stormtrooper8
- Joined
- May 30, 2022
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Hey everyone!
So it's time for the first edition of the NBA rankings.
I try to combine the team's achievement just this season with what I believe their potential is. So sometimes you get teams with lesser records higher, and vice versa.
I won't do these weekly, probably every 2-3 weeks or so. Things don't change as quickly for the NBA at this point of the year
Here they are:
1. Celtics - They have some deep playoff experience, and they have been the most steady team this season by far. They are gelling offensively and Brogdon has been a great addition, likely to take some pressure off of Smart in meaningful games down the stretch.
2. Warriors - This team has woken up a bit, and it seems like Klay/Poole are both finding a rhythm. Steph looks as great as ever, the bench is starting to play better, and the team as a whole looks more engaged.
3. Bucks - They look pretty strong on both ends, though the defense is a little leaky. They will have to figure out a way to hide Grayson Allen down the stretch.
4. Suns - Team is on a nice run, and has been successful in finding ways to score without Chris Paul. They just need a little scoring punch.
5. Cavs - Mitchell has proven to be a nice fit in Cleveland. They will need to get more consistency from small forward and bench if they want to compete with the big boys though.
6. Grizzlies - Depth and length look to be defining this team once again, though they could be a little more iffy on defense than expected.
7. Nuggets - This will be a respectable team throughout the year. The key will be staying healthy. Their ceiling is limited and they won’t seriously contend, but they could be taxing in a playoff series.
8. Nets - When their off court dust is settled, this team looks like a viable contender in the East. Gonna be hard to keep Kyrie quiet though. Simmons seems to at least be finding his role more.
9. Pelicans - They seem to be doing a good job living up to the hype. Only disappointing part has been Zion to be honest – not quite as dominant as I thought he’d be when out there.
10. Mavs - A little up and down, but this team could be a dark horse. When you have a special player like Luka, decent 3/D guys, you have a shot.
11. Hawks - Murray and Trae fit a lot better than I thought they would. This team is too soft to defend some of the physical Eastern teams, but their perimeter talent could give teams problems.
12. 76ers - Definitely a disappointing team. I’m not shocked by the health of Embiid and Harden, but they don’t appear to be nearly as deep as I thought they would. They need another piece to contend.
13. Raptors - They’re deep and can be plucky. They seem to be short of a scorer. I don’t trust Siakam to go get a bucket late in a game. They don’t quite have that kind of guy.
14. Clippers - This team is probably going to figure out a way to crumble in the playoffs. Sure there is some depth, but PG has been unreliable and does Kawhi even play basketball anymore?
15. Heat - Kind of troubling start to the regular season. I like their defensive potential, but like last year they are really struggling to get a consistent rotation with their pieces. They have a lot of so-so players, and they haven’t figured out how to use them.
16. Kings - They have been a nice surprise this year, and definitely have playoff potential with their pieces. I worry about their defense against the better teams in the conference, but their offense is up there as one of the best.
17. Lakers - They’re playing better! And at least they have Russ on the bench! AD has been fantastic, and LeBron has remained a top tier player himself. With those two playing at an elite level, they have a shot to at least be kinda relevant.
18. Timberwolves - A little bit disappointing of a start for a team with some expectations. Towns injury hurts, though at least the lane will feel a little less clogged now. They need to figure out how to incorporate Gobert properly.
19. Pacers - Indiana has been a nice little surprise so far this season, though they definitely have too many talent gaps to be relevant. The good news is their young talent looks to be as good as any in the league, so there is definitely optimism for the future.
20. Trail Blazers - Portland has come back down to earth after a nice start. Jeremi Grant has been a solid piece for them, and Simons has continued to be a nice, young piece. At the end of the day, they just don’t have the talent and depth.
21. Jazz - Much like the Blazers, this team is coming back down to Earth a bit. They have nice pieces that come off the bench, but it’s going to be very hard for this team to present any sort of defensive fortitude that could challenge any real teams. They could hang around the play-in range though, if they are interested in that.
22. Wizards - Play-in contenders? Maybe. They actually have solid individual pieces, but they don’t seem to fit super well together. Much like other teams in this area of the rankings, this team is going to really struggle to defend.
23. Knicks - Jalen Brunson is a nice player, but he obviously was not the answer. It seems like New York is content being mediocre at best, though I would contend they are bottom tier team that really likes offensive talent.
24. Bulls - This team has been one of the most disappointing. After a solid year last year, I think you are seeing what a mess their back court can be from a style standpoint – they just don’t fit together, though they are ultra-talented. The rest of the roster is just meh – not enough shooting.
25. Hornets - This team is kinda a clusterfuck. If you are giving Kelly Oubre Jr. meaningful minutes, then you simply not good enough. Health has obviously been a concern, but this team doesn’t look like they are very close to being a respectable team right now.
26. Thunder - It’s another year of OKC being a young and rebuilding team, but SGA has been sensational. They’ve come out of the gate pretty well, but I do think they are about to encounter some tough stretches.
27. Rockets - They’re a fun team to watch with Green and other young guns running up and down the court and giving no fucks offensively. Unfortunately they can’t guard a fence post and as a result are one of the worst teams in the league.
28. Pistons - I thought they’d be a little better than this. Cunningham looks fine, and the other young talent has promise, but they don’t look like a team that knows how to play better. I’m unsure of how good they can be.
29. Spurs - This team has fallen off a cliff after a surprisingly decent start. They are probably the least talented team in the league. Just weird to see a Pop team look so lifeless consistently. Like why is he still interested in this?
30. Magic - Paolo is good! The rest of the team is not though. They pulled off some big upsets early, but man have they turned into a trainwreck since then.
