The NBA season has finally started and there is lots of excitement this year around the league. A good number of stars have teamed up and changed cities to challenge the Denver Nuggets’ reign at the top.
Some young teams such as the Orlando Magic, the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder are looking to make some serious strides this season while revamped contenders like the Los Angeles Lakers, the Boston Celtics and the Phoenix Suns remain a threat to everybody in the league.
Today, we will be ranking all 30 NBA teams after week 1. There are some surprises in this list so let’s get into it.
30. Memphis Grizzlies
Losing Dillon Brooks to free agency is beginning to haunt the Grizzlies. They have lost a bit of their identity with his departure. A 0-3 start is a little bit concerning but we have to understand that Ja Morant hasn’t made his season debut yet.
29. Portland Trail Blazers
As expected, the Blazers were projected to lose a ton of games this year and they are already on track for in just the first week of the season, going 0-3. Rookie Scoot Henderson is struggling with his shot and Deandre Ayton looks like an average big man so far in his time with the team.
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28. Brooklyn Nets
Mikal Bridges’ success last season hasn’t translated yet in week 1 that’s why the team has gone 0-2 to open the year. The only good thing going for them for now is Cam Thomas’ scoring barrage. He’s going to be a problem for everybody.
27. Houston Rockets
The Rockets are struggling badly right now to start the year. The addition of Brooks and VanVleet has yet to provide the necessary boost that they projected to happen for this team. As a result, they are 0-3 to start the season.
26. Toronto Raptors
The biggest problem of Toronto right now is the point guard position. They lost a couple of winnable games as they failed to execute properly when those games were on the line.
25. New York Knicks
This is not the start that coach Tom Thibodeau had in mind. The Knicks’ lineup is complete but they haven’t capitalized it against other teams yet. They are currently 1-2 to start week 1 and there are tons of things they need to address to be considered a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference this year.
24. Chicago Bulls
In all honesty, nobody in the league is afraid of Chicago’s big three of Lavine, DeRozan and Vucevic. They won a thriller against Toronto but also lost badly in a couple of games to start the season. If their slide will continue in the next couple of months, expect their front office to hit the restart button around the trade deadline.
23. Utah Jazz
The Jazz’s offense doesn’t look as crisp as it was last year. The addition of John Collins in the lineup has stagnated their offense and Lauri Markkanen’s most effective position should be at the power forward spot. This feels like a season-long adjustment and fans of the team may be impatient to see if it will work.
22. Cleveland Cavaliers
Even with Donovan Mitchell’s superb play, Cleveland still struggled to win some games in the first week of games. Garland has been in and out of the lineup due to injury and Jarrett Allen’s return is still in question. Their bench needs to step up to fill their needs until everybody is healthy.
21. Miami Heat
A quick look at Miami and you could tell that they are missing the services of former Heat guys Gabe Vincent and Max Strus. They are 1-2 right now but as we all know in recent years, they will bounce back in sometime in the season.
20. Atlanta Hawks
Trae Young has struggled with his shot to start the season and that’s bad for the entire team. Opposing teams are pestering him each game and he needs to be smarter about his shot selection going forward.
19. San Antonio Spurs
The arrival of Victor Wembanyama has created a buzz throughout the league. As a result, the Spurs have won 1 out of 2 games in week 1. They will not win many games this season but they will definitely be a competitive bunch.
18. Charlotte Hornets
It’s not entirely a surprise that the Hornets are on the rise early this year. LaMelo Ball is back and the team’s offense looks much better compared to last season when he was out.
17. Washington Wizards
Watching Poole and Kuzma jack up shots against opposing teams has been a treat for fans of the game. While it doesn’t seem that their game plan won’t be sustainable in the future, we can’t deny that it’s entertaining.
16. Minnesota Timberwolves
The pairing of Towns and Gobert has looked better this year compared to last season. As a result, they’ve gone 1-1 in the first week of action.
15. Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers’ schedule has been brutal to start the year but they still managed to win a game despite playing inconsistently. While LeBron is still playing at an insanely high level, Anthony Davis needs to be consistent as the season progresses.
14. Sacramento Kings
Like the Lakers, Sacramento’s schedule has been tough but they have shown that their rise last season wasn’t a fluke. De’Aaron Fox has been playing at a high level to start the season and their recent win against the Lakers proved that he is going to be a problem for years to come. Expect them to get things rolling soon.
13. Milwaukee Bucks
After Lillard’s masterful performance in his debut with Milwaukee, he followed it up with a stinker against the Hawks. But a team this good would inevitably rise in the standings in the upcoming weeks.
12. Los Angeles Clippers
It’s quite hard to judge the Clippers this early in the season. They are currently 2-1 but those wins came at the expense of rebuilding teams. We’ll have a better scope of their talent when more games are played this year.
11. Philadelphia 76ers
Even with James Harden out, the Sixers are looking like legitimate contenders to start the season. Maxey has been balling at an insane level right now.
10. Golden State Warriors
The Warriors are banking on their bench to contribute on a nightly basis to start the season. They are now 2-1 and that’s because of Steph Curry’s outstanding shooting.
9. Detroit Pistons
Surprise! The Pistons are playing good basketball to start the year. They could’ve easily gone 3-0 had they executed well against Miami on opening night. Coach Monty Williams is doing his magic to make this team competitive.
8. Phoenix Suns
Kevin Durant is still one of the best players in the league today. Even with the absence of Booker and Beal in the last couple of games, KD showed that he could lead this team and that nobody should take them lightly.
7. Oklahoma City Thunder
It’s hard to fathom that nobody in OKC’s starting five is more than 25 years old. This is a young team that is ready to win now and they proved that they could do that with a 2-1 start this week.
6. Orlando Magic
Another surprising riser in the list, the Magic have gone 2-0 to start the season. If you watch them play, they are surprisingly good and cohesive on the floor.
5. New Orleans Pelicans
It’s no surprise that when Zion Williamson is healthy, this is a team to be reckoned with. Both of their wins were impressive as it was against playoff teams last season. Expect them to rise further when the season progresses.
4. Indiana Pacers
Indiana started week 1 with a bang. They won two blowout games against the Wizards and the Cavaliers, respectively. Haliburton and Turner are becoming a potent duo that has tons of potential that could be materialized in the near future.
3. Dallas Mavericks
In all seriousness, nobody in the league can stop Luka Doncic. That has been evident as the Mavs are off to a 2-0 to start this season. Irving is also playing well off the ball and their bench performed admirably in both of their wins.
2. Boston Celtics
It would be hard to stop this ultra-talented Celtics team in the future. Their 2-0 start is a testament that they are a real threat to win it all next year if healthy. Porzingis has played well for them and so have Jrue Holiday and Derrick White. Once Tatum and Brown get their feet wet, the league is in trouble.
1. Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets’ 3-0 start was a surprise to everybody. The Lakers, Grizzlies and Thunder had nobody to contain the brilliance of Nikola Jokic. You’d be hard-pressed to see a video of Jokic playing basketball during the offseason but his game never lost a step. The team’s familiarity with each other is unmatched within the league today.
