30. Washington Wizards (0-2)
Washington got a very unfavorable start to the season for a 15-win team from last season. They played potentially the two best teams in the Eastern Conference, Boston and Cleveland, and lost by a combined 39 points.

29. Detroit Pistons (0-3)
The Pistons may be the only team with three losses on the season, but that is because Washington has not had that opportunity. Last season there was serious concern that the Pistons may not win double-digit games and three losses to start the season has to make that thought recur in the Motor City.

28. Utah Jazz (0-2)
The worst point differential through the first week belongs to the Utah Jazz. They lost their first two games by an average of 21.5 points. Not great, Bob. Are the Lauri Markkanen calls already beginning for Danny Ainge?

27. Portland Trail Blazers (1-2)
It is hard to be excited for Portland fans. The roster is young, but there do not seem to be many promising young players on the roster which is what you hope for in youth. This rebuild is still early, but the rebuild may require another rebuild faster than expected.

26. Toronto Raptors (1-2)
Toronto’s sole win came over the Philadelphia 76ers who are missing two of their three best players to start the season. Had Philly been healthy, that would have been an impressive win. The Raptors are better represented as the team that got blown out in their other two games.

25. Brooklyn Nets (1-2)
The video of Ben Simmons getting chirped by a fan in the tunnel postgame was pure comedy. He is averaging 5 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists in what may be the most surprising statistic of 24 minutes per game. At least Nets fans get to see Cam Thomas jack shots anytime he touches the ball.

24. Charlotte Hornets (1-2)
LaMelo quickly reminded Charlotte how good he is and proved he is a centerpiece to build around. The Hornets’ new ownership post-Michael Jordan has to prove they can maximize his prime in the next couple of years by getting him so real help.

23. Chicago Bulls (1-2)
As an NBA fan, you have to be excited to see Lonzo Ball back on the court. The eldest brother has been through a lot on and off the court and for him to actually be playing is a win. The team is also shielded from criticism for the first couple of months with the Caleb Williams hype train taking over the city.

22. Philadelphia 76ers (1-2)
Where do you start with Philly? With Joel Embiid sitting out the first week plus of the season with no new injury since he played in the Olympics, or with Paul George being sidelined due to an injury sustained in the preseason. This team cannot be evaluated fully until they are healthy, but this is a bad start for a team that has a lot of negative media surrounding it. Tyrese Maxey is clearly feeling the burden as he is taking close to 30 shots per game through the first three games.

21. San Antonio Spurs (1-1)
Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama have connected for a few highlight plays already and the Spurs are an interesting watch for me. They seem to be a mismatch of veteran and youth players who aren’t selfish. They likely do not have the talent to compete in the playoffs this year, but they will play in a lot of competitive games this season.

20. Houston Rockets (1-2)
In contrast to Portland, the youth in Houston does seem to have high development potential. The Rockets had a strong win over the Grizzlies and their two losses were by a combined 8 points. They are likely still a couple of years away, but keep an eye on Houston.

19. Milwaukee Bucks (1-2)
Giannis can dress up in any Halloween costume he wants, but the team’s start is the scariest thing for Milwaukee. I believe in the talent on this roster which is why they are still above some teams they maybe should not be, including the two teams that beat them, Chicago and Brooklyn. I would not want to be Doc Rivers this season.

18. Indiana Pacers (1-2)
Tyrese Haliburton is off to a slow start and it may have something to do with his off the court fun. 50 Cent posted a video Tyrese sent him from 4 AM after a show. Players can do whatever they want on their own time, and Haliburton is young enough to be able to play after a late night so there may be something more behind his early game struggles.

17. Denver Nuggets (0-2)
The 2023 NBA Champions look lost in their first two games. The biggest criticism for this team was coming into the season with absolutely no depth and that is showing. For a team that prides itself on playing 41 home games at altitude, they sure look sluggish to start especially getting embarrassed by the Thunder opening night on national TV.

16. Sacramento Kings (0-2)
I am a fan of Sacramento. They play hard and have some exciting players. The 0-2 start is a little misleading as they lost to the Timberwolves by 2 points and the Lakers by 4 points. Both those Western Conference competitors look legit and Sacramento was competitive in both games. They should get in the win column early this week.

15. Miami Heat (1-1)
Miami beat a team that should be bad and lost to a team that should be good. This does not tell us much, which is usually the case in the first week or two of the season. The Heat have the talent to compete in an uncertain Eastern Conference behind the Celtics.

