The NBA season is four weeks old and now is the time for the third edition of the power rankings for the 2024-25 season. The league has seen its fair share of surprises and disappointments to begin the season and now is the time to see where each team stacks up.
In the East, the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers have been terrific while the Philadelphia 76ers have gotten off to a tough start amid the injuries and other drama to their star players. The New York Knicks will be there all season as well once they jell while the Orlando Magic cannot be forgotten about once they get star Paolo Banchero back from injury.
Out West, the Oklahoma City Thunder have been at the top while teams like the Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, and Minnesota Timberwolves will be teams to worry about as well.
With that said, here is the fourth edition of the NBA Power Rankings after another week of the season:
30. Washington Wizards (2-11)
Previous ranking: 28
After starting out 2-2, the Wizards have gone downhill. They are currently dead last in defensive rating and 29th in offensive rating while most of their losses have been by double digits. The Wizards have to focus on making Bilal Coulibaly, Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, and Bub Carrington the focus of the team.
29. Toronto Raptors (3-12)
Previous ranking: 29
The Raptors finally ended a 7-game losing skid with a win in Indiana thanks to Jakob Poeltl looking like a prime Shaquille O’Neal. Poeltl had 30 points and 15 rebounds alongside two blocks in the win over Indiana. He’s averaging 17.1 points and 11.9 rebounds on the season and has been fantastic on both ends.
28. Utah Jazz (3-11)
Previous ranking: 30
The Jazz got blitzed by Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht, but overall, put up some good efforts throughout the week. They had a surprising win over the Mavericks at home before coming up just short to the Kings and Clippers. Keyonte George is averaging 14.9 points and 5.5 assists, which are good numbers, but his shooting percentages have to go up.
27. Philadelphia 76ers (2-12)
Previous ranking: 27
The alarms have rung on the Sixers. They have now lost five in a row following a loss in Memphis on Wednesday and are still looking up at a lot of teams in the Eastern Conference. One has to hope that Joel Embiid can move on after a drama-filled week which included a team meeting in Miami. The injury to Paul George doesn’t help things in the moment, either.
26. New Orleans Pelicans (4-12)
Previous ranking: 26
The Pelicans have been dealing with so many injuries once again. As they sit at No. 14 in the West, there are many obstacles to the play-in tournament. New Orleans is begging for a clean bill of health as it begins to really move forward with the season. On a positive note, Brandon Ingram has been terrific on the offensive end.
25. Charlotte Hornets (5-9)
Previous ranking: 25
The Hornets have let opportunities to pick up wins slip through their fingers as of late. They had a nice win over the Bucks, but missed an opportunity in Brooklyn on Tuesday. In order to get into the play-in tournament and make a run at the playoffs, Charlotte needs LaMelo Ball to be focused on what needs to be done. The same goes for Brandon Miller as both young men need to take on more responsibility.
24. Chicago Bulls (6-10)
Previous ranking: 20
The Bulls are beginning to go backward—besides a nice win in Detroit—and it might be time to move on from their veterans. Chicago also has to find some consistency out of Josh Giddey. He is shooting a respectable percentage from deep (35.6%), but the Bulls will be judged based on his impact following the big trade involving Alex Caruso.
23. Brooklyn Nets (6-9)
Previous ranking: 22
The Nets have been a scrappy group to begin the season. Coach Jordi Fernandez has done a great job of getting the most out of the roster and as long as Brooklyn can build the trade value for Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith, it will be a good season for them. Johnson is shooting 39.3% from deep on 7.8 attempts while Finney-Smith is shooting 42.5% from deep on 5.6 attempts.
22. Portland Trail Blazers (6-9)
Previous ranking: 21
Give the Blazers credit. Ever since coach Chauncey Billups called his team out for putting up some poor efforts, his team has given a much better effort on the floor. They defeated the Timberwolves twice in a row before defeating the Hawks and falling to the Thunder in a pesky effort. Toumani Camara has continued to establish himself as an elite 3-and-D player in this league and Dalano Banton has played well.
21. Milwaukee Bucks (6-9)
Previous ranking: 24
The Bucks are beginning to shake off their poor start. They got lucky in a win over the Rockets when the officials missed an out-of-bounds call on Giannis Antetokounmpo, but Milwaukee has begun to move forward slowly, but surely. They let one slip away in Charlotte, but the Bucks are continuing to take steps forward.
20. Detroit Pistons (7-9)
Previous ranking: 18
The Pistons are clearly on the way up. After a miserable 2023-24 season, they are already approaching the 14 wins they earned from the previous season. Coach JB Bickerstaff has this young team committing to defense and it has been fascinating to watch. Cade Cunningham needs to get his turnovers down, but he has been terrific. If the Pistons could just close out some games, then things would be even better in Detroit.
19. Atlanta Hawks (7-9)
Previous ranking: 19
One has to like what the Hawks have received from Dyson Daniels. Acquired in the Dejounte Murray deal, Daniels has been amazing on the defensive end of the floor and has done a lot to give Atlanta some semblance of perimeter defense. Rookie Zaccharie Riscaher is still adjusting to the NBA level, but the Hawks have shown good signs.
18. Indiana Pacers (6-9)
Previous ranking: 16
The Pacers need some consistency in the worst way. It’s like they take one step forward, but then two steps backward. Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, and Myles Turner need to come together to lead this team forward or else their Eastern Conference finals run in the previous season will look a bit flukey.
17. Miami Heat (6-7)
Previous ranking: 23
The Heat had Jimmy Butler return from injury in their win over the Sixers and he played well scoring 30 points and doing a little bit of everything. That is the Butler the Heat are going to need going forward. Miami has received great play out of Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo while shooters like Haywood Highsmith, Duncan Robinson, and others have done their job. They just need an aggressive Butler.
