Week 17 of NBA basketball is done and with the all-star festivities out of the way, the final stretch of the season is in place. Teams are gearing up to position themselves better in their respective conferences.
Today, we will take a look at the ranking of all 30 NBA teams after week 18.
30. Washington Wizards (Last Week’s Rank: 29)
Move over Detroit, there’s a new worst team in town. The Wizards haven’t won a game in February and are now 0-10 in their last 10 games. What’s worse is that supposedly franchise cornerstone Jordan Poole is now demoted to the bench.
29. Detroit Pistons (Last Week’s Rank: 30)
After spending most of their time at the bottom of the rankings this season, the Pistons move a spot ahead of the Wizards due to their recent inspired play. They still are pretty bad but do possess a good fighting spirit as of late.
28. San Antonio Spurs (Last Week’s Rank: 28)
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While Wemby is constantly doing otherworldly things on the court, the Spurs have continued to lose games. They sit at the bottom of the West but they know that this will be a long rebuild for them. Their future looks bright though as they have a superstar in tow.
27. Portland Trail Blazers (Last Week’s Rank: 26)
The Blazers need to take a long look at this roster when the season is said and done. Their veterans seemingly don’t mix well on the court together with their youngsters. Not a lot of hope for them within the next couple of years.
26. Charlotte Hornets (Last Week’s Rank: 27)
Charlotte’s new additions via the trade deadline have given the team a little bit of an edge as of late. They surprisingly won four straight games before inevitably succumbing to the surging Warriors. Brandon Miller certainly looks like a stud.
25. Memphis Grizzlies (Last Week’s Rank: 25)
The positive sign for this decimated Grizzlies team is that even though the playoffs are totally out of the picture, a few guys have shown up and could be a part of the future of this team. Hidden gems are all over the place and the Grizz are finding them all.
24. Brooklyn Nets (Last Week’s Rank: 23)
The Nets, even with a coaching change, continue to fall further in the Eastern Conference standings. They are hoping to build around Mikal Bridges in the upcoming offseason but is he really the star they are looking for?
23. Toronto Raptors (Last Week’s Rank: 24)
The Raptors young guys are slowly showing their potential as of late. A play-in spot is still realistically plausible if they continue their fine play within the last stretch of this season. That’s probably their goal before they evaluate their current roster in the offseason.
22. Houston Rockets (Last Week’s Rank: 22)
Alperen Sengun’s brilliant play seemingly lost its steam halfway into the season and as a result, the Rockets’ offense is becoming somewhat stagnant. Jalen Green is still suffering from inconsistencies and so is Jabari Smith Jr.
21. Atlanta Hawks (Last Week’s Rank: 21)
Even though the Hawks’ season is considered a disappointment, they are still primed to secure a play-in spot at the end of the season. Some of their bench guys are showing up as of late and that bodes well for Atlanta going forward.
20. Utah Jazz(Last Week’s Rank: 20)
The Jazz only went 3-7 in their last 10 games and are slowly losing their position in the Western Conference standings in recent weeks. It’s such a shame since there were lofty expectations from this team at the beginning of this season.
19. Chicago Bulls (Last Week’s Rank: 19)
The Bulls went 5-5 in their last 10 games and it certainly feels that they have hit their peak as a team. They will assuredly grab one of the play-in spots in the East at the end of the season but that’s about it.
18. Golden State Warriors (Last Week’s Rank: 18)
Even though the Warriors are on a roll in the last couple of weeks, the reality is that they are primed to only secure a play-in spot this season. The West is loaded and they’d be hard-pressed to secure a playoff spot despite their re-emergence.
17. Miami Heat (Last Week’s Rank: 17)
Miami, winners of 7 out of 10 games, are preparing to solidify their position in the Eastern Conference for the rest of the season. Their stars are finally healthy and that’s usually a bad sign for other teams in the league.
