Welcome to TSAHoops NBA Power Rankings. We’re shifting the ranks week to week, giving our excerpts on why each team earned their spots, the movements that occurred and so on. As play occurs, only the top 15 teams will get an explanation has to why they have earned their rank. We hope you enjoy.
We’re a full week into the season, and there is too much to unpack! To start, injuries, setbacks, and lack of decent personnel have drastically changed the trajectory of a lot of teams this seaaon. Some of the more drastic effects have occurred with teams like Philadelphia and Denver. While the lack of help (as noted by Jokic in his 2nd game) has been the crux for them, other teams lacking star power have managed to sustain a semblance of winning ways (a la Golden State, Clippers). Overall, the standings reflect how teams have won, lost and survived this opening week.
| Team | Record | Rank | Rank Last Week | Change | Notable Wins | Reason |
| Boston | 3-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | NYK (H) | Boston continues to show the league that THIS is the full tilt season. The 3-point barrage against New York shows this team can beat you from all over the court. |
| Oklahoma City | 3-0 | 2 | 3 | Plus 1 | DEN (A) | This team isn’t 100 percent and somehow improved offensively at the same time. The dominance Chet Holmgren has made in 3 games shows this team is firing on all cylinders. |
| Cleveland | 3-0 | 3 | 11 | Plus 8 | TOR (A) | A somewhat shock at how complete this team has played, Cleveland proves that, when fully healthy, it should be in the “ECF” representative conversation |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 3-0 | 4 | 10 | Plus 6 | MIN (H), PHX (H) | Lucky or good? The Lakers have been consistent in where they score. They suffer lapses, but they’ve gotten shorter compared to last year. Still lacks 3 point shooting, but will it all Knecht eventually? |
| Dallas | 1-1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | None | Lone loss came at the hands of a team (PHX) that also punched them in the mouth last season. Otherwise, this team is offensively back on track, especially with Klay Thompson coming into form. |
| Phoenix | 2-1 | 6 | 4 | Minus 2 | DAL (H) | This team is still hot, and even better with Tyus Jones running point. KD can get to and score just about anywhere… so why are they 6th? It’s not that the Lakers best them, it’s that this team held a huge lead over a team also figuring it out and lost. |
| Memphis | 2-1 | 6 | 20 | Plus 14 | None | How about the return of All-Star Ja Morant? He’s looking every bit the leader he’s training to be, and pushing this team to an offensive pace to be near the top of the league. The loss against Houston grounded them, but things look up if they can keep pace. |
| Atlanta | 2-1 | 7 | 21 | Plus 14 | None | This team has a Zero in the loss column AT THIS POINT, and hasn’t lost a step after losing Dejontay Murray. Risacher is getting valuable minutes and Trae Young looks back in form. Wonder how this squad would look at 100% health (Bogdanovic) |
| Minnesota | 2-1 | 8 | 2 | Minus 6 | None | This team is playing well when it doesn’t get in its own way, and that’s usually a maturity (time, not attitude) issue. Give this squad 3 weeks and it’ll look like they never needed KAT at the PF position. They need to start better in games though. |
| Golden State | 2-0 | 10 | 18 | Plus 8 | None | Kerr … somehow has this team playing at a near clip the 2014 Warriors did: they share the ball well, blitz on defense, and are lighting up the hoops. The main issue is that they haven’t played anyone noteworthy. On the Plus side : They haven’t lost since Pre-season. |
| Orlando | 2-1 | 11 | 16 | Plus 5 | MIA (A) | Paolo Banchero is leading this team to an opening surge that is opening the eyes (and mouths) of fans everywhere. If their scoring pace holds, they’re already months ahead of schedule, and that’s without much from KCP. |
| New York | 1-1 | 12 | 6 | Minus 6 | IND (H) | Towns and Brunson have both started to trend in the right direction, but their trajectory isn’t also guiding the team in the same direction. Versus Boston, they got outworked, and they may see a similar problem vs Cleveland in the future. It’s not a good start, but a win against a prior playoff team sets a good tone. |
| New Orleans | 2-1 | 13 | 19 | Plus 6 | None | Yes. 2 wins means a ton. Those 2 wins? 1 against a rebuilding Chicago team and the second thanks in part to a bad late decision in Portland. This team has great individual talent, but lacks a team focus to get them out of the shadow of “just another play-in.” |
| Milwaukee | 1-2 | 14 | 8 | Minus 6 | None | Before the Bucks fans rip us a new one, YOU can consider the Philly win significant. WE don’t because that win was against a team without Embiid, Paul George, and the win was close. What happened with Chcago? |
Some notes about these rankings: Huge drops by teams like Denver and Philadelphia, huge jumps by teams like Atlanta and Memphis, and Golden State was evaluated before the Steph injury. Nonetheless, this week was a great set up to watch teams going into this week. Health is huge factor, but and even bigger factor is scheduling. Some teams like Portland, Golden State and New Orleans will see some “Home-and-home” games (a scheduling surprise we addressed previously). How much a benefit that will provide remains to be seen. We’re looking forward to a shake up in the standings. Tune in next week for another round!
The Sports Affiliation 