NBA Power Rankings Week 1: Let’s Not Overreact To The Warriors’ ‘Slow’ Start


Getty Image

After one week of the 2016-2017 NBA season, it is both easy and immeasurably fun to draw sharp conclusions about the product on the floor for each of the 30 teams. On one hand, there is always a general consensus (or something approaching one) about what teams will resemble when the curtain goes up for the season opener, and it would be very easy to lean on that when it comes to evaluating early-season performance. On the other, “hot takes” are prevalent in today’s sporting culture, in part because it brings a ton of enjoyment to overreact to things on the fly.

The league’s 30 teams have played a (small) handful of games to this point, and that provides something of a sample to judge. Perhaps the most famous example is the Golden State Warriors, who famously were lambasted by the Spurs (at home) on Opening Night while facing perhaps the highest level of expectations in the history of the sport. Since then, things have been much rosier for Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and friends, but memories of that opening performance and several additional sluggish stretches persist.

Where does that leave us with Golden State and, well, how does it help us when trying to rank the NBA’s teams?

In short, we don’t know a ton more than we did previously about the Warriors, but what we do know is that Steve Kerr’s team places more talent on the floor at one time than any squad in recent memory and it just might be safe to assume that Golden State is pretty good. Even when things don’t go quite as swimmingly as everyone expected from the outset.

With that in mind, let’s roll out the inaugural edition of our NBA power rankings. Be gentle. It’s still (very) early.

1. Cleveland Cavaliers (4-0, Last week — n/a)

The defending champs are at the top and that makes sense given their unblemished record. Cleveland was taken to the brink by the Rockets on Tuesday evening, but the presence of LeBron and Kyrie was enough to propel the Cavs to a win and the retention of this spot. It seems rather likely that this team will remain in the top three for the bulk of the year, and frankly, we’ve seen nothing to move away from them now.


2. San Antonio Spurs (4-1, Last week — n/a)

San Antonio’s performance in the season-opening victory over the Warriors is (still) the best single-game output of the season. Yes, the Spurs took it on the chin in Utah on Tuesday and that made it easier to slide Kawhi Leonard and company behind the Cavs, but this is a dangerous and incredibly well-coached team that no one wants to fool with in an important spot.

3. Golden State Warriors (3-1, Last week — n/a)

The Warriors might be too high based on what we’ve seen, but my eyes and general common sense won’t allow me to drop them beyond this. If asked to project the winner of a playoff series on a neutral court today, the Warriors are probably the right choice against any team in the league and, as mentioned above, overreacting after this small of a sample size is unwise. The talent is just too obscene and we saw flashes of that in a runaway win over Portland on Tuesday.

4. Los Angeles Clippers (3-0, Last week — n/a)

This could be the toughest spot to fill throughout the season, simply because it looks (at least for now) like a three-team pack above the four spot. With that said, the Clippers have been impressive in their three wins, including a road victory in Portland. As long as Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and J.J. Redick are healthy, this is a strong unit.

5. Chicago Bulls (3-0, Last week — n/a)

I don’t believe this ranking. At all. Still, it’s tough to pass on the opportunity to place Chicago in what will, in all likelihood, be the team’s highest position of the entire season. Enjoy this hot start, Bulls fans!

6. Atlanta Hawks (3-0, Last week — n/a)

The Bulls are generating a lot more buzz than the Hawks, but Atlanta has been even more impressive. Mike Budenholzer’s team boasts the league’s best net rating (+21.7 points per 100) and defensive rating (86.4 points allowed per 100), and even if much of that comes as a result of a blowout win over the hapless Sixers, the Dwight Howard era is off to a rousing start.

7. Boston Celtics (2-1, Last week — n/a)

Oddly, the Celtics have been quite ordinary on the defensive of the court to this point, allowing more than 105 points per 100 possessions. The offense, though, has been quite good given the addition of Al Horford and increased spacing, and there has been little from Boston that would dissuade any preseason believer.

