NBA

2024 NBA Power Rankings: Warriors and Suns take huge leaps after Week 2 of the NBA schedule

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2 weeks ago

November 5, 2024

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2024 NBA Power Rankings: Warriors and Suns take huge leaps after Week 2 of the NBA schedule

With the 2024-25 regular season now underway, our latest NBA power rankings offer an evaluation of all 30 clubs in the league. Along with an appraisal of every squad around the association, stay up to date with the upcoming slate of games on the NBA schedule and see who are the 50 best NBA players in the new season.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at where every NBA team ranks right now with the current season underway.

Also Read: 20 Worst NBA players of all-time, including Greg Oden

The 10 worst NBA teams right now

30. Utah Jazz (Last Week: 28)

This is an important year in the young career of head coach Will Hardy. After the Utah Jazz surprised in 2022-23, they regressed last season. The goal from the top is to be better in the new season. Unfortunately, they have been the worst team in the NBA to start the year. Injuries have certainly hurt this team, but even when their top players have been on the floor, they have underperformed badly this season.

29. Detroit Pistons (Last Week: 27)

The Detroit Pistons were the worst team in basketball this season. Unfortunately, things have not gotten much different despite a head coaching change in the summer. After the first two weeks, the Pistons have already had a four-game losing streak and just two wins. While they played hard in the first few games, losses piling up are sure to quickly bring back those terrible feelings from last season.

28. Washington Wizards (Last Week: 29)

The Washington Wizards were a disaster last season despite adding some nice players, like former Warriors bench ace Jordan Poole. In the offseason, they brought in worthwhile veterans like Jonas Valanciunas and Malcolm Brogdon. They also used their top pick on French big man Alex Sarr. On paper, this should be a competitive team in the East.

Unfortunately, they have been dealing with injuries to top star Kyle Kuzma and Brogdon to start the season. Nevertheless, they have gotten off to a decent start and a pair of recent back-to-back wins over the Hawks is reason for hope.

27. Portland Trail Blazers (Last Week: 26)

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups is on a very hot seat this season. They have a roster that can be competitive, so Billups must finally get the pieces to fit, as well as elevate the game of Scoot Henderson. Last season’s top pick.

So far not so good this season. The team has gotten off to another slow start in the new season, and being among one of the worst scoring teams in the NBA to begin the season is getting Billups closer to an in-season ouster.

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26. Charlotte Hornets (Last Week: 24)

Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The Charlotte Hornets disappointed again in 2023-24. And top star LaMelo Ball mirrored his brother Lonzo as a gifted player who had trouble staying on the court. The expectations are low for the team this season. Yet, they aren’t doing much to change assumptions about them in the new season. Wall Ball has played well, but the team’s poor play on defense continues to be a hindrance over the first couple of weeks. Unless a serious number two option can arise on offense this team is doomed to be a lottery team again in 2025.

25. Toronto Raptors (Last Week: 25)

While Scottie Barnes elevated his game and grew into the new face of the Toronto Raptors, the team went into rebuild mode last season after shipping off OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakim before the trade deadline. They need former Knicks Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett to be top-shelf secondary scorers if they plan to go far.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Raptors are one of the best-scoring teams in the league. Sadly, for as good as they have been offensively they have been even worse on defense (125.6 points given up per game) and it is why they are one of the bottom feeders in the East to begin the year.

24. Milwaukee Bucks (Last Week: 13)

The Milwaukee Bucks are one of the biggest shocks in the NBA to begin the season. They have a pair of ultra-talented stars in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, a good roster, and a Hall-of-Fame-worthy coach. Yet the Bucks have one of the worst records in the league to start the season. What is most worrisome is a team that should be one of the better defensive teams in the East has been among its worst to begin the year.

23. Philadelphia 76ers (Last Week: 14)

The Philadelphia 76ers should be a major player in the East this season — when their top two players are on the floor. Unfortunately, Joel Embiid and Paul George have been off the floor due to injuries for most of their games this season. Unsurprisingly, the remaining pieces haven’t been enough and they are a bottom-feeder right now.

They will eventually rise up our rankings when Embiid and George are back on the floor consistently. Until then they are near the back of our latest rankings.

Also Read: Best Philadelphia 76ers players ever – Ranking 10 best 76ers players of all time

22. Los Angeles Clippers (Last Week: 17)

It will be interesting to see what Ty Lue can do with this current Los Angeles Clippers roster. Both Paul George and Russell Westbrook are gone and James Harden and Kawhi Leonard are another year older. The expectations will be much lower now than in years past, especially with Leonard’s dodgy knee sidelining him to start the season.

LA got off to a nice start and scored big wins over the Warriors and Nuggets to start the year. However, being without their top star has started to have an effect as they dropped under .500 to being November. The group will go as far as a healthy Leonard can take them.

21. Brooklyn Nets (Last Week: 30)

This could be a very ugly season for the Brooklyn Nets. Yes, they have a couple of nice young players in Cam Thomas and Nic Claxton. But the club is completely in rebuild mode and expectations are very low. However, they have played solid ball to start the year. Along with impressive play from Thomas, they have surprisingly gotten productive minutes from oft-injured guard Ben Simmons this season.

