30. Washington Wizards (3-19)
Previous Week Ranking: 30th
There is a clear worst team in the league and it is the Washington Wizards. They went they entire month of November without a month. In NBA history there have only been 16 winless months by teams and the Wizards hold two of those months within the last calendar year.

29. New Orleans Pelicans (5-20)
Previous Week Ranking: 27th
You almost have to feel bad for the Pelicans after Brandon Ingram became the latest player to suffer an injury that will sideline him. Ingram, Zion Williamson, and Dejounte Murray have not played a single game together this year, and at this rate who knows if they will. This Pelicans team is giving vibes similar to the 2023-24 Grizzlies.

28. Utah Jazz (5-18)
Previous Week Ranking: 28th
Here’s a fun statistic for Jazz fans: Utah is 2-1 against Eastern Conference opponents. Clearly, that is a small sample size, but there is really no other positivity to hold onto. And thoughts and prayers for the fans since they do not even have a beer over 4% so drowning their sorrows is difficult.

27. Toronto Raptors (7-17)
Previous Week Ranking: 26th
The Raptors are not a good team, however, RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes are good players. Since we have heard about them for a couple of years, it can be easy to forget they are 24 and 23 years old, respectively. Toronto can have a promising future if they find complementary players to surround their young stars.

26. Charlotte Hornets (7-17)
Previous Week Ranking: 25th
Is LaMelo Ball a top-five point guard in the league? That may sound like a hot take at first, yet it really is not. Are there really four or more guards playing at the level LaMelo is right now? Players on bad teams usually struggle to get respect for All-Star voting but he is a lock to me and probably should be the Eastern Conference starter.

25. Portland Trailblazers (8-16)
Previous Week Ranking: 21st
Portland fell back a bit after going 1-6 since the last Rankings drop. The team is running the longest active losing streak and has a -10 point differential, among the league’s worst. Are there any players the Trailblazers should consider moving that other teams would want?

24. Philadelphia 76ers (7-15)
Previous Week Ranking: 29th
It can be easy to overreact to the Sixers winning a couple of games and Joel Embiid looking dominant (for one game) alongside Maxey recording his first career triple-double. The Rankings will pump the brakes though considering the Sixers three stars have all missed 6 or more games through a total of only 22 played by the team. The East is weak though and even with their struggles, Philly is only 1.5 games out of a Play-In spot. Give it time.

23. Indiana Pacers (10-15)
Previous Week Ranking: 23rd
This Pacers team looks nothing like last year’s team that made it to the Conference Finals, other than the fact they give up a lot of points. Haliburton’s struggles have continued and the bench continues to underperform. Rick Carlisle could be an early candidate for the hot seat, but in my opinion, this is more on the players than on him.

22. Chicago Bulls (10-15)
Previous Week Ranking: 22nd
The story of the season in Chicago continues to be the absolute porous defense. For a team that gives up 123 points per game, it is slightly surprising they do not have a worse record. They say a team can take on the personality of their superstar, and without DeMar there, maybe this is the Zach LaVine effect.

21. Detroit Pistons (10-15)
Previous Week Ranking: 24th
Kenny Atkinson seems to be running away with the Coach of the Year award. J.B. Bickerstaff though needs to get some credit for what he is doing in Detroit. Other than the addition of Tobias Harris, this roster is pretty much the same as a team that had a 17% winning percentage last season. Right now they are at 40% and Cade Cunningham looks to be on his way to being a team’s number 1 in this league.

20. Brooklyn Nets (10-14)
Previous Week Ranking: 19th
Cam Thomas is the top trade target in the league at this point. The 23-year-old guard is a walking bucket averaging 24.7 points per game on 46% shooting from the field and 39% from three-point range. There are at least five contenders across both conferences that could use a scorer like that. The problem is the Nets reportedly want a first-round pick for Thomas.

19. Sacramento Kings (12-13)
Previous Week Ranking: 18th
One of the biggest early season disappointments has to be the Kings. There are 11 teams Ranked below them, although the majority of those teams did not have high expectations outside of the Sixers. 281 points and victories of 27 and 44 points in the team’s last two games are positive signs even if the opponents were the San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz.

18. San Antonio Spurs (12-12)
Previous Week Ranking: 15th
The duo of Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul continues to show flashes of brilliance. It really makes you wonder what they could accomplish if Chris Paul was 10 years younger. Speaking of CP3, he became second all-time in assists this past week which is a remarkable achievement. He has had an underrated career and deserves his flowers.

17. Phoenix Suns (12-11)
Previous Week Ranking: 16th
Kevin Durant suffered his second injury of the year that will sideline him and we are only 23 games into the season. With Durant out of the lineup, the Suns are 1-9. When he plays, they are 11-2. Talk about the definition of an MVP. Every team relies on health as a determining factor of how far they can go, but this is next level. If KD is fully healthy come playoffs, the Suns are a legitimate title contender. Can his rest and recovery now ensure his health for the postseason?

16. Minnesota Timberwolves (12-11)
Previous Week Ranking: 17th
Anthony Edwards’ rant to the media was one of the best I have heard in a minute. What made it so great is how blunt he was and honestly I think many in the media were questioning the locker room relationships. Last year’s Wolves team was tight and complimented each other well. Losing the team’s second-best player and replacing him with Julius Randle, who wants to be a first option, and Donte DiVincenzo who has struggled mightily, turns out to not be a key to success. Will things change post-Edwards’ rant?

