Written by Tal Cohen, Yaniv Horenstein, and Leo Schulhof

1. Denver Nuggets (8-2, LW: West No. 2)

This should come as no surprise, but the reigning champions sit atop the power rankings heading into Week 3 of the NBA season. Nikola Jokic has been superb in his seven-game stretch, averaging a whopping 29 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. Jamal Murray is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury until December, and while this is a significant loss for Denver’s offense, his absence has not yet been a deterrent to this basketball club’s ability to run up the numbers in the win-column.

2. Philadelphia 76ers (8-1, LW: East No. 3)

The Sixers have proved themselves as one of the deepest teams in the league, especially following the James Harden Trade. Nick Nurse has done a tremendous job balancing all the players on this loaded squad while making sure they play team basketball. Kelly Oubre has started his first season in Philadelphia on fire averaging 16 points a game alongside Tyrese Maxey who is proving that he is the point guard of the future. Joel Embiid has picked up right where he left off from his MVP season last year.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves (7-2, LW: West No. 6)

The Timberwolves are on a five game winning streak, with their notable wins coming against championship contenders in the Nuggets, Celtics, and Pelicans. They are being led by the emerging superstar, Anthony Edwards, who is now averaging 28 points on the season, along with six rebounds and five assists. Head coach Chris Finch is doing an excellent job of managing the twin towers in the twin city, Karl Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert. Th two big men have been playing off each other well and average a combined 21 rebounds.

4. Boston Celtics (7-2, LW: East No. 1)

The Boston Celtics are off to a strong start in the first three weeks of NBA basketball, only dropping two games to the Timberwolves and 76ers. Jayson Tatum has been a stud thus far, averaging 28 points and nine rebounds in a nine game sample size. The supporting cast have been equally impressive, getting it done on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday have proven to be amazing pick-ups for this squad, with Kristaps averaging 20 points and Jrue averaging 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists per game. Jaylen Brown hasn’t reached mid-season form yet, though he looked impressive in his last two games against Brooklyn and Toronto.

5. Dallas Mavericks (8-2, LW: West No. 10)

The Dallas Mavericks have exploded to a 7-2 start, with their only losses coming at the hands of the defending champions and the Toronto Raptors. Luka Doncic has been incredible, averaging 33 points, nine rebounds and eight assists per game, solidifying him as a Top 5 MVP candidate early in the year. Kyrie Irving has had a quiet season thus far, averaging a modest 21 points, but his impact has been felt across ten games. The Mavericks are looking like serious contenders early on, but there’s much basketball left to be played before making any formal declarations can be taken serious.

6. Indiana Pacers (6-4, LW: East No. 9)

The Pacers have been a fun surprise to start the season playing with the fastest pace in the NBA. Tyrese Haliburton has solidified himself as the face of the franchise averaging 23 points and a league-best 11 assists. Despite beating some of the top teams in the league like the Bucks and Cavaliers, the Pacers look clueless on the court when Haliburton is not playing, hence their 51-point loss to the Celtics earlier this season. Bruce Brown has proved to be a great offseason acquisition for the team and Miles Turner has looked like a great counterpart with Haliburton creating a dynamic one-two punch.

7. Golden State Warriors (6-5, LW: West No. 9)

Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors had a hot start to the season, dropping their first game but proceeding to win five straight against respectable competition, like the Kings (twice), Rockets and Pelicans. However, they have lost four of their last five matchups, bringing their record to a mediocre 6-5. Despite the bad stretch, Curry is putting up astonishing numbers, averaging 30 points, four assists and five rebounds per game. Chris Paul has been an interesting fit, and while he isn’t scoring the ball-- nor is he expected to-- his assists numbers are still solid, averaging almost eight assists per game. Andrew Wiggins, on the other hand, has gotten off to an abysmal start, averaging 11 points, four rebounds, and less than an assist per game, on 41% from the field and a concerning 17% from beyond the arc.

8. Milwaukee Bucks (5-4, LW: East No. 2)

The Milwaukee Bucks still have a lot to figure out. Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo are struggling to balance playing with another superstar in the system they are in. The Bucks also rank 25th in defensive rating which is a steep drop-off from last season when they were ranked 4th in the league. While a majority of their games so far have been nail-biters, newly acquired Damian Lillard, the most clutch player in the league has already proved beneficial to the team come closing time.

