hit 60 percent of his three-point shots.

15. Denver Nuggets, 6-4

Nikola Jokic could get suspended for decking Markieff Morris in retaliation to Morris’ dirty hit on him right before. However, Jokic looks as good as ever and could win another MVP this season. Will Barton looks fantastic, Monte Morris looks fantastic, and Aaron Gordon looks fantastic as well. The problem with this team other than Jamal Murray being out is Michael Porter Jr.

I thought Porter Jr. would become an NBA star and fringe superstar this season, but he is only averaging 9 points per game and looks lost on the court (when he is healthy). He is out at the moment, but this team’s ceiling relies on how good Porter Jr. can be and how good Murray will be when he comes back before the NBA playoffs. The Nuggets will obviously make the playoffs, but it remains to be seen how far they will go once they get there because of the many question marks surrounding Murray and Portjer Jr.

14. Toronto Raptors, 6-5

I said before the year started that the Raptors are a playoff team. I stand by this point 11 games into the season. Scottie Barnes may be the best player on this team so far, and he is only a rookie! Barnes is averaging 17 points per game, 9 rebounds per game, 1.2 steals per game, and almost a block per game as well. Barnes was the steal of the draft so far at #4 and he has proven me wrong since I originally thought the Raptors should have taken Jalen Suggs. I was obviously wrong.

OG Anunuoby continues to develop into one of the league’s best two-way players. The same goes for Fred VanFleet, who took time to realize that he has the keys to the organization and has to be the leader of this team, but he finally has and is playing elite on both ends of the floor. Pascal Siakam just returned and has looked great as well, while Gary Trent Jr. has become one of the NBA’s best 3 and D players all of a sudden.

The Raptors also have one of the best coaches in the NBA in Nick Nurse and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Raptors get to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs this season. They are just a gem of an organization because of the brilliance of their coaching, development, scouting, and front office, all lead by the genius himself Masai Ujiri.

13. Cleveland Cavaliers, 7-4

Evan Mobley has to be the favorite so far alongside Scottie Barnes to win the Rookie of the Year this season. Mobley was supposed to be a raw prospect that would take time to develop but is already playing a huge role for the Cavaliers as arguably their best player this season. Mobley is averaging 15 points per game, 8 rebounds per game, almost 3 assists per game, 1.3 blocks per game, and 1 steals per game.

His numbers are off the charts for a rookie big man, and the Cavaliers have seemed to finally hit big on one of their draft picks. Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, and Lauri Markannen have played well when they are healthy, but it has been Ricky Rubio and Jarrett Allen that have picked up the production for this Cavs team alongside Mobley. This team won’t make the playoffs, but just like last season, this team is again moving in the right direction this year.

12. Washington Wizards, 7-4

Bradley Beal hasn’t looked like Bradley Beal just yet, but the old Lakers Montrezl Harrell, Kyle Kuzma, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope have been fantastic. Offseason addition Spencer Dinwiddie has returned to his 2019 form and looks like an elite Point Guard, while Daniel Gafford is playing great defense in limited minutes.

Rui Hachimura and Davis Bertans are out still, but this isn’t a really bad team. They have a great nucleus and they play team basketball. Sometimes that is all it takes to win a bunch of basketball games. No superstar or multiple stars are needed.

11. Milwaukee Bucks, 5-6

The Bucks don’t have the record that they wanted to have to start the year. I am ranking them at 11th since they haven’t looked great yet, even though I know they could be ranked #1 by the end of the season.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is starting to get the LeBron James treatment with the MVP award. I mean his stats have just been ridiculous again this season, yet they will probably give the MVP to someone else just to spread the praise around.

Although if Stephen Curry continues his great start to the season and the Warriors keep winning, it will be hard for anyone to argue he isn’t the MVP. I mean he should have won last year just by getting his team into the play-in tournament. Nonetheless, even though Jrue Holiday hasn’t been himself yet, Bobby Portis, Jordan Nwora, Grayson Allen, and Pat Connaughton have been great role players for the Bucks this season to compliment Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Allen may have been one of the best pickups of the offseason as he has been absolutely fantastic. The Bucks will start to win more games very soon. The 5-6 record is a fluke and they will be ranked higher in the next power rankings.

10. New York Knicks, 7-4

Julius Randle hasn’t missed a beat starting off the year averaging 22.5 points per game and 11 rebounds per game, while RJ Barrett is taking another step toward stardom this season. Barrett is still wildly inconsistent with his scoring bursts, sometimes scoring 30+ and other times scoring under 10, but his defense has improved and every facet of his game has gotten better as well.

Evan Fournier looks like a lethal scorer, and even Kemba Walker is having a great start to the season. This is a playoff team, but it remains to be seen if they can hang with the juggernauts of the Eastern Conference in the long run.

9. Phoenix Suns, 6-3

   

The Suns are a team built for the playoffs, not the regular season. Devin Booker hit his stride this week having a 38 point breakout performance, and Chris Paul is truly a magician with the ball.