15. Atlanta Hawks (13-12)
Previous Week Ranking: 20th
This Hawks team is a really fun team to watch play. Trae Young is arguably playing the best basketball of his career and the young duo of Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels are definitely a contributing factor to that. Until their loss to the Nuggets, Atlanta was on a six-game win streak that included back-to-back wins over the league-leading Cleveland Cavaliers. Atlanta is my pick to win the Emirates NBA Cup!

14. Los Angeles Lakers (13-11)
Previous Week Ranking: 9th
For the first time in over 20 years, LeBron James is starting to look human on a basketball court. LA is 3-7 in their last 10 games, and four of those losses were by 25, 27, 29, and 41 points. During this stretch, LeBron missed 20 straight three-pointers and it was hard to watch. JJ Redick is facing the first real speed bump as an NBA coach and we will learn a lot about him based on how this team performs over the next couple of weeks.

13. Miami Heat (12-10)
Previous Week Ranking: 13th
Tyler Herro is a problem for opposing teams, averaging 24.2 points per game. Herro has four 30-point games this season and three of them have come since the calendar turned to December. He is shooting 48% from the field and 42.2% from three-point range, both career-highs.

12. Milwaukee Bucks (12-11)
Previous Week Ranking: 14th
Milwaukee continued their winning ways and now have an 8-2 record in their last 10 games. Khris Middleton returned and has provided a much-needed boost to a team that had a rough start to the season. Giannis and Dame are both playing at All-NBA levels and are making sure the Bucks are taken seriously in the Eastern Conference.

11. Denver Nuggets (12-10)
Previous Week Ranking: 7th
The Nuggets’ drop in The Rankings has more to do with the success of the teams around them than just their ‘mid’ play. Denver did take an embarrassing loss to the Washington Wizards even though Jokic recorded 56 points, 16 rebounds, and 8 assists. If anyone else on the roster wants to show up, Jokic would greatly appreciate it.

10. LA Clippers (14-11)
Previous Week Ranking: 6th
An odd trend for the Clippers is the streaky nature of their play. They had an early three-game losing streak, followed by a four-game winning streak, then another three-game losing streak, and then a five-game winning streak. The trend stretches over home and away games and good and bad opponents. More consistent wins and predictive play will tell what this team truly can accomplish.

9. Golden State Warriors (14-9)
Previous Week Ranking: 3rd
Since the last Rankings, Golden State has gone 2-5. Steph Curry continues to marvel, but the inconsistency of play in the rest of the team has caused a slip. This team does have a strong bench, but many of the players are still young and have not proven themselves when it matters most. If anyone can right the ship, it is Steve Kerr.

8. New York Knicks (14-9)
Previous Week Ranking: 12th
As a preseason favorite to compete with Boston in the East, the Knicks underperformed early on. Lately, they have played like the team many predicted them to be and the duo of Jalen Brunson and Karl Anthony-Towns looks to be figuring out how to play together.

7. Orlando Magic (17-9)
Previous Week Ranking: 8th
Looking forward, the Magic will likely not be Ranked this high for some time. Franz Wagner has been playing at an All-NBA level and his growth has been impressive. Unfortunately for the Magic, Franz will now join Paolo Banchero on the injury report with a torn oblique. Can the Magic maintain in the absence of their two best players?

6. Houston Rockets (16-8)
Previous Week Ranking: 5th
Houston sits at third in an extremely competitive Western Conference. Recently they have proved they belong with wins over the Timberwolves, Clippers, and Thunder. Before the season they looked like a team to be a few years away, but Ime and this young roster are playing like a real contender this season.

5. Memphis Grizzlies (17-8)
Previous Week Ranking: 10th
Ja Morant got booed for not going for a highlight dunk on a breakaway this week and in his postgame press conference said he was no longer dunking. Basketball fans of all teams did not love hearing that, but it is hard to not see the value in his statement. So much can go wrong when you leave the floor and jump as high as Morant does and this shows maturity in a player who has been criticized for lacking that. Whether you agree or not with Ja, he has the Grizzlies rolling right now having won 9 of their last 10 games.

4. Dallas Mavericks (16-8)
Previous Week Ranking: 11th
Dallas has not lost in two weeks and holds the longest active winning streak with 7 games. This team is playing like they did in the playoffs last year during their run to the Western Conference Finals. Luka and Kyrie are playing at an extremely high level and complementing each other. The Mavericks go to Oklahoma City on Tuesday this week for a potential Western Conference Finals preview.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder (18-5)
Previous Week Ranking: 4th
Charles Barkley said Isaiah Hartenstein is a top-10 center in the NBA and that is hard to disagree with this year. In 8 games he is averaging 12 points and 13 rebounds per game while playing strong defense which the Thunder need in the absence of Chet Holmgren. At the end of the day, this OKC team goes as SGA goes, and he has been playing MVP ball as of late.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers (21-4)
Previous Week Ranking: 1st
The league’s best record still belongs to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but they dropped to 2nd in The Rankings this week. I know, the Cavs beat the Celtics this week, but Jaylen Brown did not play in that game. Also, can you honestly say in a 7-game series you would choose Cleveland over Boston? That is not to disrespect the Cavs; they are a dangerous team, just not number 1.

1. Boston Celtics (19-5)
Previous Week Ranking: 2nd
There are arguably 7 players on Boston’s roster that could put up 20+ points if they had to on any given night. That depth is not replicable on any other team in the league. Payton Pritchard is a favorite for Sixth Man of the Year, and with Kristaps Porzingis back in the lineup, the Celtics have to be the title favorite. Could this roster have a Golden State dynasty type of run over the next few years?