The Brooklyn Nets are the worst team in the NBA, and it isn’t particularly close. That is a widely accepted sentiment for many reasons, chief of which is an active 16-game losing streak and a record that sits at 9-49 as the calendar flips to March. There are a myriad of reasons why the Nets aren’t very good at basketball right now.
But just how bad are they?
Obviously, a 9-49 mark isn’t ideal for any team, especially one that does not control its own draft pick for the 2017 NBA Draft. The ill-conceived trade that Brooklyn executed with the Boston Celtics has been litigated on every front and was a complete disaster. This is not up for debate. With that said, the Nets have changed course in admirable fashion, hiring a head coach with player development background in Kenny Atkinson and a forward-thinking general manager in Sean Marks.
With all of that said, there is actually an argument that Brooklyn isn’t that bad after all. Yes, there is a (very) wide gap between the Nets and everyone else in the standings, but Brooklyn’s net rating of -8.4 isn’t historically bad. In fact, there has been at least one team with an uglier point differential in every single season since 2007-2008, and the Nets are by comparison to the worst of the worst, a scrappy bunch. Throw in the fact that much of this season has been played without the team’s second-best player in Jeremy Lin and there are reasons for extremely mild optimism.
The Nets acquired assets for the future at the trade deadline, and while that does not move the needle in a huge way, it is a necessary evil for this team. If the aforementioned Lin is able to play the rest of the season in conjunction with Brook Lopez and others, there is a chance that Brooklyn’s already reasonable net rating could actually improve, even if their standing among the rest of the league does not. While it seems crazy to suggest that the Nets are doing everything right at the moment, it is an argument worth making, especially given the internal development of players like Caris LeVert and Sean Kilpatrick.
We already know where the Nets will land every week until the end of the season, barring a miracle of epic proportions. Where does every other team stack up? Let’s explore that now with our first post-trade deadline power rankings.
1. Golden State Warriors (50-10, Last week — 1st)
Kevin Durant exited Tuesday’s game with a hyperextended knee, and that is the dark cloud looming over the Warriors at the moment more so than a close-fought loss to the Wizards. Golden State is, quite obviously, the best team in the NBA at full strength, but until we know more about Durant (and the general feeling isn’t great right now), it is tough to project things moving forward. For now, they remain here because, well, they sport a 50-10 record.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers (41-17, Last week — 2nd)
The Cavs felt the brunt of an 18-point home loss last week but it came with the biggest caveat of them all in that LeBron James was absent from the proceedings. Aside from that, Cleveland rolls along and, with Deron Williams on board, their bench is more formidable than it was the last time we discussed the reigning champs. Having Andrew Bogut along for the ride certainly won’t hurt either.
3. San Antonio Spurs (45-13, Last week — 3rd)
All is well in San Antonio, where the Spurs just completed a road trip with a four-game winning streak. As usual, Gregg Popovich, Kawhi Leonard, and company are flying under the radar, but they are an excellent product that is worthy of praise. Also, this entire paragraph could be recited in virtually every season.
4. Houston Rockets (42-19, Last week — 6th)
A home loss to the Pacers isn’t an ideal way to begin the week, but Houston is playing well enough where we won’t hold that against them. Mike D’Antoni famously wants the Rockets to fire 50 three-point attempts per game and, frankly, any time should want to replicate that if they can deploy the type of firepower Houston can on a nightly basis.
5. Los Angeles Clippers (36-23, Last week — 8th)
The Clippers are 28-10 when Chris Paul plays this season and one of those losses came in his return from injury against the Spurs. Needless to say, that isn’t a bad loss and Los Angeles has won five of seven with defeats to only San Antonio and Golden State. This ranking includes some projection as to what the Clips should be with a healthy Paul but they are scary when things are clicking.
6. Utah Jazz (37-23, Last week — 7th)
Utah went into Oklahoma City and lost on Tuesday. In that loss, though, the Jazz erased a double-digit deficit and reclaimed the lead late despite a stretch of basketball that included the Thunder making 12 (!) consecutive threes. In other words, context matters and punishing Utah for that particular defeat wouldn’t make much sense. This is a good basketball team and that is doubly true when they are fully healthy.
