Week 5 of action has passed, and we are starting to see which teams are primed for a successful 2024-2025 NBA season and which ones will fall short of their expectations. The Emirates NBA Cup battles were intense and generally felt like a legitimate playoff game rather than a normal regular-season game. This is the ranking of all 30 NBA teams after week 5 of action.
Who are the top-ranking NBA teams after week 5 of games?
30. Washington Wizards (Last Week: 29)
The Wizards are taking on the “No Win November” challenge quite seriously. Despite having Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole in the lineup, the wins continue to be elusive. The games weren’t close, either. At this point, this team is just an eyesore to watch on the court.
29. Philadelphia 76ers (Last Week: 28)
A 3-13 record with December fast approaching. This is not the season the Sixers had in mind, especially after the signing of Paul George in the summer. This team has been decimated by injuries since the start of the season. Now, they have locker room issues to deal with after an intense team meeting was leaked to the media, and Joel Embiid was reportedly furious about it. Yikes!
28. New Orleans Pelicans (Last Week: 26)
Dealing with the same fate as the Sixers, the Pelicans continue to dip further in the NBA rankings with each passing week, and that’s solely due to the injury woes on their roster. Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, and CJ McCollum are still wearing street clothes instead of playing for the team.
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27. Toronto Raptors (Last Week: 30)
Week 5 was not such a bad one for the Raptors, as they managed to win two straight games. Those games were against the Pacers and the Wolves, if we may add. RJ Barrett is having a career year right now after a sluggish start to the season. But is it too late for them to turn things around? Perhaps not, as the East is relatively weaker this year than it was in previous years.
26. Utah Jazz (Last Week: 27)
Utah has kept its games close despite losing to the Lakers and the Spurs. However, they surprisingly blew out a relatively healthy Knicks lineup to end the week. Lauri Markkanen still does all the heavy lifting for this team, but some of the role players are starting to find their niche as the season progresses.
25. Charlotte Hornets (Last Week: 22)
Even a 50-point masterpiece from LaMelo Ball wasn’t enough to get them over the hump against the Bucks. They are just 4-6 in their last ten games. The injury bug has now officially reached Charlotte, as forward Grant Williams will miss the rest of the season due to an ACL injury.
24. Detroit Pistons (Last Week: 15)
A bad week could really change the tides for an NBA franchise. A prime example of that is the Pistons. After opening week 5 with a win against the lowly Wizards, the Pistons inexplicably dropped their next three games. As a result, they went flying down in this week’s NBA rankings.
Also Read: Ranking All 30 NBA Teams After Week 4 Games
23. Atlanta Hawks (Last Week: 21)
Is it time to sell high for Trae Young and ship him out of Atlanta? We can all agree that their Eastern Conference Finals run a few years ago was a fluke. That was quickly followed by mediocre finishes with Young at the point guard spot in recent years. He only managed a meager 7 points (but did have 19 assists) on a win against the Kings in week 5. What do you think?
22. Chicago Bulls (Last Week: 24)
The Bulls are quite a hard team to assess. They may show that they are a quality team in one game but proceed to look like a lottery-bound team the next. That seems to be the case in week 5 after they handily beat a couple of mediocre teams but lost to a couple of more robust teams.
21. Brooklyn Nets (Last Week: 23)
The Nets managed to squeeze out a 2-3 week despite having some injury woes on their roster. Cam Thomas and Cameron Johnson are keeping this team afloat without Dennis Schroder’s services.
20. Indiana Pacers (Last Week: 16)
Just when we thought the Pacers were finally turning the tide, week 5 passed, leaving them with more questions than answers. A 7-10 record was truly disheartening for this up-and-coming franchise. Tyrese Haliburton’s game is dreadful to watch. We all thought that he would become a superstar this season, but his regress should be studied.
19. Sacramento Kings (Last Week: 12)
There’s no other way to put it: the Kings are struggling. Signing DeMar DeRozan created a unique problem for their offense, and that’s the mid-range game. They were a very good three-point shooting team in previous years, but due to DeRozan’s arrival, opposing defenses now focus on their assignment on the three-point line rather than defend the mid-range, allowing a less rewarding shot for the Kings.
18. Portland Trail Blazers (Last Week: 19)
A 2-2 week should be considered a triumph for the Blazers, especially with some of their key guys still out due to injuries. You’d be hard-pressed to figure out who’s responsible for their wins, though, as it has been a collective effort for every man available for this roster so far this season.
17. Milwaukee Bucks (Last Week: 25)
The Bucks are thriving right now. Winners of four straight, Milwaukee is 7-3 in their last ten games after an abysmal start to the season. Giannis Antetokounmpo is playing at an MVP level again. Damian Lillard is still struggling with his shot but is now working on other facets of his game, such as distributing the ball on offense.
16. Miami Heat (Last Week: 17)
Just when we thought that Jimmy Butler’s game had declined, he went on to have a productive week 5. Their rotation is still susceptible to exploitation and sometimes incoherent, but the Heat continues to grind out wins due to their vast experience as a unit.
15. Minnesota Timberwolves (Last Week: 7)
Is it safe to say that the Wolves made a mistake in trading Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle before training camp? It certainly looks like it after each week of action. Anthony Edwards seemingly abandoned his mid-range game and decided to shoot a ton of threes this season. That was his bread and butter, mind you.
14. San Antonio Spurs (Last Week: 19)
The Spurs, winners of three straight, are looking like a sleeper team that could potentially sneak into the playoffs in April. After a somewhat slow start this season, Victor Wembanyama’s confidence is at an all-time high right now.
13. Phoenix Suns (Last Week: 8)
The Suns are a lottery-bound team without Kevin Durant. Their hot start at the beginning of the season is all but a distant memory right now. Losers of five straight, Devin Booker looks like he’s the Zach LaVine of the West. And no…that’s not a compliment.
12. Dallas Mavericks (Last Week: 14)
The Mavs had a relatively good run before bowing out to the Heat in overtime to end week 5. What’s surprising is that they are playing great basketball, even with Luka Doncic out due to an injury. PJ Washington has been balling for them recently, and so has offseason acquisition Naji Marshall.
11. New York Knicks (Last Week: 13)
The Knicks had a relatively easier schedule in week 5, and as a result, they gained some ground in this week’s NBA rankings. Can they sustain the momentum they’ve built? With how their season has gone so far, it’s hard to make a solid prediction for this famed franchise for now.
10. Memphis Grizzlies (Last Week: 11)
Despite Ja Morant’s absence and Desmond Bane’s struggles, the Grizzlies still find a way to keep on winning. Heck, Marcus Smart isn’t even starting on this team this season. They have gone 6-4 in their last ten games.
9. Los Angeles Clippers (Last Week: 18)
The biggest jumpers in this week’s NBA rankings, the Clippers have continued to either impress us or dismay us since the season started five weeks ago. For this week, they thoroughly impressed us with their performance. They managed to beat the Jazz, Warriors, Magic, and Kings to end up 4-0 in week 5.
8. Denver Nuggets (Last Week: 10)
After their sluggish start, the Nuggets are slowly climbing the NBA rankings after week 5 of action. Christian Braun has become a very good complementary player for them after KCP’s departure in the offseason. After a three-game absence, Nikola Jokic has proven that he’s still the best big man in the NBA today after his dominant performance against Anthony Davis and the Lakers, resulting in a win.
7. Los Angeles Lakers (Last Week: 6)
This question is for all the Lakers fans out there. Should Dalton Knecht start for this team instead of Rui Hachimura? Knecht, the former Tennessee star, has played insanely well whenever he starts for the team. When Hachimura came back from an injury and started again, the Lakers dropped two straight games. Coincidence? I think not!
6. Orlando Magic (Last Week: 9)
Oooh boy…this Magic squad is for real. Even without Paolo Banchero, this young squad continues to win. Franz Wagner should get some serious love from all the league award voters out there at the end of the season. He’s playing insanely well right now.
5. Houston Rockets (Last Week: 5)
The Rockets are blazing hot, going 8-2 in their last ten games. What’s more impressive is that they are playing well as a unit, as opposed to being a star-dependent franchise like most teams are accustomed to. All of their starters are averaging double digits, with Alperen Sengun leading the way by averaging 18.3 points per game this season.
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (Last Week: 4)
OKC has done admirably well despite missing Chet Holmgren, who continues to be out due to a hip fracture he sustained a couple of weeks ago. Jalen Williams has been a beast at the paint despite giving up nearly six inches in height against his opponents on a nightly basis while filling up for the injured Holmgren.
3. Golden State Warriors (Last Week: 3)
It’s pretty refreshing to see the Warriors at the top of the West standings despite having some serious competition in their conference. What’s even more surprising is that Stephen Curry is only averaging 22 points per game, his lowest since the 2012-2013 season. The huge difference for them this year is their bench players. They have been impressive for the Dubs since day one.
2. Boston Celtics (Last Week: 2)
While the Celtics did end Cleveland’s historic start this season, I still can’t put them on the top of the NBA rankings due to the records of both teams after week 5. The Cavs are still three games ahead of them in the Eastern Conference standings. But boy, the Celtics have looked dangerous as of late. Once they get Kristaps Porzingis back, this team will be hard to stop.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers (Last Week: 1)
The 15-0 start finally ended for this Cavs team in week 5. You can thank the Celtics for that. We generally thought that they’d be exposed as mere mortals after their glorious start, but we were proven wrong. The Cavs now have won two straight and have stayed undefeated on their home floor, going 10-0. They are 7-1 on the road, too. Maybe their hot start wasn’t a fluke at all.
Also Read: Grading 30 NBA Teams’ After Week 4 Games Of The 2024-25
