Eastern Conference Power Rankings: Mid-November Edition
1. Brooklyn Nets (10-4) — prev. rank #5
The ominous clouds from the beginning of Brooklyn’s season have since passed, following up a 2-3 start by winning 8 out of 9 games. But if you look closer at the teams they played in those 9 games, you’ll only see one current playoff team, the Bulls, who handed the Nets that one loss by outscoring them 42-17 in the 4th quarter.
Brooklyn has moved up to #1 here because KD has been as sensational as ever, averaging a tick below 30 points per game with 58/42/84 shooting splits. And because James Harden is finding his way back to Beardom. The more in shape Harden gets, the better Brooklyn will be.
The Nets bench has looked creaky at times, but Patty Mills is a walking heat-check and LaMarcus Aldridge is still a mid-range god.
We keep waiting for Steve Nash to give Cam Thomas some minutes, but Thomas has only seen garbage-time mop up duty. It’s still early — in due time.
Over the last two weeks, the Nets offense has been 5th and the defense has been 6th, putting both in the top-10 for the season. We mentioned the pretty easy schedule thus far, and facing the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night should be a good litmus test.
2. Chicago Bulls (9-4) — prev. rank #4
Without their starting power forward or center, the Bulls keep on charging on, ending the Clippers 7-game winning streak on Sunday night in Staples. The Bulls still have a top-5 defense!
The DeRozan-LaVine fit has continued to be seamless and shows no signs of slowing down. Both are averaging an almost identical 26 points per game. A professional scorer and tough shot-maker, DeRozan leads the league in 4th quarter points by a wide margin.
Lonzo and Caruso don’t wow you with their scoring numbers, but they wow you with their unselfishness and hard-nosed defense that gives the Bulls a nightly hustle advantage that doesn’t always show up on paper.
The 6-4 Javonte Green has stepped up into the starting lineup when called upon and hasn’t been afraid to take on very tough defensive assignments guarding much taller players. Green is a high-energy player with a ton of speed. These Bulls have a plethora of speed and athleticism.
Chicago finishes up a west coast roadie this week with the Lakers tonight, up to Portland on Wednesday and then stopping by Denver before getting back home for a rematch against the Knicks next Sunday night.
3. Miami Heat (8-5) — prev. rank #1
Flaming-hot at 6-1 when we last published power rankings on Nov. 3rd means the Heat have since gone 2-4, cooling off with a 3-game road losing streak to the Nuggets, Lakers and Clippers that was followed by a solid win in Utah on Saturday afternoon sans Jimmy Butler.
Jimmy Beans also did not play in the loss to the Clippers, dealing with a sprained ankle that caused him to leave the Lakers game early. The lack of depth for the Heat was a question we had coming into the season. Those concerns seems validated.
Tyler Herro has continued his strong opening campaign for 6th Man of the Year, and he filled in the starting lineup nicely in Jimmy’s absence. Herro is now leading the Heat in Usage at 28.1 percent.
Kyle Lowry scored the most points in one quarter in his 16-year career last Thursday night against the Clippers. The 22 points Lowry scored in that 4th quarter matched his season-high for a game this season, but he’s still the engine for the the Heat’s offense that has surprisingly held strong in the top-5.
The Heat’s defense, however, has jumped off a cliff: 26th in defensive rating over the last two weeks after being #1 to start the season. The numbers very well might soon improve with 3 out of the next 5 games against the Thunder, Pelicans and Pistons.
4. Washington Wizards (9-3) — prev. rank #9
Two weeks ago, we stated that we were admittedly far too low on the Wizards in the preseason, and that it still felt like we were far too low on them after their 5-2 start. Now we can acknowledge that was all correct and move them on up. They’ve earned it. We believe in the fighting Wiz!
Sure, the schedule hasn’t been particularly tough, but it’s the way the Wizards play. Sound team-ball with good perimeter defense and a bunch of guys who know how to excel in their well-suited roles. Hats off to Wes Unseld Jr.!
Bradley Beal still isn’t shooting the ball particularly well, and it hasn’t mattered. The Wiz are 2-0 in games that Beal hasn’t played at all. We know Blue Panda isn’t going to continue to shoot under 30 percent from 3 (he’s still at just 25%), and the Wizards are only going to look that much better when he turns it around.
