NBA Power Rankings Update: The LeBron James Effect
Teams Ranked 30th to 21st
The Phoenix Suns move ever so slightly out of the basement, the Memphis Grizzlies make a play for the middle, and the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers plummet into the bottom-10.
| Ranking | Team | Record | nERD | Last Ranking | Plus/Minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Sacramento Kings | 0-1 | 24.6 | 29 | -1 |
| 29 | Atlanta Hawks | 0-1 | 25.3 | 26 | -3 |
| 28 | Phoenix Suns | 1-0 | 26.6 | 30 | 2 |
| 27 | Chicago Bulls | 0-1 | 30.3 | 27 | 0 |
| 26 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 0-1 | 31.8 | 17 | -9 |
| 25 | Brooklyn Nets | 0-1 | 36.1 | 25 | 0 |
| 24 | New York Knicks | 1-0 | 36.3 | 24 | 0 |
| 23 | Orlando Magic | 1-0 | 36.8 | 23 | 0 |
| 22 | Memphis Grizzlies | 0-1 | 39.1 | 28 | 6 |
| 21 | Los Angeles Clippers | 0-1 | 43.3 | 12 | -9 |
Risers
The Memphis Grizzlies were flat-out horrible last year, finishing 14th in the Western Conference at 22-60. Mike Conley only played 12 contests before needing season-ending heel surgery, and 73 games of Marc Gasol wasn't enough to drag the Grizz out of the basement. 22 other guys who you've probably never heard of got the remainder of the minutes for the team outside of those two aging stars, and the lack of consistency and reliable production officially put the nail in the coffin of the Grit 'N' Grind Grizzlies. This year, however, Conley and Gasol are back to full health, while fourth overall pick Jaren Jackson Jr. looks ready to contribute from the jump. They only have a 6.5% chance of making the playoffs by our numbers, but they're still making a play to get out of the basement of our power rankings.
Calling the Phoenix Suns "risers" for going from 30th to 29th sounds a little tongue-in-cheek, but they actually might be on the rise after spending the vast majority of 2018-19 as our 30th-ranked team with a bullet. Other than adding a solid trio of rookies in Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, and Elie Okobo, the Suns acquired wily vets Trevor Ariza and Ryan Anderson to fill out the roster around budding young studs Devin Booker and Josh Jackson. They're not about to challenge for a playoff spot or anything, but they're not likely to be our last place team much this season either.
Fallers
It's amazing the effect that LeBron James can have on two teams when moving from one to the other. We'll get to the Los Angeles Lakers soon enough, but first we see his former team -- the Cleveland Cavaliers -- plummet into the bottom-10. They still might have a shot at a playoff spot in the fairly open Eastern Conference (we have them at 4.8%), but dropping 9 spots when they were already fairly low in our rankings last year (17th, despite a good record and high playoff seeding) is a testament to just how important the King can be to a franchise.
Does anyone know what to make of the Los Angeles Clippers? Players like Tobias Harris, Danilo Gallinari, Louis Williams, Avery Bradley, Patrick Beverley, Marcin Gortat, Montrezl Harrell, and rookie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are all decent players you'd like to have on your team, but will they move the needle mish-mashed together with no true star to lead them? They only missed the playoffs by five games last year, and finished as our 12th-ranked squad, but with the trio of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan long gone, there's not much to excited about when it comes to what has once again become "the other team in LA".
