Eastern Conference Power Rankings: Early-Nov. 2022 Edition
1. Milwaukee Bucks (6-0)
No Khris Middleton, no problem for the Bucks. Milwaukee has steamrolled to 6-0, but their most recent game against the Pistons on Halloween was their closest game of the season.
Giannis is laying waste to the regular season even more so than usual with an insane 33.8 points per game along with 12.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and nearly 2 blocks and a steal per night. His dominance feels completely inevitable.
Jrue Holiday has had some excellent games as well, most notably his 34 points, 12 assists and 4 steals performance against the Hawks last Saturday night. Holiday also put up 25-10-7 on Detroit.
Splash Mountain is very much open for business this year, splash splashing away. Brook Lopez already has three games with 3+ made 3-pointers. He only had two such games all of last season. (He only played 13 games last year.) Lopez’s availability has sure helped the Bucks’ early-season success. He’s been doing work down low, too.
A strong start to the season for Milwaukee’s defense: #1 in the NBA with a 103.7 rating.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers (5-1)
Darius Garland has been out since opening night with an eye injury, but that has not stopped the Cavs from posting the second-best record and point differential in the league.
TBD on how it all looks with Garland and D. Mitch together. This we know: Donovan Mitchell is a very good basketball player. This has been Mitchell’s team: 32 points and 7 assists per game with usage through the roof (33.2%).
Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen have been doing their rim-protecting thing. Would like to see more looks for the Fro on offense. Allen does so much of the dirty work and should be rewarded more.
Caris LeVert followed up his 41-point game vs the Celtics with just one single point against the Knicks. But he also dished out eight assists in that game, many of them wide-open 3s. LeVert is becoming much more unselfish, which is opening up his game and helping the Cavs be more unpredictable.
The Cavs currently have a top-5 offense (No. 4 at 116.9) and top-5 defense (No. 3 at 105.3).
Cannot ask for a better first two weeks than that.
3. Boston Celtics (4-2)
The Celtics blew a big lead to the Bulls for a second straight year. (They were up by 19 and lost by 18.) There was also the Celtics home loss in OT to the Cavs where Caris LeVert dropped 41, but the Celtics took care of the Sixers, Heat, and Wizards with relative ease.
The J-Team has picked up where they left off from the end of last season, combining for 56 points a night. There has only been one game this season where they both didn’t score at least 20. It was against the Magic. JB had 12. Tatum had 40.
Malcolm Brogdon has been a good fit here thus far, but it’s interesting that he’s only playing around 23 minutes per game…
Without Time Lord, there has been a lot more Noah Vonleh and Luke Kornet than we thought. And as far as the bench goes, Joe Mazzulla is going to need Payton Pritchard and Sam Houser to step it up.
The Celtics’ acclaimed defense has not been there yet (22nd at 114.5), but the offense sure has (fifth at 116.9).
4. Toronto Raptors (4-3)
No. 1 in the NBA in fast break points through two weeks, the Raptors are running teams out of the gym once again. The Hawks were giving up the fewest fast break points going into their game on Halloween, and the Raptors ran up 35 points in transition on them.
Pascal Siakam is off to an extra spicy start. Siakam and VanVleet are both averaging 7 assists per game.
When FVV was out against the Hawks, Scottie Barnes was running lead point and drilling 3s, showing off a smoooooth step back. He made a career-high in 3-pointers with five.
Gary Trent Jr. is firing away more 3s than ever at 8.9 a night. He’s making 3.4 a game. GTJ is one of the few players that emerged in the Bubble and never turned it off.
It’s surprising to see the Raptors so low in pace (currently 28th), but it’s because their half-court offense still needs some work. But the Raptors patented D has still been swarming. They forced Trae Young to a career-high 10 turnovers.
5. Philadelphia 76ers (4-4)
There was that home loss to the Spurs, but there have also been some good road wins at Toronto without Embiid and in Chicago against the Bulls with LaVine. The vibes are much better lately.
Joel Embiid’s bizarre summer plantar fasciitis is concerning if only cause plantar fasciitis is one of those things that can flare up and hang around… It’s evident that Embiid is playing his way back into shape.
Tyrese Maxey’s career-high 44 points against the Raptors further proves that he needs to be more of a focal point of this offense. Harden is at 10 assists per game, but also 15.6 shot attempts. Maxey did shoot more than the Beard in DC vs the Wiz on Halloween. Embiid did not play and Harden had 17 assists.
The Sixers bench is currently at the bottom of the league in points per game at 21.9. We know Philly fans want to see more of Bball Paul.
Philly’s offense (7th at 115.3) has certainly outshined the defense (19th at 112.8). The Sixers are 28th in points in the paint at 43 per game. Kind of concerning considering they have the biggest bulldozer in the paint in the NBA, but they were bottom 10 (23rd) last year as well.
6. Atlanta Hawks (4-3)
The Hawks’ wins are against the Rockets, Magic, and Pistons twice.
The Hawks’ losses are to the Hornets (without LaMelo and Rozier), the undefeated Bucks, and at Toronto.
Ice Trae has been doing what he does best: Bombing 3s and dishing dimes. Seven games in and he’s averaging 29 points and 9.7 assists, and almost double-digit free throws at 9.4 a night.
Dejounte Murray’s usage rate has dipped slightly as expected (from 27.3 to 24.7), but his production isn’t far off from his Spurs days. The fit has worked out just fine so far.
Atlanta’s bench unit is bottom-10 in points per game. It sounds like Bogdan Bogdanovic is getting closer to returning from his knee injury. Bogey will be a welcomed addition to this reserve unit. But Okongwu and Jalen Johnson continue to have their moments.
Ice Trae in the garden on Wednesday night is always must-see TV. That ends an early-season five-game road trip. The Hawks then get four straight games at State Farm Arena: Pelicans, Bucks, Jazz, and Sixers.
7. New York Knicks (3-3)
The Knicks have beaten the teams they were supposed to in the Pistons, Magic, and Hornets (barely). And they have lost to the teams that were not favored against: Grizzlies (in OT), Bucks, and Cavs.
Undefeated at MSG. Winless on the road.
As suspected, Jalen Brunson’s arrival has indeed transformed the Knicks’ offense. They are so much more organized and free-flowing. Unselfish, too.
Brunson, Randle, and Barrett are all around 18 to 19 points a game. We need a good nickname for the left-handed trio. Tres zurdo amigos!
The new take foul rule might not have benefited a player more than Obi Toppin, wreaking absolute havoc in transition. The Knicks’ second unit with Toppin, Quickley, and Rose has the same good-natured feel as two years ago when the Knicks were a Young Surprise Team.
Points in the paint are the Knicks’ specialty, currently No. 1 in the NBA at a whopping 61 per game!
8. Chicago Bulls (3-4)
LaVine has been in and out of the lineup, so it’s difficult to get a direct read on the Bulls. It seems like they have a similar feel as last year: Better than you would expect and capable of being good (huge comeback win vs the Celtics) — but also not great and susceptible to letdowns (loss to the Spurs).
So far, DeRozan is replicating last season’s marvelousness to a high degree. The dude is just a baller.
There has been a lot of Goran Dragic here. No. 5 on the team in usage rate is crazy.
The Bulls’ offense has been bottom 10 (22nd at 110.7) and could use a boost. Pat Williams (7.1 ppg) and Caruso (5.4 ppg) are great on defense but gotta contribute more on offense.
Vooch has had some monster games. Three games with 17+ rebounds?! And three out of seven games with multiple made 3-pointers.
9. Indiana Pacers (3-5)
As expected, the Pacers are PESKY with a strong notion to run and gun and run and gun some more. Sure, it resembles chuck ball on some nights, but Indiana has a top-10 offense in the NBA after two weeks.
It all starts with Tyrese Haliburton, averaging 22 points and 9 assists as the point guard leader.
Haliburton, rookie phenom Bennedict Mathurin, and Buddy Hield are all shooting LIGHTS OUT. And Chris Duarte just had his best game of the season with 30 points against the Nets.
Jokes were cracked when Myles Turner injured his ankle on Opening Night in warmups landing on a ball boy’s foot. But in his first game of the season, Turner gave the Wizards the business, 27 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks, and three 3s. Okay then. But now the jokes are being cracked again since he told Woj he wants the Lakers to trade for him…
With their top-flight offense, top 10 in pace, and bottom-5 defense, Pacer games = shootouts.
10. Charlotte Hornets (3-4)
Steve Clifford’s big purple dogs have some impressive wins without LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier (both out with ankle injuries). First, it was the Hawks in Atlanta, and then it was the Warriors. Charlotte also had a 15-points lead on the Kings on Halloween but melted away in the second half.
The night after scoring 30 points as a team in the FIRST HALF in Orlando, the Hornets rang up 34 first-quarter points on the Warriors. P.J. Washington scored just 5 points against the Magic with a big-ass afro. The next night with braids, he was way more aggressive and scored a team-high 31 points against the defending champs. That was the second-most points he has scored in a game in his four-year career. He followed that up with 28 against the Kings. Keep the braids, PJW.
Dennis Smith Jr.’s career has seriously been revived. And Theo Maledon has seized the opportunity in front of him. Nobody wanted these guys but they are thriving in their roles in Charlotte.
There has also been a Nick Richards emergence. Eric Collins can be heard shouting: “This guy has the touch of a masseuse! Velvety soft!” Now if only we can get Clifford to play Mark Williams more than just garbage-time minutes. Williams always plays with energy and activity.
The Hornets do have a positive net rating after two weeks: Offense 19th at 112.0 and defense 11th (!?) at 110.7.
11. Miami Heat (2-5)
A rough start to this year’s campaign by last year’s No. 1 seed in the East.
Jimmy Butler is surprisingly taking and making (!!) 3s so far this season: 2.3 attempts with 1 make is not sustainable… Or is it? Hopefully, he keeps shooting them.
Herro can still get hot at a moment’s notice. The current level of concern surrounding Kyle Lowry is high. He’s slightly trending in the right direction most recently, but those first few games were not good.
Big sigh: Oladipo is already hurt once again. The Heat’s injury issues don’t stop there: Omer Yurtseven has also been dealing with a knee injury. And Dewayne Deadmon was recently sick with a non-Covid illness. So 20-year vet Udonis Haslem checked in for the Heat in the first quarter in Sacramento last Saturday.
Some have said the Heat’s offense is too Bam-centric. Bam’s usage is not higher than normal, but the Heat’s offense is 24th with a 109.4 rating. Regardless, improvement is needed. The Heat will surely climb in these ranks. A win tonight vs the Warriors would bump them up to the top 10 where they belong.
12. Brooklyn Nets (2-5)
The Nets and Steve Nash have parted ways. Nash looked so miserable out there. He is probably so relieved.
The offense has been middling at best (16th at 112.6) and the defense has been atrocious (29th a 119.1). There is zero rebounding here. Dead last in rebound percentage at 45.4 percent.
KD and Kyrie are both averaging 30 a night, but KD’s long mid-range jumper hasn’t been consistent. And guess what? Kyrie has already been a distraction.
Meanwhile, Ben Simmons is averaging 6.2 points a game and has not been the same guy defensively. Getting back into the swing of things after not playing ball for 15 months and after back surgery is understandable. But time is not on Brooklyn’s side.
Seth Curry’s absence has been felt. He’s played just one game and did not make a shot. What is the deal with T.J. Warren??
No matter who the coach is — is there a road map to this defense being anything short of terrible and Kyrie being able to keep his shit together for any period of time?
But maybe interim coach Jacque Vaughn will FREE CAM THOMAS. (Wait a minute, Ime Udoka is the new coach!?!)
13. Washington Wizards (3-4)
The Wizards’ three wins are against the Pacers, Pistons, and Bulls. They have also lost to the Pacers.
Respectfully, this is probably the most blah team in the entire league.
Beal is obviously the centerpiece and he’s working on balancing scoring and distributing.
Porzingis has had some big games and Kuzma has, too. The Wiz need them to pop at the same time.
Losing Delon Wright for 6-8 weeks to a hammy and Corey Kispert for 4-6 weeks to an ankle injury depletes the bench unit. No. 10 overall pick Johnny Davis still only getting garbage time minutes is a rough look.
Here’s a surprising stat: The Wizards are No. 1 in the NBA in defending the paint, opponents are only scoring 40.6 points in the paint per game. That’s how their defense has been 16th at 111.4.
14. Detroit Pistons (2-6)
The Pistons defeated the Magic on opening night, lost five games in a row (to the Knicks, Pacers, Wizards, and Hawks twice), beat the Warriors at their own game, and then almost took down the Bucks on Halloween in Milwaukee.
Cade is becoming an ultimate shot creator before our very eyes. He is getting to his spots easier and more frequently this season.
After Cade’s 20 shot attempts per game, Bojan Bogdanovic is second on the team at 14 per game. The Pistons’ offense is very Bojan-heavy. Curious about what it would have looked like if the Pistons hadn’t made that trade for him.
Jaden Ivey’s speed and willingness to be a passer have translated well. But the Pistons bench-unit lineups with Killian Hayes, Cory Joseph, and Hamidou Diallo can be lackluster.
Detroit is currently rocking the 21st offense (111.1) and 28th defense (118.9). That offensive rating is actually a huge improvement from this time last year.
15. Orlando Magic (1-6)
The Magic have been one of the most exciting teams to watch through two weeks. And that’s not a joke.
Between the beast that is No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero’s early-season dominance (the sixth player in NBA history to score 20+ points in each of his first six games) and the humongous lineups with Bol Bol and Mo Bamba, the Magic are truly fascinating.
They have played some competitive ball and usually get off to solid starts, but the late-game execution just hasn’t been there. The sign of a young team that’s also dealing with a lot of injuries. Getting Fultz back will help. Same with Cole Anthony and Jalen Suggs. Don’t forget they’ve been without Gary Harris, too. (Torn meniscus.)
Franz Wagner has had a surprisingly off start to the season. The Magic need him to play like he did last year and at EuroBasket. We absolutely know he is capable. R.J. Hampton has had his best stretch as a pro.
Orlando’s offense is in the bottom 5 of the NBA (27th at 107.3) — expect that number to climb as they get their guards back. The defense is middle of the road (17th at 112.0) and Jahmal Mosley has got to be happy about that.
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Western Conference Power Ranks dropping soon.
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