Western Conference Power Rankings: Mid-November Edition
1. Golden State Warriors (12-2) — prev. rank #2
Even if the Warriors hadn’t beat the bricks off Brooklyn last night, having them atop the West right now is an absolute no-brainer. And they did destroy the Nets, putting the entire league on notice once again.
Touting the #1 defense in the NBA and the #3 offense — over the last 2 weeks, the offense has been #1 and the defense has been #2 according to Cleaning The Glass — and with a +13.6 point differential, these Warriors have the same look and feel as the pre-KD juggernaut Warriors of old: dominant on both sides of the ball with Strength in Numbers.
Steph’s the clear-cut early front-runner for MVP, going Supernova Steph out of the gate: 28.7 points per game, 6.6 assists, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.7 steals with insane shooting splits of 54/40/96. And that 40% from 3 is on 13.4 attempts per game. Ya know, just on pace for the all-time record.
With the spotlight on him in the toughest matchup on the planet, Draymond put on a defensive masterclass on KD Tuesday night. Dray doesn’t get enough credit for being such a smart and intuitive player. It’s done wonders to have higher-IQ players surrounding him and Steph on this roster.
Jordan Poole has picked it up after his slow start. He hasn’t gotten back to preseason Poole yet, and if he does, the Warriors’ ceiling climbs that much higher. Even so, Poole is already averaging 17 points per game, #3 on this team behind Steph and… Andrew Wiggins, currently putting up 18 a night.
The Warriors finish up their east coast roadie at Cleveland on Thursday night, and at Detroit on Friday night, before heading back to SF for a couple more Eastern Conference foes, the Raptors and Sixers.
2. Phoenix Suns (10-3) — prev. rank #7
Welp, we low-balled the Suns in our last edition of the power ranks after their 1-3 start and they proceeded to rattle off 9 wins in a row. The schedule hasn’t been too tough, but good teams win the games they are supposed to. And even more impressive, the Suns have done all this amidst a serious organizational mess.
Devin Booker’s outside shooting is improving as we knew it would. He’s still not getting to the hoop as much, just 18% of his shots are taken at the rim compared to 24% last season. His free throw attempts are unsurprisingly down as a result. But it hasn’t held back Phoenix at all.
Chris Paul is leading the league in assists per game at 10.2 dimes a night. The Point God hasn’t averaged 10 assists since 2015-16 when he was still on the Clippers. CP is also leading the league in steals per game at 2.6 swipes a night. The craziest part of it all is that he’s currently averaging the lowest Usage% of his entire career.
We wondered how much JaVale McGee would have left in the tank in his 14th season, but we have to tip our caps to JaVale who stepped into the starting role while Ayton missed 6 games. JaVale played some really good ball, doing exactly what the Suns needed him to do: rim-run, protect the cup, and sprinkle in some sky hooks.
The Suns have the #2 defense in the NBA over the last 2 weeks, and that will be put to the test tonight and Friday night in a back-to-back vs. the Mavs who has the #2 offense over that same stretch. (Update: Luka has been ruled out for tonight so that test just got substantially easier.)
3. Utah Jazz (9-5) — prev. rank #1
The Jazz had actually lost 4 out of 5, including losses to the Magic, Pacers and Jimmy Butler-less Heat, prior to obliterating the shorthanded Sixers last night in a 35-point shellacking. Utah’s offense is flummoxing, somehow 1st in the NBA in offensive efficiency while bottom-5 in 3-point percentage, a category where the Jazz previously excelled (top-5 last year and 1st in 2019-20). When the 3s start falling, heads up for the Jazz.
It seems like Rudy Gobert has been the one generating the most buzz, and he is still averaging 15 points and 15 rebounds on 70% shooting from the field, but watch the Jazz and there isn’t much doubt that Donovan Mitchell is the true fulcrum and heart of this team.
Joe Ingles scoring is down, he just isn’t shooting as much, down to 5.9 attempts per game compared to 8.4 last year. Jordan Clarkson’s scoring is down a little as well, but he’s still shooting plenty, up to 9.7 threes per game, but he’s only making 25 percent of them.
More help is soon on the way: Rudy Gay has yet to play this season, still recovering from offseason surgery on his heel. But his return and season debut is expected to be imminent, opening up a new world of lineup flexibility for Quinn Snyder.
Utah’s defense was exploitable in that stretch of losing 4 of 5, putting this defense at 17th over the last two weeks, but they are still top-10 on the season thanks to a strong opening. They might climb back up the ranks with some bottom-tier opposing offenses on the upcoming schedule: the Thunder and Pelicans twice.