9. Houston Rockets (6-3, LW: West No. 14)

The Rockets started the season winless at 0-3, and have since caught fire, winning five straight by an average margin of 18 points. Their shining star this season so far has been Alperen Sengun, because of his versatility on offense, providing both scoring and playmaking. Jalen Green is currently their leading scorer but still struggles with efficiency. Their veteran presence in Fred VanVleet is super important, as Fred has been a distributor, averaging 8.4 assists, and has provided clutch shots in the 4th quarter when it’s needed.

10. Atlanta Hawks (5-4, LW: East No. 8)

The Hawks have won three of their last four games, and have notable wins against Minnesota, Milwaukee, and New Orleans. The Hawks are led by their dynamic guard duo, Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, who average a combined 48 points and 16 assists. However, their biggest surprise has been 2021 first round pick Jalen Johnson who is averaging 15 points on 60% from the field, nine boards, and one steal. In the starting lineup, the Hawks have looked better than they have in years, so it’ll be interesting to see if they keep it up.

11. Oklahoma City Thunder (6-4, LW: West No. 11)

OKC’s young core continues to improve every year as they gain more experience. Chet Holmgren has had an impressive start to his career averaging 16 points and eight rebounds, keeping him in contention for Rookie of the Year. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has started the season on fire averaging 28 points and six assists making him an early contender for MVP. However, Josh Giddey has struggled so far shooting 41% from the field and 22% from beyond the arc. Expect streaky shooting from these young guys as they piece things together throughout the season.

12. Miami Heat (6-4, LW: East No. 6)

The Miami Heat were off to a painfully slow start in the first week of play, reluctantly boasting a record of 1-4 due in part to Bam Adebeyo and Jimmy Butler’s poor production. However, since the first of November, the Heat have been on a four game tear, with Jimmy scoring above the 20-point marker in three of his last four games. Bam has been equally impactful if not more so, scoring 30 points and securing 11 rebounds in a game against Memphis, and achieving a 22-point, 19-rebound, and 10-assist triple-double against the Lakers. Their poor start unfortunately has the team sitting at 5-4 on the season, but with momentum swinging their way, the Heat have a serious chance at moving up the Eastern standings in the coming months. The road ahead will be difficult considering the 76ers and Celtics hold the #1 and #2 spots in the standings, but the Heat are no strangers to being a top seeded team.

13. Sacramento Kings (4-4, LW: West No. 5)

Sacramento had a fine start to the season, but things changed when their star point guard, De’Aaron Fox, went down with an ankle sprain in a game against the Warriors. After that, they suffered two brutal losses to the Rockets, but have rebounded with wins against Portland and OKC. Domantas Sabonis continues to do Sabonis things, dominating every game with an average of 17 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists. Malik Monk has taken on a good portion of the scoring load, putting up 14 points a game off the bench.

14. Toronto Raptors (4-5, LW: East No. 7)

The Raptors are sitting at 4-5, and it would be a lot worse if it wasn’t for Scottie Barnes, the third year forward who is going off this year. Barnes leads the team in scoring and rebounding, and he’s second in assists. Dennis Schroder has been a solid new addition to the team and provides playmaking and solid defense. Pascal Siakam has been the biggest disappointment so far, as the two-time all-star is shooting a career low from the field. But give it time Raptors fans, you have a brand-new leader, and a first-time head coach, so it may take some time for things to gel.

15. New York Knicks (5-4, LW: East No. 5)

The Knicks have had an up-and-down start to the season thanks to a poor start from their two stars Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson. However, the team has overcome their shooting struggles and relied on their defense to win games. The Knicks have won their last three games, and a big part is due to R.J. Barrett who is averaging a career-high 22 points. Mitchell Robinson is fifthh in the league averaging 12.4 rebounds a game while bench players like Josh Hart, Immanuel Quickley, and Donte DiVincenzo have stepped up for New York.