Deandre Ayton is already having the best season of his career, and Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Javale McGee, and Cameron Payne have all complimented Paul, Ayton, and Booker well. This team is ranked 9th now, but they should jump up the rankings as the season goes on.

8. Memphis Grizzlies, 6-4

Ja Morant is an MVP candidate and has started off the year averaging 26 points per game and 7.2 assists per game. De’Anthony Melton, Kyle Anderson, Desmond Bane, and Jarren Jackson Jr. all look great as well.

Dillon Brooks isn’t even back yet, and mark my words the Grizzlies will get to the second round of the playoffs this season behind NBA Superstar Ja Morant.

7. Dallas Mavericks, 7-3

This team is 7-3 and Luka Doncic hasn’t even played like Luka Doncic yet. Doncic is struggling with efficiency from the floor and turnovers, and the Mavericks are still winning. Kristaps Porzingis doesn’t look good and the Mavericks are still winning.

Jalen Brunson looks great and has put up some monster performances, while Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dwight Powell have been great role players for this team. When Doncic hits his stride, this team has a very good chance to finally make the Western Conference second round this season after back-to-back years losing to the Clippers in the first round.

6. Chicago Bulls, 7-3

Demar DeRozan is averaging 27 PPG and is leading this team to the promised land. I knew DeRozan was a great pickup and would push this team over the edge, but I did not expect him to score with the amazing efficiency he is scoring with.

Lonzo Ball’s playmaking, 3PT shooting, and defense have also been amazing, while Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic are still playing at elite levels. Role players Alex Caruso, Derrick Jones Jr, Ayo Donsunmu, and Alize Johnson have been fantastic compliments to the big 4, and this team has a serious chance to make a run in the playoffs.

The Bulls also have one of the best coaches in the NBA who took a Thunder team with Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and other role players to the playoffs two years ago when they took the Westbrook/Harden Rockets to 7 games. It’s early in the season, but this team looks pretty dominant.

5. Utah Jazz, 7-3

I stand by my point that the Jazz are never going anywhere in the playoffs without a third star to complement Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. They are a regular-season team, but they will never get past the second round unless they pick up the third star.

Mike Conley is great but isn’t a third star. Joe Ingles, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Jordan Clarkson are all great, but none of them are stars. They need to make a big move for stars, otherwise, they will continue to be caught in first and second-round playoff purgatory.

4. Brooklyn Nets, 7-4

James Harden and Kevin Durant can’t win you every game, but they can win you a lot of games. James Harden has been up and down to start the year, but Kevin Durant is averaging 30 PPG, 9 RPG, and 5 APG and could win another MVP this season with his insane statistics and brilliant efficiency from the floor.

Kevin Durant is the reason why they are winning games, but team basketball isn’t a thing for this team. Patty Mills and LaMarcus Aldridge are playing fine, but Blake Griffin and others haven’t hit their strides yet. This team doesn’t look good enough to win the NBA Championship even with possibly the league’s best player and another top 10 player in James Harden.

3. Philadelphia 76ers, 8-4

No Ben Simmons, no problem. Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris are going through COVID protocols at the moment, but Tyrese Maxey and Shake Milton have stepped right in for Simmons, and have both played fantastic. I mean Maxey put up 31 points last night and has established himself as one of the steals of the 2020 NBA draft.

Seth Curry is shooting lights out, Tobias Harris is scoring a ton, and Embiid (when healthy of course) is still dominating every game. The 76ers should maybe think about trading Simmons for literally any piece that could help win them a championship this season since the team is playing just fine without him. In fact, Simmons playing this season may hinder Tyrese Maxey’s development. I would just trade him, and Daryl Morey is being too stubborn.

2. Miami Heat, 7-3

Tyler Herro is having a comeback year averaging over 20 PPG, while Jimmy Butler has started to build off of his career-best year last season by almost averaging a 25 point triple-double to start this season.

Butler is another MVP candidate and is in the same mix that Giannis and Curry are in. Bam Adebayo looks even better this season, especially on the defensive end, while Kyle Lowry is complimenting his teammates tremendously with his toughness, scoring, and playmaking. This team is a serious threat to get back to the NBA Finals.

1. Golden State Warriors, 9-1

The Warriors are clicking on all cylinders behind Stephen Curry, Jordan Poole, Draymond Green, Gary Payton II, and company. James Wiseman and Klay Thompson aren’t even back yet, and when they are, the whole league will be scared. Stephen Curry is coming off of a 50 point- 10 assist game and is the oldest player ever to put up that stat line. We are again witnessing greatness and Stephen Curry has to be the favorite to win MVP this season with his team being 9-1.

This is one of the only NBA teams that run plays, and it shows. Teams like the Lakers and Nets try to win on the coattails of their superstars without playing team basketball, while the Warriors all play together and create open shots for each other. Some days Curry will score 50, others he will only score 15, but Jordan Poole will step up and score 30 when Curry has his “off games”. The dynasty isn’t over for the Warriors and they have a legitimate shot at winning the Championship.

Check out The Bookie - Your sharp, Sports Betting friend that sends you an email
each day
full of Free Picks, Tips, Tools, and Insider Resources you need to know.
https://www.TheBookie.com