So it's time for the first edition of the NBA rankings.
I try to combine the team's achievement just this season with what I believe their potential is. So sometimes you get teams with lesser records higher, and vice versa.
I won't do these weekly, probably every 2-3 weeks or so. Things don't change as quickly for the NBA at this point of the year
Here they are:
1. Celtics - They have some deep playoff experience, and they have been the most steady team this season by far. They are gelling offensively and Brogdon has been a great addition, likely to take some pressure off of Smart in meaningful games down the stretch.
2. Warriors - This team has woken up a bit, and it seems like Klay/Poole are both finding a rhythm. Steph looks as great as ever, the bench is starting to play better, and the team as a whole looks more engaged.
3. Bucks - They look pretty strong on both ends, though the defense is a little leaky. They will have to figure out a way to hide Grayson Allen down the stretch.
4. Suns - Team is on a nice run, and has been successful in finding ways to score without Chris Paul. They just need a little scoring punch.
5. Cavs - Mitchell has proven to be a nice fit in Cleveland. They will need to get more consistency from small forward and bench if they want to compete with the big boys though.
6. Grizzlies - Depth and length look to be defining this team once again, though they could be a little more iffy on defense than expected.
7. Nuggets - This will be a respectable team throughout the year. The key will be staying healthy. Their ceiling is limited and they won’t seriously contend, but they could be taxing in a playoff series.
8. Nets - When their off court dust is settled, this team looks like a viable contender in the East. Gonna be hard to keep Kyrie quiet though. Simmons seems to at least be finding his role more.
9. Pelicans - They seem to be doing a good job living up to the hype. Only disappointing part has been Zion to be honest – not quite as dominant as I thought he’d be when out there.
10. Mavs - A little up and down, but this team could be a dark horse. When you have a special player like Luka, decent 3/D guys, you have a shot.
11. Hawks - Murray and Trae fit a lot better than I thought they would. This team is too soft to defend some of the physical Eastern teams, but their perimeter talent could give teams problems.
12. 76ers - Definitely a disappointing team. I’m not shocked by the health of Embiid and Harden, but they don’t appear to be nearly as deep as I thought they would. They need another piece to contend.
13. Raptors - They’re deep and can be plucky. They seem to be short of a scorer. I don’t trust Siakam to go get a bucket late in a game. They don’t quite have that kind of guy.
14. Clippers - This team is probably going to figure out a way to crumble in the playoffs. Sure there is some depth, but PG has been unreliable and does Kawhi even play basketball anymore?
15. Heat - Kind of troubling start to the regular season. I like their defensive potential, but like last year they are really struggling to get a consistent rotation with their pieces. They have a lot of so-so players, and they haven’t figured out how to use them.
16. Kings - They have been a nice surprise this year, and definitely have playoff potential with their pieces. I worry about their defense against the better teams in the conference, but their offense is up there as one of the best.
17. Lakers - They’re playing better! And at least they have Russ on the bench! AD has been fantastic, and LeBron has remained a top tier player himself. With those two playing at an elite level, they have a shot to at least be kinda relevant.
18. Timberwolves - A little bit disappointing of a start for a team with some expectations. Towns injury hurts, though at least the lane will feel a little less clogged now. They need to figure out how to incorporate Gobert properly.
19. Pacers - Indiana has been a nice little surprise so far this season, though they definitely have too many talent gaps to be relevant. The good news is their young talent looks to be as good as any in the league, so there is definitely optimism for the future.
20. Trail Blazers - Portland has come back down to earth after a nice start. Jeremi Grant has been a solid piece for them, and Simons has continued to be a nice, young piece. At the end of the day, they just don’t have the talent and depth.
21. Jazz - Much like the Blazers, this team is coming back down to Earth a bit. They have nice pieces that come off the bench, but it’s going to be very hard for this team to present any sort of defensive fortitude that could challenge any real teams. They could hang around the play-in range though, if they are interested in that.
22. Wizards - Play-in contenders? Maybe. They actually have solid individual pieces, but they don’t seem to fit super well together. Much like other teams in this area of the rankings, this team is going to really struggle to defend.
23. Knicks - Jalen Brunson is a nice player, but he obviously was not the answer. It seems like New York is content being mediocre at best, though I would contend they are bottom tier team that really likes offensive talent.
24. Bulls - This team has been one of the most disappointing. After a solid year last year, I think you are seeing what a mess their back court can be from a style standpoint – they just don’t fit together, though they are ultra-talented. The rest of the roster is just meh – not enough shooting.
25. Hornets - This team is kinda a clusterfuck. If you are giving Kelly Oubre Jr. meaningful minutes, then you simply not good enough. Health has obviously been a concern, but this team doesn’t look like they are very close to being a respectable team right now.
26. Thunder - It’s another year of OKC being a young and rebuilding team, but SGA has been sensational. They’ve come out of the gate pretty well, but I do think they are about to encounter some tough stretches.
27. Rockets - They’re a fun team to watch with Green and other young guns running up and down the court and giving no fucks offensively. Unfortunately they can’t guard a fence post and as a result are one of the worst teams in the league.
28. Pistons - I thought they’d be a little better than this. Cunningham looks fine, and the other young talent has promise, but they don’t look like a team that knows how to play better. I’m unsure of how good they can be.
29. Spurs - This team has fallen off a cliff after a surprisingly decent start. They are probably the least talented team in the league. Just weird to see a Pop team look so lifeless consistently. Like why is he still interested in this?
30. Magic - Paolo is good! The rest of the team is not though. They pulled off some big upsets early, but man have they turned into a trainwreck since then.
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