Western Conference Power Rankings: Early November Edition
1. Utah Jazz (5-1) — prev. rank #3
As they like to do in the regular season, the Jazz have been smooth rollin’ with one slip-up in Chicago.
Rudy Gobert is averaging 16.3 points and 17.2 rebounds, shooting a preposterous 72.1 percent from the field. While unsustainable, it’s clear that Gobert is highly motivated after getting Clipped in the playoffs.
Add Donovan Mitchell to the list of those struggling to shoot the 3 out of the gate, 31.0 percent on high-volume (9.7 attempts per game). Jordan Clarkson has been much worse: 24.1 percent on 9.0 attempts.
Mike Conley didn’t play in that Saturday night loss to the Bulls. The Jazz always miss him dearly when he’s not in the lineup.
Out of the 15 upcoming games in November, the Jazz get to play 10 at home.
2. Golden State Warriors (5-1) — prev. rank #4
It was crazy to see how low some people were on the Warriors coming into the season (looking at you, John Hollinger — he had them 9th!), and we feel validated for not letting other’s pessimism sway our Golden State of Mind.
We have long advocated that he should shoot even more, and Steph is up to a career-high 13.0 3-point attempts per game this season. However, something to monitor is the fact that he’s only shooting 46.0 percent on 2-pointers, currently his second-lowest mark ever.
Draymond can still fuel the Warriors with his tenacity and veteran savvy.
Jordan Poole has sure cooled off since the preseason hype train. But if he gets going again, the Warriors will really be firing on all cylinders. (Like when they get Klay back.)
Golden State’s 5th ranked defense from last season does not appear to be a fluke. After six games, they are 6th in the NBA in defensive rating.
3. Denver Nuggets (4-2) — prev. rank #6
The Nuggets offense has dropped off significantly (currently 24th) while the defense has entered the top-5.
Jokic’s assist numbers are down to 5.5 from 8.3 last season, but his 3-point shooting is up to 42.3 percent.
A forgotten man due to all of his injuries, Will Barton has stepped back into the role as the #2 scorer given MPJ’s $172M slump to begin the season.
Bizzy Bones Hyland has started getting real minutes and looks the part!
Denver’s November starts off with a back-to-back against the Grizz, both in Memphis.
4. Los Angeles Lakers (3-3) — prev. rank #1
The fit with Russell Westbrook has looked quite shaky at times but much better against non-playoff teams, especially with all of Melo’s 3s to the dome.
It’s a good sign that LeBron and AD are scoring at their usual rates, but the injury concerns haven’t subsided with a couple of scares already.
There has been a lot more Kent Bazemore and Austin Reaves than we would have thought…
But let’s not forget the Lakers have been without THT, Ariza, Kendrick Nunn and Wayne Ellington.
After two more cupcakes (Houston and OKC again), the schedule sure picks up: @Portland, Hornets, Heat, Spurs, Bulls, @Milwaukee and @Boston.
5. Portland Trail Blazers (3-3) — prev. rank #7
The Blazers lost to the Kings on Opening Night, then destroyed the Suns, got shellacked by the Clippers, blew out the Grizzlies, and then exacted revenge on the Clippers — all before losing in Charlotte on Sunday night.
Dame has started this season colder than a polar bear’s toenails: A stretch of shooting an absolutely putrid 3-of-35 from 3 has left his 3-point percentage at a mere 23.2 percent.
On the other hand, CJ has been as hot as ever: 43.3 percent from 3 on 10.0 attempts per game!
Anfernee Simons and Nassir Little have gotten off to decent starts. Both are scoring more than they ever have before.
The Blazers defense has been boom or bust so far, opponents are averaging 121.7 points in the Blazers three losses and 97.7 points in three Portland wins.
6. Memphis Grizzlies (3-3) — prev. rank #8
The Grizzlies are the only team to beat the Warriors, and they did so on the second night of a back-to-back in OT. The Grizz also took the Lakers down to the wire in thrilling fashion.