Trez has been BEAST. Dinwiddie has been rock-solid. Kuzma and KCP thrive in the dirty work. More help is on the way: Rui Hachimura within the next week or so, and Thomas Bryant likely in December.
An interesting upcoming schedule for the Wizards: Home vs. the Pelicans tonight, then at the Hornets, at the Heat, home against the Heat, home against the Hornets and then at the Pelicans. A lot of Pelicans, Hornets and Heat over the next week.
5. Milwaukee Bucks (6-8) — prev. rank #2
The defending champs have been flapping in the breeze thanks to all of their early season injury/protocol issues. Holiday has returned from his sprained ankle, but Brook Lopez (back) has still only played one game. Middleton has been out since Halloween with Covid.
The Bucks haven’t stood a chance in any games that Giannis doesn’t seriously pulverize the competition. Milwaukee is 6-0 when Giannis has a plus-minus of +10 or more and 0-7 when he doesn’t clear double-digits.
Grayson Allen has stepped up in a big way as the Bucks #2 scorer with Middleton out, averaging 16 points per game (his previous career-high is 10.6) and shooting 43.8% from 3 on high-volume 8.6 attempts per game.
Required to go to the deep reserves due to all the injuries, Milwaukee’s bench has definitely been an issue, bottom-5 in the league in bench net rating.
The Bucks begin a 5-game home stand on Wednesday night against the Lakers on ESPN before the schedule softens up: Thunder, Magic twice and Pistons.
6. Cleveland Cavaliers (9-5) — prev. rank #12
The Cavs are 5-1 over the last two weeks despite not having Markkanen or Kevin Love (protocols), and they have recently lost Collin Sexton for the foreseeable future due to a small meniscus tear.
Last time in this space, we let you know that: “It’s not too late to jump on board the Evan Mobley hype train! We encourage you to grab a seat next to us, because it’s probably going to be a long ride, folks.” Well, listen up! You better jump on quick, cause this thing is moving FAST! Mobley has the goods. All of them. He is an absolute menace on defense. And everywhere you need him to be on offense. He’s smooth, calm and enjoyable as hell.
Darius Garland is still averaging 7 assists per game. The knock used to be that he wasn’t a willing passer. He’s flipped that script, and he’s also quietly shooting 40% from 3 on 6.4 attempts per game.
Jarrett Allen did receive an Eastern Conference Player of the Week award, and somehow his stellar beginning of the season still seems to be flying too far under the radar. The rim-running and rim-protecting fro power-blocker is Cleveland’s backbone.
A tough week lies ahead for the Cavs: vs. the Celtics tonight (who will be out for revenge from Saturday night) and then @Brooklyn before heading back home to face the Warriors, Nets (again) and Suns.
7. Philadelphia 76ers (8-6) — prev. rank #6
In our Season Preview, we stated in the 76ers case for the Under: “If and when Embiid misses some time (he unfortunately always does), that’s when the real effects of not having Ben Simmons will be felt.” Little did we know that Embiid would miss time because of Covid, but nevertheless, the Sixers have lost 4 straight without him.
Tyrese Maxey has played phenomenally, scoring over 30 twice and we’ve seen a lot of “who needs Ben Simmons when you have Tyrese Maxey” chatter online, but you can’t honestly say that Philly couldn’t have used Simmons over the last week…
The Sixers have five players shooting at or better than 39 percent from 3: Seth Curry (47.1%), Danny Green (41.8%), Maxey (41.3%), Embiid (39.4%) and Georges Niang (39.0%).
We wouldn’t mind seeing Doc play Paul Reed more. His net rating doesn’t look that great, but BBall Paul is a hooper, and he’s one of those guys that just seems to be everywhere when he’s in the game.
Getting Tobias back from Covid helps (he missed 6 games), but the Sixers can’t get JoJo back soon enough, currently in the midst of a 6-game west road trip with 5 left: @Utah, @Denver, @Portland, @Sacramento and @Golden State.
8. Charlotte Hornets (8-7) — prev. rank #8
The Hornets started the season 5-2, lost 5 games in a row, and are now on a 3-game winning streak after taking down the Warriors on Sunday night, just Golden State’s second loss of the season.
