Official /r/nba Power Rankings #4 (12.12.2022)

[26/30 rankers reporting this week.](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1–xX0VpsDJBfsTPlnpVkF2IRD0RMEfIzX1wEyOxDP7Q/edit?usp=sharing) /R/NBA’s Power Rankings are published every two weeks which is a bit different from most rankings. Other than that we rank the teams the same way as our competition. If write ups are left blank the team rep decided not to submit. We encourage any user to fill in the blanks in the comment section.

\# | Team | Δ | Record | Comment |
–: | :– | :– | :-: | :– |
1 | [](/BOS) Celtics | — | 21-6 | Celtics are 5-2 since the last rankings, losing in OT to Miami and then getting blown out against the Warriors in a game that has to at least make you worry a little bit about Tatum going forward. The Warriors have the perfect scheme and players to guard Tatum, and dating back to even before the Finals last season he’s struggled against them. Robert “TimeLord” Williams is reportedly back any game now, and his presence should provide a welcoming boost to the Celtics defense. Over the next two weeks the Celtics play 7 times, with a matchup tonight against the Clippers, the backend of a back-to-back playing the Lakers the following night, the Magic twice in three days, the Pacers and Timberwolves at home, before setting up their Christmas home game against the Bucks. |
2 | [](/NOP) Pelicans | +4 | 18-8 | Yeah we’re the #1 Seed. It’s not a big deal guys. IT’S NOT A BIG DEAL. We’re on a winning streak and Zion is averaging 30/9.1/5/3 on 71.2% TS, oh, and he’s playing solid D. The fact that “Chris Paul Sucks” (our franchise GOAT) chants erupted against the Suns tells you everything you need to know. We’re second in Net Rating overall and it feels like it right now. Everyone is stepping up (looking at you CJ shooting, maybe step up a little more), but the fact that we’ve done this without BI and Herb for a lot of the win streak is only more exciting. Stay tuned, because WE’RE GOING STREAKING (cue Willie running butt naked down Metarie streets)AND WE’RE NOT GONNA STOP EVER. |
3 | [](/MIL) Bucks | -1 | 19-7 | Just as the team was finally getting back to full strength, Khris Middleton went down with a sprained ankle injury last night, if he’s out for a significant amount of time it’ll make it that much harder to keep pace with Boston. On the positive side, Brook Lopez is now being given a >50% chance at winning DPoY by some sportsbooks. |
4 | [](/MEM) Grizzlies | +3 | 17-9 | JJJ is a legitimate DPOY contender. While he doesn’t have the games played to qualify for statistical ranks, he’s averaing 3.1 blocks per game, 1.1 steals per game, and has a league best dfg % of 43.8. He’s blocking an outstanding 11% of all 2 pt shots when he’s on the floor. What’s even better is his fouls have now dropped substantially. He’s been playing like an all-star since his return, and I’ve always held the belief that our post season success will depend on his ceiling, if he plays to his potential the Grizzlies could be the best team in the NBA. |
5 | [](/CLE) Cavaliers | -1 | 17-10 | The Cavaliers have had the single worst ORtg in the league over the two weeks, with their offensive woes coming as a result of Mitchell, Allen, Love and Wade all missing multiple games, yet the Cavs have managed a 4-3 record with the #8 net rating in that stretch due to their #1 rated defense spearheaded by Evan Mobley, who has done a great job at his “do it all” role, when compared to the games that Allen missed last year. The Cavs offense has spacing questions when neither Love or Wade are able to chip in minutes at the 4, as the team shot 32% on 33 3PA/g in this stretch, a far drop from their 39% on 32 3PA/g before this stretch. Ricky Rubio’s imminent return should be a major boost for good looks by our catch and shoot 3p shooters, as the Cavs are 2nd last in the league with only 20 C&S 3PA/game this year, a major dip from the 25 we had per game that Rubio played last year. So long as the Cavs keep playing their elite defense, they have a lot of time to hammer out any offensive issues |
