30. Washington Wizards
There was a period of time last year when the Wizards looked poised to record the worst regular season record in NBA history. Not much has changed this offseason in the nation’s capital and more of the same seems likely. At least the Presidential Election should garner the majority of news coverage in D.C.

29. Brooklyn Nets
Death, taxes, and Ben Simmons promising offseasons. As a Sixers fan, it is absolutely laughable that the “encouraging” offseason reports traveled with him to Brooklyn. But seriously though, this time it is going to be different guys. Not. Mark it down now, by Christmas some mystery issue will have him sidelined indefinitely.

28. Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte was without LaMelo Ball for 60 games last year. Any team would be a disappointment without their best player, although the Hornets looked to need more than the return of Ball. Another year of development for Brandon Miller will benefit Buzz City, though the team will likely remain in the bottom third of The Rankings most of the season.

27. Portland Trailblazers
A year removed it is hard to gauge who is better off post-trade: Damian Lillard or Portland? Dame is clearly miserable and dealing with off-the-court drama while the Trailblazers are drowning without their superstar lifeboat. Sure, they never did anything notable in the postseason, but the league was more fun with Dame leading the American Northwest.

26. Toronto Raptors
If you can name five players on the Toronto Raptors’ roster, you are in the top 10% of NBA fans. Seriously though, the Raptors have youth, but it is not clear if the young players have future promise. RJ Barrett is at least leading his home country’s lone NBA franchise.

25. Detroit Pistons
Do you know what is worse than a bottom-dwelling team in the NBA? A bottom-dwelling team paying someone $65 million to not coach their team. Monty Williams was fired after a horrendous 14-win season for the Pistons, but to be fair he did not have much to work with. They probably should have let him coach at least one more season. Maybe this is the year Cade Cunningham takes a big jump.

24. Atlanta Hawks
Calling it now, Quin Snyder should be a betting favorite for first head coach to be fired this season. Trae Young is a known coach killer and the Hawks are just not good. For a team that was in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, the collapse has been swift.

23. Chicago Bulls
Yes, Zach LaVine is still on the Chicago Bulls. There is clearly discontent between the franchise and their headline player. The problem is another team has to want an aging shooting guard with inconsistent range to make a trade work. In what should be positive news, Lonzo Ball is set to return on opening night after years away due to injury. Can he stay healthy and lead this team?

22. Utah Jazz
Lauri Markkanen still being in Utah is a bit of a surprise to start the season. He is clearly the best player on this team and with Danny Ainge as GM, no one is safe. The Jazz are not trying to win this year so expectations should be tempered.

21. Houston Rockets
Houston was an exciting, young team to watch last year and at times was able to compete with the league’s best. The issue for the Rockets was their inconsistency. Ime Udoka is known for young player development, but in a loaded Western Conference, they may not be ready to excel just yet.

20. San Antonio Spurs
One of the surprises of the NBA offseason was Chris Paul’s signing with the San Antonio Spurs. He is deep into the back nine of his career and many thought he would join his pal LeBron in LA or another title contender to try and get a ring before his career ends. Paul made the unlikely decision to team up with Gregg Popovich, no doubt as an on-court assistant coach, and play alongside the generational talent of Victor Wembanyama. Watch out for San Antonio to be a dark horse playoff team this season.

19. Los Angeles Clippers
Are the Clippers okay? After Kawhi Leonard signed long-term, it seemed a formality that Paul George would follow. A clear disagreement over his value caused an irreparable rift and now LA’s second team is led by Kawhi Leonard, an old James Harden, and role players.

18. Golden State Warriors
Steve Kerr made it clear that the only guaranteed starter on this roster is Steph Curry, which is more than a fair statement. With the departure of Klay Thompson, I think Kerr has more leeway to play who he wants, when he wants, and not worry about the egos of the prior dynasty team. Can Curry chef up one last title run with an unlikely crew?

17. Miami Heat
You can expect Miami to jump from 17th by the time April comes around. Of all the teams, the Heat, along with the Lakers, see the regular season for what it is: way too long and way too many games. They will drop some headscratchers and beat the league’s best. The only concerning thing for Miami is the likely impending breakup between Jimmy Butler and Pat Riley.

16. Sacramento Kings
Domantas Sabonis might have been as surprised as the public when he found out he would be in the Netflix NBA Documentary Starting 5, alongside LeBron James, Jimmy Butler, Jayson Tatum, and Anthony Edwards. Let’s hope the fame does not go to his head. Sacramento is a good basketball team, but the Western Conference is a battlefield and they unfortunately sit in the middle of the pack.

15. Los Angeles Lakers
Breaking news that I am sure you have not heard: the Los Angeles Lakers drafted Bronny James. If you are unfamiliar with who that is, he is LeBron’s son. For real though, the Lakers set themselves up for the perfect Hollywood drama series this year. They have LeBron, arguably still the greatest basketball player in the world (see the Olympics), his literal son, and a firsttime head coach in JJ Redick, who a couple of months ago was co-host of a podcast with LeBron. The storylines write themselves.

14. Cleveland Cavaliers
In almost every other preseason ranking out there, Cleveland is firmly a top-10 team. Outside of Donovan Mitchell though, they are not overly impressive. This is a star-driven league and I find it hard to see them better than 5th or 6th in a weaker Eastern Conference.

13. Indiana Pacers
It is hard to know what to make of the Pacers. On one hand, they were in the Eastern Conference Finals last year. On the other hand, Boston swept them and realistically the New York Knicks probably should have beaten Indiana the round before. Tyrese Haliburton is a stud and Pascal Siakam fits well on this roster. They are just an unexciting team, but maybe they want to be.

12. Memphis Grizzlies
The big story is obviously the return of Ja Morant for Memphis, but they were missing all five starters at points last season. The G-League team that started games for the Grizzlies was an embarrassment. Re-establishing a real roster, the Grizzlies can be a threat in the Western Conference. The pick and roll game with Ja and Zach Edey should be unguardable.

11. Orlando Magic
Orlando surprised everyone last year finishing 5th in the Eastern Conference. They are a young team led by a true superstar in Paolo Banchero and with the emergence of Franz Wagner as a strong number two option this team has a bright future. With another year of team building and maturity, I think this team can win at least one playoff series this season.

10. New Orleans Pelicans
Getting swept by the Thunder might have been a blessing for this Pelicans team. The trio of Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, and CJ McCollum did not play enough games together last season due to time missed by all three players. Health, health, health will determine this team’s ceiling and floor. The addition of Dejounte Murray also gives this team an additional shot-creator which will make opposing defenses have to pick their poison.

9. Milwaukee Bucks
Do you think an offseason away from Milwaukee will give Damian Lillard the boost he needs to not hate his in-season life? On paper, Dame and Giannis Antetokounmpo are an almost perfect fit. In reality, last year they could not figure it out and there was front office/coaching drama throughout. Keep an eye on Doc Rivers as an early hot seat coaching candidate.

8. Phoenix Suns
The good news for the Suns is they still have Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. The bad news is Matt Ishbia is still the owner and if this trio fails this season, it can blow up spectacularly next offseason. The role players on this team need to step up and complement Phoenix’s Big 3 for the team to make a deep playoff run.

7. Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves lost an All-Star player, Karl Anthony-Towns who surprisingly played well alongside Rudy Gobert. Unfortunately, business decisions had to be made and Minnesota has set itself up well for long-term success. Having a young core of Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, and now Donte DiVincenzo establishes a team that can both win now and threaten for years to come.

6. Denver Nuggets
When you have the best player in basketball on your roster, you have a chance to win the NBA Championship every year. The last time we saw Nikold Jokic on a basketball court was showing why he won his third MVP Award in the last four seasons. Denver’s issue is the same as it was last year, a weak bench. The starting five for the Nuggets is real, but the NBA season is long.

5. New York Knicks
Watching ESPN over the last couple of months, it is hard not to be persuaded that the biggest challenger to the Celtics repeating is the New York Knicks. That would be a wrong assumption though. Yes, Mikal Bridges and Karl Anthony-Towns are blockbuster additions, but the Knicks lost arguably their best big-man from last year’s postseason in Isaiah Hartenstein and Donte DiVincenzo who is seemingly undervalued by every team he has been on despite his consistent production.

4. Philadelphia 76ers
By the end of every NBA season, Sixers fans everywhere face a cyclical disappointment. Following that disappointment, is a period of hope whether it be Ben Simmons’ offseason videos, James Harden re-signing, and now Paul George joining Philly. If you think, this feels different this time, trust me that is the case every year. I hope to be wrong, but realistically this team just needs to be healthy come playoff time for us to see their true ceiling.

3. Dallas Mavericks
You can argue that the Mavericks overperformed in the playoffs last season as the 5-seed. On the other hand, in the playoffs, the cream rose and Luka and Kyrie were remarkable. Adding Klay Thompson, regardless of his natural age decline, immediately spaces the floor and improves an already electric offense.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder
OKC was the hot pick for NBA fans everywhere last year and they lived up to expecations by having the best record in a stacked Western Conference. Ultimately, they lost in the second round to the Mavericks, but the playoff experience was invaluable for a young team. That team is now a year older and added Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein which should make them the Western Conference favorite to start the season.

1. Boston Celtics
The reigning NBA Champions open the seasons in the top spot as they should. They brought back the majority of their winning roster and Jayson Tatum has some intense motivation following his questionable benching at times on the Olympic team this summer. What is working against Boston is the fact that there have been six different NBA Champions in the last six seasons. Can they break the cycle and repeat?