30. Washington Wizards (2-13)
Previous Week Ranking: 30th
Washington is now 17-80 in their last 97 games dating back to last season. They are the sorriest of teams and there is no real end in sight. Unlike some other bad teams, the trade assets the Wizards have are limited to overpaid players who are not the most enticing when gauging value.

29. Philadelphia 76ers (3-13)
Previous Week Ranking: 28th
Speaking of sorry teams, the 76ers got booed off of their court last night after getting routed by the Los Angeles Clippers. The day following last week’s Rankings, Philly had an all-time negative news drop involving a team meeting that was reportedly leaked verbatim to Shams. If you thought couldn’t get worse, the first time the Sixers’ star players played together, Paul George got hurt again and is sidelined for a couple of weeks. Get well soon, Philly.

28. Utah Jazz (4-12)
Previous Week Ranking: 29th
It has been said before that this team has some real players. And players do not tank, organizations do, so it is surprising that the leaders on the court have not been able to string together a few more wins. Utah’s roster is definitely not the worst in the league. Markkanen and Sexton put on a show to knock off the Knicks at home in an impressive performance.

27. New Orleans Pelicans (4-13)
Previous Week Ranking: 26th
Zion is reportedly “not close” to returning which means the Pelicans are not close to playing good basketball. Brandon Ingram has been playing well and may be in the business of trying to get traded if he continues to have to shoulder such an immense load for a losing team.

26. Toronto Raptors (4-13)
Previous Week Ranking: 27th
Toronto played good basketball this week and got two wins over the Pacers and Timberwolves. RJ Barrett is playing at an All-Star level and has helped the team get a few digits in the win column. The Raptors will likely be a primetime seller at the trade deadline, but Barrett should remain a key building block.

25. Charlotte Hornets (6-10)
Previous Week Ranking: 22nd
LaMelo dropped a 50 piece this week and the Hornets still lost that game. They also lost Grant Williams for the remainder of the season. LaMelo just signed an extension with Charlotte, however, I can’t imagine a competitor like that will just sit pat as this franchise tanks. In a player’s league, could he demand a trade in year 1 of an extension?

24. Detroit Pistons (7-11)
Previous Week Ranking: 17th
Last week’s Ranking was an overreaction to a young team stringing together a few wins and the excitement that came from that. It is hard to get All-Star votes on an underperforming team (ask Trae Young), yet Cade Cunningham is undoubtedly playing at an All-Star level.

23. Indiana Pacers (7-10)
Previous Week Ranking: 16th
It has been a tough week for Indiana. They took three consecutive double-digit road losses to the Raptors, Rockets, and Bucks. The Pacers were only able to salvage one win this week when they played the league-worst Washington Wizards. Tyrese Haliburton does not look like himself, specifically like the player we saw last year.

22. Chicago Bulls (7-11)
Previous Week Ranking: 25th
The Rankings mentioned the Bulls’ awful defense last week and boy is the word awful doing a lot of work in that sentence. They have let up 142+ in three of their last six games and over 122 in their last seven straight games. They are a revolving door on one end of the floor which looks a lot like disinterest.

21. Portland Trailblazers (7-10)
Previous Week Ranking: 19th
The Trailblazers dropped back into the 20s where they belong. They are a team that plays hard night in and night out, it’s just that the average talent discrepancy between them and other NBA teams is noticeable. The roster is comprised of a bunch of role players that would be served better elsewhere.

20. Atlanta Hawks (7-10)
Previous Week Ranking: 20th
Trae Young is doing everything he can to prove that he is not just a high-volume shooter. His last three games he registered, 19, 11, and 13 assists respectively. People seem to forget he also showed flashes of elite passing in college. He now leads the NBA in assists per game at 11.7, although it has not translated to wins for Atlanta.

19. Brooklyn Nets (7-10)
Previous Week Ranking: 24th
Brooklyn showed some signs of life and went 2-1 this week beating the Hornets and Kings. The unfortunate feat for the Nets is that they became the first team to lose to the Philadelphia 76ers in regulation. Philly’s other two wins were overtime “thrillers”.

18. Sacramento Kings (8-9)
Previous Week Ranking: 14th
The beam has not been lit in Sacramento this week. The Kings seem to be floundering even with an improved roster compared to last season. In a more competitive Western Conference, they need to beat some bad teams that have stolen wins from them in recent weeks to have hopes of a desirable playoff seed.

17. Minnesota Timberwolves (8-8)
Previous Week Ranking: 10th
One of the biggest surprises early in the season has been the mediocre play of the Timberwolves. Anthony Edwards is still playing at a high level, but this team feels like something is wrong. The departure of KAT has likely had a much more significant impact than the organization expected. One bright spot was Rob Dillingham showing up against the Boston Celtics. He gives the bench added depth and needs to continue to prove he can be counted on.

16. Phoenix Suns (9-7)
Previous Week Ranking: 8th
Setting aside the Wizards, the Suns hold the longest active losing streak with five straight games. They have been without Kevin Durant for all of these games, yet to not get even one win has been alarming. Durant’s injury is concerning due to his history with similar injuries and it looks like the Suns’ season hopes rely completely on his availability to play.

15. San Antonio Spurs (9-8)
Previous Week Ranking: 18th
Expectations should be kept in check for the Spurs even after they beat the Thunder and Warriors this week. The Thunder were missing key players and Wemby played remarkably, as usual, in his return against Golden State. Could they make the Play-In Tournament and scare some team? Adam Silver certainly hopes so.

14. Milwaukee Bucks (8-9)
Previous Week Ranking: 23rd
The Bucks are streaking, having registered four straight wins. Doc Rivers seems to have taken a more hands-off approach and the team looks more cohesive. Giannis and Dame continue to play at elite levels and with Khris Middleton having been medically cleared to start practicing, there is a newfound optimism in Milwaukee.

13. Miami Heat (7-7)
Previous Week Ranking: 21st
Playoff Jimmy may have been replaced by Contract Jimmy. The 35-year-old wing scored 63 points in the last two games and looks like the postseason killer we usually have to wait for. It should not be a surprise, as Butler is likely looking for another max contract after this season.

12. New York Knicks (9-7)
Previous Week Ranking: 15th
New York has climbed back up in the Eastern Conference Rankings following a slow start. An improved chemistry is visible, but there is still work to do. Last year, Jalen Brunson was the unquestionable go-to player for the Knicks. With the arrival of KAT, the top dog (or cat) is still being worked out. One thing is for certain, it is not Mikal Bridges. Get well soon Mikal.

11. Dallas Mavericks (8-8)
Previous Week Ranking: 11th
The absence of Luka Doncic is clear mainly in the fact that this roster is built specifically around him. Without Doncic in the lineup, Kyrie can single-handedly stack some wins, but the offense is much different. Dallas has still won four of their last five and hopefully, Luka can get back on the court soon.

10. Memphis Grizzlies (10-7)
Previous Week Ranking: 12th
Scottie Pippen Jr. has been an early season revelation for Memphis. The third-year guard leads the team in assists per game with 6 and scored a career-high 30 against his Dad’s former team this weekend. The Grizzlies have a wealth of young talent at the guard position that is hard for opposing teams to match up with.

9. Los Angeles Lakers (10-6)
Previous Week Ranking: 5th
Of the top 11 teams, ranked by record, in the NBA, the Lakers are the only team with a negative point differential. Los Angeles has played a lot of close games, usually coming out on the winning end of it. Can that trend continue or has it been more of a lucky situation?

8. Orlando Magic (11-7)
Previous Week Ranking: 9th
Over the last two weeks, Franz Wagner has scored 29 or more points in six of the Magic’s seven games. The 23-year-old forward is a leading candidate for Most Improved Player of the Year. Orlando is still a very young team, but did they learn enough in the playoffs last year to advance further this year?

7. Denver Nuggets
Previous Week Ranking: 7th
On Paul George’s podcast this week, Reggie Jackson said Nikola Jokic is one of the hardest-working players he has ever played with. The narrative that he does not like basketball and treats it as a job may be a bit off the mark. Jokic continues to embarrass even the best of players and teams and as long as he is healthy, the Nuggets are title contenders.

6. Los Angeles Clippers
Previous Week Ranking: 13th
Los Angeles’ other team made a large jump this week. The Clippers are on a five-game winning streak and James Harden seems to be rejuvenated as a team’s first option. He also may be playing better with Netflix’s Starting 5 crew following him around. Whatever the reason, if Kawhi Leonard does return this season, the Clippers are a legitimate Western Conference threat.

5. Houston Rockets (12-6)
Previous Week Ranking: 6th
If the Sixers are the biggest surprise underperforming team, the Rockets appear to be the biggest surprise overperforming team. One thing that is indisputable is that Ime Udoka knows how to coach. He took the Boston Celtics to the NBA Finals in his first year as a head coach and is now 12-6 with a Rockets team that is two years removed from a 22-60 record.

4. Oklahoma City Thunder (12-4)
Previous Week Ranking: 4th
OKC played with Isaiah Hartenstein for the first time this season and he scored 13 points and added 14 rebounds against Portland. The Thunder have been utilizing an interesting small-ball lineup at times where SGA at 6’6″ is playing at center. Another interesting aspect of OKC’s game is that their bench scores a substantial amount of the team’s points. With the various ways they can attack teams, the Thunder are still among the league’s best even when battling injuries.

3. Golden State Warriors (12-4)
Previous Week Ranking: 2nd
Losing De’Anthony Melton for the season is a big blow for Golden State. They have boasted about the team’s depth and Melton was a key role player who had an impact on both ends of the floor. The Warriors are still atop the Western Conference standings and it does not seem to be a fluke with 16 games having been played.

2. Boston Celtics (14-3)
Previous Week Ranking: 3rd
Boston knocked off the undefeated Cavaliers this week and has an arguable case for the top spot in The Rankings. However, this week they still came in one spot down. Outside of Cleveland, the Celtics’ schedule has been Charmin-soft and they have not looked the most impressive. The best piece of news to come out of Boston this week is that Kristaps Porzingis will make his season debut this week.

1. Cleveland Cavaliers (17-1)
Previous Week Ranking: 1st
The Cavaliers are no longer undefeated, which I think is a good thing for the team. There is a sigh of relief that the pressure of being perfect is no longer something they have to worry about. And Cleveland bounced back with two wins over New Orleans and Toronto by a combined 42 points. It is also worth noting, the Cavs were down by 21 points with 8 minutes left in the third quarter against the Celtics and closed furiously. This team has fight and is not to be overlooked!