Happy Día De Los Muertos and a Happy post-Halloween  to y’all from TSA. We now have a handful of games, a nice path as we get geared up for our first set of In-Season Tournament games, and one big skeleton now coming out of the closets of Philly! Thanks to some shocking (and some not-so-shocking) moments, some teams (Thunder, Raptors, Heat)  froze, some bared their fangs (Detroit stand up!) and a few rose to the occasion! There’s movement all over these rankings. Let’s take a look! 

  1. DEN– Still winning, shows a full team and the dynamic duo of Jokic and Murray is unbelievable.
  2. BOS– The best team in the East, the offense is booming and Jrue fits right in. It’s almost as if the Celtica haven’t met a challenge yet.
  3. GS – It’s almost as if the offense doesn’t miss Jordan Poole, that the front office knows how to keep the Golden Machine turning and that the Dubs know Championship ball! They 
  4. DAL – There were a few off season moves, but I somehow feel that Luka and Kai had a deep off-season meet n’ chat. This team is rolling with Luka as the driver and Kyrie navigating. It’s exactly what this team needs to get the people (and myself) believing again. 
  5. MIL – Dame is coming with it for this team, but you can quickly see this team derails once one of Giannis, Kris or Dame falls flat. Defense is going to get this team a ring. 
  6. OKC– OK, OK, OKC. Nothing “dark” about this horse! These guys look primed and ready to head to the playoffs! Although Chet “needs fat,” he’s definitely got the power to pull this team to April games. SGA is that guy and Giddey is coming through. 
  7. SAC – While the cream of the crop looks to be a season away, the Kings haven’t missed a step. They still can’t figure out Golden State, but this team is a FORCE on both ends of the glass. Sabonis is the KEY to this team making a deep playoff run. 
  8. PHI – No Harden, no problem. This team is doing a great job of keeping the focus of the offense on Embiid, getting an inside-out motion, and making games against teams like Milwaukee competitive. They won’t feel the effects of the trade for a few weeks, well into the start of the In-Season Tournament. So keep an eye on the adjustments Doc makes over that span of time. 
  9. NO – Brandon Ingram must’ve read the FIBA notes on him because he is a man possessed! This team has great length and can really disrupt offensive runs. They just don’t have the seasoning that would change their flavor from a team that’s “good home cooking” to “Michelin Star cuisine.” If Zion… nvm.
  10. LAC – The Harden trade gave this team a good boost in odds to win it all, but the pauses it gives me are very warranted. We haven’t seen Harden play this season, we still don’t know how the health of PG13 and Kawhi will hold, and Westbrook is on again, off again with his play. Also, a late game push to lose against a growing Jazz team makes it seem like Ty Lue really needs to put the fear of God (Jokic, Bron, whomever) in this team! 
  11. IND – Sneaky and freaky. My two choices in a team that, on social media paper, looks like a band of the league’s rejects. That might be the energy helping Toppin and Co. to get their wins this early in the season. One big thing about this team – they love sharing the ball. Leading the league in assists-per-game, the Pacers are well on their way to becoming this season’s surprise. 
  12. ORL – So, Cole Anthony and Paolo Banchero definitely have what it takes to separate the Magic from the bottom of the league, especially as a team that’s either viewed as a journeyman destination, or a tanking machine. It’s great that this team took care of business against Portland and Houston – 2 franchises seemingly going back to their drawing boards looking to frame their season. If the Magic can learn to put some pressure and magic up against more-seasoned and established teams, they could trick us into believing there’s more than DisneyWorld rocking in Orlando. 
  13. LAL – This is a bitter pill to swallow, but the best and the worst things about this team are its players. On paper, this team looks like it could crack the top 4 in the Western Conference, which is saying a lot. All Stars Davis and LeBron are guys teams should fear (or at least respect), the growth of Rui and Reaves, along with a depth of defensive talent around this team should at least look like the team does on paper. However, these players don’t always execute, and when they do, they’re too slow out of the gate. For 3 straight games, the Lakers averaged 17 1st quarter points. If you’re going to survive, or at least look like a defensive team (as Hamm wants them to be), you’re going to need to keep the other team honest and not get outscored by a 10-point margin! 
  14. ATL – Welp, I’m currently enjoying some steamed broccoli as a side to my crow. Trae Young has bounced back, Dejounte Murray has been a force, and the defense has gotten this team some statement wins so far. After dropping their first game against the Knicks, this team has improved steadily, all while Trae is still finding his rhythm. Definitely a scary combination for a team looking to do way better than last year’s quick playoffs exit. 
  15. Detroit – Space, pace and a temporary place to put this team until we know who this team really is.
  16. SA – I like what Coach Pop has going for his team. Wemby, Sochan and co. play hard, and that raw talent and pure energy helps keep this team in games. But Wemby still needs to get established and keep out of foul trouble, there is no clear leader for this team and they have, once again, no offensive presence. There needs to be some defined roles. That way, this team knows how it can move onward and upward. 
  17. CHI – This team is slowly decaying from the one we saw come out the gate blazing 2 years ago. Injuries and trades are partly to blame for the downturn, but this team is below average in scoring, sharing the ball and rebounding. At least the Bulls are trending upward in allowed points per game (17th), meaning they’re figuring out how to defend better as a team. Their 4-game homestead should let us figure out whether this team is going to contend or be complicit in filling space this season. 
  18. NYK – The Knicks have the following, in no particular order: Consistency issues, cap space issues, shooting issues, offensive flow issues, they’re in a strong conference and they can’t get out of their own way! After all of that, you have a team that is 3rd in Opp. PPG (3rd), they’ve won against higher-caliber teams and their stars of Brunson and Barrett are coming along nicely. THey just need to lock down whatever helps them win and stick with it!
  19. PHX – I’ve mentioned before that this Phoenix team is a West Coast version of the Brooklyn team KD was part of before. I said that as a joke. Sadly, this team, with its injuries, has now found themselves to be a 3 quarter team, giving up big runs and leads late in the 4th quarter for bad and shocking losses. This team must have more than KD if the Suns want to not only get back, but compete in the playoffs. Their performance will reflect how we grade the trade that got Kevin Durant there (as well as other offseason moves). 
  20. Brooklyn – …(crickets)…
  21. MIA – The letters for Miami are now an official shorthand for “missing in action.” This gritty team full of guts and fire has come into this season a lukewarm turd. Heero hasn’t shot well, Bam is on an island and where the hell did the rest of the Goon Squad go after Jimmy switched his hair? Spolestra better find out what the issue is, and quickly. THe Heat are looking more and more like their losing record. The teams Miami went through to get to the Finals all tooled up. Miami was left hanging in the off season. Will they be left in the cold and out of the playoffs this time around?
  22. CHA – This team scores a ton, passes the rock around, but they’re horrible at rebounding and defense!! Sense must’ve left when Jordan did.
  23. MIN – This team has one big guy too many. They should go back to having KAT and Edwards being the foci of the offense. Rudy Gobert, while tall and great for rebounding and defense, has a tendency to stop their offense. Unless Gobert can find a mid-range jumper, I’d wait to put the Wolves anywhere near the top of this list, let alone the middle of it. 
  24. WAS – This might be too high for the Wizards, but I’m giving their talent in Poole and Kuzma the benefit of the doubt. They have the right players to at least get a play-in berth, or use the 1st half of the season to show the league their off-season moves are for real. If they can aim for the In Season Tournament, I think it can give the team what it needs execution-wise to perform for a playoff berth. 
  25. Utah – There is not enough data for me to conclude that this team isn’t just patiently waiting to make a move in the league. 
  26. Portland – This just in: The Portland Trailblazers are still a ball club that can win after the exit of Damian Lillard. The Blazers are finding their defense, Anfernee Simmons is a future star, Deandre Ayton might not be so bad for the team after all, and there’s still Scoo- – Oh yeah. Scoot Henderson. The Blazers’ lottery pick is not off to a hot start. It makes sense given the mountain he’s trying to climb, and probably assumed he’d have help with Damian Lilliard. He’s out here, on a team with little veteran leadership and a desperate need to right the ship after a tumultuous offseason. 
  27. CLE– Hey, Google! Play “The Fall Off” by J. Cole. I need to vocally express the way that the Cavs fall off the hoops map when Donovan Mitchell gets contained! This is season 2 of this, and it’s almost as if we’re going to get a repeat of the same ol’. 
  28. TOR – This team doesn’t deserve this spot, except that they’re not playing up to expectations set by the team itself. So, until Achiuwa, Siakam and co start producing better, they’re going to be taking the long road to the top of this list. 
  29. MEM – The Ja suspension is hurting this team. That’s the line. 
  30. HOU – This team is young. They share the ball decently well. After that, they play young, think young and are going nowhere fast. Hard to watch a team that has had the number 2, 3 and 4 picks in the last 3 drafts. 

Just a couple of notes: These rankings don’t include the results of 11/1 games. Also, the Harden-LA trade was a factor, but not a huge one given the fact that he hasn’t played yet!

Did I place a team too high? Is there a team not high enough? Did I mislabel a team (or, maybe added them twice?) Let me know in the comments section, or find me here. There’s more season to unpack, watch and talk about! Also, don’t forget the In-Season Tournament starts Nov. 3! You want to talk, let’s chat about it!