It all starts with Ja Morant, the fearless leader averaging 28.7 points, 7.7 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals. Ja is even flashing the 3-ball! Currently 38.9 percent on 6 attempts per game.
De’Anthony Melton and Desmond Bane are both shooting really well again: 43 percent on 6.2 attempts for Melton and 8.5 for Bane.
However, JJJ is only shooting 27.3 percent on 7.3 attempts. That should improve and the Grizz will be better off for it.
Here’s a nutty stat: The Grizzlies are 2nd in offensive rebounds per game, but 3rd to last in defensive rebounding.
7. Phoenix Suns (2-3) — prev. rank #2
It’s crazy that the defending Western Conference Champs are this far down, but here we are. It’s early, a.k.a. overreaction season.
Book’s overall offensive numbers are definitely down (especially 28.6% from 3), but his assist numbers are up tick to 5.8 per game compared to 4.3 last season.
CP3 and Ayton have been holding steady, however, Jae Crowder is having a very inefficient start, shooting a disgusting 31.7 percent from the field.
The bench unit has been pretty flat so far, bottom-10 in net rating after being #1 last season. The Cam’s (Johnson and Payne) have not been playing well.
The Suns are currently shooting 31 percent from 3 as a team, the 4th-worst mark in the league thus far.
8. Dallas Mavericks (4-2) — prev. rank #5
When the Mavs come to mind, it’s hard not to first think about last Friday night on ESPN when they got walloped by the Nuggets by 31. Dallas has yet to win against a playoff team from last season.
Luka has started slow again (23.8% from 3), but he still controls every facet of the Mavs offense. That’s why it’s so surprising to see the offense ranked 27th.
Porzingis has already missed a couple of games. Nobody could have foreseen his health being a liability this season. (Except for everybody.)
Reggie Bullock’s arrival (and hair) have been met with sub-par results, but Frankie Smokes is having a resurgence!
Jason Kidd has been as bad as advertised. Luka will help him keep his job for far too long.
9. Minnesota Timberwolves (3-2) — prev. rank #10
Hold the phone: Minnesota is 23rd in offense and 2nd in defense? Again, Minnesota is SECOND in defense!? (It helps that they’ve played the Rockets, Pelicans twice and short-handed Bucks.)
KAT (25.2) and Ant-Man (23.0) are averaging damn near 50 points between just the two of them. Add in D-Lo’s 17.2 and that’s 65.
Jaden McDaniels is 4th in minutes played here, but he’s averaging 3.2 points per game and shooting 28.0 percent from the field. Yikes.
Lineups with Josh Okogie, Jarred Vanderbilt, Naz Reid and Pat Bev have seriously mauled opponents on D.
The T-Wolves get to start the month of November against the Magic, but then face seven straight Western Conference playoff teams from last season (although three are against the Clippers).
10. Sacramento Kings (3-3) — prev. rank #11
As expected, the Kings defense has improved with rookie Davion Mitchell’s Off Night prowess. His energy is contagious. You can see it permeate to his teammates.
Harrison Barnes smoking-hot start to the season has been the talk of the town. The Year-10 leap has seen Barnes jump to 23.3 points per game. Shooting 45.5 percent from 3 on 7.3 attempts per game will be tough to hold, but Barnes looks really good.
On the other hand, De’Aaron Fox has gotten off to a very inauspicious beginning. Fox too often looks like he’s just going through the motions. Shooting 17.1 percent from 3 (!!) and 61.3 percent from the line sure ain’t helping things. He also doesn’t get many calls.
Buddy Hield off the bench is a 3-point spark waiting to happen. Haliburton has settled into the starting lineup nicely, along with Moe Harkless who adds an element of defense.
The Kings are winless at home, but 3-1 on the road. The next game at Golden 1 is Wednesday night vs. the Pellies, a winnable matchup for Sac-Town.
11. Los Angeles Clippers (1-4) — prev. rank #9
The Clippers lone win was a 30-point ass-kicking they handed the Blazers, but it’s been a week since that went down.
Paul George is doing just about everything he can, averaging 27.6 points while putting the team on his back every night.
Reggie Jackson is currently shooting 9.6 three-pointers per game (the same amount as PG) and he’s connecting on 29.2 percent of them. And Eric Bledsoe? He’s at 18.8 percent. Woof.
Luke Kennard, however, is still lefty sniping at 42.9 percent on 7.0 attempts. The best Clippers lineups in terms of net rating feature Kennard, most notably the LIT lineup (Luke, Isaiah Hartenstein and Terance Mann) that Brian Sieman keeps raving about.
The Clippers play the Thunder tonight at Staples, then travel to Minnesota for two games before returning for a six-game home stand.
12. San Antonio Spurs (2-4) — prev. rank #13
The Spurs are sneaky pretty good, defeating a short-handed Bucks team that still had Giannis in Milwaukee on Sunday night, pushing the Lakers to OT and hanging tough against the Mavs in Dallas.
Dejounte Murray has been the lead man for San An, breaking out to the tune of 17.8 points per game to go along with 8.8 assists and 8.5 rebounds. He should be getting more buzz for that.
Keldon Johnson hasn’t found his 3-ball yet (11.8 percent…), but he’s still averaging 15.8 points per game by shooting 52.9 percent on 2s.
Jakob Poeltl continues to be a really good rim protector. The Spurs defense is currently in the top-10. Poeltl has been rim running more, too.
It’s been a well-rounded team-effort (just as we suspected) as six Spurs are averaging double-digit points. (And Devin Vassell is close behind at 9.8.)
13. New Orleans Pelicans (1-6) — prev. rank #12
The Pelicans are rocking a bottom-5 offense and bottom-5 defense.
Without Zion, Brandon Ingram has once again assumed the #1 role for the Pellies, scoring 25.0 points per game. Ingram is shooting a stellar 45.5 percent from 3 (on 5.5 attempts), but his free throw shooting has gone the complete opposite direction: 68.8 percent.
Valanciunas is on pace to average a career-high in points and rebounds (19.4 and 14.6) for a third consecutive season. We’ll see how that goes whenever Zion returns. (2-3 more weeks is the latest timetable for Big Z.)
Trey Murphy III was the rookie we sang the praises of in the preseason, and he’s still shooting 40 percent from 3, but Herb Jones is now the N’awlins rookie catching our eye with his stifling defense and knack for the game.
The road doesn’t get any easier as a four-game West road trip awaits: @Phoenix, @Sacramento, @Golden State and @Dallas.
14. Houston Rockets (1-5) — prev. rank #14
The Rockets defense has actually been better than anticipated (currently 18th), but as expected, the offense has a turnover problem — leading the league with 19.3 per game and 27 last night against the Lakers.
It’s going to take time for the Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. backcourt duo to prosper. Rockets fans seem anxious because they know the talent is there, but remember: Time is on your side with all those Brooklyn draft picks.
Christian Wood is still holding it down as best he can, 19.2 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, shooting 40.6 percent from 3 as well.
Eric Gordon’s 3-point shooting has returned: 55.6 percent on 4.5 attempts per game won’t last but should pique a contender’s interest.
The Rockets conclude a 5-game road trip with another game against the Lakers on Tuesday night, followed by @Phoenix, @Denver and @Golden State before returning to H-Town for an ESPN prime-time matchup against Cade (hopefully) and the Pistons on Wednesday, November 10th.
15. Oklahoma City Thunder (1-5) — prev. rank #15
OKC currently has a league-worst point differential of -14.5, but they do also have a 26-point comeback win against the Lakers on the resume.
SGA has led the Thunder in points every game this season, resuming his role as their do everything wizard.
There hasn’t been a game yet without Josh Giddey making a play that wildly impressed.
Poku has had a dismal start to the season. You genuinely hate to see it.
The tank has gotten off to a much better start than last season. Sam Presti is sleeping well at night.
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Eastern Conference Power Rankings dropping soon.
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