If he can stay on the floor and possibly get closer to the player he once was, the Nets will quickly move up these NBA power rankings.

20. Atlanta Hawks (Last Week: 18)

After months of trade rumors, the Atlanta Hawks finally broke up the failed duo of Dejounte Murray and Trae Young. Now they go into the new season with Trae Young as the elder statesman on a young team. After a good start to the year, the Hawks gave their detractors evidence with a four-game losing skid, including two to the lowly Wizards. The team’s up-and-down play could be something we see all season long.

Also Read: NBA playoffs predictions for the 2024-25 season, including who will win it all next spring

19. Indiana Pacers (Last Week: 16)

The Indiana Pacers were a formidable team in the East last season and now they will have the luxury of Pascal Siakim being there from the start. While the team can fill it up with the best of them, they have gotten off to a very sluggish start in 2024-25.

The reason being is the same old problem from last season persists. The Pacers’ defense continues to be a major Achilles heel, and the 121 points they are giving up on average is among the five worst in the NBA right now.

18. New Orleans Pelicans (Last Week: 15)

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green has a very talented roster. But he has a major challenge of trying to make all the parts fit and make the Pels a title contender this season. Unfortunately, they have gotten off to a bad start because almost every major player aside from Brandon Ingram has missed some time this season.

They should be better than their current spot in our latest NBA power rankings, but we can’t be sure until all their top players are on the floor for an extended amount of time.

Also Read: NBA standings – Get a look at the latest win-loss record for all 30 NBA teams

17. Chicago Bulls (Last Week: 23)

It was another lost season for the Chicago Bulls in 2023-24 after injuries and drama curtailed any hopes they had of a return to the playoffs. If Lonzo Ball can stay healthy and make an impact, Josh Giddey can look more like the player he was a few seasons ago, and Zach LaVine can return to All-Star former then Chicago can be better than early projections have them finishing this season.

Over the first couple of weeks, the Bulls have played well and LaVine is boosting his trade value by returning to his All-Star. Likewise for bigman Nikola Vucevic. If they continue to play like this, maybe both end up staying and Chicago will turn into buyers later this year.

16. Houston Rockets (Last Week: 22)

The Houston Rockets return with many of the same pieces from last season’s team despite trade rumors in the summer. They competed for a play-in spot late in the year but fell short. They have the parts to make the postseason in 2024-25 and they should be better in year two for head coach Ime Udoka.

Over the last week, they have looked like the team the front office hoped for. They scored a big win over the Mavericks in Dallas and nearly knocked off the Warriors. The most exciting part about their start is Jalen Green has seemingly been boosted by the trust the organization showed in him by giving him a huge extension in October.

15. San Antonio Spurs (Last Week: 20)

In his first season in the league, French phenom Victor Wembanyama completely lived up to the hype. He led the San Antonio Spurs in many key statistical categories and showed he can not only be the face of the league but it may happen sooner than some expected. Despite being without Devin Vassell due to a foot injury, San Antonio has gotten off to a solid start. Wembanyama is playing like an All-Star again but the pieces around him — like third-year man Jeremy Sochan — have elevated their game from last season.

14. Sacramento Kings (Last Week: 19)

There are big expectations for an already good Sacramento Kings team that added DeMar DeRozan in the offseason. However, they have gotten off to an underwhelming 3-3 start after the first couple of weeks. Just like other seasons, scoring isn’t a problem for the Kings. It’s getting needed stops on defense. While it is not at all reason to panic. the Sactown front office has to be disappointed with the team’s results to begin the season.

13. Orlando Magic (Last Week: 9)

After a pair of very nice seasons, the Orlando Magic are expected to be among the best teams in the East this season. Sadly, they were hit with a massive blow to their potential this week when top star Paolo Banchero suffered a torn oblique. He will miss at least the next month, which could lead to a serious freefall for Orlando in our NBA power rankings.

12. Miami Heat (Last Week: 21)

The Miami Heat should be a competitive team again this season. But they are still a big piece away from being a power player in a stacked Eastern Conference. Nevertheless, they have gotten off to a good start this season despite Jimmy Butler’s numbers being down. Tyler Herro is again making a case for All-Star honors for the first time this year as the Heat’s undisputed top scorer (20.8 PPG).

11. Denver Nuggets (Last Week:12)

The Denver Nuggets have gotten off to a worrisome start to the season. While they are not as bad as the Milwaukee Bucks — mainly because Nikola Jokic is playing out of his mind — they have not played anywhere close to expectation. Adding to the growing concerns is that the confusing slump that dogged Jamal Murray last season and in the Summer Olympics has followed him to the new season.

10 best NBA teams to begin the 2024-25 season

10. Los Angeles Lakers (Last Week: 7)

The expectations for the Los Angeles Lakers this season were not high. It’s why their fast start to the year was reason for hope. However, despite some outstanding play from Anthony Davis this season, there is a growing concern for LA. Under former head coach Darvin Ham, they were known for strong defense. But in the new JJ Redick era that has become less important and now it has cost them in games lately. It is something to keep an eye on in the weeks ahead.

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9. Minnesota Timberwolves (Last Week: 4)

The Minnesota Timberwolves were one of the best squads in the NBA all of last season. While Anthony Edwards played a huge role in their success, what made them better than most teams was their strong play on defense. After trading Karl-Anthony Towns in October, some felt their D might improve with his departure. However, the opposite has occurred this season and they are giving up a whopping six more points on average compared to when they led the league at just 106.5 points allowed.

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8. New York Knicks (Last Week: 5)

The New York Knicks front office went all in this summer to bolster this roster for a serious championship run. Star guard Jalen Brunson will now have two-way stud Mikal Bridges with him in the backcourt, and four-time All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns as his scoring partner. Although they were handed losses by the Cavs and Celtics, New York has played well in their three wins and is still in the early stages of developing chemistry among a very talented group.

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7. Memphis Grizzlies (Last Week: 11)

The Memphis Grizzles were expected to be far better this season with superstar Ja Morant back. And so far the results have been positive. Yet, what makes their super-solid start to the new season so promising is that many talent evaluators felt Jaren Jackson Jr. would take another development step forward in the new season. And so far the defensive ace is proving to be a legitimate No. 2 to Morant.

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6. Dallas Mavericks (Last Week: 6)

The Dallas Mavericks quieted a lot of doubters last season after a disastrous finish to the 2022-23 season. In the offseason, they added future hall-of-famer Klay Thompson. And they will have key role players Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington on the roster from the start of the season.

While they split their first two games of the season, the good defense they played late in the season has continued in their new campaign.

5. Phoenix Suns (Last Week: 8)

There is a lot of pressure and high expectations on this Phoenix Suns roster. That is what comes with investing a massive amount of money in three players that may not necessarily be a perfect fit. But after Frank Vogel failed to turn this unique group into a title contender the task now falls to Mike Budenholzer.

And thus far, this Phoenix team has looked very good to begin the year. The most fascinating part of their fast start is that Budenholzer has seemingly brought his defensive mindset as the Suns are shockingly among the best defensive teams in the league (109.8 points allowed per game) to begin the year.

4. Golden State Warriors (Last Week: 10)

This will be the dawn of a new age in Golden State. The Big Three era is over and a shift is beginning to Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski being core players of the roster. However, to start the season Stephen Curry and a new face have led the way in an outstanding 6-1 start.

Curry surprisingly hasn’t played like a scoring beast. Instead, summer addition Buddy Hield (22.2 PPG) has been a perfect fit in Golden State’s system. So far the Warriors are playing great team ball and are quickly evolving into one of the best teams in the NBA over the first month of the season.

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3. Boston Celtics (Last Week: 1)

The Boston Celtics were one of the top teams in our NBA power rankings throughout last season and will remain near the top all season long barring a major injury. To open their title defense they have scored several blowout wins and are an overtime loss to the Pacers away from being undefeated at 8-0 to being the season. What makes their start all the more scary is talented big man Kristaps Porzingins hasn’t even played yet this season.

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2. Cleveland Cavaliers (Last Week: 3)

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ start to the new season has been one of the biggest stories in the NBA this season. Some around the league were confused by JB Bickerstaff’s firing after leading a strong team last season. However, Kenny Atkinson has proven to be a tonic that has taken Cleveland’s play to new heights. They have the best record in the league entering November and they are a top-five team on offense and defense right now. The Cavs look like a problem in the East.

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1. Oklahoma City Thunder (Last Week: 2)

The Oklahoma City Thunder added underrated center Isaiah Hartenstein and defensive ace Alex Caruso in the offseason. Those moves help to make them the team to beat out west until further notice. So far Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the crew have looked scary as they have by far the best defense in the league (97.5 PPG!) despite Hartenstein being out with an injury. They currently own the best record in the West and that is likely to be the situation for the months ahead.

NBA stats leaders

Below our stats app offers a full rundown of the leaders in every major statistical category from the 2023-24 NBA season.

NBA Power Rankings FAQ

What is the best NBA team right now?

After winning the franchise’s 16 championship in the spring, the Boston Celtics are the top team in the league heading into the new season. Especially since almost every single player from their title time last season is back for the 2024-25 campaign.

Who is the highest-rated NBA player?

There are many amazing players in the league today. However, after winning a third MVP award this past season, it is hard to argue that Denver star Nikola Jokic is not the best player in the league right now.

Also Read: 10 best centers in the NBA

What is the best NBA team all time?

Picking the greatest NBA team of all time is very subjective. However, if there were two popular options, it would be the Michael Jordan-led Bulls team from 1995-96 that won 73.

Another top choice would be the Warriors squad from 2015-16 which also won 73 games.

Which NBA team is most popular?

It is debated which NBA team is most popular. However, the Lakers have always had a very strong fanbase. Likewise for the Warriors and Celtics. But with the Knicks expected to be a serious title contender this season, New York’s favorite team is likely to drive a lot of interest in the 2024-25 NBA season.

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