7. Toronto Raptors (36-24, Last week — 10th)
The Kyle Lowry injury looms over everything but on the floor the Raptors are playing great basketball right now. Toronto has earned four straight victories and the acquisitions of both Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker seem to stabilize what has been a questionable defensive product this season. Make no mistake, the Raptors aren’t the seventh-best team in the NBA without Lowry but we’ll have to wait to evaluate them further in the future, especially after three straight wins without him.
8. Washington Wizards (35-23, Last week — 5th)
Yes, the Wizards beat the Warriors on Tuesday. Why, then, are they falling in this week’s rankings? Well, prior to that, Washington dropped back-to-back games, and while beating Golden State is always nice, it happened at home in a game that didn’t include Kevin Durant for the great majority of action. Don’t worry, Wizards fans, your team is still (very) good.
9. Boston Celtics (38-22, Last week — 4th)
The Celtics have quietly lost three of four, including a lopsided home defeat against Atlanta on Monday. It probably isn’t time to worry about Boston right now, but concerns about their short-term upside are probably warranted. After all, Jimmy Butler and Paul George aren’t walking through that door.
10. Oklahoma City Thunder (35-25, Last week — 11th)
Russell Westbrook recorded his 30th (!) triple-double of the year on Tuesday and OKC needed every bit of it to outlast the Jazz. With that said, the Thunder have won four straight. Every time it feels like Westbrook can’t possibly keep his own pace, he pulls it off and the Thunder are in the mix as a result.
11. Memphis Grizzlies (36-25, Last week — 9th)
Memphis scored 130 points on Tuesday evening in a blowout win over Phoenix. That is an extraordinary figure for any team, but the Grizzlies hadn’t cracked 130 in more than seven years. That is mind-blowing. At any rate, the Grizzlies are who we thought they were.
12. Atlanta Hawks (33-26, Last week — 12th)
The Hawks are incredibly bizarre. Atlanta came back from the All-Star break with back-to-back losses to the Heat and Magic by a combined 37 points. On cue, the Hawks went into Boston in their last contest and blasted the Celtics. For good measure, Paul Millsap’s team has a negative net rating for the season. Best of luck trying to figure out what’s happening here.
13. Detroit Pistons (29-31, Last week — 14th)
Did you feel that drop-off? After the Hawks (who are weird in their own right), the gap is quite wide but Detroit earns top billing in the “best of the rest” category this week. The Pistons are finally displaying some signs of the team we all expected to see throughout the campaign and a 37-point explosion from Marcus Morris on Tuesday helped the team to earn this slot.
14. Miami Heat (27-33, Last week — 18th)
The Heat aren’t scorching hot anymore, but prior to a road loss in Dallas, Miami reeled off impressive wins over the Pacers, Hawks and Rockets. At this point, it wouldn’t be at all crazy to suggest that Erik Spoelstra’s team is one of the eight best teams in the East and they have come a (very) long way in a short period of time.
15. Denver Nuggets (27-33, Last week — 17th)
Nikola Jokic and company put the worst defense in the NBA on the floor on a nightly basis and that greatly limits the upside of what the Nuggets can bring. Still, they are in pole position when it comes to the No. 8 seed in the West and Denver was very impressive in trouncing a previously hot Bulls team on the road in its last outing.
16. Indiana Pacers (31-29, Last week — 15th)
I was all set to bury the Pacers … and then they won on the road in Houston. Much like the Hawks, it is very difficult to get a real read on Indiana and the Paul George saga isn’t going to make things easier moving forward. This is a talented bunch that should be playoff-bound, but it feels a lot like the Pacers are easy fodder for the top-four in the East when they arrive.
17. Chicago Bulls (30-30, Last week — 16th)
Chicago’s lopsided home loss to Denver certainly cost them a few spots in the rankings. but the Bulls are playing quality basketball. The Jimmy Butler rumors are in the past (at least for now) and there is a school of thought that this team could make legitimate noise in the playoffs given their star power with Butler and Wade. I am quite skeptical of that notion, but it helps to have two alphas at your disposal.