6 | [](/DEN) Nuggets | -1 | 16-10 | Despite the 4-3 record since the last rankings, the Nuggets have had the highest ORtg in the league during that span. Nikola Jokic has played spectacularly, enough to stir speculation about a 3rd straight MVP run. Aaron Gordon has emerged as a reliable 2nd/3rd scorer while MPJ remains sidelined with a mysterious heel injury. So what’s the problem? Defense, of course. Whether its due to a lack of cohesion with the retooled roster, or simply a lack of quality defenders, the Nuggets have struggled on that end of the floor, only holding their opponent under 100 points once out of 26 games this year. The team has been able to dominate the glass (40 RPG allowed, 1st overall) and control the pace (85.7 FGA/game allowed, 6th overall), but their 48.8% FG allowed has sunk them repeatedly this season. The coaching staff needs to find a solution for the defensive struggles if this team has any hopes of competing in the playoffs. |
7 | [](/PHX) Suns | -4 | 16-11 | How quickly things change… it’s been an embarrassing week for the Suns. Maybe after December 15th we’ll finally move Crowder and touch this roster up a bit. Everyone is going to say we need shooting but our defense has been in the bottom of the league the last 10 games, the offense is still top 5. Makes sense, Jae wasn’t known for reliable shooting, but he could defend and that’s missing right now. We’ll pretty much take any help at this point. |
8 | [](/BKN) Nets | +10 | 16-12 | The Nets are 8-2 in their last 10 games, which is a huge step in the right direction for a team that seemed to be aimlessly playing early in the season. Kevin Durant is putting on a MVP-level performance by being our most important player on both ends of the ball. He has taken on the opponent’s best player defensively most nights and is able to use his length to give them a hard time. The team as a whole has looked much better, guys like Seth Curry, TJ Warren, and Joe Harris are providing good minutes while KD and Kyrie lead the team with efficient scoring. This is a completely different team under Jacque Vaughn and the man deserves a lot of credit with how the Nets have been able to climb up to the 4th seed. Are they contenders yet? No, a move needs to be made to shore up the flaws that Boston and Milwaukee can easily expose but the team is WAY more fun to watch so we’ll take that for now. |
9 | [](/PHI) 76ers | — | 14-12 | |
10 | [](/SAC) Kings | +2 | 14-11 | The beam continues.. Kings are in the middle of a 6 game road trip and have played the last two without their star guard De’Aaron Fox. During the last two games they’ve split but are showing just how big of a loss not having fox is. Relying on constant threes the kings shot themselves out of the game against the Knicks despite multiple opportunities. This team will need to figure how to deal with poor shooting nights if they truly want to be taken serious. |
11 | [](/GSW) Warriors | — | 14-13 | Warriors came out of their easy schedule still at .500. Sitting the old starters in back to backs and the occasional Steph off game has kept the Warriors from hitting their stride. Kuminga is proving to be a trustworthy bench option and brings much needed rebounding and defense. After a big win against the Celtics, the not-so-road Warriors now have a 6 game road trip playing some tough teams in the East with 2 back to backs. |
12 | [](/POR) Trail Blazers | +3 | 14-12 | Lillard is back, and like magic so are the Blazers. Winners of three of four, they seem poised to right the recently rocky ship. |
13 | [](/LAC) Clippers | -5 | 15-13 | Maybe one day the Clippers will have a full team with everyone playing and I would feel confident gauging them completely. Maybe one day. |
14 | [](/ATL) Hawks | -4 | 14-13 | |
15 | [](/DAL) Mavericks | +2 | 13-13 | What a roller coaster the last two weeks have been. Dallas beat the Warriors, then things looked bleak after an overtime loss to Detroit, but the Mavs got hot winning 3 straight, including a win over Phoenix that replicated Game 7. Now, they have lost 2 straight, including to Milwaukee (where they shot 10-24 from the line in a 1 point loss) and Chicago. Tim Hardaway Jr’s shot is back, and Josh Green has finally become a consistent rotation player, but the constant new issue each game is something the Mavs need to address in the coming weeks as the trade market opens up Thursday. |
16 | [](/NYK) Knicks | +7 | 14-13 | No more Thibs slander for the time being, he’s worked some sort of magic into the new lineup that can only be achieved by a balding sexagenarian married to ~~Kate Upton~~ Basketball. Speaking of… Everyone, this Friday is my grandparents’ 60th anniversary, please wish a happy celebration to Carol and Marty! |
17 | [](/IND) Pacers | -4 | 14-13 | The Pacers continue to show signs of growth, but also make the slip-ups that one should expect from young teams. This was most evident in a recent stretch of games in which Indiana shocked the Warriors deposit missing their top 2 point guards, and turning around on Saturday and losing to the Nets’ 7th stringers. The Pacers’ lack of defense is starting to catch up with them, with opposing teams doing their damage to Indiana’s interior presence. It remains to be seen what exactly the Pacers’ plan is, whether that’s fight for a playoff spot, or embrace the tank. For now, fans seem content to enjoy the ride. |
18 | [](/UTA) Jazz | -4 | 15-14 | Life without Lauri has been tough for the Jazz who after a breathtaking 10-3 start to the season have gone 5-11 since. The Jazz aren’t playing like a team with a 31% win rate though and have remained largely competitive in these games. Their largest loss, and only double digit loss, in this span was by 11 points @ Golden State. Through injuries, Utah’s depth has been tested and the team has tried a variety of different starting lineups to get try and make things work. For the time being a playoff spot is still up for grabs but in a competitive West the Jazz are quickly falling behind. |
19 | [](/TOR) Raptors | -3 | 13-14 | |
20 | [](/MIN) TWolves | -1 | 13-13 | “Wolves are 3-2 since losing their All NBA big Karl-Anthony Towns. Large amount of success has been the emergence of D’Angelo Russell who is averaging 24.8 and 5 assists on 50% shooting from deep. Mr. ICE in his veins has also been clutch which has allowed the Wolves to be 8-3 in clutch time games on the season.
” |
21 | [](/LAL) Lakers | +3 | 11-15 | Lakers end their road trip with a 3-3 record, currently 12th in the West, but on the bright side they are only 3 games behind the 6 seed and have Anthony Davis on their team.AD has averaged 34.8/15.2/2.8/2.6/1.4 on 65/38/88 splits in his last 11 games (excluding the Cavs game where he left with 5 minutes of action) while anchoring the entire defense, the baton finally seems to be passing and the best part is Lebron is still playing like his usual self. If not for AD missing two games and a FT to win the game in Philly after the team scored 9 points in 29 seconds to come back, this road trip could have been so much better, unfortunately there’s no time for moral victories with the awful 11-15 record. On the other hand, Coach Ham has also been running some questionable lineups, especially the three guard lineup of Russ-Bev-Dennis, where the lack of personnel on this team becomes cruelly apparent. Reports have been constantly echoing the Dec 15th deadline after which Lakers are expected to make moves, given the play of the superstars, it’s only the right call to make trades in the upcoming weeks. |
22 | [](/MIA) Heat | -2 | 12-15 | The Miami Heat are treading water. We’ve got players back from injury but very little has changed in terms of how the team’s been doing and its mostly due to the lack of quality on the bench. There just isn’t a spark plug off the bench due to the departures of changes we underwent during the offseason. Caleb Martin and Tyler Herro have been starting almost all season and have been successful at it, but our best options on the bench are either in cold stretches for shooting or are currently out with injury. Gabe Vincent is set to be out for the next week or so which will mean more Duncan Robinson or someone else. Max Strus has cooled off after a nice stretch at the end of November, but at least he’s not injured and can work through his cold stretch. However, we did get Victor Oladipo back at the beginning of December, and hopefully he can get back into the saddle and provide much needed help off the bench and stay healthy. However, until the bench finds some consistency and stability we may not be doing more than what we’re doing now. |
23 | [](/CHI) Bulls | -1 | 11-15 | |
24 | [](/OKC) Thunder | +1 | 11-15 | The NBA seems to have taken notice of Shai Gilchrest and as a result his fg% has taken a bit of a hit. Despite that, SGA has been able to consistently get to the free throw line to get his points. The rest of the squad seems to be taking some steps forward to play around Shai’s supernova. Jdub was awarded the Western Conference ROTM, while Giddey seems to be getting into a bit of a groove with Shai as of late. The Thunder continue to have some incredible performances and some lackluster and this should continue to be the case for the 2nd youngest team of all time. |
25 | [](/WAS) Wizards | -4 | 11-16 | Normally, when doing these, I’ll try to write a response that attempts to discuss the lows but also the highs of Washington Wizards basketball in a meaningful manner. But watching Anthony Davis drop 55 in-person on your favorite team mentally breaks a man. The Washington Wizards are not good. They will continue to not be good. Injuries have plagued the team this season but even moments of brilliance from Beal and Porzingis are not even on the same radar as performances from other super starts. It hurts, I am in pain and I just want one more miracle from Abe Pollin |
26 | [](/ORL) Magic | +1 | 8-20 | Avoiding the 10 game losing streak and instead currently on a three game winning streak, the Magic seem to have found a bit of a groove. And off the backs of great play by the forward duo of the future, Paolo and Franz. But it can’t be understated just how much better and smoother this team operates after the return of Fultz. And just wait until WCJ and Suggs get back on the court as well. |
27 | [](/HOU) Rockets | +1 | 8-18 | The win over the Bucks is possibly the best win of the season for the Rockets, with Jabari shutting down Giannis to 16 points. The team has been able to pick up wins against the Suns 76ers, and Bucks since the turn of month, but strangely the Spurs have been a mountain too tall to climb. The focus for this young team will be how to take the positives in this recent run of form and reproduce them consistently. |
28 | [](/SAS) Spurs | +1 | 8-18 | The Spurs continued their struggles throughout most of the last two weeks, recording the second-longest losing streak in franchise history at 11 games. Keldon Johnson has been off recently after his hot start, but has showed signs of life again in the last two games which has been instrumental to the team’s B2B wins. Devin Vassell is the shoutout of this (bi)weekly stretch, averaging 20.5/5/3 in that time on .599 TS%. Charles Bassey is again an honorable mention, playing with magnetic energy averaging 8.5/6.3/1.5 on **.913** TS% in 19.7 MPG off the bench. He, Josh Richardson and Doug McDermott are the only two Spurs to average a positive +/- in that stretch as well, at +3.3, +3.0, and +8.7, respectively. The Spurs kick off a relatively lightly-traveled stretch of schedule over the next two weeks, facing off against CLE, POR, MIA, @HOU, @NOP, @ORL, hopefully allowing the guys some time to rest and gel while also getting some time with their families for the holidays. |
29 | [](/DET) Pistons | +1 | 7-22 | Duren’s started the last 2 and, even with the learning curve, deserves to take his bumps and bruises as he learns how to play against starting NBA big men. Killian has been a little more hit than miss recently, bringing his season long stats up to being just ‘bad’ from ‘terrible’ from the first month of the year. Bojan is making himself look like a fine trade deadline piece. Ivey’s hit the rookie wall and it seems like every other pass he makes is an out of control turnover. There are glimpses of development but damn, I MISS YOU CADE. |
30 | [](/CHA) Hornets | -4 | 7-20 | I’m not sure what I’m supposed to say. You can’t really provide feedback for a young, developing team when there are so many injuries and personnel changes night to night. It’s a mish mash of guys who are giving a respectable effort and mostly getting their butts kicked. We’re a lottery team. It is what it is. |

by powerrankingsnba