Chuddy’s NBA Power RankingS
November 27
Welcome to the first installment of King Chuddy’s weekly NBA power rankings. These rankings will fluctuate based on the team's performance during the previous week and any changes in personnel, health, schematics, or overall quality of play. These rankings are NOT predicting for the future, or used to determine odds of ultimately winning the title, they are just based on what the team has done recently and what is their immediate outlook. For example, the Nuggets have the best future outlook to win the title and at full strength in a playoff setting they are the “best” team in the league. But they are dealing with multiple injuries at the moment and have not been playing their best basketball in recent weeks, so they are not #1 in the rankings. Think of these rankings as something more like the top 25 rankings in college basketball/football and they should make more sense. Feel free to leave your comments/opinions and tell me why I’m wrong, or why I am a genius. Without further ado…
Boston Celtics (13-4, 8th offense, 4th defense, 1st NET) - Despite a couple of lackluster performances over the past week, the C’s still boast the best record in the NBA, the #1 overall net rating, and just rattled off impressive wins over the Bucks and Hawks - the latter coming without Porzingis and Holiday. This team is definitely still a work in progress and will have to figure out their depth and lineups with guys out, but so far they’ve been the clear cut leaders.
Minnesota Timberwolves (12-4, 13th offense, 2nd defense, 4th NET) - The Wolves finally dropped their first game at home to the Kings on Friday night, but they’ve been dominant otherwise including wins over the Celtics and Nuggets. The Wolves have won four of five and 11 of 13 in November behind a defense led by Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels and an offense led by Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Phoenix Suns (11-6, 5th offense, 18th defense, 9th NET) - The Suns have faced a myriad of injuries - and still are - but have looked nearly unstoppable since Devin Booker has returned, including rattling off seven straight wins. The more Booker and KD play together, the more the record and ratings should improve, and if Beal ever joins the fold they may really have something.
Philadelphia 76ers (11-5, 3rd offense, 13th defense, 3rd NET) - At full strength, the 76ers have looked imposing on both ends. The vibes are immaculate with James Harden out of the fold and they are playing a much cleaner style of basketball with Nick Nurse at the helm. Embiid looks every bit of his MVP self, Tyrese Maxey has vaulted into All-NBA discussion, and the role players actually fit and make sense.
Orlando Magic (12-5, 15th offense, 3rd defense, 5th NET) - Winners of seven straight, the Magic have jumped into 2nd in the East with a number of impressive wins and a stifling defense. This team probably needs another year (or two) of development from Paolo and Franz, and could sorely use another offensive creator to be a true contender, but it’s impossible to argue with the way they are playing right now.
Oklahoma City Thunder (11-5, 6th offense, 7th defense, 2nd NET) - Before losing a thriller to the 6ers on Saturday the Thunder had ripped off six straight wins and are the only team other than Boston and Denver to currently have a top 10 offense and defense. They have a true MVP candidate in SGA and early returns on Chet Holmgren have been better than anyone could have imagined. Jalen Williams looks like he could be a bonafide 2nd or 3rd option on both ends and this team is oozing with depth and upside. (We will just ignore the Josh Giddey situation for now…)
Milwaukee Bucks (12-5, 7th offense, 20th defense, 12th NET) - The sky is NOT falling in Milwaukee. After a concerning start, the Bucks have righted the ship and gotten back to their winning ways. The depth is a concern, but the Giannis/Dame two-man game is starting to look extremely dangerous and Brook Lopez is back where he’s comfortable in drop coverage, looking like a legit third “star”. It’s possible we’ve already seen this team’s floor and their ceiling is much higher.
Denver Nuggets (11-6, 10th offense, 10th defense, 7th NET) - The defending champs have been reeling a bit without Jamaal Murray and facing a brutal stretch of schedule, but the brilliance of Nikola Jokic has more than kept them afloat. He is so clearly the MVP frontrunner again and has cemented his spot as the best player in the world. As long as Murray comes back healthy this team will remain the prohibitive title favorites.
Indiana Pacers (9-6, 1st offense, 28th defense, 11th NET) - The defense will likely keep this team from true contention, but boy are they fun to watch and the offense is a machine-like blur. Tyrese Haliburton is already running away with the assists title and basically never turns the ball over. They give up lots of points but have the ability to outscore anyone on any given night.
Sacramento Kings (9-6, 12th offense, 17th defense, 19th NET) - Another team that started slowly and looked lost without their offensive engine, De’Aaron Fox (missed 5 games), the Kings bounced back to win 6 in a row (before dropping back to back close ones to the Pelicans), then became the first team to win at Minnesota Friday night. They look like they are getting back to their winning ways from last year. The offensive rating should continue to climb and they will continue to be a superb regular season team. They’ll go as far the defense can take them.
New Orleans Pelicans (9-8, 20th offense, 11th defense, 18th NET) - Things looked bleak for the Pels after a slow start that included a 5 game losing skid. But recently this team has found itself behind the play of its two stars, Zion and Brandon Ingram. They’ve shown the upside and ceiling that many expected to see and could make them a true contender. In their wins, they’ve looked about as impressive as anyone.
Los Angeles Lakers (10-7, 24th offense, 9th defense, 16th NET) - A lot has gone wrong for the Lakers, but LeBron still looks like one of the best players in the world. AD CAN look that way as well and Austin Reaves is looking like the player from last year’s playoffs. A trade will surely be coming at some point, and if they nail it and can stay healthy they’ll be contenders again (much to my chagrin).
Miami Heat (10-7, 18th offense, 8th defense, 14th NET) - Speaking of my chagrin…the Heat simply will not die and go away. Despite losing out on the Dame sweepstakes the Heat just keep plugging along. Bam looks incredible on both ends, Jimmy is Jimmy, and of course they’ve found guys to plug and play for production. Throw in the best coach in the league and yeah, this team will be heard from.
Houston Rockets (8-6, 19th offense, 1st defense, 6th NET) - Probably the brightest surprise of the season, the only thing keeping the Rox from being ranked higher is the fact that they are the only team in the NBA who has not won a game on the road. The defense under Ime has been incredible, the offense is competent, and the depth has worked out well. This has been one of the most enjoyable watches so far this season.
New York Knicks (9-7, 11th offense, 6th defense, 8th NET) - Honestly this may be a little low for the Knicks, who have been extremely solid on both ends. But they’ve blown some winnable games and still just feel a little off behind Jalen Brunson. Thibs has been beyond frustrated with some end of game situations and a lack of effort, which is obviously concerning.
Dallas Mavericks (10-6, 4th offense, 25th defense, 15th NET) - This is another team that I am definitely unfairly low on but I’m simply not buying in and I think they are starting to show their true colors after an unsustainably hot start. Luka is just as incredible as ever and Kyrie has fit in well so far, but after that it’s a lot of question marks and I don’t think they’ll be able to get stops when they need to.
Los Angeles Clippers (7-8, 15th offense, 5th defense, 10th NET) - This may be ambitious but the Clips have definitely turned a corner lately, winning four out of five and crushing the Mavs Saturday night. Harden is looking comfortable, PG-13 has been amazing lately, Russ is buying into his bench role, and Kawhi has played in every single game so far! If they can stay healthy (admittedly a MASSIVE if) this team will continue trending in the right direction.
Cleveland Cavaliers (9-8, 25th offense, 14th defense, 22nd NET) - The Cavs have been banged up in a big way, but they are starting to look like the team that earned a top 4 seed in the East last year. They still lack wing depth, but the two bigs are looking imposing and the backcourt of Mitchell and Garland are among the best in the league.
Golden State Warriors (8-9, 14th offense, 15th defense, 20th NET) - One of the more disappointing teams on this list, the Dubs have gotten peak Steph Curry performance and yet look overmatched most nights. The team has quickly gotten old and slow and Curry is masking one of the worst rosters in the league right now. Barring a massive shakeup it’s hard to take this team seriously as a contender…which is sad because Steph is still one of the best in the world.
Atlanta Hawks (8-8, 2nd offense, 24th defense, 13th NET) - This is probably unfair to Atlanta as they’ve played mostly well and Quinn Snyder seems to have this team playing the way he wants. Trae is basically a top 5 offense unto himself, but it seems like Dejounte Murray is still struggling to fit in and they can’t really defend anyone.
Brooklyn Nets (8-8, 9th offense, 22nd defense, 17th NET) - The Nets really haven’t been bad, but this low ranking speaks more to the incredible depth of talent in the league right now. The Cam Thomas explosions are fun and keep this offense running, but other than that it’s mostly glorified role players around Mikal Bridges.