18. Milwaukee Bucks (26-32, Last week — 13th)
It might seem as if Milwaukee isn’t “hot” anymore, but their two recent losses came to the Cavs (on the road) and the Jazz. In other words, those shouldn’t be held against them and the Bucks are playing quite well in the absence of Jabari Parker. That loss greatly limits their upside in the short-term, but Milwaukee has the net rating of a playoff team (+0.6) – and they might just be one.
19. Dallas Mavericks (24-35, Last week — 24th)
I don’t know why the Mavericks aren’t tanking, but they don’t appear to be jockeying for position in the NBA Draft race. Granted, Dallas remains 2.5 games out of the No. 8 spot in the West, but back-to-back victories have displayed some full-on moxie. Throw in Rick Carlisle being a genius and it is tough to fully rule out a late charge from the Mavs.
20. Minnesota Timberwolves (24-36, Last week — 23rd)
The 50-win dream is dead and the Wolves probably won’t make the playoffs given their current position in the pecking order. With that said, Minnesota’s net rating (-0.3) is more indicative of a .500 team than it is of their current mark and there are signs of life in the recent past. I would even dare say that they are fun to watch again.
21. Charlotte Hornets (26-34, Last week — 21st)
Charlotte suffered a losing spell that saw the team drop 12 of 13 games and that is normally a playoff death sentence. This year, though, that disaster only pushes the Hornets three games out of the No. 8 spot in the East, and they have now won two of three at the outset of the recovery process. It remains baffling that this team simply can’t operate competently but maybe the worst is over.
22. Portland Trail Blazers (24-35, Last week — 22nd)
The Blazers are scuffling in a big way right now when it comes to the standings. Portland has dropped five of six and they trail Sacramento in the race for the No. 8 seed as a result. Context matters, though, and the five losses sustained by Damian Lillard and company came to the Celtics, Hawks, Jazz, Raptors, and Pistons. Would it have been nice for Portland to claim even one of those? Absolutely, but it’s hard to bury them for losing to four superior teams and in a coin-flip spot against Detroit on the road.
23. Sacramento Kings (25-35, Last week — 20th)
Given their current talent level in a post-Boogie world, this ranking is too high and we all know it. However, it is tough to avoid the reality that it is the Kings that are sitting at No. 9 in the West right now and there is some “Ewing Theory” potential. Will it come through? Probably not, but they can land here for another week.
24. New Orleans Pelicans (23-37, Last week — 19th)
The Boogie Cousins era began with an 0-3 performance and a sizable dip in playoff odds. There have been bright spots in the way that Cousins and Anthony Davis have coexisted, but Jrue Holiday is struggling to adjust to his new life and the supporting cast is brutal. There is no shame in losing to the Rockets, Mavericks and Thunder in February, but it isn’t great timing.
25. New York Knicks (24-36, Last week — 25th)
When the Knicks aren’t imploding for all the world to see, they are just run-of-the-mill bad on the court. There’s no way around it.
26. Orlando Magic (22-38, Last week — 28th)
Orlando should get some credit for lambasting the Hawks over the weekend but it has to be noted that the Magic have the second-worst record in the East. In short, it has been a lost season, but at least the front office knew enough to pivot away from Serge Ibaka while they still could.
27. Philadelphia 76ers (22-37, Last week — 26th)
There have been encouraging signs in Philly this season but, at the moment, they aren’t visible. Joel Embiid is on the shelf, Ben Simmons won’t play this season, Nerlens Noel is gone, and even Ersan Ilyasova isn’t around to buoy things from a veteran standpoint. Don’t worry, the Sixers are in good shape moving forward (as long as Embiid and Simmons return to full health) but they may drop in these rankings moving forward.
28. Phoenix Suns (18-42, Last week — 27th)
The Suns have a half-game “lead” on the Lakers for the worst record in the West, so you might be asking why they are here instead of behind Los Angeles. Look no further than a 30-plus point victory before the All-Star break in a game between the two teams. Since then, Phoenix is back to being bad. Ho-hum.
29. Los Angeles Lakers (19-42, Last week — 29th)
Luke Walton and company are riding an active five-game losing streak and it is well-documented that the Lakers need every loss they can get. It appears that even Magic Johnson knows that but, from now until late June, there is little intrigue beyond this team’s ability to compile defeats.
30. Brooklyn Nets (9-49, Last week — 30th)
We already knew where the Nets would be. Enjoy your week.
