The 2021-2022 NBA season is just a few months away. With the bulk of the offseason complete and the Summer League dwindling down, teams are beginning to fill out their 15-man rosters.
Although the season does not start until Oct. 19, it is never too early to judge all 30 squads. Here are John Devereaux’s way-too-early NBA Power Rankings.
30. Orlando Magic
Orlando hit the reset button right at the trade deadline last season as they saw Evan Fournier, Aaron Gordon, and Nikola Vucevic leave the team within hours of each other. The Magic would receive multiple draft picks and young players to help start the rebuild. This will be the team’s first full year in the rebuild with a focus on developing young talent.
29. Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland has not been able to manage their roster properly. Other organizations have been able to move large unwanted contracts, and the league even saw a Kemba Walker buyout. Plus, there should be no reason why Kevin Love is still on the roster; it seems that the team is just using him as an excuse to not get better. Collin Sexton has also been rumored to be on the trading block, but management is still unsure about it.
28. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder are still a distance away from contending for a playoff spot. The team has young talent and extended their best player in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. However, the team will need to develop quickly so that they do not waste Alexander’s time.
27. Washington Wizards
Even with the additions of Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the Washington Wizards will finish in the bottom half of the league.
26. Detroit Pistons
Cade Cunningham and Killian Hayes are not players who can lead the franchise to the playoffs yet. Give these two young players two years, though, and the Pistons could find themselves back in the hunt. The team also has several young guys who excelled last seasons, such as Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart. Detroit has talent. Now, all they have to do is develop it.
25. Houston Rockets
The future is bright for this Houston Rockets team. Even after getting less for James Harden than his market value, the team drafted very well with the draft picks they received. Houston is still a few years away from being competitive, but they have multiple young players with bright futures.
24. San Antonio Spurs
Gregg Popovich will have one of the worst teams in his time with the San Antonio organization. The Spurs lost DeMar DeRozan this offseason, and the team is now All-Star-less for the first time in over two decades. There is a high chance that the Spurs become a seller by the trade deadline.
23. New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans had the worst offseason by a franchise in several years. The team should have been buying into players, whether it be via trade or in free agency. Instead, they lost Lonzo Ball, Eric Bledsoe, and Steven Adams, as well multiple first-round picks in return for an expiring contract in Jonas Valanciunas and DeVonta Graham. The team still has Zion Williamson, at least.
22. Sacramento Kings
Sacramento is one trade away from being a playoff contender. Once the team moves on from Buddy Hield and receives a starting-caliber forward, the Kings could find themselves in a very favorable situation. The team has great young talents in De’Aaron Fox, Davion Mitchell, and Tyrese Haliburton. A complementary wing for these three will help Sacramento rise.
21. Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota has yet again done nothing to improve their roster for Karl-Anthony Towns. Even with D’Angelo Russell and a second-year Anthony Edwards, this team will not find success in the Western Conference. Minnesota still lacks bench and rotation players who can fill in between the team’s big three slots.
20. Toronto Raptors
Toronto must have known that Kyle Lowry would not return this offseason because it drafted a raw prospect in Scottie Barnes. It has also been rumored that Pascal Siakam could be dealt. These two motives indicate a fresh start for the 2019 champs.
19. Indiana Pacers
The Pacers are still stuck in the mediocrity void. The team lost some pieces from their bench and did not make any big signings or trades so far this offseason. The starting five is very talented and can provide a winning season if they stay healthy. With a newly loaded East, it will be hard to see Indiana make a playoff run.
18. Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte had a great offseason. They drafted well, received draft capital for players leaving in free agency, and traded for the veteran experience. Charlotte could find themselves in the play-in tournament again, but this time around has a chance to win the tournament. The addition of Mason Plumlee may be the team’s best short-term signing as he will help LaMelo Ball offensively.
17. Memphis Grizzlies
The team did absolutely nothing to make themselves better during free agency. However, while Memphis did not sign one player, they did make a trade to acquire bench depth. The Grizzlies dealt Jonas Valanciunas to the New Orleans Pelicans for Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe. Both players will make great rotation players and can start in place of an injured player.
16. Dallas Mavericks
Even with Mark Cuban saying the team improved, the reality is that the Mavericks flat-lined. Dallas stagnated this offseason as they did not bring in anyone that will have a major impact on their team. Luka Doncic needs to perform at a very high level every night to get this Dallas team a playoff spot.
