Welcome to Part 3 of this year’s bi-weekly NBA Power Rankings. The criteria of these rankings include (in no particular order):
- Team Record
- Net Rating (Point Differential Per 100 Possessions)
- SRS (Combination of Strength of Schedule and Net Rating)
- Sprinkle of where teams are trending
Not to the extent of last time, but we are still going pretty strong off the teams’ records with only a sprinkle of advanced stats. As the season goes on, we will begin leaning more heavily on the advanced stats.
With this being said, here are the top 10 teams after Week 4. Stats are accurate as of Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024.
Honorable Mentions
Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat
10. Dallas Mavericks (Not Previously)
The Mavs are going to be an interesting team all season long. On the one hand, their ceiling is making a run to the finals, exactly what they did last year. However, because of how their roster is constructed (three very weak guard defenders in their main core), they can potentially lose in the first round.
Dallas has been a very solid team since Luka Doncic hurt his wrist. Before coming back Sunday night, the Mavs went 5-1 in the games without him. I certainly do not believe the argument that they are better without him, but it will be interesting to see how this team plays together fully healthy for a long period.
9. Milwaukee Bucks (Not Ranked)
The team that looked like the biggest disappointment at the beginning of the year cracks my top 10. Yes, they are only a game above .500, but they just won six in a row, their star player is playing like an MVP, and their No. 3 option is on his way back. They dug themselves in a pretty deep hole, so there is little room for error. However, with the East being pretty weak, I think they can run with any team in the conference not named the Celtics or Cavaliers.
The Milwaukee Bucks have won 8 of their last 9 and 6 in a row as they move above .500 on the season.
42 point triple double by the best player in the NBA.
— Justin Wills (@itsjwills.bsky.social) November 30, 2024 at 9:32 PM
8. New York Knicks (Not Ranked)
We have yet another team that started slow but has gotten hot the past couple of weeks. They are 7-3 in their last 10, fourth in the East, and first in offense. Despite fans thinking their defense would be filthy with the OG Anunoby-Mikal Bridges wing duo, it has not been enough to overcome their weak point of attack and rim defense. With this being said, Karl-Anthony Towns has been playing like one of the best players in the East and Jalen Brunson seems to be heating up. Even though I would not take them ahead of Boston or Cleveland, I think they can compete with just about any other team in the East.
7. Golden State Warriors (-5)
The biggest falloff of the week went from No. 2 to No. 7. They have lost four in a row and fell from first in the West to fourth. However, despite their cold streak, they are still among the top 10 in all of the major categories. I’m not sure if they are closer to the team they were the first four weeks of the season or the last two weeks (probably somewhere in between), but it is going to be interesting to see how this team reacts to the adversity that comes their way.
6. Orlando Magic (+3)
One of the hottest teams in the league comes in at six. The Magic have won six in a row and nine of their last ten. They are currently third in defense, and ninth in both SRS and net rating. Most of the season has been without their star Paolo Banchero. While it is human nature to have questions about how they would be playing with him, the fact that they are only 22nd in offense leads me to believe that they would still be just as good if not better with him playing. Only time will tell, but I personally think that the Magic are the third-best team in the East, and they will begin to close the gap between them, Cleveland, and Boston when Banchero comes back.
Franz and the @OrlandoMagic have been on a TEAR in their last 13 games 👀
🔥12-1
They take on the Knicks tonight at 7:30pm ET on TNT! pic.twitter.com/SSwkLebq1p
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 3, 2024
5. Memphis Grizzlies (Not Ranked)
The biggest riser from the last ranking to this one just squeezes into the top five. The Grizzlies are in the top six in all major categories and have won six in a row. They have done this all with Ja Morant and Desmond Bane sharing the court twice in the last 15 games.
However, Jaren Jackson Jr. has been filthy this year. Three stats stand out: he is averaging 22.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting 51.9 percent from the field. There are only four other guys in the league doing this. They are Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Anthony Davis. This is mostly offense, but he has been even better defensively. He is the only player in the league averaging the amount of steals and blocks that he is.
I expected the Grizzlies to take a jump this year, and they are playing great without their young stars sharing the floor. This will be a scary team come playoff time if everyone can get healthy.
4. Houston Rockets (+2)
All of the top-four teams have at least an argument to be the No. 1 team in the league. The Rockets have been awesome this year. They are second in the West, second in defense, fourth in net rating, and they beat the No. 1-seeded Thunder on Sunday. With this being said, many question how sustainable this success will be long-term given they are only 18th in offense. I think this is a young team and they will figure it out eventually, but whether or not it will be this year is the question.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (-2)
I know you’re probably thinking, “They just beat the Celtics and are still at the top of the East, so how are they third?”
That’s a legitimate point, but the Celtics also beat the Cavs shortly after the last ranking, and the one time the Cavs beat the Celtics, it was when they did not have Jaylen Brown or Derrick White. Is this unfair? It might be, but Cleveland also lost three out of their last five before Sunday’s game. While I still believe in this Cavs team and they deserve their flowers, I do not think they are a top-two team.
2. Boston Celtics (+2)
Up until Sunday, the Celtics were on a roll. They won seven in a row, and one of those victories shattered the Cavs’ undefeated record. The Celtics are third in offense, eighth in defense, second in net rating, and third in SRS. Had they beaten the Cavs a second time on Sunday, I would have almost definitely put them No. 1. With this being said, I think the team ranked first has been slightly more consistent for the entire season.
The Celtics are even better this season, and maybe by a lot
— Cameron Tabatabaie (@ctabatabaie.bsky.social) December 2, 2024 at 7:38 PM
1. Oklahoma City Thunder (+2)
What is the most impressive thing about the Thunder? It is not the fact that they have the best defense, net rating, and SRS in the league. It is that fans were looking forward to watching the duo of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, and the Thunder rank first despite the two not playing a single game together. We’re excited to see how great this team looks when Holmgren is back to being fully healthy.
Main Image Credit: NBA.com Photos: Timberwolves vs. Celtics – Nov. 24th, 2024
