NBA Power Rankings Week 2: ‘The Process’ Is Here, But The 76ers Are A Mess

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The 2016-2017 NBA season is just two weeks old and, aside from the usual discussion concerning the best of the best in the league, the biggest story in the sport is Joel Embiid. “The Process” is arguably the most exciting young player in basketball right now, and while Embiid still takes a back seat to the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Davis in “best young big man” discussions due to injury concerns, the 7-foot-2 center looks to be every bit of the building block that Sam Hinkie had in mind for the Philadelphia 76ers.

However, the Sixers are … bad.

In fact, bad probably undersells what Philadelphia is at this point, as Brett Brown’s team has been easily the worst team in the Association through a handful of games. When Embiid is on the floor, the Sixers are entertainingly futile, as Philadelphia is being outscored by 11.3 points per 100 possessions despite the occasional magnificence of Embiid’s play. When he isn’t involved, though, Philadelphia is transformed into a good, old-fashioned dumpster fire, losing every bit of the entertainment factor while plummeting to a net rating of -16.6 points per 100 possessions that would make any basketball fan cover his or her eyes.

Ben Simmons is on the shelf with injury and that, unquestionably, matters. At the same time, this was billed as the year that the Sixers would become more competitive, and given what Embiid has been able to accomplish while appearing in five of the team’s six games this season, it is safe to state plainly that Philadelphia’s overall performance has been a disappointment. The season is (very) young, but make no mistake, the Sixers remain the worst team in basketball and it might not be close.

1. Cleveland Cavaliers (6-1, Last week — 1st)

The Cavaliers are no longer perfect after a home loss to the Hawks on Tuesday, but that isn’t enough to remove LeBron and company from the top spot. Cleveland shot just 37 percent from the floor and 26 percent (on 42 attempts) from three in that four-point defeat and they were still able to compete with a competent, well-run team in Atlanta. Everything is fine for the defending champs.

2. Golden State Warriors (5-2, Last week — 3rd)

This ascent will surprise some people, but my belief in the Warriors is unshaken. Golden State’s flat performance against the Lakers wasn’t the best look, but Stephen Curry exploded for 13 threes earlier this week and we have now seen what the Warriors look like when shots are actually falling. Given the talent level, it is probably safe to assume they are going to fall more often than not.

3. Los Angeles Clippers (6-1, Last week — 4th)

Having one loss (by two points) is a good indication of how well the Clippers are playing and a league-leading +13.5 net rating is an even better one. Chris Paul and, perhaps more importantly, Blake Griffin look sharp and the much-maligned bench has been keeping things afloat when the stars take a seat. There is every reason to be skeptical about the ceiling, but the Clippers are good at basketball when everyone is healthy.

4. San Antonio Spurs (5-2, Last week — 2nd)

Both of San Antonio’s losses have come by double digits at home and that isn’t ideal. With that said, the Spurs are the Spurs and they already banked two quality road wins (at Utah, at Golden State) that make up for a few hiccups. The defense hasn’t been as good (100.5 points allowed per 100) as some might think, but given what they have received from Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili (read: very little), everything is just fine.

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5. Charlotte Hornets (5-1, Last week — 11th)

Steve Clifford’s team continues to roll while managing to escape any sort of national attention. The Hornets own the second-best net rating in the league (+11.0) based in large part on stellar defense, and Charlotte’s lone loss came at home to Boston in a hotly contested battle. This is a team without a single top-25 NBA player, but the coaching is magnificent and Charlotte plays smart, entertaining basketball.

6. Utah Jazz (5-3, Last week — 10th)

Why would the three-loss Jazz be this high? Well, Utah played its first six games without Gordon Hayward and also dropped the season opener without both Hayward and Derrick Favors. The Jazz are incredibly deep and talented, and with their full complement of options, Utah is the fourth-best team in the Western Conference.

7. Oklahoma City Thunder (6-1, Last week — 8th)

Another thing for Russell Westbrook to be mad about in 2016! The Thunder are rolling in the standings with a 6-1 record, but their weaknesses were roundly exposed by the Warriors, and Oklahoma City owns a paltry +2.4 net rating. Westbrook is great, but the offense has been ugly (97.1 points per 100) and spacing issues persist. On the high end, Billy Donovan can have this team playing terrifying defensive basketball, but the floor is lower than most people think.

8. Atlanta Hawks (5-2, Last week — 6th)

Dwight Howard and company began the season accumulating wins against substandard competition, but the Hawks picked up one of the better victories of the young season on Tuesday in knocking off the Cavs on the road. The Hawks are a top-three team in the NBA in net rating (+10.4) based heavily on a strong defense, and Mike Budenholzer continues to make the absolute most out of the talent on Atlanta’s roster.

9. Toronto Raptors (4-2, Last week — 9th)

Toronto would have been higher before a home loss to the Kings (woof), but DeMar DeRozan is having himself a year. The much-maligned swingman is averaging 33.7 points per game to lead the Raptors, and with Kyle Lowry scuffling a bit out of the gate, DeRozan’s hot start has been quite valuable.

10. Portland Trail Blazers (5-3, Last week — 12th)

The Blazers are riding a three-game winning streak after upending the Mavericks, Grizzlies, and Suns in order and Portland is doing it with offense. The new additions (still) don’t appear to fit seamlessly and the results of that can be seen on a porous defense, but it is nice to have Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum when things break down, and the duo continues to bail the Blazers out on a grand level.

11. Boston Celtics (3-3, Last week — 7th)

Ranking the Celtics this high is actually an exercise in faith. Boston owns the second-worst defensive rating (110.2) in the entire NBA, and that is a mind-boggling reality under Brad Stevens. The C’s do have injury excuses to lean on, but if the results don’t improve with haste, every lofty projection (including my own) from the preseason will look increasingly silly.

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12. Detroit Pistons (4-3, Last week — 13th)

The absence of Reggie Jackson continues to plague the Pistons, and that was on full display in a thrashing at the hands of the Clippers earlier this week. At the same time, Detroit has managed to remain afloat thanks to strong efforts from Marcus Morris, Tobias Harris and, of course, Andre Drummond. If they can remain above the .500 mark until Jackson returns, things will get fun in the motor city.

13. Chicago Bulls (4-3, Last week — 5th)

Last week’s ranking for Chicago reflected an unsustainably hot shooting start and the Bulls have self-corrected since then with losses to Boston, New York, and Indiana. The truth is, as usual, somewhere in the middle, but the jury remains out as to whether the seemingly ill-fitting pieces can continue to fit together snugly for Fred Hoiberg.

14. Denver Nuggets (3-4, Last week — 17th)

Each of Denver’s four losses have come to playoff-caliber teams and the Nuggets maintain a positive net rating in the aggregate. Both of those are strong signs for Denver, and this remains one of the deepest teams in the league that can mix and match depending on opponent and/or situation. The ceiling doesn’t appear to be that high, but the floor certainly isn’t low and the Nuggets are, at worst, entertaining.

15. Houston Rockets (4-3, Last week — 17th)

The Rockets have the fourth-best offense in the NBA. The Rockets have the fourth-worst defense in the NBA. That is the recipe for a perfectly average team, even if there are more bells and whistles surrounding Houston because of the individual offensive brilliance (31.6 points, 12.7 assists per game) of James Harden.

16. Memphis Grizzlies (4-4, Last week — 14th)

“Grizz”, the team’s mascot, might be the most entertaining part of the entire product in Memphis, but the basketball side of things is a work in progress. The net rating (-5.8 points per 100) looks much worse as a result of a fluky, 36-point loss to the Wolves, but make no mistake, Memphis can’t score consistently right now and there is (still) too much emphasis placed on Mike Conley and Marc Gasol. Same story, different year.

17. Indiana Pacers (3-4, Last week — 15th)

This might be a bad basketball team. That possibility legitimately exists given Indiana’s hideous defense (109.3 points allowed per 100) to this point, and aside from Paul George, it is tough to pinpoint another “plus” defender on the Pacers roster. There is talent on a position-by-position basis, but the pieces aren’t gelling just yet and every flaw Indiana might have had has come to light in just two-plus weeks.

18. Milwaukee Bucks (4-3, Last week — 23rd)

The Bucks scored 75 points in an overtime loss to the Mavericks earlier this week (yikes) and that didn’t exactly help the perception that Milwaukee’s offense is flawed. However, the Bucks are defending at the level that they did not even approach in 2015-2016, and the Giannis-Jabari pairing can be a lot of fun when things are cooking.

19. Los Angeles Lakers (4-4, Last week — 26th)

Luke Walton might be a wizard. He has Nick Young playing defense (I’ve seen it, I promise) and the Lakers have been positively acceptable on that end of the floor through eight games. Winning in Atlanta was extremely encouraging, and even if Los Angeles can’t maintain this level of play for very long, the “same old Lakers” vibe has not been prevalent in early November.

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20. Sacramento Kings (4-5, Last week — 21st)

Sacramento’s road win in Toronto this week was quite impressive, but defensive concerns persist in a way that makes it difficult to take the Kings too seriously. Boogie is fantastic, but unless Darren Collison stabilizes the point guard position in a way that would not belie his career performance, Sacramento’s defined weakness will continue to plague them on a nightly basis.

21. Minnesota Timberwolves (1-5, Last week — 18th)

Dreams of a 50-win breakout from the Wolves are probably nearing life support, but Minnesota owns a positive net rating despite the 1-5 start. That is due to a (very) lopsided win over the Grizzlies when no one was available for Memphis, but I remain (too) bullish on the Wolves in a vacuum. If this current level of play continues, this ranking will seem awfully inflated, but blind faith leads me at this point.

22. Miami Heat (2-4, Last week — 20th)

The Heat defeated both opponents (Orlando and Sacramento) that it was supposed to defeat, and fell at the hands of four playoff-bound teams. In short, we haven’t learned a ton about Miami, other than the fact that Hassan Whiteside and Goran Dragic look fantastic in the early going.

23. Dallas Mavericks (2-5, Last week — 24th)

Dirk Nowitzki has appeared in only three games, and that matters when attempting to evaluate the Mavericks right now. Dallas is in the news for media-related reasons, but on the floor, the product has not been good, and with Harrison Barnes actually playing well, it remains to be seen where Dallas goes for improvement.

24. New York Knicks (2-4, Last week — 22nd)

The Knicks own the worst defense in the league, allowing nearly 111 points per 100 possessions. Their solution? Appointing Kurt Rambis to run things on that side of the ball. I can’t imagine how things could go poorly.

25. Brooklyn Nets (3-4, Last week — 28th)

Are the Nets … competitive? It certainly smells like that after wins over the Pistons and Timberwolves, and guys like Sean Kilpatrick, Justin Hamilton, and Trevor Booker are having a positive impact in Brooklyn. Nothing about this start seems sustainable when you look at the roster, but props to Kenny Atkinson and the crew for playing competent basketball right now.

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26. Orlando Magic (3-4, Last week — 25th)

The Magic won three straight games this week! Never mind that the wins against the Sixers, Kings, and (struggling) Wizards, but three straight wins! Orlando still has a near-double digit net rating in the wrong direction (-9.9 per 100) and the start hasn’t been ideal to the Frank Vogel era.

27. Washington Wizards (1-5, Last week — 19th)

There is something to be said for avoiding bad losses, and the Wizards don’t have any. At some point, though, you have to actually win games, and Washington isn’t off to the best start in that department. John Wall (21.8 points, 9.6 assists, 5.2 rebounds per game) has largely been brilliant, but aside from that, good luck finding an overly positive story line with the 2016-2017 Wizards right now.

28. Phoenix Suns (2-6, Last week — 30th)

Devin Booker and T.J. Warren form a strong, young offensive nucleus for the Suns, but Phoenix remains fairly inept on a grand scale. Wins over the Pelicans and, more impressively, Blazers this week help to buoy Earl Watson’s bunch out of the cellar, but those are only small victories in what could be a long, developmental campaign.

29. New Orleans Pelicans (0-8, Last week — 27th)

The tour of sadness continues in New Orleans, as not even Anthony Davis can save this team from futility. On the “bright side”, the Pelicans appear to be pretty unlucky to be winless given their actual point differential, but that also speaks to ugly execution when it matters, and outside of Davis and a heroic performance from Tim Frazier in Jrue Holiday’s stead, things have been extremely ugly for the Pelicans.

30. Philadelphia 76ers (0-6, Last week — 29th)

Over the next seven days, Philly takes on Indiana (twice), Houston and Atlanta. Let’s just say that it would not be a surprise if the Sixers began the year with 10 straight losses, again.

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