14. Atlanta Hawks (2-1)
The early season Rankings are always fluid and Atlanta does not look to be a good team considering they barely beat the Nets and Hornets. Trae Young is electric and always puts on a show, however the issue is the correlation between his great games and wins is not a straight line.

13. LA Clippers (2-1)
Whatever Steve Ballmer drinks when he wakes up every morning is something we should all add to our diets. That dude is a level 10 every time I see him and in fairness, the new arena the Clippers just revealed looks incredible. Whether it will be the home of a title contender is not yet determined.

12. Memphis Grizzlies (2-1)
Ja Morant and Desmond Bane picked right back up where they left off before last year’s injuries. The young backcourt keeps defenses honest and has allowed Jaren Jackson Jr. and the other frontcourt more space to operate in the paint. Memphis parallels with the Sixers in the East. Health is the biggest hurdle to a deep playoff run.

11. Orlando Magic (2-1)
If Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero average 50 points per game combined this year, they will be an extremely tough playoff out. For a team with younger stars, they have the veteran presence you want with KCP and Gary Harris to balance out the locker room. Orlando should not be slept on.

10. New Orleans Pelicans (2-1)
How many times is too many times to watch Zion’s game-winning block against the Portland Trail Blazers? There is no number. It reminded me of a Kevin Garnett block when he was on the Timberwolves and palmed a ball out of midair. The downside for the Pelicans is Dejounte Murray broke his hand in game one and will be out for the foreseeable future.

9. Golden State Warriors (2-1)
Injuries being the story of week 1 in the NBA cannot be what Adam Silver wanted. Steph Curry went down with a sprained ankle last night which is extra concerning considering his history with lower leg issues. The Warriors have been surprising early and through three games hold the best point differential in the league at +23.

8. New York Knicks (1-1)
The absurd amount of hype for this Knicks team was happily watered down nationally when the Celtics made them look like a G-League team in the NBA’s first game of the year. Boston is the watermark, but for a Knicks team questionably crowned the biggest threat to the Celtics’ repeat, this was an embarrassment.

7. Cleveland Cavaliers (3-0)
Last week The Rankings noted being one of the only outlets not including the Cavaliers in the Preseason Top 10. Cleveland was quick to prove their worthiness as they went 3-0 in week 1 of the season and won those games by an average of 20.3 points per game. Can they keep it up is the question now?

6. Minnesota Timberwolves (2-1)
Anthony Edwards is unequivocally appointment viewing every night that he plays. He has a tenacity and athleticism that has been missing for some years. Minnesota lost close to the Lakers on opening night and then beat the Kings and Raptors. They seem like a team that after last year’s success are a bit disillusioned with the regular season.

5. Dallas Mavericks (1-1)
For a team that made the Western Conference Finals last year, the Mavericks seem to be left out of the best teams in the league conversation early on. Luka Doncic is and should be an MVP frontrunner and Klay Thompson sure looks good in a Mavs uniform through two games, doesn’t he?

4. Phoenix Suns (2-1)
The Suns have a gauntlet to start the season with two games against the Clippers, two against the Lakers, and one against the Mavericks. Through three, they are 2-1 and Kevin Durant has eclipsed thirty points in two of those games. Phoenix has the talent, everyone knows that. What is unknown is if they can handle the pressure when it matters most.

3. Los Angeles Lakers (3-0)
I promise the Lakers being Ranked 3rd is not a hot take. They may not be a top-3 team in the league this year, but early on they look like a completely different team from last year with a very similar roster construction. JJ Redick has designed an impressive offensive game plan that fits the players on this roster. LA may have something to say about who comes out of the Western Conference.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder (3-0)
If opening week taught us anything, it should probably be that there are two clear top teams, one in each Conference, and then a drop off of uncertainty. The Thunder are the youngest team in the NBA this year at an average of barely over 24 years old. Yet you can’t tell it from the way they play. Mark Daigneault has a suad this year and the West should go through Oklahoma City.

1. Boston Celtics (3-0)
The Celtics are playing less like a team that just won the NBA Championship and more like a team that was bounced early from the playoffs. They appear hungrier than ever and Jayson Tatum is clearly on a mission to prove Steve Kerr should not have benched him regardless of the team winning a gold medal. I would not want to be in the way of this train on a repeat tour.