16. Los Angeles Lakers (5-5, LW: West No.1)

The Lakers have been extremely inconsistent, and sit at exactly .500 (5-5). Somehow, in his 21st season, LeBron James is still dominating the league, and is the main reasons why Lakers fans should have a lot of hope. They suffered some recent bad losses— 19 point loss to the Magic, and a 34 point loss to Houston. However, they have some big wins against Phoenix and the Clippers, so they’ve shown signs of playing at an elite level. LeBron leads their scoring and already has three 30-point performances, and Anthony Davis has been amongst the league leaders in blocks and rebounds. LA’s surprise player has been Cam Reddish, surprising fans with his defense around the perimeter. With more consistent contributions from their role players, the Lakers will be just fine.

17. Phoenix Suns (4-6, LW: West No. 3)

The depth in star power has already proved beneficial to the Suns as Devin Booker and Bradley Beal have missed significant time. The newly signed role players, Jusuf Nurkic, Eric Gordon, Grayson Allen, and Yuta Watanabe have all acclimated quite well together and stepped up when called upon but haven’t resulted in as many wins as they’d hoped. Kevin Durant hasn’t lost a step at the age of 35 averaging 30 points, six rebounds, and five assists. When all stars are healthy the Suns will be a scary team.

18. Orlando Magic (5-4, LW: East No. 13)

Paolo Banchero hasn’t played up to the standards he set for himself in his rookie season last year, yet he is still leading his team in all major categories. As he becomes a more consistent scorer, he will help catapult his team into play-in consideration. Alongside Paolo, Franz Wagner is averaging 18 points a game, becoming a solid second option for this team. Wendell Carter had a good start to the season but fractured his hand and will require surgery putting him out of action for a month. Jalen Suggs is becoming a great defensive option for the team, averaging two steals a game.

19. Brooklyn Nets (5-5, LW: East No. 10)

The Nets are another young team capitalizing on their depth in height across the roster. Cam Thomas has been scorching defenses across the league averaging 26 points a game but unfortunately suffered an ankle injury putting him on the shelf for at least two weeks. Nic Claxton has also been out since the first game of the season with a high ankle sprain and is aiming to return to the team in the next couple of weeks. Ben Simmons is slowly returning to being the star player he used to be in Philadelphia, showing off his facilitating and rebounding abilities while Mikal Bridges has done a solid job leading the Nets into play-in contention.

20. New Orleans Pelicans (4-6, LW: West No. 4)

The Pelicans started the year 4-1 and have since gone on a four game losing streak. Needless to say, the Pelicans aren’t the same team without CJ McCollum, who is sidelined with a collapsed lung. Zion Williamson hasn’t been very impressive either, averaging 21 points, seven rebounds, and four assists per game. Considering that Zion could have averaged upwards of 27 points in the year prior before his injuries, this isn’t the kind of output that the front office expected from Zion upon return. Brandon Ingram has been solid thus far, averaging 23 points, five rebounds and five assists per game, yet the Pelicans still find themselves tenth in the West. When CJ returns, the Pelicans should find themselves higher in power rankings, but for now, they’re the 20th best team in the league.

21. Cleveland Cavaliers (4-5, LW: East No. 4)

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been underperforming so far this season, with a record of 4-5. Although Darius Garland had been injured for most of the games played in October and early November, it looks like Donavon Mitchell isn’t getting the help that he needs to propel this team over the top. Mitchell is averaging an impressive 30 points, five rebounds and six assists per game. Meanwhile, Evan Mobley is having a great defensive year thus far, averaging two blocks to go along with 16 points and ten rebounds per game.

22. Los Angeles Clippers (3-6, LW: West No. 7)

The Clippers made a blockbuster deal with the 76ers to acquire James Harden, and with him on the court, they are 0-3. But correlation does not imply causation, so he can’t be fully blamed. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard got off to hot starts but have since had some poor performances. Russell Westbrook was showing sign of his old self but has also cooled off. These signs point to this group of players needing time to adjust to each other. Clippers fans must be patient, but there are concerns about the locker room. Ty Lue is going to have his hands full and needs to find a way to mesh some big egos.

23. Portland Trailblazers (3-6, LW: West No. 12)

Not much was expected of this rebuilding Portland Trail Blazers squad, especially this early in the season. In an eight game sample size, the Blazer have been hot and cold with a record of 3-5, all three of their wins coming back-to-back-to-back against questionable competition. They have been plagued by injuries as well, with Robert Williams requiring surgery on his knee which will keep him out for the season, and Scoot Henderson missing games due to an ankle sprain. In the absence of these important pieces, Shaedon Sharpe has been able to shine, and Malcom Brogdon has taken control of the front court as a reliable shot-creator and playmaker. Even players like Skylar Mayes and Toumani Camara have made strides as reliable options for the Trail Blazers, but so far in the season, the impacts of these players have not converted to wins, at least not for a three game stretch.

24. Charlotte Hornets (3-6, LW: East No. 15)

The Charlotte Hornets are a fun team to watch early in the season, despite the 3-5 record. LaMelo Ball had a slow start to the season but has since recorded multiple 30+ point games and a triple-double. Their center Mark Williams has shown serious improvement as well in his second season with the team. As expected, this team doesn’t quite have the pieces to be a serious threat to any team in the eastern conference, but they sure are an exciting team to watch. Gordon Hayward has also made a substantial impact, averaging 19 points, six rebounds and six assists. LaMelo is averaging 20 points, five rebounds, and six assists in his fourth year with the team.

25. Chicago Bulls (4-6, LW: East No. 11)

Chicago might be the most frustrating franchise to be a fan of in the league right now. Their team is too good to tank, with Zach Lavine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic, but those three aren’t enough to make the playoffs either. The team had a players-only meeting after their first game which was a 20-point home loss to the Thunder. Lavine tried to take things into his own hands and dropped 51 points and zero assists against Detroit later that week. The Bulls lost that game by 16 points. The Bulls are missing a facilitator at the guard position, and frankly, they are missing some leadership. Right now, it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel if you are a Chicago fan, so it might be worth it to sell everything at the trade deadline and start fresh.

26. San Antonio Spurs (3-7, LW: West No. 15)

The Spurs are one of the most fascinating teams in the league right now, due in part to Victor Wembenyama’s undeniable early impact to his team. After a solid start to the season, going 3-2 in the month of October, the Spurs have since been on a four game losing streak, even with big performances from the Frenchman. Victor is averaging 20 points, nine rebounds and almost three blocks in his rookie campaign, but as expected, his efforts thus far aren’t enough to propel this young team to playoff contention, and their early season win-loss column is definitely an indicator of that.

27. Utah Jazz (3-7, LW: West No. 13)

Lauri Markkanen is having another impressive season averaging 24 points and eight rebounds leading a Utah team that is still in the middle of a rebuild. John Collins is having a career resurgence in Utah following a rough couple of seasons in Atlanta. Walker Kessler has been disappointing in his second season, averaging a measly eight points and eight rebounds. If the team is going to win more games, they will need better production from their young center.

28. Washington Wizards (2-7, LW: East No. 14)

The Washington Wizards looked worse than expected playing very sloppy basketball. Jordan Poole has been wildly inconsistent on a nightly basis shooting 40% from the field. Kyle Kuzma has been the only consistent scorer for the Wizards, averaging 24 points and seven rebounds a game. Deni Avdija has also looked promising after signing his contract averaging 13 points for the team, but it is not enough for the team to win many games this season.

29. Detroit Pistons (2-9, LW: East No. 12)

Detroit is a young team, so they are going to be inconsistent and just not very good. They are currently on a seven game losing streak, but there have been some positive takeaways from their season already. Cade Cunningham is showing signs of being a star. After missing most of last season, the 22-year-old guard is averaging 24 points a game with seven assists and four rebounds. The surprise player has been their first-round pick, Marcus Sasser, out of Houston. The rookie has been putting up 11 points in 21 minutes and shoots 44% from deep. The Pistons have also been getting some excellent minutes from their big man trio in Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart, and Marin Bailey III. Detroit has a bright future, but it’ll take time for these young guys to develop.

30. Memphis Grizzlies (2-8, LW: West No. 8)

No one could have predicted this start from the Grizzlies. Yes, they are missing Ja Morant, but they still have a solid roster. Demond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr, Marcus Smart, have honestly all been having solid seasons. Beyond that, the Grizzlies aren’t getting much help. Those three players are the only players averaging double-digit scoring. Losing Steven Adams has proven costly, as Memphis doesn’t have great rebounders. Their starting center is 6'8" Xavier Tillman who’s been solid, but often faces a size disadvantage in his matchup. Grizzlies fans just need to count down the days until Ja’s season debut on December 19th, but until then it might stay ugly.