4. Denver Nuggets (9-5) — prev. rank #3
Before losing in Dallas on Monday night, the Nuggets had won 5 in a row behind a defense that is allowing opponents to score a low low 98.9 points per game. But it’s actually been the offense over the last 2 weeks that’s in the top-5 thanks to Big Honey.
Jokic has somehow been more efficient than last season when he was MVP. The advanced numbers says he’s the best in the game once again, and that it’s not particularly close. (We are just the messenger, take it up with the analytics if you’re currently yelling at us about Steph or KD.)
Will Barton has been Denver’s solidified second scoring option without Jamal Murray even before MPJ’s back injury put him on the shelf for the foreseeable future. Barton is actually dealing with his own back issue currently, but it didn’t stop the resilient Nuggets from beating the Blazers without him. (No Dame, but still). The Nuggets missed Willie B in that loss to the Mavs, though.
We love that Michael Malone is giving Bones 20+ minutes a game. And we LOVE that he’s actually playing Bol Bol even if it’s been out of necessity. Bones has definitely already proved he’s worthy of being in the rotation. With Bol, why not experiment and give him a chance?
Denver’s upcoming schedule features six teams in the playoff picture: home vs. the Sixers and Bulls, followed by @Phoenix and @Portland, back home for one game vs. the Bucks, and then a 7-game road trip that starts in Miami.
5. Los Angeles Clippers (9-5) — prev. rank #11
When we last ranked the Clippers 11th, they had commenced the season by starting 1-4, then they proceeded to win 7 straight and 8 out of 9. We are Clippers skeptics no more. The defense is legit, 2nd in the NBA, behind stifling wing-defenders that generate steals that lead to easy buckets in transition.
Paul George Revenge Tour II is fully underway and once again kicking ass and taking names, 27-8-5 with 2 steals a night. The Clippers offense can be a little too PG iso-heavy, but he’s been so good it doesn’t matter.
Our previous Clippers skepticism was mainly centered around this being a team with Reggie Jackson and Eric Bledsoe as the #2 and #3 scoring options. But Reggie Jackson is proving that last year’s playoffs were not a fluke, he can be relied upon in the regular season as well, scoring 18 points a night, almost matching his career-high. And 3-point shooting woes aside, Bledsoe has been able to attack the basket and hold his own on defense which was always his strength.
The best Clipper lineups still feature Luke Kennard and Terrance Mann, both of whom come off the bench. And the LIT lineup with Luke, Terrance and Isaiah Hartenstein is continuing to blitz opponents by 20.7 points per 100 possessions.
The Clippers just finished up 6 straight games at home, and now it’s off to Memphis and New Orleans before returning to Staples for another 6-game home stand: Mavs twice, Pistons, Warriors, Pelicans and Kings.
6. Dallas Mavericks (9-4) — prev. rank #8
It’s been difficult to get a good read on this Mavs team that was mostly either squeaking out wins or getting crushed. But after winning 5 of 6 games with the most recent victory over a damn good Nuggets team, it seems safe to say the Mavs are at the very least pretty good.
As always, it all hinges on Luka who very unfortunately had his ankle fallen on at the end of the Nuggets win on Monday night. It’s said that he will miss some time, but it’s not expected to be an extended amount.
No Luka obviously spells trouble for Dallas, but Jalen Brunson has played fantastic ball, increasing his scoring and assists to career-high marks. Brunson’s 3-point shooting is down, but he’s shooting well from the midrange and a stark 72% on shots at the rim, quite the feat for a guy who is 6-1.
Kristaps Porzingis missed 5 games in a row but has now played in 5 straight, averaging 23 points and looking more comfortable and agile than he has in quite some time. A very good sign for the Mavs who need KP to be a legit #2 guy. And perhaps being more of a focal point in the offense with Luka out will help further burgeon his confidence.
The Mavs embark on a 4-game west swing that involves just two other teams: at Phoenix twice and then a back-to-back against the Clippers in Staples, a rematch from the 1st round the last two years.
7. Los Angeles Lakers (8-7) — prev. rank #4
It feels like the Lakers are two bad losses to the Thunder away from people feeling a lot different about this team. They did get walloped by the Blazers and Bulls, but it was that 40-12 third quarter against the T-Wolves in addition to the huge blown leads vs. OKC that’s caused such a massive Hollywood ruckus. Dear Lakers fans: it is the middle of November, and The King is on da way.
AD’s averaging 36.4 points over the last 5 games, doing his part to step up as The Guy that the Lakers have needed him to be with LeBron out. You can tell that he has taken the bad losses to heart and used them as fuel on the fire. He really cares, and that’s what you want from your superstar.
THT’s return to the lineup has been a breath of fresh air. His calm presence alone is welcomed with open arms in Westbrook’s world of chaos that follows Russ around like Pig-Pen.
