Eastern Conference Power Rankings: Early February Edition

1. Sixers (15-6) — prev. rank #1

Philly is steam rolling, winners in 6 of the last 7 games, including a big dub over the Lakers and an enormous comeback win on Sunday against the Pacers when the Sixers trailed by 16 going into the 4th. The Pacers win was extra impressive considering that Embiid didn’t play, resting from that hard fall against the Lakers. Embiid has been an absolute bulldozer, averaging career-high numbers across the board, cementing himself in the early season MVP talks. Tobias Harris has also been tremendous this season, currently shooting 46.4 percent from 3 on 4.7 attempts per game. Speaking of three-point deadeyes, Seth Curry is still one of the best in the biz at 50 percent on 4.6 attempts per game. The newfound shooting has opened up the floor for Embiid and Simmons to maximize their talents together. Simmons has actually taken a step back offensively but his assists, rebounds and stellar defense can still be counted on.

2. Nets (14-9) — prev. rank #5

The new-look Nets since the James Harden trade are as expected: A juggernaut on offense and a feather on defense. They can score at will and from soo many different directions. They cannot defend a newborn baby deer. Harden is averaging 12 assists per game as a Net which would be the highest assist mark of his career. The Nets are relying heavily on 34-year-old Jeff Green in crunch time. Uncle Jeff can still play, but how trustworthy is he with the game on the line? How long can he continue to play 30+ minutes a game? Recently signed Norvelle Pelle should help the rim protection once he makes it onto the court. Reggie Perry has earned the Refrigerator nickname from us for a reason. Kyrie seems to have his shit together… for now. Uncle Drew was lights out in Brooklyn’s signature win against the Clippers on Tuesday night.

3. Celtics (11-8) — prev. rank #2

Jaylen Brown has been absolutely fantastic, phenomenal, an All-Star starter! When Tatum missed time, JB held it down for the J-Team and the C’s. The Celtics had actually lost 5 out of their last 7 games until Tuesday night’s hard fought victory in San Francisco over the Warriors. The C’s were struggling with Kemba in the lineup, but they finally have Tatum back now from the coco. Yet just when Tatum returned, Marcus Smart is now out a couple of weeks dealing with a calf strain. Payton Pritchard has been out, too, and he’s really been missed. The other 1st round pick, Aaron Nesmith, still can’t get any playing time. The Celtics current 5-game road trip gets easier (Kings) before it gets a lot tougher (Clippers, Suns and Jazz).

4. Bucks (12-8) — prev. rank #3

The Bucks are 3-4 over their last 7 games with some surprising losses to the Pelicans and Hornets. The offense is there — the #1 most efficient offense in the entire league — but the defense has regressed from 1st a season ago down to 15th this season and an even more concerning 22nd over the last 3 weeks. That’s what more minutes for DiVincenzo and Connaughton has equated to, and also bringing in D.J. Augustin and Bryn Forbes. Jrue Holiday has been fine, nothing spectacular, and the Bucks could really use another two-way ace to shore up these issues. We would like to see more from Middleton, and we would use Giannis as the screener in the pick-and-roll with him 1,000 times more than Bud currently does. But as noted in the most recent Lowe Post podcast, this is actually trending in the right direction! An inter-division battle against the Pacers awaits on Wednesday night before the Bucks embark on six-game road trip.

5. Pacers (12-9) — prev. rank #4

The Pacers are still pesky, forever and always. They were sliding a little bit recently, but they stomped the red hot Grizz on Tuesday night. You also have to remember that the Pacers traded Oladipo, a 20 points per night guy, and haven’t seen LeVert yet (prayers up). Indiana has also been without T.J. Warren, recovering from foot surgery. So how about the Pacers that are actually playing and peskying? Sabonis is tougher than bear’s breath. Turner sends out more rejections than Harvard Law School. Brogdon is averaging damn near 23 points per game! Brogdon’s previous career-high was 16.5 points per game which was last year when we thought he should have been an All-Star. It’s surprising how good Doug McDermott is, and defenses somehow forget about him when he ventures away from the 3-point line. Dougie McBuckets is more than just a shooter!

6. Hornets (10-11) — prev. rank #12

Sometimes when you are facing adversity, you just have to follow the Monk. Hello again, Malik Monk! After his career-high 36-point explosion off the bench in Miami, Monk should see some more minutes after receiving numerous DNP-CD’s this season. Rozier is currently dealing with a sprained ankle, and P.J. Washington did not return to The Monk Game after leaving with a sprained foot. Injury issues aside, the Hornets have been playing outstanding ball, currently riding a 3-game winning streak with very impressive wins over the Pacers, Bucks and Heat (who even had Jimmy Butler). Devonte Graham started the season in a shooting slump, but perhaps lighting up the Heat for six 3’s can spark his flame. The Hornets — as we told you in our season preview — play sound team ball, #1 in the NBA in assist percentage! Leading the Hornets in assists per game with 6.1? LaMelo, whose dimes have lived up to the hype.

7. Hawks (10-10) — prev. rank #9

It sure feels like the Hawks got off to a lot murkier of a start than they did to be sitting at .500 and 6th place in the East right now. The John Collins incident must have just skewed our perceptions of things, which now appear to be okay? The Hawks have dealt with a slew of injuries: Gallo missed 12 games, and Bogdanovic hasn’t played since January 9th, still without a timetable for return due to his banged up knee. De’Andre Hunter missed the last game, too, and Hunter’s game has improved tremendously on offense in Year 2, shooting 51.4 percent from the field opposed to just 41 percent a season ago. It seems like the Hawks have beat the teams that they are supposed to beat and lost to the teams they are supposed to lose to. That doesn’t bode too well for the upcoming schedule.

8. Heat (7-13) — prev. rank #6

No team in the NBA has been more ravaged by the protocols than the Heat. (Yes, the Mavs are a close second.) And so here we are. Jimmy Butler is finally back and of course hit a game-winner in his first game back after missing 10 in a row. We also loved to see Jimmy shouting down the stretch in the last game, “Give me the fucking ball! Give me the fucking ball!!! GIVE ME THE FUCKING BALL!!!” We suggest that the Heat do just that. It appears as though Pat Riley might have found yet another hidden gem. The latest is Max Strus who we just saw stroking 3’s like a mini Duncan Robinson. Bam, just as we knew he would, has taken his game up another notch, adding a reliable mid-range jumper. Up next for the Heat: Back-to-back baseball series against the Wizards and Knicks. Just what the doctor ordered.

9. Cavs (10-11) — prev. rank #10

Colin Sexton’s 42-point eruption against the Nets was one of the best games of the year so far. We have always loved the fire that Sexton plays with, and now we love to see him averaging the most assists per game of his career, the exact department we implored him to work on. Drummond has been on a tear, and Jarrett Allen picked up the slack when Drummond did not play on Monday night. Big Props to J.B. Bickerstaff for playing his rook — Okoro is playing a team-high 35.4 minutes per game! When we last posted power ranks on January 5th, we remarked about the Cavs #2 defense in the league, stating that it was probably not sustainable. Since then? Cleveland has had the 16th ranked D but still sits in the top-10 at 7th.

10. Bulls (8-11) — prev. rank #11

The Bulls actually won a close game! It was against the Knicks, but still. Lauri Markkanen might be turning a corner, scoring 30 points in back-to-back outings. Zach LaVine is playing the best ball of his career, averaging his best numbers ever: 26.6 points per game and 41.9 percent from 3 on 8.4 attempts per game. Chicago plays at a wicked fast Pace, #3 in the NBA, which is fun, but the Bulls are a league-worst in turnovers. The rook, Pat Williams, has certainly raised our eyebrows a couple of times, and we would like for Billy D to get the kid some more run. Coby White’s shooting has regressed after a hot start, and we would encourage White to play a little more in the flow of the game.

11. Raptors (9-12) — prev. rank #14

Fred VanVleet is fresh off setting the franchise record and the record for points by an undrafted player with a sensational 54 points, 11-of-14 from 3, capping a baseball series sweep over their Florida brethren Magic. Toronto (er, Tampa) gets a solid contribution from their top-6 players, each averaging over 13 points, but the offensive production after that really falls off. Norm Powell has sure found a groove after a slow start to the season. Siakam is also playing a lot better (he had nowhere to go but up), yet he’s still shooting a measly 24.3 percent from 3. The Raptors are currently on a 6-game road trip: @Nets, @Hawks, @Grizzlies, @Wizards and @Celtics. Some good teams in there but also an opportunity to make up some ground in the East.

12. Knicks (9-13) — prev. rank #8

Since we last published these power ranks, the Knicks crashed back to earth, a 5-game losing streak and losses in 8 out of 11. But RJ Barrett is becoming more consistent and efficient of late. Immanuel Quickley has burst onto the scene. It should be no time before Thibs is playing Quickley a lot more minutes. Speaking of minutes, it’s concerning that Obi Toppin, prized lottery pick, is hardly getting any action, playing more than 15 minutes just once in the 11 games since his return from injury. Another big concern is still the complete lack of shooting and spacing. Alec Burks is the only player above 40 percent from 3 on this roster — other than Frankie Smokes who has played in only four games all season. Julius Randle’s numbers have definitely been regressing to the mean. But the Knicks have still been way better than most could have ever imagined!

13. Magic (8-14) — prev. rank #7

The Magic have lost 12 out of their last 14 games. Aaron Gordon is the latest victim to injury for the Magic, expected to miss 4 to 6 weeks with a severe ankle sprain. Some positive news is that Chuma Okeke played in his first game since New Year’s Eve after a knee bruise kept him out 16 games. Hats off to Vooch who still shows up to work everyday to give it his best, averaging a career-high 22.6 points per game and 44.1 percent from 3 on 6.0 attempts per game. The Magic’s offense is currently 28th in the league, but the few games that Fournier did not play, it was off the charts bad. A final note on the Magic: What the fuck did Cole Anthony do to his hair!? If he doesn’t change it, he’s going to be on Bab’s list real quick.

14. Wizards (4-13) — prev. rank #13

The Wizards had a two week stretch without playing any games due to the protocols, however, since they returned to action, they have still been stinking to high heavens, losing 5 of 6. There was the miraculous comeback win against the Nets, though! Blue Panda and Westbrook care, there is no doubt about that. Bertans is shooting a by far career-worst 32.7 percent from 3 on a cringey 8.0 attempts per game. Not what you want from your 80 million dollar man. Thomas Bryant’s ACL tear has been a bigger blow than expected, he was Westbrook’s pick-and-roll guy. The jury is still out on Deni Avdija. The Wizards defense is still porous, 28th in the NBA.

15. Pistons (5-16) — prev. rank #15

The Pistons actually have some impressive wins on the resume: Celtics, Suns, Heat, Sixers and Lakers. The problem is that those are the Pistons only wins. The Wayne Ellington Resurgence has been stark. We’ll be shocked if he’s still on the roster at the end of the season. Saddiq Bey has shown some flashes as a rookie with potential. We haven’t seen as much from Isiah Stewart, and Killian Hayes is on the shelf for another month and a half. You know who was right? Jerami Grant! Take a lesson and bet on yourself today.

_____________________________________

New Power Ranks dropping every month.

We love this game!