Western Conference Power Rankings: January 2025 Edition

Hello, 2025!

As we turn the page from one year to the next, it’s time to check in with some good ole fashioned power rankings.

LET’S GET IT.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (27-5) - prev. #1

December: (12-1) No. 6 offense & No. 1 defense

No Chet, no problem as the Thunder keep on clapping cheeks. OKC has tied the Thunder record 12-game winning streak.

They play sound and connected team basketball every night out. There is no higher compliment to be given to an NBA team.

January brings on the best of the East: Knicks, Celtics, @Cavs and @Knicks will be a really fun 4-game stretch.

2. Memphis Grizzlies (23-11) - prev. #6

December: (10-4) No. 5 offense & No. 6 defense

Two months in and the Grizz have made us change our mind, maintining a top-5 offense and (basically) top-5 defense no matter who is on the court.

It’s been the “next man up” mentality to the fullest extent. Nine guys were out on New Year’s Eve (as in injured - yes, NINE) and they still found a way to take down the Suns in the desert.

Taylor Jenkins still has this whole operation set up like the Spurs of old. Plug and play and ready to freakin’ roll. All that said, JJJ’s health seems more imperative than ever.

3. Houston Rockets (21-11) - prev. #2

December: (7-5) No. 13 offense & No. 10 defense

The Rockets are glad to leave the end of December behind them in 2024 with those two 4th quarter meltdowns at home to the T-Wolves and Heat. And all those ejections.

Houston is the rare upper echelon team that can have a different leading scorer on any given night. The Rox already have 7 different leading scorers this season: Sengun, Jalen Green, VanVleet, Jabari, Brooks, Amen and Eason.

4. Denver Nuggets (18-13) - prev. #5

December: (8-6) No. 2 offense & No. 23 defense

Hate to say it given Jokic’s sustained brilliance, but Nuggets games have been a rough watch.

Losses to the Wizards and Blazers make you wonder. The defense here has regressed mightily and they just seem to overall make things more difficult than they need to be. That’s what happens when you don’t retain your veteran continuity.

Even so, the Nuggets have climbed up a spot in these ranks amidst the muddy West.

5. Dallas Mavericks (20-13) - prev. #7

December: (8-5) No. 7 offense & No. 18 defense

Luka’s Christmas calf-strain and being out for a month is the unfortunate headline here.

But the Mavs actually started 7-2 without Luka but have since lost to the Blazers and Kings, although they didn’t have Kyrie in Sacramento.

Speaking of Uncle Drew, how far can Kyrie take them as the team’s No. 1?

Bonus: This bellwhether stat is still ringing true: When P.J. Washington scores 10+ points, the Mavs are 15-3.

6. Los Angeles Clippers (19-14) - prev. #9

December: (7-5) No. 21 offense & No. 13 defense

The Clips might be fresh off a loss to the Spurs and a narrow escape vs. the Pelicans, but if you told anybody before the season that the Clippers would be five games above .500 on January 1st with zero minutes from Kawhi, they would have been extremely concerned for your mental health.

And yet, here we are. The Clips have pulled this off by taking care of business against the lower class of the league: a 10-3 record vs. teams below .500.

Major hats off to this makeshift Big 3: Harden, Norm Powell and Zubac.

7. Los Angeles Lakers (18-14) - prev. #8

December: (7-6) No. 24 offense & No. 15 defense

So long, D-Lo — but hello DFS! The exact type of 3-and-D player the Lake Show needed. And don’t sleep on the Lakers getting Shake Milton as well. (Seriously.)

The Lakers defense actually improved in December, but the offense lost a step. It’s all about finding the right balance. (Bet you never heard something like that before.)

AD deserves soo much credit for only missing one game all season. And 40-year-old LeBron has only missed 3. It’s still the supporting cast that needs to get fully healthy and step up.

8. Minnesota Timberwolves (17-15) - prev. #11

December: (8-5) No. 23 offense & No. 2 defense

The good news is the Wolves are finding their defensive identity.

The bad news is that the offense is somehow getting worse…

Divincenzo showing signs that 2023-24 Knicks Big Ragu is still in there somewhere is encouraging. But even then, is that enough to get this team going like they were last year? (It honestly seems so unlikely.)

9. San Antonio Spurs (17-16) - prev. #12

December: (7-7) No. 17 offense & No. 16 defense

Not enough people are talking about how the Spurs already have 17 wins. They won 22 all of last season. We knew that going from no point guard to the Point God (no matter how old) would unlock so much from Wemby, and that has happened.

The thing that we didn’t anticipate, however, was the fact that Wemby, after his first 95 games, would have more 3s than Steph and more blocks than Shaq at the beginning of their respective careers. He’s a true Alien with the powers to rip the fabric of the game.

10. Phoenix Suns (15-17) - prev. #4

December: (4-9) No. 15 offense & No. 24 defense

Remember when the Suns were 8-1? Yeah, that was a long time and many big injuries ago.

Unfortunatley that’s been the theme here ever since KD arrived. He’s actually been healthy, but as soon as Book went out, the Suns cratered once again. Book is back now and there goes Beal.

January features a lot of Eastern Conference cupcakes: Hornets and Wizards both twice and the Nets. The Suns desperately need to cash those in.

11. Golden State Warriors (16-16) - prev. #3

December: (4-9) No. 25 offense & No. 19 defense

The Warriors started 12-3 and then the schedule flipped — so did their record: 4-13 since. Honestly, it felt wrong to mention the words Strength in Numbers when we did.

The inconsistent rotations and arrival of Dennis Schroder has everything out of wack. At least Kum Bucket appears to have turned a corner as Steve Kerr puts it.

De’Anthony Melton + an easy schedule might have been everything here.

12. Sacramento Kings (14-19) - prev. #10

December: (5-8) No. 8 offense & No. 20 defense

Mike Brown deserved better. So much better. #KANGZ

That said, it was a brutal 5-game losing streak (all at home) with the worst net rating in the league over that 2-week stretch — capped off by the blown 14-point 4th quarter lead to the Detroit Pistons.

Moving forward, Doug Christie is in as the interim coach. Can he solve the riddle that is DeRozan here? Or could Fox really be on the move??

13. Portland Trail Blazers (11-21) - prev. #13

December: (3-9) No. 16 offense & No. 30 defense

Just when Joe Cronin was sleeping better at night after a stretch of losing 10 of 12 games, Scoot’s game-winner over the Jazz helped stop the bleeding, and then Blazers took care of the Luka-less and Kyrie-less Mavs. (Note that Chauncy Billups was absent for those two wins.)

The Portland offense and defense flip flopped in December: the offense went from terrible to middle of the pack and the defense went from middling to worst in the league.

14. Utah Jazz (7-24) - prev. #15

December: (3-9) No. 9 offense & No. 29 defense

After every loss, we picture Danny Ainge smiling like the Grinch.

Utah actually had a top-10 offense in December, but the defense has remained in the doldrums.

The schedule over the first half of January is tough, but the second half includes the Hornets, Pelicans twice and Wizards. Plan your tank-off schedule accordingly!

15. New Orleans Pelicans (5-28) - prev. #14

December: (1-12) No. 22 offense & No. 26 defense

Trey Murphy is the lone bright spot here, averaging 25 points per game over the last six games as the team’s real No. 1 option.

It’s been a bloodbath of injuries and only 6 games from Zion. A current 10-game losing streak and losers of 19 of the last 20 games.

There are seasons from hell and then there is the 2024-25 New Orleans Pelicans.

____________________________________

We love this game!