Ok, I might have been wrong.
In advance of the 2016-2017 NBA season, the Chicago Bulls were not a team that looked to be playoff-bound in my estimation. Yes, the Bulls added Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo to a team that already employed Jimmy Butler, but the pieces did not appear to fit on the offensive end. Beyond that, Fred Hoiberg’s maiden voyage in Chicago did not exactly go according to plan, and on the defensive end, a path to legitimate resistance seemed questionable at best.
On cue, the Bulls have been outstanding through 16 games, making many pundits that presented fears about a lack of spacing and defensive aptitude look silly. Jimmy Butler has been the second-best player in the Eastern Conference (hello, LeBron) this season, averaging a robust 25.8 points (with 63.1 percent true shooting), 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game with an unthinkable 29.4 PER on the young campaign. In short, he has been the type of galvanizing force needed to bring the Bulls together, and with exceeding competence from Wade and limited exposure to Rondo (who still hasn’t been good), Hoiberg is pressing all the right buttons.
With November nearing its end, the Bulls are outscoring opponents by 4.7 points per 100 possessions and, over the last ten games, that number jumps to 6.7 per 100. Chicago’s performance on both ends of the floor exceeds any rational expectation, and while it might be sustainable (it’s still early), the Bulls could credibly claim an inside track on homecourt advantage in a first-round playoff series.
Where do they rank in this week’s NBA power rankings? Well, here we go.
1. Golden State Warriors (16-2, Last week — 2nd)
The time is here. Golden State hasn’t been sitting atop the rankings for a while, but the Warriors have reeled off 12 straight victories and they have been dominant in doing so. Over those 12 contests, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and company are outscoring opponents by a comical 18.4 points per 100 possessions and the Warriors sport the best offensive rating in NBA history. That seems good.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers (13-3, Last week — 3rd)
The Cavs were unceremoniously blasted by the Bucks on Tuesday night, but that doesn’t stop Cleveland from landing in this lofty position. To be fair, some of that has to do with the recent downturn from the Clippers, but LeBron and company shouldn’t be punished too harshly for running into a hot night from Giannis Antetokounmpo on the road. I think the Cavs are good at basketball.
3. San Antonio Spurs (14-4, Last week — 4th)
The Spurs reeled off nine straight wins and then … lost to the Magic at home? I don’t know, either, but I do like San Antonio. We knew the Spurs would take a step back on the defensive end by swapping Tim Duncan for Pau Gasol, but the offense has been impressive early on and I have a feeling that Gregg Popovich is okay with his crew flying comfortably under the radar.
4. Los Angeles Clippers (14-5, Last week — 1st)
After a scalding hot start, the Clippers have lost three straight, and that was bound to happen. Normally, I wouldn’t react to three road losses, but when the defeats come at the hands of the Pistons, Pacers, and Nets, it is probably cause for some alarm. Los Angeles still owns the second-best net rating in the NBA, but they aren’t playing as well as they were in early November.
5. Toronto Raptors (11-6, Last week — 6th)
In truth, I am probably on the skeptical side of things when it comes to the Raptors, but they are the default option as the second-best team in the East and that makes sense. Toronto has won three straight on the way to a top-six net rating (+5.9) and they are just incredibly solid.
6. Utah Jazz (11-8, Last week — 12th)
I’m planting my flag on the Jazz. Four straight wins, including home dominance over the Hawks and Rockets, help to make my case, but Utah’s roster is good enough to back up this ranking. Beyond that, George Hill has been fantastic, and when he plays, the Jazz are 8-3. That is a more accurate baseline of what this team is than the overall record given injury woes in the early going.
7. Boston Celtics (10-7, Last week — 7th)
Since mid-November, the Celtics are 5-2 with the losses coming to the Warriors in Spurs. To me, Boston is beginning to look like the team we all expected, and that comes as no surprise given the healthy return of a top-30 player in Al Horford and a stellar two-way force in Jae Crowder. The ultimate upside remains up for debate, but I’m a believer.