Getty Image

8. Oklahoma City Thunder (3-0, Last week — n/a)

The Thunder are the lowest-rated undefeated team in this space, and that is what happens when the three victories come at the hands of the 76ers, Suns and Lakers. Is Oklahoma City playing well? Absolutely, but it is aggressive to say that anyone has learned much from Russell Westbrook and company given the schedule.

9. Toronto Raptors (2-1, Last week — n/a)

If you liked the Raptors before the season, you probably still like them now. Toronto’s lone loss came in close fashion to the Cavaliers and, for the most part, the positives from the Eastern Conference Finalists remain from a year ago. The playing style on offense continues to worry me, but we’re nitpicking here.

10. Utah Jazz (2-2, Last week — n/a)

Rudy Gobert is an extremely rich man, George Hill is looking like a fantastic addition, and the Jazz are who many thought they were. Gordon Hayward’s return and full health from Derrick Favors would help Utah a great deal, but the team took it on the Spurs in San Antonio on Tuesday night and that will certainly turn some heads toward Salt Lake City.

11. Charlotte Hornets (2-1, Last week — n/a)

Steve Clifford is the best coach in the NBA that you don’t know anything about, and the Hornets are doing Hornets stuff. Charlotte has two road wins with the lone blemish coming to a strong Boston team, and the Hornets are defending at an elite level. Ho-hum.

12. Portland Trail Blazers (2-2, Last week — n/a)

Tuesday evening’s thrashing at the hands of the Warriors will be fresh in everyone’s mind, but there is no shame in being run over by that wrecking ball. Portland’s play, especially on defense, has been just so-so, however, and after a season in which they may have overachieved, that is a concern.

13. Detroit Pistons (3-1, Last week — n/a)

In the absence of Reggie Jackson, the Pistons need to excel with defense and they have done that over the first week-plus of action. Detroit’s offense isn’t exactly a sight for sore eyes, but Stan Van Gundy and Andre Drummond are teaming up to form a lock-down point prevention group and the Pistons are very talented.


14. Memphis Grizzlies (2-2, Last week — n/a)

The Grizzlies are incredibly strange. Memphis was run off the floor by the Wolves on Tuesday, but prior to that, the (relatively) healthy Memphis squad knocked off that same Minnesota team and the capable Wizards. When Marc Gasol and Mike Conley play, the Grizzlies are good. The end.

15. Indiana Pacers (2-2, Last week — n/a)

Indiana is one of the more divisive teams in the NBA this season, and their early-season showing did nothing but solidify both schools of thought. The Pacers are electrifying on offense at times and Myles Turner is a budding star. Still, this is a mess defensively with only one above-average player on that end (Paul George) in the regular rotation. We need more data.

16. Houston Rockets (2-2, Last week — n/a)

Speaking of bad defensive teams, everyone can agree that the Rockets fit the bill. However, Houston is scoring nearly 110 points per 100 possessions, and James Harden’s numbers (29.3 points, 10.7 assists, 7.3 rebounds per game) are eye-popping. This is the perfect Mike D’Antoni team, and while that might not mean wins, we’ll be entertained.

17. Denver Nuggets (1-2, Last week — n/a)

Denver is deep, young and talented. The Nuggets have a losing record, but the two defeats came by a total (!) of five points against two playoff teams from 2015-2016. It’s not too late to buy Denver stock, but you want to act quickly.

18. Minnesota Timberwolves (1-2, Last week — n/a)

Because of their drubbing of Memphis on Tuesday (see above), the Wolves hold a +13.0 net rating despite a 1-2 record. That is the type of fun statistical anomaly that is easy to love, but we should probably just talk about Minnesota’s young talent. Karl-Anthony Towns is preposterously good and Andrew Wiggins looks to be taking another step forward.

19. Washington Wizards (0-2, Last week — n/a)

At the time of our first edition, the Wizards are the only team in the Association that has played only two games. With that in mind, we don’t know much about Washington, but the offense has been a mess and John Wall doesn’t look right. The ranking is probably low, but it is hard to draw conclusions right now.

Getty Image

20. Miami Heat (2-2, Last week — n/a)

Miami’s young athletes are fun to watch defensively, but the offense is something of a slog. Are the Heat going to be entertaining? It probably depends on what style they employ on a regular basis, but given their weapons, Erik Spoelstra might be best served in mucking things up on most nights.

21. Sacramento Kings (2-3, Last week — n/a)

Boogie Cousins fouled out on Tuesday night, and he did so by collecting all six fouls during the fourth quarter. Between that and his pursuit of the record for technical fouls in a season, there is plenty to discuss here. Oh, and the rest of the Kings play basketball.

22. New York Knicks (1-2, Last week — n/a)

This is the ranking most likely to generate “hater” replies and it is easy to see why. New York looked wretched against Cleveland on Opening Night, though, and if the Knicks aren’t cooking when everyone is healthy… draw your own conclusions.

23. Milwaukee Bucks (2-2, Last week — n/a)

Giannis Antetokounmpo is worth the price of admission but, without Khris Middleton in the fold, the Bucks have looked poor on both ends. Wins over the Nets and (this version of the) Pelicans are nice, but the level of play is middling at best.

24. Dallas Mavericks (0-3, Last week — n/a)

Before the season, the common refrain was that everyone was doubting the Mavericks but no one wanted to say that publicly out of pure fear and respect for Rick Carlisle and Dirk Nowitzki. Through three games, Dallas looks the part of a team with an overmatched roster and skeptics are starting to chirp. The losses came against solid opponents, leaving some wiggle room, but the Mavericks just might not be good at basketball.

25. Orlando Magic (1-3, Last week — n/a)

Frank Vogel’s maiden voyage in central Florida was expected to look better than it has to this point. Orlando did get into the win column on Tuesday, but it took an 18-point comeback against the hapless Sixers and the Magic didn’t inspire anyone with that performance. The defensive talent is present, but the performance (106.6 points allowed per 100) leaves a lot to be desired. And Vogel will need to work wonders with this group in a hurry.

Getty Image

26. Los Angeles Lakers (1-3, Last week — n/a)

Under the leadership of Luke Walton, the Lakers are looking quite a bit more professional this season, but the results aren’t quite there yet. The three losses came against playoff-level competition, but Los Angeles has real problems defensively, and much of the talent is a year (or more) away from full maturation.

27. New Orleans Pelicans (0-4, Last week — n/a)

It’s not your fault, Anthony Davis. The Brow has 146 points and six turnovers on the season, but the Pelicans are generally void of talent (especially without Jrue Holiday available) and it is showing. Davis is a one-man wrecking crew, but there is only so much one man can do — and this is a prime example.

28. Brooklyn Nets (1-3, Last week — n/a)

In the spirit of truth and honesty, the Nets are probably the worst team in the league, and their basement was on display in a 30-point home loss to the Bulls on Monday. Still, Kenny Atkinson has this team looking rather competitive and they avoid a lower ranking based heavily on a surprising win over the Pacers. There isn’t a zero in the win column and that matters … for now.

29. Philadelphia 76ers (0-3, Last week — n/a)

Joel Embiid is endlessly fascinating and there have been positives for the Sixers … but this remains a bad basketball team. Philly blew an 18-point lead in mind-blowing fashion against the Magic on Tuesday and that tells the story of how things are going. At least they are fun.

30. Phoenix Suns (0-4, Last week — n/a)

It is probably too strong to place Phoenix at the very bottom of this list, but the Suns have earned it with play on the floor to this point. The 0-4 record does include three losses to playoff-caliber teams, but the season opener was a blowout loss (at home) to the Kings, and that one stings. We know that Phoenix isn’t going to be good on defense given all of their young players and obvious holes, but the offense has been hideous to this point. There’s nowhere to go but up and, um, Devin Booker is fun! That’s something!

×