Something that’s not talked about enough is the fact that Avery Bradley couldn’t even make the Warriors roster, and he’s not only started 8 games for the Lakers, but he has regularly been playing crunch time minutes! The injuries have been very real. No timetable for Kendrick Nunn’s knee bone-bruise yet, and it’s at least another week for Austin Reaves strained hammy.
The Lakers begin a 5-game east swing tonight in Milwaukee, followed by @Boston, @Detroit, @New York and @Indiana. The word is that LeBron could return Friday night in Boston.
8. Portland Trail Blazers (7-8) — prev. rank #5
The Blazers bounced back from a doomy and gloomy loss in Denver (without Dame) by beating the Raptors in exciting fashion on Monday night to bring their home record to a sweet 6-1. (They are 1-7 on the road.)
Dame is coming around the mountain just like we knew he would. He’s still got a ways to go, but it’s encouraging to see him in the distance on his way.
If not for CJ, the Blazers might be completely lost in the wilderness with no map or signal. McCollum is drilling 40 percent of his 3s on high-volume 8.7 attempts per game.
Simons and Little have continued to play quite well off the bench. In fact, when Dame was still in his funky funk, and Simons was killin’ it, we pondered if Dame somehow gave Simons his powers.
The Blazers 6-1 record at Moda will soon be tested: vs. the Bulls tonight, and then the Sixers and Nuggets come to town, both of whom have already defeated the Blazers.
9. Memphis Grizzlies (7-7) — prev. rank #6
It’s been a wacky rollercoaster of a season for the Grizzlies so far. There have been some really big wins (Clippers at Staples, a 19-point comeback at Golden State, and the Nuggets twice) and there have been some really bad losses (by 32 to the Wizards, down by 38 to the Suns and down by 22 to the Pelicans.)
The achilles heel has been the defense which used to be their rock. The Grizz were 7th in defense last season and so far this season they are 29th, ahead of only the Pelicans. Switching from Valanciunas to Steven Adams as the “anchor” of the defense simply hasn’t worked out.
However, Ja Morant, as always, has been worth the price of admission and then some. Ja’s 3-ball is still falling, 38 percent on 5 attempts per game, making him more lethal than ever. Now if only he can not get lost in all those screens on D.
The Memphis bench has been problematic. It should get better with Dillon Brooks back in the starting lineup, moving De'Anthony Melton to the 2nd unit. But the advanced numbers do not like rookie Ziaire Williams at all.
Memphis did at least take care of the Rockets, blowing them out by 34, but the upcoming schedule isn’t as soft: vs. the Clippers tomorrow night followed by @Minnesota, @Utah and then back home for the Raptors and Hawks.
10. Sacramento Kings (6-8) — prev. rank #11
The forever streaky Sacramento Kings were on a 4-game losing streak when the word on the street was that always-on-the-hot-seat Luke Walton’s time might finally be up. The Kings promptly whipped the inferior Pistons, keeping Luke’s job once again. It’s gotten so bad that Kings fans were pissed the team won!
Harrison Barnes late-career resurgence has continued, he’s still averaging over 20 points per game, while De’Aaron Fox’s struggles with his outside shot have not wavered much either. 23 percent from 3 is actually a slight improvement for Fox from two weeks ago, but his overall numbers are all down and haven’t been this bad since his rookie season. (Might we suggest growing his hair back out?)
Davion Mitchell’s defense has remained as good as advertised (even if Chris Paul gave him the business), but his shot hasn’t looked like his last season at Baylor, or in the Summer League or preseason.
After receiving 9 DNP-CD’s to start the season, Chimezie Metu has not only been getting minutes over the last last week and playing well in them, but he’s even started the last two games. Over the last 3, Metu is averaging an out of nowhere 14 points per game.
Sacramento finishes up a four-game road trip tonight in Minnesota. Then it’s back to Golden 1 for four at home: Raptors, Jazz, Sixers and Blazers.
11. Minnesota Timberwolves (4-9) — prev. rank #9
Two weeks ago, the Timberwolves were 2nd in the NBA in defensive rating, and it was fair to wonder if that was just an early-season mirage thanks to an easy opening schedule. That does indeed look to be the case as the T-Wolves are 23rd in the defensive rating over the last two weeks.
KAT has played his ass off and is shooting the hell out of the ball, 45.7% from 3 on 7.1 attempts per game!
You can count on Ant-Man to play with intensity and to be aggressive as well, but the Minnesota offense seems to lack a balance and flow, most notably in late-game situations.
D-Lo is taking too many shots, especially in crunch time when he prefers to jack up bombs instead of feeding KAT or Ant. Less shot attempts and more assists would be great.
The schedule has been pretty brutal for Minnesota thus far, and it softens up a bit with 3 of the next 4 against the Kings, Spurs and Pelicans.
12. Oklahoma City Thunder (5-8) — prev. rank #15
A recent four-game Thunder winning streak filled with big comebacks had us back on the mountaintops screaming: SGA is so good you can’t tank with him out there! The tank was looking good after the 1-5 start, but Sam Presti is no longer sleeping well at night. OKC is currently a half-game back of the play-in!
Even crazier is the fact that SGA’s numbers are slightly down. He’s had some uncharacteristic off nights, but he draws all of the attention from opposing defenses. When he reaches his top-notch level like in those huge Laker games, LOOK OUT.
Lu Dort’s 3-point shooting is still down (28%), but he still not afraid to hoist them (6.5 attempts per game). What’s quite encouraging for Dort, though, is that his free throw shooting is at a sparkling 88.1 percent.
We oftentimes joke about Moose, and we do still think Mike Muscala might be one of the least exciting players in the league — and yet, he’s been playing pretty well! Moose is the Thunder’s best outside shooter, and the advanced numbers love him. Somebody we enjoy watching play is obviously Josh Giddey, not many rookies have his court vision or would even dare some of his audacious passes.
A revenge game awaits tonight: the Rockets beat the Thunder by 33 in the second game of the season. Then it’s time to hit the road for a tough 3-game east swing: @Milwaukee, @Boston and @Atlanta.
13. San Antonio Spurs (4-10) — prev. rank #12
The Spurs haven’t won a lot of games, but we still find them to be sneaky pretty good. Their -0.9 point-differential backs that up, as does the defense being #7 over the last two weeks. This is a re-building team without a true star, but they will give you their best shot.
Dejounte Murray has stepped his game up even further as the main guy, 19-8-8 with 2 steals per game is really damn good.
Keldon Johnson can pop off as well, he’s finally found his 3-ball, 12-of-20 from 3 over the last four games when he had only made 3 in the entire first 10 games of the season.
Devin Vassell is quietly making a second-year leap, increasing his scoring to 12 points per game from just 5.5 last season. He’s also hitting 40% of his 3s on 4.8 attempts.
The Spurs finish a 3-game roadie tomorrow night in Minnesota, then it’s back down to San An for a tough four games at home: Suns, Hawks, Celtics and Wizards.
14. New Orleans Pelicans (2-13) — prev. rank #13
The game after they had a 4th quarter lead against the Nets, the Pelicans finally snapped their 9-game losing streak by beating the Grizzlies in Brandon Ingram’s first game back. The Pellies also had a 19-point lead on the Wiz, but they weren’t able to close that one out in D.C.
Ingram picked up right where he left off after a 7-game absence, scoring 19 points in the win against the Grizz and 31 points against the Wiz. He’s the no-doubt #1 guy with Zion still out, something the Pels were considerably lacking the last two weeks without him.
We are always raving about this, but Valanciunas is still on pace to average a career-high in points and rebounds (19.4 and 13.2) for a third consecutive season. And we remain waiting to see how Zion’s return affects that. (The latest on Zion is that he has been cleared for contact drills and some 1-on-1 workouts...)
The Pelicans starters have actually been decent enough, it’s the bench that has been dreadfully awful. The second-worst bench net rating the league, they are oftentimes aimless without a sense of direction. Kira Lewis Jr. and Naji Marshall need to step up, they are capable of playing much better than they have.
The schedule the rest of the month for New Orleans looks flat-out treacherous: @Miami, Clippers, @Indiana, T-Wolves, Wizards, @Utah twice and @Clippers. Yoikes.
15. Houston Rockets (1-13) — prev. rank #14
It’s never a good sign when your own fans are joking about being an easy get-right win for opponents. But that’s what happens when you’re on a 12-game losing streak like the Houston Rockets currently are.
It’s worth repeating: It’s going to take time for the Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. backcourt duo to prosper. Lots of 3s that aren’t falling and a wild amount of turnovers. And then every so often you’ll see flashes of brilliance that get you super excited all over again.
Christian Wood’s numbers have dipped, but to be fair, he hasn’t played a whole lot of minutes in some of these blowouts. Alperen Sengun has been impressive, and it seems like he should be in the starting lineup sooner rather than later.
Eric Gordon’s three-point shooting has stayed at a very high number: 46 percent on 4.5 attempts per game. Might wanna cash in those chips to a contender while the value is way up there. (Yet his contract is likely to keep suitors at bay: $20.9 mil in 2023-24 is some scary stuff.)
Houston’s lone win was against the Thunder on October 22nd, a 33-point Rockets victory, and the Rockets play the Thunder again tonight, this time in OKC. The last two Rockets-Thunder matchups of the season will also be in the near future: November 29th and December 1st.
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