16. Los Angeles Lakers (Last Week’s Rank: 16)
The Lakers are finding their groove as a team in the month of February. While their new addition, Spencer Dinwiddie, has been basically a non-factor for them, other role players are finally finding their niche on the team.
15. Orlando Magic (Last Week’s Rank: 15)
With a bit of luck, the Magic could possibly secure a playoff spot at the end of this season. They have been playing well recently and now have won 7 out of 10. Paolo Banchero is a stud and so is Franz Wagner.
14. Philadelphia 76ers (Last Week’s Rank: 13)
The Sixers, sans Joel Embiid, are limping badly right now. They only went 3-7 in their last 10 games. Tobias Harris continues to be a non-factor for the team despite being given a greater offensive role with Embiid at the stands.
13. Indiana Pacers (Last Week’s Rank: 14)
Expect Indiana to continue their fine play as Haliburton will no longer be in a minutes restriction after suffering an injury last month. Pascal Siakam is getting comfortable in his role within the team and that’s good news for them going forward.
12. Sacramento Kings (Last Week’s Rank: 9)
Domantas Sabonis’ omission from the all-star game this season is one of the most glaring crimes of all time. He’s the anchor and heart of the Kings and will continue to do so in the future. Their recent rise in the standings has been impressive.
11. New Orleans Pelicans(Last Week’s Rank: 11)
The Pelicans may not look like contenders for many but they have fans from notable personalities in the media. They are a hardworking team with tons of untapped potential. Now, they just need to prove us wrong.
10. Dallas Mavericks (Last Week’s Rank: 9)
The Mavs’ 7-game winning streak just got snapped by the Pacers but one thing’s for sure: they are going to wreak havoc in the West in the playoffs. The Luka-Kyrie pairing is at its peak and nobody in the league could stop the two once they got it going.
9. Phoenix Suns (Last Week’s Rank: 10)
Without Beal, the Suns continued to play at an elite level with Durant and Booker sharing the spotlight. Bol Bol’s sudden emergence just gave the team another legitimate option off the bench.
8. New York Knicks (Last Week’s Rank: 8)
The Knicks are missing Randle’s contribution as of late. Jalen Brunson just can’t do it all despite his brilliance on the court. As a result, they only won an abysmal 4 games out of 10.
7. Milwaukee Bucks (Last Week’s Rank: 7)
The jury is still out there for Doc Rivers when it comes to coaching for this team. There are definitely flashes of brilliance and fine play but there are also head-scratching moments in there too.
6. Cleveland Cavaliers (Last Week’s Rank: 6)
The Cavs are not getting the same love compared to other teams in the top 10 due to Donovan Mitchell’s unproven track record in the postseason. Are they legitimate contenders? Most analysts avoid answering that question when it comes to the Cavs.
5. Los Angeles Clippers (Last Week’s Rank: 4)
Even Kawhi Leonard has admitted in a recent interview that the Clippers have played somewhat subpar in the last couple of weeks. They are still considered as one of the contenders in the West season.
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (Last Week’s Rank: 5)
This young Thunder squad is getting a lot of love from TV analysts and it’s hard to argue their affection for this team. SGA is playing like an MVP-caliber player this season and most of their guys haven’t reached their prime years yet.
3. Denver Nuggets (Last Week’s Rank: 3)
Nikola Jokic is the MVP this season. Luka is having a nice season himself, but Joker is just on another level. The Nuggets are also surging in the Western Conference standings. It’s hard to bet against them as they’ve been very solid when everybody is healthy.
2. Minnesota Timberwolves(Last Week’s Rank: 2)
The Wolves now have gone 7-3 in their last 10 games and are primed to have a deep run in this year’s playoffs. Anthony Edwards is playing like a young Kobe Bryant this season and he’s slowly morphing into one of the best players in the league today.
1. Boston Celtics (Last Week’s Rank: 1)
Boston has now won eight straight games while looking unstoppable on the court at the same time. If Tatum or Brown has an off night, expect White and Porzingis to pick up the slack. They are the most well-balanced team in the league.