The offense was seriously buzzing here out of the gate, but it calmed way down during that 5-game skid as the Hornets adjusted to life without P.J. Washington who has missed 8 games already. The Hornets best lineups feature PJW at the 5.
LaMelo’s numbers are up across the board, up to 19/7/7, and he’s also got the best defensive rating on this team where defense has been a thorn in their side, still bottom-5 in the league but trending upward.
Miles Bridges is still ballin’, even if his 3-point shooting has cooled. Rozier hasn’t quite found his shot from distance yet, but perhaps scoring 20 second half points against the Warriors will get him going.
Five Eastern Conference opponents await for the Hornets: Wizards and Pacers at home before @Atlanta, @Washington and @Orlando.
9. Boston Celtics (6-7) — prev. rank #11
Since Marcus Smart’s little chat with the media and subsequent players-only meeting, the C’s are 4-2 and playing much better defense, 3rd in the league in defensive rating over the last 2 weeks.
Jaylen Brown has missed the last 4 games with a strained hammy, and that’s actually opened up some clarity for Boston’s offense. Without JB, Dennis Schroder is averaging over 26 points per game, including popping off for 38 vs. the Bucks.
Tatum simply looks more comfortable without Brown, and those two (and head coach Ime Udoka) still have to figure out the best way for those two to fully co-exist. That will be dependent on how far the Celtics make it this season.
We have noticed a theme with Boston: The C’s are toast in games that Time Lord doesn’t play well. Robert Williams has an overall plus-minus of +73 this season!
After losing a nail-biter to the Cavs on Saturday night in which the Celtics blew a 19-point lead, a rematch (also in Cleveland) awaits tonight before the C’s travel to ATL and then head back to Beantown for a 4-game home stand vs. the Lakers, Thunder, Rockets and Nets.
10. Toronto Raptors (7-7) — prev. rank #10
Toronto followed up a 4-game winning streak with a 3-game losing streak, and the Raptors have now lost 4 out of the last 5, most recently a jarring home loss to the Pistons in which the Raptors gave up 127 points to the worst offense in the league. FVV didn’t play, but still — that’s not how you want to leave home for a 6-game west road trip: @Portland, @Utah, @Sacramento, @Golden State, @Memphis and @Indiana.
Siakam returned from his torn labrum, and one of the lone bright spots from the loss to the Pistons on Saturday night was Spicy P scoring 25 points in just his 3rd game back.
OG has stayed pretty consistent, but he’s also already seeing less shots with Siakam back. That’s expected — we just hope he doesn’t settle for too many 3s.
Still looking like a ready-made NBA player, #4 overall pick Scottie Barnes is, of course, the Raptors rookie generating all the buzz, but you need to put Dalano Banton on your radar. You’ll know it when you see him. Banton pops off the screen, and good things happen when he’s in the game.
Trending in opposite directions, the Raptors offense has been top-10 over the last two weeks, but the defense has been… a frightening 29th. Which is crazy because when we think of these Raptors, we think of defense and fast break points. (Toronto is up to 2nd now in transition scoring.)
11. New York Knicks (7-6) — prev. rank #3
In retrospect, it looks like we were pretty fucking high on BING BONG when we last ran the power ranks and had the Knicks an embarrassing 3rd. Things can change quickly in the NBA. The Knicks promptly lost to the Pacers (who they ironically also play tonight) — and the Knicks only wins over the last two weeks have been over the shorthanded Bucks and the shorthanded Sixers.
The story has been all about the Knicks’ starters and rightfully so. In case you missed this StatMuse golden nugget, the Knicks starting 5 of Kemba, Fournier, Barrett, Randle and Robinson is -78 on the season and posting a horrendous defensive rating of 119.3 which would be not only the worst defensive rating in the NBA, but the worst defensive rating in NBA history.
We knew that a backcourt of Kemba and Fournier would be challenged defensively, but we thought that Thibs would be able to solve that problem. That hasn’t been the case so far.
R.J. Barrett’s torrid start has slowed considerably. He’s lost his 3-point shot that we were previously raving about. Over his last 6 games, Barrett is 7-of-32 from 3, a ghastly 17.9 percent.
The good news is that the Knicks bench mob has still been one of the best second units in the league. But like Wob says, a bandaid is only going to help a compound fracture for so long.
