There was a fair amount of movement in the bottom-third of our rankings, but in general, the bad teams stayed bad...although one of the Texas franchises seems to have gotten exponentially worse.
| Rank | Team | Record | nERD | Last Ranking | Plus/Minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Phoenix Suns | 2-4 | 17.7 | 30 | Even |
| 29 | Chicago Bulls | 1-4 | 26.5 | 26 | -3 |
| 28 | Dallas Mavericks | 1-6 | 31.5 | 23 | -5 |
| 27 | Los Angeles Lakers | 2-4 | 32.2 | 28 | +1 |
| 26 | Philadelphia 76ers | 2-4 | 33.5 | 24 | -2 |
| 25 | New York Knicks | 2-3 | 35.1 | 25 | Even |
| 24 | Brooklyn Nets | 3-4 | 35.8 | 29 | +5 |
| 23 | Sacramento Kings | 1-5 | 36.7 | 20 | -3 |
| 22 | Atlanta Hawks | 1-6 | 37.0 | 20 | -2 |
| 21 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 2-3 | 41.5 | T-12 | -9 |
The Expected
Considering all the turmoil down in Phoenix, it's little surprise that the dysfunctional Suns have maintained their death grip on the bottom slot. With a league-worst -14.7 point differential (gross) and upcoming games against San Antonio, Washington, and Brooklyn (yes, the Nets are a thing), expect to see them parked at numero treinta in this space next week.
We all knew the Los Angeles Lakers would have their fair share of growing pains, but man, it's hurting bad. Touted rookie Lonzo Ball is off to a brutal start, bricking his way to a 31.3% field goal percentage and a 55.6% free throw percentage. His player efficiency rating is a dreadful 9.07, and if it weren't for his nightly contribution of 7.7 assists and his 7.5 boards, we might well be hearing the word "bust" bandied about. As is the case with the Suns, the Lake Show has a brutal upcoming week, as they must face the Pistons, the Trail Blazers, the Nets and the Grizzlies. An 0-4 start to November is a distinct possibility.
And from the Department of Don't Worry We're Not Really Tanking, the Bulls and the Hawks still stink. 'Nuff said.
The Unexpected
Coming into the season, lots of hoops pundits trusted the process and pegged the Philadelphia 76ers as a legit playoff contender. Welp, thus far, not so much. Sure, Ben Simmons is playing out of his mind (among his cooler stats, he's tied for 21st in estimated wins added, ahead of Klay Thompson, Kevin Love, and nERD heartthrob Rudy Gobert), and Joel Embiid is averaging a 20-point, 10-point double-double in a mere 27 minutes a night, but beyond that, meh.
The team has been remarkably inefficient on both ends of the floor -- we're talking 25th in offensive efficiency and 20th in defensive efficiency -- and the Markelle Fultz mess isn't helping matters. They only play three games this week, so maybe some R&R will get them in a good space heading into November.
We had a hunch the Dallas Mavericks would be lousy, but we didn't know they'd be this lousy. Their -7.9-point differential is second-worst in the West and third-worst in the NBA, they've lost to the Hawks and the Kings (combined record: 2-9), and they rank 29th in defensive efficiency and 19th in offensive efficiency. We'll throw them a bit of sympathy because they've also lost to Houston, Golden State, and Memphis (combined record: 14-5), but this Mavs team is tough to watch. Pray for Dirk.