The In-Season Tournament was in full swing this past week and the Lakers emerged as the champions of the inaugural tournament. There weren’t many games in week 7 in the association but it doesn’t mean that the excitement faded. On the contrary, this past week of basketball was fun and exciting.
Today, we will take a look at the ranking of all 30 NBA teams after week 7. This is going to be a great list so let’s get into it.
30. Detroit Pistons (Last Week’s Rank: 30)
Detroit’s had their best chance to snap their legendary losing streak against the Grizzlies but they failed to execute in the fourth quarter. Their slide will soon continue as they have a tough week ahead.
29. San Antonio Spurs (Last Week’s Rank: 29)
San Antonio escapes the last spot as they have won more games against the lowly Pistons. This is a team that knows how to compete but their problem has been giving up early leads whenever the second half comes around.
28. Washington Wizards (Last Week’s Rank: 28)
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The Wizards surprisingly kept it close against the Sixers before eventually bowing out at the end of the fourth quarter. But to no one’s surprise, they got romped by the Nets a couple of days after.
27. Memphis Grizzlies (Last Week’s Rank: 27)
Thanks to Desmond Bane scoring a career-high 49 points, the Grizzlies outlasted the cellar-dwelling Pistons this past week. Reality hit them hard though when they were thrashed by the Wolves later in the week.
26. Portland Trail Blazers (Last Week’s Rank: 26)
The Blazers gave the Warriors a run for their money and managed to make it an interesting game versus the Mavericks. Still, they went winless in week 7.
25. Utah Jazz (Last Week’s Rank: 24)
The Utah Jazz is basically a fringe NBA team right now. The John Collins trade is a bad miscalculation as he has not contributed well to the team since the start of this season.
24. Charlotte Hornets (Last Week’s Rank: 25)
Charlotte surprisingly won a game this past week sans LaMelo Ball. Gordon Hayward’s reemergence has been a pleasant surprise for the team.
22. Toronto Raptors (Last Week’s Rank: 22)
Toronto is on a three-game slide despite their best attempts to win a game. They are competitive but the main dilemma for them is their poor start, especially in the first half.
22. Chicago Bulls (Last Week’s Rank: 23)
Who would’ve thought that the Bulls are on a four-game winning streak right now? What’s impressive is that their recent success is all without Zach LaVine. Maybe it’s time to trade him to another team?
21. Golden State Warriors (Last Week’s Rank: 21)
The Warriors managed to go 1-1 this past week but their lone win was not an easy one against the Blazers. They could’ve won their game against OKC but Draymond Green’s ill-fated foul awarded Chet Holmgren a chance to tie the game and send it into overtime where they eventually lost.
20. Atlanta Hawks (Last Week’s Rank: 20)
This Hawks team is hard to root for. There are some nights that will make you believe that they had it all figured out but will inexplicably crash and burn the next day. The Murray-Young pairing hasn’t produced any results for the team yet.
19. New Orleans (Last Week’s Rank: 18)
The Pelicans were hyped to be in the semifinals of the inaugural In Season Tournament but they fell flat against the Lakers. There are questions now about Zion Williamson’s future with the team.
18. Brooklyn Nets (Last Week’s Rank: 19)
Brooklyn is on a roll right now with Cam Thomas back on the roster. Mikal Bridges is a legitimate star in the league and could become an all-star this season. This is a tough team to beat when everybody is at their finest.
17. Los Angeles Clippers (Last Week’s Rank: 18)
Kawhi Leonard reminded everyone that he was still a top dog in this league by dropping a season-high 41 points against the sluggish Jazz. Could he sustain it and establish himself as the best player of the team moving forward?
16. Houston Rockets (Last Week’s Rank: 16)
The Rockets are back to their winning ways but there are still a lot of things they need to improve in order to establish their presence in the West. Jalen Green’s shots are finally falling after an abysmal start to the season.
15. Miami Heat (Last Week’s Rank: 12)
The Heat’s armor is slowly showing cracks without Tyler Herro’s presence. However, they should be pleased with how rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s performance as of late. He’s a baller and will eventually become part of their core in the future.
14. Cleveland Cavaliers (Last Week’s Rank: 14)
The Cavs displayed that they could compete against the best but this year’s performance isn’t quite similar compared to the success they had last season. It really looks like they have reached their peak as a team. They are good, but not quite great.
13. Indiana Pacers (Last Week’s Rank: 15)
Kudos to this young Pacers team for reaching the finals of the In Season Tournament. Even though they lost, this was an important step for their maturity as a team. Tyrese Haliburton is a star and probably the best point guard in the East right now.
12. Phoenix Suns (Last Week’s Rank: 11)
The Suns failed to register a win this past week. They failed to topple the Lakers in the semifinals of the In-Season Tournament and also bowed out against the Kings. But it’s hard to bet against them as they have the potential to be very good when healthy.
11. New York Knicks (Last Week’s Rank: 8)
The Knicks’ time in the top ten was short-lived as they lost to the Bucks and the Celtics this past week. They are still a tier below against the contenders in the East but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Brunson and the gang still have a lot of games left to solidify their position in their conference.
10. Sacramento Kings (Last Week’s Rank: 9)
Many pundits were looking at the Kings to reach the finals of the In-Season Tournament but they played sluggishly against the Pelicans to bow out in the semis. But the loss didn’t bother them as they masterfully outplayed the Suns a few days after.
9. Los Angeles Lakers (Last Week’s Rank: 13)
The Lakers are your inaugural In-Season Tournament Champions. It’s nowhere near an NBA championship but it does account for something nice. At 39 years old, LeBron James was named the MVP of the tournament as well. This was a great week for Laker fans.
8. Denver Nuggets (Last Week’s Rank: 5)
The Nuggets are on a three-game slide right now. Even with Jamal Murray back, their role players are somewhat playing subpar as of late. Aaron Gordon is struggling and so is Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
7. Dallas Mavericks (Last Week’s Rank: 9)
‘Headband Luka’ is something else. He’s one of the best players this season and the Mavs are sitting at the third spot in the brutal Western Conference due to his outstanding play. Kyrie has been playing well too but is now down because of an injury to his leg.
6. Philadelphia 76ers (Last Week’s Rank: 7)
With Embiid and Maxey back in the fold, the Sixers are also back to their winning ways. They survived a surprisingly tough game against the Wizards and managed to outlast the Hawks a few days later.
5. Orlando Magic (Last Week’s Rank: 6)
The Magic fell flat against the Cavs to open week 7 of basketball but managed to assert their dominance against the lowly Pistons. Once they have Markelle Fultz back, this is a team to watch out for this season.
4. Milwaukee Bucks (Last Week’s Rank: 4)
The Bucks were embarrassed by the Pacers in their In-Season Tournament semifinal matchup. But, not everything was bad for Milwaukee this week. Dame and Giannis are starting to gel on the court in the past couple of weeks and once they reach their full potential, it’s tough to beat them.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder (Last Week’s Rank: 3)
OKC lost to the Rockets to start the week but managed to outlast the Warriors in overtime a couple of days later. This team is young and they are expected to make mistakes but there’s no doubt that they are on a steady rise to the top.
2. Minnesota Timberwolves (Last Week’s Rank: 2)
Anthony Edwards went down with another injury but the Wolves are still finding a way to win their games. Rudy Gobert’s stifling defense at the paint has been phenomenal this season. They are a must-see TV.
1. Boston Celtics (Last Week’s Rank: 1)
Even though the Celtics fell to the Pacers in the quarter-finals of the In-Season Tournament, they are still the team to beat in the league this season. Their starting five is arguably the best in the league right now.