12. Atlanta Hawks (5-9) — prev. rank #7
A lot of folks predicted a third place finish in the East for these Hawks that currently sit with the third-worst record in the conference. But the Hawks are at least fresh off snapping a 6-game losing streak by beating the (still undermanned) Bucks by 20 on Sunday night.
Trae Young’s numbers have sure improved after shooting lights-out against the Bucks — an 8-of-13 from 3 night will do that. We haven’t been worried about the shooting or even the offense at all, it’s the defense that’s been the big problem. Over the last 2 weeks, the Hawks are dead last in defensive rating. Trae can sometimes fall asleep on defense and at the most crucial times.
Gallinari has really struggled so far this season. Gallo is shooting 36% from the field and averaging 6 points per game — half of what he scored last season. The Rooster has nowhere to go but up!
De’Andre Hunter’s terrible injury luck continues: he’s going to be out 2 months after wrist surgery. It’s a definite blow, however, the silver lining is that the Hawks are really deep and this could open the opportunity for others to step up.
Atlanta is 4-1 at home and a 1-8 on the road. So it’s good news that the next four games are at State Farm Arena: Magic, Celtics, Hornets and Thunder.
13. Indiana Pacers (6-8) — prev. rank #13
Things were looking real bleak for the Pacers after a 1-6 record to start the season in October. Then the calendar flipped to November, and the Pacers have faired much better with a 5-2 record to help balance the scales.
Indiana’s top-3 scorers (Brogdon, Sabonis and LeVert) are all shooting less than 30% from 3, preferring to do their damage elsewhere: Brogdon and LeVert in the midrange and Sabonis in the post.
But Myles Turner at 44 percent (!!) and Chris Duarte at 40 percent from 3 both on 5 attempts per game help make up for it.
The forever scrappy T.J. McConnell has been a big part of the Pacers resurgence, averaging 16 points over the last 5 games compared to his career average of 6.9. (Nice.)
The Pacers begin a 3-game mini east coast roadie tonight at MSG. Then it’s up to Detroit and back down to Charlotte where the Pacers lost on opening night by 1.
14. Detroit Pistons (3-9) — prev. rank #15
It would appear as though Shady Cade is getting his NBA footing underneath him as the Detroit offense is finally trending in the right direction. To be fair, it had nowhere to go but up, but inserting Cade to the lineup gave the Pistons offense a better flow and sense of direction even before his shots started falling and leading to a couple of wins.
Killian Hayes best game yet was Saturday night in Toronto: only 13 points, but 3-of-4 from 3, 10 assists and 7 rebounds. He even brought out the arrow 3-point celebration on the road at Scotiabank!
Pop Quiz: Who leads the Pistons in PER? It’s… Kelly Olynyk who is out for at least six weeks with an MCL sprain.
Down in the G League, Saben Lee is currently averaging 37.7 points per game for the Motor City Cruise. We promise this won’t be the last time you hear the name Saben Lee. It’s only a matter of time.
The Pistons just went 2-1 on a 3-game mini roadie, and tonight they settle in for 5 straight at Little Caesars Arena: vs. the Kings, Pacers, Warriors, Lakers and Heat.
15. Orlando Magic (3-10) — prev. rank #14
In the last 5 games, the Magic’s offense has scored over 100 points just once, but that one time was an incredible comeback win against the Jazz at home. Orlando’s offense over the last 2 weeks (96.5 rating) has been even lower than Detroit’s league-worst 99.5 rating.
The Magic are 3-0 in games that Cole Anthony scores 29 or more points. That’s a tall and unsustainable ask of Cole, but it pinpoints what gets this Magic team over the hump.
The second lottery rookie, Franz Wagner, has been impressive, more of a do a little bit everything type than we realized. Jalen Suggs is still very much struggling, to the point that some of NBA Twitter has pondered if a G League stint would be beneficial. (For the record, we totally disagree. Suggs belongs in the big leagues, it takes rookies some time — this insane rookie class really isn’t doing Suggs any favors.)
Checking in on contract-year Mo Bamba: the 3-point shooting has regressed slightly, but he’s still at 37.5% and very close to averaging a double-double, 11.8 points and 9.5 rebounds.
A 5-game Eastern Conference road trip commences tonight for the Magic: @Atlanta, @New York and then @Milwaukee twice.
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Western Conference Power Rankings coming soon.
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