The Knicks? Up here? WTF, Jeff?
| Rank | Team | Record | nERD | Last Ranking | Plus/Minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-19 | New York Knicks | 6-4 | 41.8 | 25 | +6 |
| T-19 | Philadelphia 76ers | 6-4 | 41.8 | 26 | +7 |
| 18 | Milwaukee Bucks | 4-6 | 42.3 | 15 | -3 |
| 17 | Utah Jazz | 5-6 | 44.6 | 16 | -1 |
| 16 | New Orleans Pelicans | 6-5 | 47.5 | 19 | -3 |
| 15 | Denver Nuggets | 6-5 | 48.7 | 20 | +5 |
| 14 | San Antonio Spurs | 7-4 | 50.7 | 4 | -10 |
| 13 | Indiana Pacers | 5-6 | 53 | 18 | +5 |
| 12 | Detroit Pistons | 7-3 | 55.2 | 14 | -2 |
| 11 | Washington Wizards | 5-5 | 59.4 | 10 | -1 |
The Expected
The Washington Wizards are just about the most efficient .500 team you'll find. Their 59.4 nERD is a mere 0.3 points behind the 8-3 Rockets, but that's little surprise, as nERD has always shown an affinity for John Wall et al. Their next five games are against teams ranked in the bottom-third of nERDsville (the Lakers, Sacramento, Atlanta, and Miami twice), so expect their record to catch up to their metrics soon.
With former Jazzer Gordon Hayward healing up in Boston, Utah is a mediocre team. One of last season's top nERD dudes, Rudy Gobert, is a fine player, but one defensive-minded center doth not a playoff team make.
The Unexpected
nERD slots the Knicks as the 19th-most efficient squad and the Spurs as the 14th, which is just about the definition of unexpected. Without reigning nERD champion Kawhi Leonard around to be all efficient and stuff, the Spurs find themselves ranked 19th in offensive efficiency.
As for the Knicks, they're 11th in offensive efficiency, and it might be time to put Kristaps Porzingis in the MVP conversation. It'll be interesting to see where they're at after their upcoming tilts against the sorta-kinda faltering Magic, the putrid Kings, and the near-putrid Cavs. nERD doesn't have any rooting interests, but a quality basketball team in New York wouldn't be a horrible thing for anybody.