Week 3 was full of action and surprises. Despite the injury bug sweeping across the league, the games have remained entertaining and full of action.
Who would have thought that the Cleveland Cavaliers remain undefeated since opening night? We’re pretty sure that you are just as stunned as we are.
On another note, a few contenders have struggled to muster wins(we’re looking at you, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia) despite having the pieces to do so. The Western Conference, on the other hand, has been ultra-competitive.
Here are the grades for each NBA team after week 3 of action.
Which NBA teams had the best and worst grades after week 3?
Atlanta Hawks: D (Last Week: C-)
Is it time to rebuild in Atlanta? Why not sell high right now with Trae Young and Clint Capela? Young’s having a very nice season, but the wins continue to be elusive. The 2024 first-overall pick, Zaccharie Risacher, looks like a baller.
Boston Celtics: A- (Last Week: A-)
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Most teams consider 3-1 in week 3 a good performance, but not for the Celtics. They were caught off guard by a suddenly hot Golden State Warriors, resulting in a loss. However, if we’re being honest about it, they are still the team to beat in the NBA come playoff time.
Brooklyn Nets: B- (Last Week: B+)
Tough week for Brooklyn. In all honesty, a team like them with no clear leader on the roster still fought admirably against the Celtics and the Cavs. They weren’t blown out. Dennis Schroder and the gang fought until the last second before bowing out.
Charlotte Hornets: B (Last Week: C)
The Hornets must have felt extremely good when they won against the Pistons and the Pacers in week 3. LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller balled out for them in both wins. It’d be interesting to see how well they will perform in week 4, as they will be battling teams like Orlando and Cleveland.
Chicago Bulls: D (Last Week: B)
Wow. Just wow. From B to D in just a week, it’s atrocious. That kind of demise rarely happens in the weekly NBA grades here in TPS, but Chicago deserves what’s given to them. When will they do an all-out rebuild? They are mediocre on the court, at best.
Also Read: Grading 30 NBA Teams’ After Week 2 Games Of The 2024-25
Cleveland Cavaliers: A+ (Last Week: A+)
We’re quickly running out of words to describe Cleveland’s 11-0 start. Stunning? Flawless? Superb? You be the judge. Nobody on earth expected this. Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley are playing out of their minds right now.
Dallas Mavericks: C (Last Week: B+)
Losing two straight close games truly hurt the confidence of this Mavs team. Klay Thompson looks done. The Warriors were right, and Dallas was too blind to see it. They saw Thompson’s name and quickly envisioned his past achievements, neglecting his subpar year with the Warriors last season.
Denver Nuggets: A (Last Week: B)
NBA grades are volatile in nature, but sometimes, the change happens favorably to certain teams. The Nuggets are a testament to that. From an opening week D grade to now an A, Nikola Jokic has truly worked his magic to steer this team to crucial wins after a slow start to the season. And did we forget to mention that he’s nearly averaging a 30-point triple-double?
Detroit Pistons: C (Last Week: C)
Four wins in eleven games. That’s a remarkable improvement for this team, considering their lowly and awful performance last season. People thought that Tobias Harris was their biggest addition this offseason. They were wrong. He’s been regressing fast.
Golden State Warriors: A (Last Week: A)
Winning against the mighty Celtics with a rag-tag roster must have felt good for this Warriors squad. After all, nobody expected them to be this good to start the season. Their grades have been steady so far compared to other NBA teams across the league after three weeks.
Houston Rockets: B+ (Last Week: B)
After a nonchalant start to the season, the Rockets are starting to climb in the Western Conference standings. Jalen Green is starting to figure out how to be consistent on the court, and Alperen Sengun is beginning to understand that he is this team’s main man.
Indiana Pacers: B (Last Week: C)
They are not yet where they wanted to be, but the Pacers are taking all the right steps to get there. Tyrese Haliburton’s hot and cold streak continues, but Ben Mathurin and Myles Turner are doing their part to negate the team’s deficiencies on the court.
Los Angeles Clippers: B (Last Week: D)
Four straight wins are a bit surprising, especially for a team that’s missing its franchise player. James Harden continues to play considerably well despite losing a step or two on a basketball court. Norman Powell is having a reasonably good season for the Clippers.
Los Angeles Lakers: B- (Last Week: B)
After their hot start, the Lakers have cooled down considerably. Needing to change things, JJ Redick decided to demote D’Angelo Russell to the bench and start Cam Reddish. The results are mixed, but Russell has thrived in his new role as the team’s 6th man.
Memphis Grizzlies: B+ (Last Week: B+)
Ja Morant has not yet found his groove after three weeks of action. However, despite his on-court struggles, the Grizzlies have kept winning and climbing the Western Conference standings, thanks in large part to Jaren Jackson Jr’s effort.
Miami Heat: B- (Last Week: B)
Jimmy Butler is out due to an ankle injury, but the Heat still finds a way to win. Tyler Herro is having a career year. They are now banking that all-star big man Bam Adebayo wakes up from his slump and starts contributing like it’s 2023.
Milwaukee Bucks: F (Last Week: F)
An F grade should be rewarded to teams that essentially have no immediate solution to their woes for an entire NBA season. Unfortunately, as the weeks have gone by, the Bucks have stitched themselves firmly at the bottom of the NBA standings. No improvement in sight. It’s baffling that they keep on losing despite having humongous games from Giannis and Dame.
Minnesota Timberwolves: B+ (Last Week: B)
Is that Anthony Edwards or Steph Curry? It’s Ant-Man, alright. The former 2020 first-overall pick is making nearly six threes per game this season for the Wolves. The team went 3-1 in week three.
New Orleans Pelicans: D- (Last Week: C-)
Injuries…AGAIN! And AGAIN, in week 3! This time, it’s Zion Williamson. The basketball gods really must hate the Pelicans. There’s no other way to put it. They now have lost four straight games. This is such a sad time for all the Pels fans across the league.
New York Knicks: C (Last Week: B+)
We were right about our suggestion to temper our expectations for this Knicks squad until mid-December. They are struggling right now. To put it into perspective, Jalen Brunson was widely considered a top 5 player in the entire league last season. This season, he isn’t even a top-20 guy on most lists by the media and pundits.
Oklahoma City Thunder: B (Last Week: A+)
B is a fair grade for this young NBA squad in week 3. That 7-0 start now looks like a distant memory, as they have lost two games this past week. To add to their recent woes, Chet Holmgren is bound to miss some time after a nasty fall against the Warriors.
Orlando Magic: B (Last Week: C)
Franz Wagner is starting to realize that he must fill the void in the scoring department with Paolo Banchero still out of the lineup. As a result, he’s been aggressive on the court, especially on the offensive end. His newfound mentality has kept the Magic afloat, for now.
Philadelphia 76ers: F (Last Week: F)
An overtime win against the struggling Hornets to end week 3? That’s nice. However, the win does not move an inch this NBA team’s grade this week. It’s still an F. In addition to their struggles, Tyrese Maxey will be out for about a week or more because of a hamstring injury.
Phoenix Suns: A (Last Week: A)
Well…This was not a fluke at all! The Suns have kept winning. They know how to close out games. But with every success, problems will inevitably arise. Can they sustain their winning ways with Kevin Durant out of the lineup for the next couple of weeks? Only Devin Booker can answer that question.
Portland Trail Blazers: F (Last Week: D)
The Blazers were humiliated by the Grizzlies to end week 3. When we say humiliated, we’re talking about a 45-point loss kind of humiliation. They also lost to San Antonio by 13 points and to the Wolves by 25 points. Oh yeah…the F grade for this NBA team is well deserved.
Sacramento Kings: B+ (Last Week: B)
It looks like the Kings have turned the page and are on their way to a successful campaign. After a rather surprisingly horrible start to the season, they are climbing fast in the Western Conference standings. The DeMar DeRozan offseason signing is starting to pay off, big time.
San Antonio Spurs: D (Last Week: C+)
This is not the sophomore campaign we all had in mind for Victor Wembanyama. We thought he was going to obliterate the league so badly that we would start to question whether it is fair for a team to have a player who is 7 feet 4 inches tall but plays like a guard. Nope. None of that stuff came true. Wemby is struggling, and so are the Spurs.
Toronto Raptors: F (Last Week: C)
The Raptors are dead last in the Eastern Conference standings after week 3. To be fair, they are missing the services of Swiss knife-like forward Scottie Barnes. However, these are the NBA weekly grades, not charity. We feel bad for them. This could be a long year for this once-proud franchise.
Utah Jazz: D (Last Week: F)
No back-to-back failing grades for the Jazz, although D is not really something they should be proud of in the NBA. Winning two games in week 3 surprised us, not going to lie. Can they build momentum to become a decent team this season?
Washington Wizards: D- (Last Week: C)
Losing four straight was somewhat of an inevitable outcome for a young team like the Wizards. Nobody really thought they’d be good, right? Alex Sarr, this year’s 2nd overall selection in the NBA Draft, isn’t even the best rookie on the roster. That title belongs to Kyshawn George, the 24th pick in this year’s pool of rookies.
Also Read: Ranking All 30 NBA Teams After Week 2 Games