8. Chicago Bulls (10-6, Last week — 11th)
As noted above, I’m not sure I believe in the Bulls, but their early-season play is worthy of this level of respect.
9. Houston Rockets (11-7, Last week — 10th)
It is really hard to be a top-ten team with a bottom-five defense, but that is what the Rockets are doing right now. That is what happens when James Harden goes insane (28.7 points, 11.9 assists per game) and Mike D’Antoni is able to work his offensive magic with a super-talented centerpiece. I remain quite skeptical of Houston’s upside given their sometimes horrid defense, but their +2.5 net rating is good enough to justify this perch.
10. Charlotte Hornets (10-8, Last week — 5th)
The Hornets bandwagon is emptying in a hurry after five losses in seven games, but I’m still a believer. There is no question that Charlotte isn’t playing as well as they were early in the year, and there should be “punishment” for that. Still, the defense is trustworthy and I value that a great deal.
11. Oklahoma City Thunder (11-8, Last week — 13th)
Through 19 games, Russell Westbrook is averaging a triple-double. That is, of course, absurd on its own, but Westbrook is also averaging 30.9 (!) points per game and scoring at an efficient rate despite commanding the lion’s share of defensive attention on a nightly basis. There is almost no scenario in which he maintains this level of play over 82 games, but until he slows down, OKC is super dangerous.
12. Detroit Pistons (9-10, Last week — 18th)
Reggie Jackson practiced in full for the first time earlier this week, and that is a nice safety valve for the Pistons to fall back on at this juncture. Detroit’s mandate was to simply tread water with their point guard and offensive facilitator out of the lineup, and a 9-10 mark is good enough to do just that. Oh, and the Pistons have won three of four, including wins over the Hornets and Clippers. That helps.
13. Atlanta Hawks (10-8, Last week — 9th)
Since a dominant 3-0 start, the Hawks boast a negative net rating and that might be closer to what Mike Budenholzer’s team actually is than the team with a 9-2 record in mid-November. Defensively, Atlanta is outstanding and their league-leading defensive rating (97.5) is a good indicator of that. However, the offense has been a mess for a few weeks now, and if you look at their personnel on that end of the floor, it shouldn’t be a massive surprise to see struggles in the scoring department.
14. Indiana Pacers (9-9, Last week — 16th)
I was set to bury the Pacers this week, and then Indiana went out and beat the Clippers by 21 points on Sunday. It should be noted that Los Angeles is struggling and that matters, but banking a quality win like that can mask a lot of sins. Indiana continues to roll with a negative net rating (-1.9) but, quietly, their defense has picked up and that is an encouraging sign moving forward.
15. Memphis Grizzlies (11-7, Last week — 8th)
The Mike Conley injury is just brutal for the Grizzlies. Memphis is a team that simply can’t afford to be without Conley or Marc Gasol for long periods of time, and this is essentially a “shrug” ranking as a result. With their full complement of guys, I like this team. Without it, good luck.
16. Milwaukee Bucks (8-8, Last week — 17th)
Milwaukee escaped with a very nice win over Cleveland on Tuesday and that undoubtedly helps in this ranking. More than that, though, the Bucks are executing at a high level and their advanced numbers back up what has been a solid start to the season. Can Milwaukee compete for a playoff spot even without Khris Middleton? I think they might.
17. Portland Trail Blazers (9-10, Last week — 15th)
The Blazers have the worst defense in the NBA. I repeat: the Blazers have the worst defense in the NBA. I don’t think Portland will continue to be this bad in stopping the opposition throughout the season, but preseason suspicions about the roster and how it fits together are being played out in front of our eyes and not even a top-10 offense can fully save the product right now.
18. New Orleans Pelicans (7-12, Last week — 21st)
Since Jrue Holiday took the floor, the Pelicans are 5-2 with a +9.6 net rating. That’s pretty good! No, New Orleans isn’t going to be a juggernaut for the rest of the year, but they are significantly better than a 7-12 team when Holiday and Anthony Davis are healthy, and they’re both playing right now.
19. Denver Nuggets (7-10, Last week — 20th)
The Nuggets beat the teams they are supposed to beat and, generally, lose to the teams they are supposed to lose to. In fact, Denver doesn’t have a single “bad” loss this season, and they are pretty much what we thought they’d be. There is reason for concern in terms of fit in the frontcourt, but facing off against the Nuggets isn’t super fun for the opposition.
20. Los Angeles Lakers (9-10, Last week — 14th)
I can’t make myself believe in the Lakers when evaluating their brutal defense (2nd-worst in the NBA), but they are pretty fun to watch when healthy. Unfortunately, Los Angeles is battling some injury issues with D’Angelo Russell and now Nick Young. That makes life difficult for Luke Walton.
21. Minnesota Timberwolves (5-12, Last week — 19th)
The 5-12 Wolves rank 16th in the league in net rating. They can’t function in the third quarter. They can’t close games. They’re awesome most of the time. I don’t know. Neither do you. At least we can enjoy all the dunks.
22. New York Knicks (8-9, Last week — 22nd)
Over the last eight games, New York is 5-3 with a positive net rating, and that inspires some confidence for the “SuperTeam”. In addition, Derrick Rose is starting to display signs and, frankly, if I bought that, the Knicks would rank higher. I don’t, at least not yet.
23. Washington Wizards (6-10, Last week — 27th)
The Wizards have won four of six in beginning their climb out of the depths of the league. In the end, though, Washington is going to have to be better than 19th in the league defensively in order to make a legitimate playoff push, and the hot seat will turn up on Scott Brooks (already!) if he can’t generate that level of defense with a roster built to be better on that end.
24. Sacramento Kings (7-11, Last week — 23rd)
This has been an extremely Kings season. Boogie Cousins has been great statistically (28.7 points, 10.4 rebounds per game with a 28.55 PER) but Sacramento isn’t winning and there are already trade rumors rolling through town. I’m almost out of things to say about the Kings, but changes are probably coming.
25. Miami Heat (5-12, Last week — 25th)
Miami is putting out a solid defensive product (7th in the NBA) every night, and that helps in posting a respectable net rating. In fact, that point differential is indicative of a team (much) closer to .500 than this, but the Heat simply can’t execute when needed offensively and I’ll judge that harshly for now.
26. Orlando Magic (7-11, Last week — 26th)
I continue to be mystified by some of the decision-making that takes place with this franchise from a roster management standpoint, but a win over San Antonio on Tuesday saves them from a drop this week. Orlando still displays the league’s worst offense, though, and that isn’t going to aid in any hopes for a playoff push.
27. Phoenix Suns (5-13, Last week — 28th)
The Suns are bottom-10 in the NBA on both sides of the ball, even with a healthy Eric Bledsoe doing some positive damage. The future is bright, but it’s really hard to pinpoint what Phoenix is good at right now.
28. Brooklyn Nets (5-12, Last week — 24th)
A seven-game losing streak was snapped in grand fashion with a double-OT win over the Clippers on Tuesday, but that could not save Brooklyn from a slide. Without Jeremy Lin, the Nets might be the worst team in the NBA, and not even the heroics of Kenny Atkinson and Sean Kilpatrick (38 points on Tuesday!) can save them.
29. Dallas Mavericks (3-13, Last week — 29th)
The Mavs picked up a win this week and Mark Cuban says Dallas isn’t tanking. Well, they are still ahead of only one team in the NBA on the “strength” of a -7.4 net rating. I’m sorry, Dirk.
30. Philadelphia 76ers (4-14, Last week — 30th)
Joel Embiid is fun, but the Sixers aren’t fun when he doesn’t play and, when all else fails, the default is to put Philly in the basement. Brett Brown’s team boasts the NBA’s worst net rating (-10.4), and even if they are a lot better than in previous seasons, that doesn’t mean that Philly is good at basketball right now.