15. New York Knicks
New York finally saw their Knicks make the playoffs. Julius Randle and RJ Barrett improved rapidly last season. Then, the team then added former Boston Celtics guards Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier. New York still doesn’t have a star, but the roster is full of capable players.
14. Portland Trail Blazers
Damian Lillard asked for the Portland organization to build a championship roster around him. The team, however, has yet to make a move in that direction. In fact, Portland may have gone in the opposite direction. They lost a lot of bench pieces such as Carmelo Anthony and Zach Collins. With Lillard in tow, this team can still make a run for the playoffs but will struggle beyond that point.
13. Miami Heat
Miami has gone all-in for the next three seasons. The team signed former Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry to a three-year contract, extended Jimmy Butler, and re-signed Victor Oladipo. The Heat want to make another run at the title and this is the season to do it.
12. Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta had a great run in the playoffs, but the team did not do anything to provide much hope for improvement. Their young core is getting better, but the team will struggle if Danillo Gallinari and Lou Williams take a step back.
11. Los Angeles Clippers
Kawhi Leonard will miss the majority of the season, which hinders the Clippers’ chance of obtaining a top seed in the West. Still, the team will not fall too far down the standings thanks to Paul George. Los Angeles also brought back their productive bench to help fill in for Leonard’s absence.
10. Boston Celtics
Boston has the best duo under the age of 25. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are both All-Star-caliber players who can lead a young Boston team to a successful season if healthy. Boston also added veteran scoring depth to its bench. The Celtics should contend for a top seed in the Eastern Conference.
9. Chicago Bulls
Chicago had a great offseason, headlined by the additions of DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball. Both players are talented playmakers who can provide much-needed scoring that the Bulls lacked last season. The starting five may become the NBA’s most thrilling group to watch this coming season.
8. Philadelphia 76ers
Ben Simmons is still on the team, and because of that, the 76ers are still a top-10 squad. Simmons does provide elite defense and playmaking which allows the team to shut down any position. Embiid has also proven to be unstoppable and an MVP-caliber player if he stays healthy. Finally, the addition of Andre Drummond gives the 76ers a dominant rebounder and post scorer off the bench.
7. Golden State Warriors
Last season, Steph Curry silenced the NBA crowd after an MVP-caliber season. Curry was able to lead his injury-riddled squad to the play-in tournament. With Klay Thompson on track to start the season, the Warriors should return to their winning ways and contend for a top seed in the Western Conference.
6. Utah Jazz
The Jazz always play well in the regular season. The team is headlined by a very offensively talented bench, which helps the team thrive when Donovan Mitchell is off the court. If Rudy Gobert can produce more consistently on offense, the team could reach the top five.
5. Phoenix Suns
Chris Paul helped lead the Suns to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1993. Paul is aging, but with the help of Devin Booker and the emergence of DeAndre Ayton, the team has become elite. They retained every player of significant value from their title run and will try to recapture another chance of obtaining the franchise’s first title.
4. Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets have the reigning MVP in Nikola Jokic, and even with Jamal Murray missing most of the season to nurse his ACL, the team is still built to win. Bol Bol and Michael Porter Jr. will both be key figures this season and should each take large steps forward.
3. Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee did not make too many moves in the offseason after coming off an NBA title campaign. The same roster could mean the same success.
2. Los Angeles Lakers
After a hangover of a 2020-2021 NBA season, the Lakers reloaded their roster and built a team ready to contend for another championship under LeBron James. Rob Pilinka traded for Russell Westbrook and took to free agency to fill out the roster with shooters and veteran experience.
1. Brooklyn Nets
Without any setbacks this offseason, the Nets have three of the top players in the league. The trio of Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kyrie Irving is arguably the best offensive unit to ever be created. When healthy, this team is unstoppable on the offensive side of the ball.
Check us out on our socials:
Twitter: @PTSTNews and @TalkPrimeTime
Facebook Page: Prime Time Sports Talk
Join our Facebook Group: Prime Time Sports Talk
Instagram: @ptsportstalk
Follow John Devereaux on Twitter @NBADevereaux
Main Image Credit:
