Eastern Conference Power Rankings: Early-Dec. 2022 Edition
1. Boston Celtics (18-4) — prev. rank #3
The clear-cut No. 1 team in the East and the entire NBA is the Boston Celtics, currently boasting the best offensive rating in NBA history at 121.5. That number is even stronger and more preposterous over the last two weeks (129.3) and at home (126.5).
The J-Team is still combining to average 57 points a night. Tatum (31.6) and Brown (26.1) are the best one-two offensive punch in the league. Oh, and they also provide stellar switchable wing-defense, giving it to teams on both ends of the court all night long.
Brogdon is also still playing around 23 minutes per game, which is actually perfect for him. It allows him to go full-throttle in shorter spurts against opposing bench players. The Celtics keep the punches rolling.
Payton Pritchard and Sam Houser have stepped up big time for Joe Mazzulla off the bench, providing continuous floor-spacing and sniping. The C’s have a plethora of it.
It’s hard to believe that the Celtics can continue to shoot like this — as a team, they are putting up insane splits: 58% from 2, 40% from 3, and 85% from the line — but the way that they play with relentless attacking ball movement and togetherness does look sustainable.
2. Milwaukee Bucks (15-5) — prev. rank #1
No Khris Middleton, still no problem for the Bucks, although they did have a 3-5 eight-game stretch when Giannis and Holiday missed some games. But Middleton is getting close to a return, it sounds like Friday against the Lakers.
Giannis put LadderGate behind him and has continued his inevitable dominance. Over the last five games since the Philly incident, he’s averaging 35.6 points a night.
It’s not a coincidence that the Bucks slowed their roll when Jrue Holiday was out of the lineup. With Holiday in the starting lineup, the Bucks are 13-2.
Who has played the third-most total minutes for the Bucks this season? That would be one Jevon Carter, averaging 10 more minutes per game than any other season in his career while playing his best ball yet. We never knew why Coach Bud preferred George Hill previously (especially in the playoffs), and it appears his tune has changed.
Milwaukee’s defense is still #1 in the NBA with a 106.5 rating. And the Bucks’ offense has been top 12 over the last two weeks at 115.8.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (14-8) — prev. rank #2
The Cavs started 8-1 before a 5-game losing streak while dealing with injuries kicked them in the pants. Since then, Cleveland has gone 6-2 and is still 12-4 against the East and 9-1 at The Rock.
Garland and D. Mitch have coexisted nicely. A combined 51 points and 13 assists a night is quite the luxury. And both are really good free throw shooters at 89 and 86 percent.
Jarrett Allen did see his offensive production increase once Garland returned from his beginning-of-the-season eye injury. But Allen is now dealing with a back injury of his own. His presence on the interior is noticeably missed, but Mobley is capable of holding his own without him.
Kevin Love has also been out of the lineup with a thumb injury, which depletes the Cavs’ second unit. That’s where Cedi Osman has mostly been a plus-minus machine this season.
The Cavs’ offense has slipped a little (seventh at 114.4) while the defense has remained so stout, second at 107.5. They are one of just three teams to be top-10 in both and the only team in the East. (Pels and Suns.)
4. Toronto Raptors (11-10) — prev. rank #4
No. 1 in the NBA in fast break points and points off turnovers, but dead last in half-court offense, the Raptors still want to run teams out of the gym, using their defense to ignite their offense.
Pascal Siakam missed three weeks with an adductor injury, and the Raptors treaded water without him, going 5-5 while also missing Precious Achiuwa (ankle) for most of that stretch. Achiuwa is still out, but Spicy P is back and still screamin’ hot.
OG Anunoby stepped up once again in Siakam’s absence, up to a career-high 19 points per game and averaging a league-best 2.3 steals a night.
He hasn’t played much recently, but rookie Christian Koloko was starting games for Nick Nurse and swatting shots like crazy for a two-week stretch.
If the Raptors’ offense can find its way in the half-court (they can only improve), expect the offense to keep climbing (currently 14th at 111.9) and for Toronto to start ripping off more wins as they get healthier.
5. Philadelphia 76ers (12-10) — prev. rank #5
The Sixers had to play for nearly a week without James Harden, Tyrese Maxey, AND Joel Embiid — and Philly went 3-1! Two wins were over the Magic, sure, but one was a sweet, sweet victory over the Brooklyn Nets with Ben Simmons.
Joel Embiid returned to the court on Monday night and promptly dropped 30-8-7 on the Hawks in a triumphant win at home. But the other night in Cleveland did not go so well. The Cavs rolled.
Maxey is expected to miss 2-3 more weeks, but James Harden is targeting a return next week to play the Rockets.
It’s quite remarkable what P.J. Tucker is pulling off: 0 points scored in a stretch of 7 out of 8 games, and yet he still posted great plus-minus numbers. You don’t have to score to be a contributing player.
The Sixers have stayed afloat with their defense, No. 3 in the NBA over the last two weeks at 108.9 and third on the season at 108.7. Not too surprising that without Harden and Maxey (and Embiid for four straight games) that the offense has been dropping precipitously.
6. Indiana Pacers (12-9) — prev. rank #9
The Pacers have been as pesky as EVER. (Just ask the Lakers.) These Pesky Pacers are sure looking like one of the Young Surprise Teams that was promised.
Tyrese Haliburton has been known in many parts as HaliWAGON, putting up absolutely blistering numbers: 14+ assists five times in a six-game stretch is truly absurd.
An early-season frontrunner for Rookie of the Year AND Sixth Man of the Year, Bennedict Mathurin has scored the most points off the bench in NBA and amongst all rookies. Mathurin has one gear and its pedal to the floor.
Another rookie, Andrew Nembhard, sure put himself on notice with that buzzer-beater in LA. Nembhard had actually been starting for the Pacers previously, earning the trust of head coach Rick Carlisle.
In a surprising turn of events, Cleaning the Glass says that over the last two weeks, the Pacers’ defense is 11th and the offense is 26th?? For the season, Indiana is currently 13th in offense (112.4) and 16th in defense (112.1) for a slightly positive net rating.
7. Atlanta Hawks (12-10) — prev. rank #6
The Hawks were up 90-74 on the Rockets on Black Friday when that clowning led to a kerfuffle which led to the Hawks losing that game to the Rox. They also lost to the injury-riddled Heat and Sixers but got back on track with a much-needed win in Orlando on Wednesday night.
Ice Trae’s shooting percentages are not good (41 percent FG, 30 from 3), but he’s still averaging 27.8 a night thanks to his crazy volume and constant bevy of free throws. When more shots start falling, the Hawks will start soaring.
When Dejounte Murray has 8 or more assists, the Hawks are 7-1. Atlanta is 5-9 in all other games. It seems like he’s been in more of a score-first mode lately.
Atlanta’s bench unit is still a problem as they wait for Bogdan Bogdanovic to return, which should be very soon. Rookie AJ Griffin has burst onto the scene in a couple of games, but Nate Mac definitely doesn’t trust him fully yet.
It’s shocking that the Hawks have a bottom-10 offense and a top-10 defense. That is just so ass backwards.
8. Brooklyn Nets (12-11) — prev. rank #12
As the calendar flips to December, the Brooklyn Nets are above .500 for the first time all season after starting 1-5. The Nets have won three straight and six of their last eight. It seems like a million years ago that Steve Nash was let go.
KD is reminding us of exactly who is. He can snap off a virtuoso performance at a moment’s notice.
Meanwhile, Ben Simmons is hurt again, dealing with a knee. But Seth Curry back in the lineup has been a godsend. Joe Harris is looking better. And holy hell, is T.J. Warren about to make an appearance??
It’s been a couple of weeks now and Kyrie hasn’t caused another ruckus. But we never know what’s around the next bend.
Well well, if it isn’t the Brooklyn defense in the top 10 over the last two weeks. The schedule has been a lot more favorable, but you have to show some signs of life on that end. Shoutout to Jacque Vaughn who has also freed Cam Thomas, just like we asked.
9. New York Knicks (10-12) — prev. rank #7
The good news is that the Knicks have been in a lot of games that they have lost recently. The bad news is that it’s quite apparent that they can’t close out games. Again.
The three lefties (Brunson, Randle, and Barrett) still have some kinks to work out offensively in terms of clicking at the same time, but the bigger issue is defensively. The Knicks are bottom-5 in defensive rating for the season (26th at 114.1). The defensive energy has been better lately, though.
An even bigger problem is that the Knicks are currently dead last in 3-point shooting percentage and do not currently have a player on the roster shooting above 37 percent from 3. The best Knicks’ shooter right now? That would be Obi Toppin at 37 percent.
Foul trouble is still plaguing Mitchell Robinson, but when he’s on the court, he helps tremendously. Mitch Rob is averaging 5.1 fouls per 36 minutes. Wednesday night against the Bucks was one of his best games, putting up 15 points and snagging 20 rebounds in 33 minutes. And with only two fouls!
Points in the paint remain the Knicks’ specialty, still No. 1 in the NBA at 57.4 a night. The Knickerbockers are also top-5 in second-chance points and offensive rebounds.
10. Miami Heat (10-12) — prev. rank #11
New month, same shit with the Heat: dealing with injuries but somehow still winning games they have no business winning.
For as concerned as we were about 36-year-old Kyle Lowry at the beginning of the season, he’s the only Heat player to play in all 22 games this season. He’s been scoring the ball a lot more lately out of pure necessity.
Jimmy Butler has missed seven straight games dealing with a knee injury. Oladipo has not played in a game yet. Herro is back after missing two weeks and is dabbling more in the big assist games: 10, 10, and 9 in the last three games.
Bam has had some monster games recently and already has nine double-doubles on the season. Without Jimmy, the Heat will continue to need consistent big production from him.
The Heat have been running out a zone defense just to get by, but they actually have a top-10 defense over the last two weeks. The offense? 28th over that same stretch and currently bottom-10 for the season.
11. Washington Wizards (11-11) — prev. rank #13
The Wizards are very much a ho-hum team. They already have two 3-game losing streaks, but they also had a November stretch of winning 6 out of 7 games.
Bradley Beal missed six games last month, however, the Wiz went 4-2 without him. Blue Panda has turned up the scoring dial after a slow start.
Kristaps Porzingis continues to look rejuvenated and like he first did on the Knicks seven years ago. A career-high 41 points last week and two games already this season with six made 3s.
Between Beal, Porzingis, and Kyle Kuzma, the Wiz actually have three players averaging over 20 points per game.
The Wizards remain elite at defending the paint with a top-5 mark while the defense as a whole is middle of the pack (14th at 111.9). The offense (19th at 110.7) could still use another jolt as Delon Wright is still a few weeks from returning from a pulled hammy.
12. Chicago Bulls (9-12) — prev. rank #8
The Bulls are capable of pulling off big wins (two against the Celtics and at Milwaukee), but they are also quite capable of getting thumped and losing games they should win (Magic at home, at OKC in OT).
DeRozan is doing everything he can out there. It’s LaVine who is shooting below his previous averages that we have come to expect.
There has still been so much Goran Dragic here. He’s up to third on the team in usage rate!
Vooch is shooting it better from 3, but when you look at everything they gave up to get him, it’s pretty demoralizing if you’re a Bulls fan. Vooch is averaging his fewest points (15.6) since 2016-17.
The Bulls’ offense remains in the bottom 10 (22nd at 110.4). The defense has been better than expected (11th at 111.3). It just feels like this is a play-in team at best.
13. Orlando Magic (5-17) — prev. rank #15
The Magic have dealt with the most injuries in the entire league and have currently lost six games in a row. But things are looking up as they are finally getting their guys back.
Markelle Fultz just made his season debut and is exactly what the Magic need: somebody to push the pace and create scoring opportunities.
Cole Anthony also played in his first game in a month, but Wendell Carter Jr. is still out with a foot injury. Even rookie sensation Paolo Banchero missed seven games. He’s back now and Paolo continues to live up to the hype as the No. 1 pick.
The Magic’s most reliable player outside of Franz Wagner has been… Bol Bol! Averaging 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 27 minutes per game, it’s clear that Bol belongs in an NBA rotation.
Look for the Magic to make some noise and be so much more competent with a healthy roster in the coming weeks.
14. Charlotte Hornets (6-15) — prev. rank #10
Steve Clifford’s big purple dogs have been another snake-bitten lowly Eastern Conference team. There was an absolutely brutal 3-week stretch starting on Halloween where the Hornets lost 11 of 12 games. But they did pull out wins against the Sixers and T-Wolves in Uptown last week.
LaMelo has played just three games all season, re-injuring the same ankle he hurt in the preseason on a fluke play, stepping on a fan sitting courtside. And Gordon Hayward? Surprise, surprise. He missed eight games in November and is currently out indefinitely with a shoulder fracture. *BIG sigh*
Dennis Smith Jr. has been dealing with an ankle as well. DSJ was one of the Hornets’ best players over the first few weeks of the season, and that’s not cap at all. Lastly, Cody Martin has played 56 seconds this season, out since the first minute of the opening game with a quad injury.
On the bright side of things, Kelly Oubre is averaging the most points of his career. (Somebody has to score the ball.) Nick Richards is still playing well. And Charlotte is looking to be in a prime spot in the Wembanyama sweepstakes.
The Hornets are dead last in offensive rating for the season (105.9) and 18th defensively at 112.4. That defensive mark is actually surprising and in a good way.
15. Detroit Pistons (6-18) — prev. rank #14
The Pistons are fresh off a fantastic win at home against the Dallas Mavericks. However, there was a 7-game losing streak in November and a stretch of losing 13 out of 16 games.
Detroit is yet another lowly Eastern Conference team dealing with significant injuries: Cade has been out since Nov. 9 with left shin soreness, an injury that may still require surgery.
Marvin Bagley was hurt for a while. Jaden Ivey and Bogdanovic missed games. So did Beef Stew. Those guys are all back now and that might help explain how the Pistons are actually winning some games against good Western Conference teams.
Last night was all about King Killian! It was very probably the best game of Killian Hayes’ career: 22 points on super-efficient 10-of-13 shooting, including two huge 3s in OT to go along with eight assists. He also has five games of 2+ made 3s on the season. That might not sound like a lot, but he had just 15 such games in the first two years of his career.
Detroit is 24th in offense (109.8) and down to 29th on defense (117.8) — but look out for them to be competetive and take some teams by surprise.
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Western Conference Power Ranks dropping soon.
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