Welcome back to NBA power rankings! Every 2 weeks, I like to share with you guys who I think are the top 10 teams in the league. We are now in the 15th week of the season, and the playoffs are less than 2 months away! With that being said, let’s get into the teams that made it this week.
MISSED THE CUT
Hornets – Two weeks have gone by, and the Charlotte Hornets are still the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference! Not only that, but they have been winning games without two of their best players in LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward. Terry Rozier has been stepping up in the recent wins the team has had. Before the season started, many expected the Hornets to be at the bottom of the conference, but here they are in April as the 4th seed. MJ deserves a little credit for finally making the Hornets relevant by drafting LaMelo.
Hawks – The Hawks were #10 on the list last time. They aren’t there anymore because another team has been playing very well, that I couldn’t exclude them from the top 10. The Hawks are still playing great basketball, having won four of their last five games even though John Collins has not played. Not much else to say about the Hawks as they continue their turnaround season ever since firing Lloyd Pierce.
Blazers – The Blazers have been in a recent slump. While they have been beating teams with losing records, they have dropped every game to teams with winning records. These are teams such as the Jazz, Clippers, Bucks, Nets, and the Mavs. The Mavs loss was the worst of all as they lost 40 points. They are still the 6th seed in the Western Conference, so they will avoid the play-in games if they end up finishing there. Portland needs Dame to step up and play like the MVP candidate that he is if they want to rise in the standings.
Now onto the top 10…
10. Grizzlies – This is the team that I had to put over the Hawks at the #10 spot. Memphis has won their last four games, and their most recent win being over the Hawks. They have taken over the #8 spot in the West over the Spurs as they continue to struggle. The Grizzlies caught a lucky break as Ja Morant avoided a major injury, played every game, and led the team to win. They are 26-23 and have done all this without Jaren Jackson Jr. as he still has not suited up this season. This tells you that this team has a great future and a lot of potential. The Grizzlies hope to make the postseason this year after losing the play-in game last year to the Blazers.
9. Lakers – The Lakers are back on the list after missing out last time. In week 13, the Lakers were doing absolutely terrible. LeBron had recently gotten injured, and the team had lost four games in a row for the second time in the season. However, ever since they missed my list, they went 4-3 in their last 7 games, which is a huge W in my book. After they barely beat the Magic, I expected this team to lose many games in a row. However, they proved me wrong and could get huge wins over the Kings and the Raptors. With the team being hopeful that AD returns after the road trip and LeBron returns by the end of the month, this team will be healthy and ready to do damage come playoff time.
8. Mavs – The Mavericks are playing extremely well basketball after their tough start to the season. That is a thing of the past now as they have been 19-8 in their last 27 games since starting the season 9-14. They have had extremely impressive wins lately against the Bucks, Jazz, and the Blazers. While I believe that it is too late for Luka to win MVP, he has played like one. The Mavericks will fight the Blazers or whoever is at the 6th seed later on to avoid the play-in games. They are currently one game behind the Blazers.
7. Clippers – The Clippers have won 8 of their last 10 games. Some of these wins have been against the Suns, Blazers, Bucks, and the Sixers. If they’re doing well, you might be asking why they drop in the rankings list? Something about this team seems off, and I believe that it will be obvious come playoff time. The Clippers will need all of their players to step up so they can finally get over that second-round hump. However, if you ask me, I don’t think Luke Kennard, Terrance Mann, and Nicolas Batum are going to be game-changing players and shine at the moment when it matters the most. Rondo will most definitely play well in the postseason as he always has, but for everyone else, I’m just not sure.
6. Bucks – I had to drop the Bucks from last time because they have had several rough games in the last two weeks. They lost a game to the struggling Celtics, got blown out by the Clippers, lost to the Warriors, and to the Mavs last night. The Mavs game can be excused since Giannis wasn’t playing, and the Mavs are a good team. However, they should have easily beaten the Warriors even though Giannis wasn’t playing. The Bucks blew a double-digit lead with less than four minutes remaining in the game, and Steph Curry went off on them in the fourth quarter. This team is good enough to make it to the finals, and they are going to go into the postseason with a lot to prove.
5. Sixers – With Joel Embiid returning to the lineup, the Sixers can expect to win many more games now. The Nets took over the number one seed in the Eastern Conference since Embiid was out for three weeks. However, now that he is back, the Sixers can definitely get that spot back from the Nets. It didn’t take long for Embiid to get his groove back as he dropped 35 points in an easy win against the Celtics. Ben Simmons is back to his inconsistent ways again and somehow managed to score 7 points in a game without Embiid playing. That type of gameplay will make sure that the Sixers do not go far in the playoffs. He will have to step up big time and show everyone why he should be considered a top point guard in the league. Right now, he seems scared to do anything scoring-wise other than driving in.
4. Nuggets – The Nuggets have made a giant leap from the 8th seed to the 4th seed in the Western Conference. They have won seven straight games in a row, and the entire team seems to be on fire! This has to do with a couple of reasons. The first reason being that Jokic’s teammates are finally stepping up and putting work in so Jokic doesn’t have to do everything literally. That was part of the reason this team was so inconsistent at the start of the season. Jamal Murray has been playing extremely well basketball recently and shut down the Clippers last week in a huge win. The second reason is trading for Aaron Gordon. Gordon added so much depth to this team, and it was clear that his talent was being completely wasted in Orlando. He has made this Nuggets team so much better and has been helping Jokic out in the paint. I can see the Nuggets as a true threat in the West.
3. Suns – This is an exhilarating moment for Suns fans. At a record of 36-15, this guarantees that they will not have a losing season for the first time since 2010. They had a tough loss to the Clippers last night, but they had won nine straight games before last night. The only thing that worries me about the Suns is the experience on the team. Only Chris Paul, Jae Crowder, and Dario Saric have had playoff experience on the roster, which may cause trouble for the postseason team. I am excited to see how Devin Booker will play in the playoffs, as he has been itching to make it there for such a long time. The ceiling for this team is a trip to the WCF.
2. Nets – Kevin Durant is now back from his injury, and the Nets continue to win games. They are currently sitting at 36-16 at the top of the Eastern Conference. It’s crazy to believe that the big three on the Nets have only played seven games together this year. One of them seems always to be injured. That is exactly what may hurt them in the postseason. They have to try their best to stay healthy, and if they do, they will be the favorites to win the East and maybe even the whole long (depending on Lakers injuries). I’ve always said, however, that this team always performs better with a duo rather than a trio. Because as a duo, they can get the rest of the team involved.
1. Jazz – Ending off the list this week, the Utah Jazz have reclaimed their #1 spot. They suffered two losses in a row against the Mavs and the Suns, but they have won their last 10 out of 12 games. Donovan Mitchell is beginning to look like a real superstar, and Rudy Gobert is looking to win his third Defensive Player of the Year award. This Jazz team has amazing chemistry, and they are very comfortable playing with each other. For that reason, I predict a Lakers vs. Jazz WCF this year. I believe that Mitchell’s leadership skills will show in the postseason, and this team will be able to make it out of the first round for the first time in three years.