Utah Jazz (5-11, 21st offense, 26th defense, 24th NET) - I like this team and a lot of the players but they aren’t really built to win right now. Kessler is back and that should help the defense, Markannen still looks like a star, and Keyonte George is one of my favorite rookies in the league. I still believe in Will Hardy as an elite coach and Danny Ainge as an elite GM, but they are years away from actually trying to compete.
Toronto Raptors (8-9, 22nd offense, 12th defense, 21st NET) - The Raps are stuck in no man’s land. Too good to tank, not good enough to be a viable contender. Siakam and OG are both on expiring contracts and it’s impossible to tell if this team wants to re-sign them, trade them, or if they even know themselves. Scottie Barnes looks like he has taken a leap after a bit of a Sophomore slump last year and frankly, that’s probably all that really matters going forward.
Charlotte Hornets (5-10, 17th offense, 29th defense, 26th NET) - This team is not as bad as people probably think, but they certainly aren’t good. The offense with LaMelo is actually pretty good but they simply can’t stop anyone. They should probably try and deal solid veteran contributors like Rozier and Hayward - who are still playing well, and build around Ball, Mark Williams (who has looked great at Center), and promising rookie, Brandon Miller.
Chicago Bulls (5-13, 27th offense, 21st defense, 23rd NET) - This may be the most depressing situation in the league, considering they actually have some talent. Zach Lavine and DeMar DeRozan simply aren’t good enough to be the main engines of an NBA offense at this point. Vucevic is completely washed and his contract is a disaster. None of the young players and recently lottery picks look promising. Billy Donovan should already have been fired as coach. And the GM and ownership don’t even seem concerned with this rapidly sinking ship. So yeah, it’s pretty grim.
Memphis Grizzlies (3-13, 29th offense, 19th defense, 27th NET) - Poor Memphis. What have they done to our sweet child, Marcus Smart. This has truly been a season from hell for last year’s #2 seed in the West. Obviously Ja Morant has yet to play a game due to his suspension. On top of that, they lost starting Center Stephen Adams for the season before he played a game. Now they’ve also been forced to play without Smart, Brandon Clarke, Xavier Tillman, and other important role players. They have been forced to rely on G-Leaguers, guys who were signed off the street, and others who have no business being in an NBA rotation. They’ve had Desmond Bane and JJJ, but those two are just completely overtasked at the moment on both ends. The good news is there is still plenty of long term hope and reason for optimism, but it may already be too late to salvage this season.
Portland Trail Blazers (4-12, 30th offense, 16th defense, 28th NET) - Scoot has finally shown promise the last few games, Sharpe has looked good most of the year, Ayton has helped make the defense competent. But not much else has gone well for this team. They really struggle to score and have pissed away some late leads. Simons being out obviously hurts, but these guys are clearly all in on rebuilding for the future.
Washington Wizards (2-14, 23rd offense, 30th defense, 29th NET) - They have a few solid rotation pieces who could help a good team if they bought into a role (Kuzma, Poole, Tyus, Deni, Kispert), but the way they’re playing doesn’t even resemble basketball. Probably the toughest watch in the league for me right now with almost zero hope and no real intriguing young prospects. This may be a long term rebuild.
San Antonio Spurs (3-14, 28th offense, 27th defense, 30th NET) - The Spurs obviously have as much promise as any team in the league but right now it’s fairly gruesome to watch outside of all the Wemby highlights. Sochan playing point guard has been a bit of a disaster, Wemby’s usage is way too high, Vassell and Keldon could use a real point guard. Frankly, this team has too much talent to be this bad but they look directionless on both ends. Pop signed a cushy new extension and seems more than content to tank for another year or two and compile more elite young prospect to pair with Wemby, the prize of all prizes.
Detroit Pistons (2-14, 26th offense, 23rd defense, 25th NET) - The Pistons roster is not the least talented in the league certainly, but they’ve lost 13 in a row and look fairly hopeless out there. Cade has looked alarmingly bad at times, Jaden Ivey was out of the rotation for an odd stretch, and many of the recent trades and signings look borderline disastrous. The GM, Troy Weaver may have sabotaged the team’s present and future, and that is despite seemingly hitting home runs in the draft with Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson.