NBA Power Rankings: Lakers, Rockets on the rise; Blazers, Bulls busy shocking the world
Meanwhile, the Warriors are sliding and the Magic haven't gotten off the ground
By
Brad Botkin
•
1 min read
Make what you will of the first few weeks of an NBA season, but know this: These games count the same as the ones after the turn of the calendar, and getting off to a good -- or bad -- start can be all the difference.
Who's hot? Who's not? Who's churning about in the middle? In the latest installment of our CBS Sports NBA Power Rankings, we're going to try to strike a balance between what we're seeing so far and what can reasonably be expected to play out over, say, the next month.
We will not go so far as to rank these teams based on championship expectations, because in that case it would take a lot more to alter, at least in tiers, the generally accepted hierarchy. Winning matters, and it will get you on the move up this board form week to week. But if you're beating bad teams, just as an example, and probably playing a little above your head, it's not necessarily going to be reflected in a completely commensurate climb up the rankings. Or vice versa.
With that in mind, let the debating begin.
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Biggest Movers
18
Trail Blazers
12
Mavericks
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | The Thunder are 8-1 and Jalen Williams hasn't even played yet. Chet Holmgren, who has also missed four games, is taking a leap as an empowered scorer, Aaron Wiggins would be a starter on most teams, and as if OKC's riches weren't embarrassing enough, suddenly Ajay Mitchell is just also going to be a stud? This team is a potential 70-win monster. | -- | 8-1 |
| 2 |  | The Nuggets are 5-2 and should've beaten the Warriors in their opener. They're one of two teams, with the other being OKC, with a top-five offense and defense. Jamal Murray started off hot but is just 2 for his last 17 from 3 and 10 for his last 32 overall, and the ship is still a wreck in the non-Nikola Jokić minutes (minus-13 per 100). | 1 | 5-2 |
| 3 |  | Houston has the No. 1 ranked offense in the league despite not having a true point guard. It turns out Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson are really good, and Jabari Smith Jr. is balling as the forgotten man. It's still a wait and see on Reed Sheppard. | 3 | 5-2 |
| 4 |  | The 7-2 Lakers have won five straight after taking out the Spurs on Wednesday. Luka Dončić is averaging 40 PPG and Austin Reaves is on some superstar stuff. LeBron James hasn't even played yet. This team lives on a pretty tough shot diet and defense (currently No. 18, per CTG) is going to be an obstacle, as is defining LeBron's role when he returns, but Dončić and Reaves alone make the Lakers a tough team every night. | 7 | 7-2 |
| 5 |  | Amazing start for the Blazers at 5-3 with wins over the previously undefeated Thunder, Lakers, Warriors and Nuggets. Jrue Holiday has made a huge difference; the Blazers came into Wednesday's game vs. OKC outscoring opponents by 6.9 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor, per CTG. Jerami Grant and Deni Avdija are off to roaring starts and the defense is a top-10 unit led by Holiday, Donovan Clingan and Toumani Camara. Now we just need Shaedon Sharpe's shooting to come around and see what Scoot Henderson can do when he eventually suits up. | 18 | 5-3 |
| 6 |  | Chicago erased a 24-point deficit to stun the 76ers on Tuesday and has opened the season at 6-1, tops in the East, with a deep and balanced attack on both ends and Josh Giddey making a strong early case for his first All-Star selection. They pass the hell out of the ball and put a ton of downhill pressure on you by passing, driving and cutting again and again until a rim attempt opens, even if it takes the entire shot clock. | 18 | 6-1 |
| 7 |  | Three straight wins for the Knicks, who so far are the only team to beat the Bulls! Mike Brown's new offense will be a work in progress for a while and yet the Knicks are still a top-five unit on that end and killing teams with corner 3s (and that's without Karl-Anthony Towns shooting like himself to start). Problem is, the Knicks are also giving up a league-worst 15.9 3s per game on defense. | 5 | 5-3 |
| 8 |  | Detroit is 6-2 on a four-game win streak that should become five against the Nets on Thursday. Cade Cunningham and a top-five defense lead the charge. Detroit leads the league in paint points, a combination of Cunningham's downhill juice and a monster offensive rebounding attack led by Jalen Duren, but shooting is an issue for what is ultimately a near-bottom-10 offense. | 2 | 6-2 |
| 9 |  | Donovan Mitchell has put up 30-plus in five of his eight games. He went for 46 in a win over Philadelphia on Wednesday, while Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley combined for 47 points and 15 boards. Oh, and Darius Garland made his season debut. Now we can really start evaluating the Cavs, who are sort of slow playing things so far at 5-3. | 5 | 5-3 |
| 10 |  | Philly let a huge lead get away in a loss to the Bulls on Tuesday, then followed that up with a loss to Cleveland to sort of squelch the early season momentum they'd built. Still, it's been a great start for the Sixers. Tyrese Maxey is an early MVP short-lister. V.J. Edgecombe is a star in the making. | 5 | 5-3 |
| 11 |  | Sure, the Spurs have cooled off with two straight losses and their 5-0 start didn't exactly come against a Murderer's Row, but they are must-watch because Victor Wembanyama is potentially of another planet and Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper (whose injury stinks) are a dynamite young backcourt. When De'Aaron Fox returns, this is a team to really pay attention to. | 5 | 5-2 |
| 12 |  | The good vibes of the 3-1 start have faded to the tune of a 2-3 stretch with two pretty inexcusable losses to a Bucks team without Giannis and a Pacers team that is currently 1-7 and without four of its top guys. The good news is Jonathan Kuminga has bought in and Moses Moody is playing very well. Meanwhile, Al Horford can't make a shot to save his life. | 3 | 5-4 |
| 13 |  | Giannis Antetokounmpo is having a huge start to the year and the Bucks look pretty good at 5-3. Ryan Rollins is a revelation. A.J. Green is shooting the lights out. Need more out of Myles Turner. | 1 | 5-3 |
| 14 |  | The Wolves are 4-4 but three of the four wins have come against the Nets, Pacers and Hornets, who are a combined 5-19. Anthony Edwards has missed half the games. Julius Randle is playing terrific. The no-point guard thing has looked like a problem for the most part, but the bigger issue is the bottom-five defense. | 9 | 4-4 |
| 15 |  | Are you ready for this? The Clippers are being outscored by 34.2 points per 100 possessions when James Harden is off the floor, per CTG. That is a wild early season number that will not hold, obviously, but right now the 14 minutes and change that Harden is sitting are not going well. | 8 | 3-5 |
| 16 |  | The Raptors are the only team in the league with three guys averaging at least 20 PPG (Scottie Barnes, R.J. Barrett and Brandon Ingram). Toronto has won three straight (it helps playing the Cavs without three of their top four players and the mess that is the Grizzlies) with what is quietly a top-10 offense. | 5 | 4-4 |
| 17 |  | When the Magic traded for Desmond Bane, the 23rd-ranked offense in the league (28th in 3-point makes per game) is not what they had in mind. Paolo Banchero still isn't scoring with nearly enough efficiency and now the defense is middle of the pack, too. There are positive signs in terms of Banchero's shot diet (fewer mid-rangers and 3s, more drives to the rim with the highest foul-drawing rate of his career), but he still has to simply make shots more consistently. As does Bane, who has opened the season with 41/28 shooting splits. | 9 | 3-5 |
| 18 |  | So much for all that Hawks optimism. Trae Young, who has missed 21 of his first 26 3-pointers to start the season, is out for a month and Atlanta is 4-4 only because it has had the fortune of playing the Nets, Pacers and Magic twice. | 6 | 4-4 |
| 19 |  | Boston is still shooting a ton of 3s. Making them has been a different story (31.9%, ranking 27th in the league). It's a lot different when Jayson Tatum isn't commanding attention and creating those few extra inches of space that make all the difference for shooters. Boston (4-5) is getting killed on the glass and is going to tread water all season at this rate. | 2 | 4-5 |
| 20 |  | It's run-and-gun time in Miami, which is operating at the highest pace in the league with a top-10 defense. Nobody thinks this team is any kind of a threat in the East, but there are some signs that they could be a postseason sleeper if the defense can hold when Tyler Herro comes back to lift what is an average offense. | -- | 4-4 |
| 21 |  | The Walker Kessler injury makes the Utah tank an easier job. Before that, this was a legit tough team and it still will be on a lot of nights until they finally pull the plug or start making some trades. Lauri Markkanen is averaging more than 31 PPG and Keyonte George is putting up huge numbers with a usage rate generally reserved for stars. | 8 | 3-5 |
| 22 |  | We're not even 10 games into Memphis' season and Ja Morant has already been suspended. He's also shooting the 3 like one of the worst guards in history while his rim rate continues to fall off. Memphis is 3-6 and getting Jaren Jackson Jr. back hasn't helped. Not great, Bob. | 3 | 3-6 |
| 23 |  | The best bad team in the league, the Pacers are pretty much making life hell on everyone they play despite four of their top guys missing significant time and on top of having no Tyrese Haliburton or Myles Turner. One win doesn't do justice to how hard this team is fighting and I still wouldn't want to see them at full strength in the playoffs, but it is what it is right now. | 5 | 1-7 |
| 24 |  | Phoenix is playing hard, but the weapons just aren't there beyond Devin Booker, who is off to a sizzling start. Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale are both shooting it, but this team just cannot get to the rim so it's all tough contested looks. Jalen Green is expected back against the Clippers on Thursday and can hopefully add some creative juice. | 2 | 4-5 |
| 25 |  | Nico Harrison has the defense he wanted (Dallas is No. 6 defensively, per CTG) but the whole "wins championships" part of the equation isn't looking so hot with the Mavs at 2-6 and in last place. Bit of a tough start for Cooper Flagg, who is being asked to do way too much as a creator for a rookie. Problem is, D'Angelo Russell is, well, D'Angelo Russell. | 12 | 2-6 |
| 26 |  | Sacramento scraped out a win over a Warriors team missing its three best players on Wednesday to improve to ... 3-5 with a bottom-10 offense and defense. They have the league's third-worst expected eFG% because they have sacrificed the hub playmaking of Domantas Sabonis to the gods of Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan pull-up jumpers. Womp, womp. | 1 | 3-5 |
| 27 |  | LaMelo Ball continues to be worth the price of admission and has the Hornets' offense operating at a top-10 level despite Brandon Miller only playing in two games so far. But he still isn't shooting it efficiently enough and Charlotte's defense is a red carpet. On the plus side, rookies Kon Knueppel and Ryan Kalkbrenner look good and every team in need of a point guard is going to be coming for Collin Sexton if he keeps up his fantastic start. | -- | 3-5 |
| 28 |  | The good news is Alex Sarr is turning into a pretty damn exciting modern big in short order. He already has two 30-point games. He can attack off the dribble and he's developing a smooth shooting stroke stretching out to 3. Rookie Tre Johnson is finding his footing and Kyshawn George has shot out of a cannon to begin his second year. But yes, the Wizards are still bad, although more competent than in years past with the stability of C.J. McCollum and Khris Middleton. | -- | 1-7 |
| 29 |  | The Pelicans are 0-5 with Zion in the lineup and 2-1 without him. Fire up the trade machine! Derik Queen has looked impressive even as his playing time has been up and down (explain this to me!). New Orleans needs to blow this up and start the Queen-Jeremiah Fears era. | 7 | 2-6 |
| 30 |  | Brooklyn finally got its first win of the season on Wednesday, defeating a Pacers team that is down four major players. Not much else to say here. Brooklyn is bad, but that's the way they set it up. | -- | 1-7 |