16. San Antonio Spurs (7-8)
Previous ranking: 17
Chris Paul just impacts winning. Paul has helped right the ship in San Antonio just as he has in previous stops and has the Spurs in a good position in the early part of the season. Victor Wembanyama has also found his groove on the offensive end which always helps, but Paul’s presence has allowed the Spurs to take big steps forward to begin the new season.
15. Dallas Mavericks (8-7)
Previous ranking: 15
The defending Western Conference champs still have yet to really find their rhythm. Their week started off with a bad road loss to the Jazz before bouncing back with wins over the Spurs, Thunder, and Pelicans which are all good signs for Dallas, but it must be sustained as the season continues. The West is unforgiving and the Mavs will have to find a way to move up.
14. Los Angeles Clippers (9-7)
Previous ranking: 13
The Clippers are keeping their heads above water while they await the return of Kawhi Leonard from his injury. One has to like what they have received from Norman Powell who has shot the lights out from deep to begin the season. Also, kudos to James Harden for passing Ray Allen for second place on the NBA’s all-time 3-pointers made list. Both Harden and Powell are playing at such a high level.
13. Sacramento Kings (8-7)
Previous ranking: 12
De’Aaron Fox has played at an incredibly high level to begin the season. The 60 points he scored against the Timberwolves was an insane performance before following that up with 49 points against the Jazz. However, Sacramento did lose the contest to Minnesota and also dropped a home game to the Hawks. That can’t happen when considering the playoff race in the West.
12. Memphis Grizzlies (9-7)
Previous ranking: 10
Once again, the Grizzlies are dealing with a lot of absences. However, the experience gained in the disastrous 2023-24 season has helped their youngsters and role players in this situation. Once Ja Morant returns, the Grizzlies should be able to move up in the West and get back into the top 6 in a tough Western Conference.
11. New York Knicks (9-6)
Previous ranking: 14
The Knicks are over .500 on the season following wins over the Nets and Wizards. The Knicks have unearthed a gem in Ariel Hukporti who has been a defensive presence off the bench averaging 1.1 blocks per game to begin the season. Once Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns get the chemistry down, the Knicks are going to take off.
10. Minnesota Timberwolves (8-6)
Previous ranking: 11
While the Wolves are still finding their groove with all of the new faces, they are still over .500 and received Julius Randle’s first signature moment of the season when he drilled the game-winning triple at the buzzer to beat the Suns. Minnesota is continuing to get everybody on the same page and one has to believe that time is coming very soon.
9. Phoenix Suns (9-7)
Previous ranking: 5
The loss of Kevin Durant to injury has been felt on the floor for the Suns. They have struggled mightily and have not been able to have the same offensive success. The losses have begun to pile up and Phoenix will need to find a way to stay afloat until Durant can return to the floor.
8. Orlando Magic (9-7)
Previous ranking: 9
How good have the Magic been? After a slow start to the season, Orlando has found a way to move forward despite the absence of Paolo Banchero who should be returning to the floor soon. In this new age of basketball where scoring and offense are sexy, the Magic have brought back tough-nosed defense as they have locked teams down on that end of the floor.
7. Denver Nuggets (8-5)
Previous ranking: 6
The Nuggets have scuffled a bit with Nikola Jokic sidelined, but they had a nice win in Memphis without the league’s best player. Also, Russell Westbrook deserves a shoutout for recording his 200th career triple-double. He continues to add to his Hall of Fame resume as Denver continues to look for more consistency and more production with Jokic out of the lineup for now.
6. Houston Rockets (11-5)
Previous ranking: 7
The Rockets have been terrific to start the season. Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun are continuing to take big steps forward as a duo and Houston has put the right pieces around them to help them succeed. Coach Ime Udoka has found the right combinations and has his team on track to be a contender in the West.
5. Los Angeles Lakers (10-4)
Previous ranking: 8
The Lakers have work to do on the defensive end, but they’re one of the more efficient teams in the league on the offensive end. Coach JJ Redick has done an excellent job of putting everybody in positions where they can succeed. LeBron James is still one of the best players in the game in year 22 and Anthony Davis has been dominant out on the floor. Redick deserves a lot of credit for the early job he’s done.
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (12-4)
Previous ranking: 2
The Thunder finally saw big free agent acquisition Isaiah Hartenstein make his debut on Wednesday night and he made a big impact in a win over the pesky Blazers. His return will help ease the loss of Chet Holmgren. As long as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is set to go, then OKC will win a lot of games.
3. Golden State Warriors (11-3)
Previous ranking: 4
The Dubs are still chugging along. The elite play of Steph Curry has been a big storyline, but Golden State is currently 4th in the league in defensive rating. They have been stifling on that end of the floor as everybody has bought into coach Steve Kerr’s schemes. It does hurt that De’Anthony Melton will miss the rest of the season due to ACL surgery.
2. Boston Celtics (12-3)
Previous ranking: 3
The Cs handed the Cavaliers their first loss of the season in a terrific battle between Jayson Tatum and Cavs star Donovan Mitchell. Boston is a top 3 offensive team right now while being a middle-of-the-pack team defensively. One has to believe that the Celtics will turn it up on defense when the time comes.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers (16-1)
Previous ranking: 1
Outside of the loss to Boston, the Cavs have been phenomenal. They have the No. 1 offense in the league and are in the top 10 in defense as well. Darius Garland didn’t shoot the ball well in Boston which is concerning as his struggles against the Celtics continued, but he has been terrific all season. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley have grown in their tandem and Ty Jerome has been a real help in this team’s success.
