Chuddy's NBA Power Rankings

Welcome to the eighth installment of King Chuddy’s weekly NBA power rankings and a very special MLK Day edition! As always, these rankings will fluctuate based on the team's performance during the previous week and any changes in personnel, health, schematics, or overall quality of play. These rankings are NOT predicting for the future, or used to determine odds of ultimately winning the title, they are just based on what the team has done recently and what is their immediate outlook. For example, the Nuggets may have the best future outlook to win the title and at full strength in a playoff setting they may be the “best” team in the league. But they have not been playing their best basketball consistently during the regular season, so they are not #1 in the rankings. Think of these rankings as something more like the top 25 rankings in college basketball/football and they should make more sense. Feel free to leave your comments/opinions and tell me why I’m wrong, or why I am a genius. Enjoy the great slate of games today, and happy MLK Day to all! Without further ado…

(Side note: Rankings were created prior to any MLK Day games)

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (27-11, Last week: 3) - Four straight wins and now tied in the loss colum for first place in the west. SGA is creeping towards being the MVP favorite, Chet is a star, J-Dub is a legit #3, Daigneault is COY favorite, and they have a dearth of depth and draft picks. The future is now for the Thunder.

2. Denver Nuggets (26-13, Last week: 2) - Jokic’s new kink is just not missing shots now, The big man is absolutely rolling and may soon be the only guy who can take that MVP from SGA. Nuggets look like they’ll be ready to defend their title.

3. Boston Celtics (30-9, Last week: 1) - A tough loss to the Pacers in the final seconds and a punking from the Bucks will lead to a minor dip in the ranks, even if they mixed in a gutsy comeback win over the T-Wolves and a demolition of the Rockets. Brutal stretch of schedule for the title favorites.

4. Minnesota Timberwolves (28-11, Last week: 4) - It feels wrong not moving the Wolves up after multiple good wins and one heartbreaking road OT loss on a brutal b2b in Boston, but the standards at the top are lofty. Still a great week for the Wolves after an awesome win over the Clippers last night as they battle to hold onto the 1 seed out west.

5. Milwaukee Bucks (28-12, Last week: 6) - It also feels wrong to not move the Bucks up, but this is their first stretch of sustained good play in a little while. They trounced the Celtics in a marquee game, held off the Warriors in another, and capped the week off with a crazy OT win over the Kings on a Dame buzzer beater.

6. Los Angeles Clippers (25-14, Last week: 5) - Still one of the hottest teams in the league despite a tough road L in Minnesota last night. These guys are back to looking like the only thing that can stop them is health.

7. New Orleans Pelicans (24-16, Last week: 11) - The Pelicans have been rolling teams both at home and on the road and even doing it with stars out of the lineup. The Pels continue to look like one of the deepest teams in the league, but can Willie Green figure out his rotations and how to maximize the collective talent? That, along with the play of the stars remain the big looming questions keeping this team from true contender status.

8. Cleveland Cavaliers (22-15, Last week: 12) - Props to the Cavs. I was getting weird vibes from this team and then it seemed like the injury bug may doom their season, but everyone on this roster has stepped up and the team is actually climbing in the standings. Donovan Mitchell has raised his game and deserves to be considered as a starting guard in the East.

9. Utah Jazz (21-20, Last week: 17) - THE hottest team in the league; MY Utah Jazz just keep on rolling. Winners of 5 in a row and 8 of 9, the Jazz are all the way up to 9th in the west and there are no signs of slowing down. They look extremely connected on both ends and have become very fun to watch.

10. Miami Heat (23-16, Last week: 15) - The Heat may not be the most exciting nor glamorous team to watch but damnit if they don’t just keep on churning out wins, regardless of who is out. Bam has been leading the way in the absence of Butler, but in typical Heat fashion, almost everyone on the roster has stepped their game up. This should come as no surprise.

11. New York Knicks (23-16, Last week: 7) - This dip may be a little bit harsh, but frankly, last week’s rise was probably a little ambitious. The Knicks have looked great since acquiring OG Anunoby, and should continue to be a very solid to good team. Hartenstein really deserves his flowers - he’s been incredible since Robinson got hurt.

12. Indiana Pacers (23-16, Last week: 13) - It was a great week for the Pacers except for a hamstring injury to Tyrese Haliburton. Luckily the injury isn’t as bad as it looked and he should be back soon. Also of note, the Pacers have actually played well without him, gutting out a win against the Celtics, then taking care of business against the Wizards and Hawks before losing a hard fought battle in Denver.

13. Philadelphia 76ers (24-13, Last week: 9) - The 6ers just do not look like a very inspiring team without Joel Embiid, and that’s how they’ve been playing lately. They finally recorded a nice win against the Kings, but they need the big man back or they risk dropping out of the top 3 in the East.

14. Phoenix Suns (21-18, Last week: 21) - It’s easy to clown the Suns when they lose, but they've been mostly winning lately and generally are starting to look good with their big 3 on the court. Shocking: a team built around only 3 guys plays better when those 3 players are playing.

15. Dallas Mavericks (23-17, Last week: 8) - When I dump on the Mavs, they play well. When I give them praise they disappoint me. They’ve gotten some good performances from Kyrie Irving lately and mixed in some solid wins, but injuries and missed games are starting to pile up, and they’re trending more towards the play-in than a top seed.

16. Sacramento Kings (23-16, Last week: 14) - The Kings are still hanging around with a solid record, but they are mostly beating up on bad teams. They just got whooped by the Embiid-less 6ers, then gave away a game that should have been in the bag to the Bucks in OT. They are going to have to start winning some of these games against good teams.

17. Orlando Magic (21-18, Last week: 10) - Coming off a great week, the injuries started to effect the Magic this past week as they dropped 3 in a row, albeit a brutal stretch against the T-Wolves, then at the Heat and Thunder back to back nights. Better days are ahead.

18. Chicago Bulls (19-22, Last week: 18) - The Bulls have kept up their solid play with Zach Lavine reintegrated in the lineup. Coby White is still getting the ball and looking great. The East teams below Chicago in these rankings are so uninspiring that it’s hard to imagine the Bulls falling out of the play-in unless they blow it up at the deadline.

19. Houston Rockets (19-19, Last week: 16) - The Rockets are going through a daunting stretch of schedule, but they’ve managed to hover around .500 and keep themselves in the playoff/play-in mix. They missed Dillon Brooks and Tari Eason - especially on the defensive end, but young guys, including draft steal Cam Whitmore have really stepped up.

20. Los Angeles Lakers (19-21, Last week: 23) - I’m really not sure how the Lakers moved up three spots, but it just speaks to how ugly these bottom 10 teams are, and how big the drop off is. The Lakers got saved by the refs against Toronto, but every win is a struggle, and every day comes with a new headline for Hollywood’s team.

21. Toronto Raptors (15-24, Last week: 20) - The Raps had an 0-3 week and I still can’t in good faith drop them any lower than one spot - even that is probably a stretch. The Raps simply look much better with Immanuel Quickley running the point. So far, RJ Barrett has even been a pleasant surprise on both ends. Playing without Poeltl has hurt in the past week, they’ve missed his screening and rim protection.

22. Golden State Warriors (18-21, Last week: 22) - We saw the ceiling of the Warriors for one brilliant quarter in Chicago the other night, but otherwise it’s been grim and seems to be getting darker. They’re all the way down to 12th in the west. Draymond should return this week, but I’m really not sure how much that will help. They need to make a trade desperately or they may easily miss the play-in altogether.

23. Brooklyn Nets (16-22, Last week: 26) - The Nets just seem totally directionless as they wait for a star to come available. At least they have enough talent to compete and sometimes shoot themselves into a win, which is better than I can say about several other teams.

24. Atlanta Hawks (15-23, Last week: 25) - They got a much needed win against the 6ers, but fell flat on their faces in a “rock bottom” 28 point home loss to the lowly Wizards. Shake Ups are needed, and appear to be coming.

25. Memphis Grizzlies (14-25, Last week: 19) - This has been a true Murphy’s Law season for the poor Grizzlies. At this point they are basically trotting out a G-League team roster every night. God bless them for their effort but these next few months could get pretty ugly.

26. San Antonio Spurs (7-31, Last week: 28) - Really the only positive note this low in the rankings: the Spurs have become watchable! They are actually playing the right guys in the right positions and what do you know? They aren’t completely terrible! Also, Wemby just keeps getting better and better.

27. Washington Wizards (7-31, Last week: 29) - I guess a blowout win over the Hawks moves you up two spots… that’s where we’re at.

28. Portland Trail Blazers (10-29, Last week: 24) - I have been praising their competitiveness all year, but it’s become hard to defend lately, as highlighted by a SIXTY-TWO (62) point loss to the Thunder the other night.

29. Charlotte Hornets (8-29, Last week: 27) - They’ve lost 5 in a row and 16 of 17. They finally got LaMelo back, so hopefully that will lead to more respectable play in the near future, but I can’t say I’m super optimistic as early returns have not been great.

30. Detroit Pistons (3-36, Last week: 30) - Imagine if one team set the record for most consecutive losses twice in one season!