NBA Power Rankings: Can the Nets Overcome Their Defensive Deficiencies?
With a couple of weeks in the 2020-21 NBA regular season in the books, it's time to take a look at numberFire's power rankings and see which teams saw the most movement since the last week.
Teams will be ranked in terms of nERD, which is our efficiency metric based on in-game data. These ratings allow us to understand which teams and players are performing best. nERD is indicative of a team's expected winning percentage, so an average team will have a nERD score of 50.0.
Here's a look at how each team stacks up.
The Bottom 10
| Ranking | Team | Record | nERD | Last Ranking | Plus/Minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 4-12 | 27.6 | 30 | 0 |
| T28 | Detroit Pistons | 4-13 | 30.7 | 29 | +1 |
| T28 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 7-9 | 30.7 | 27 | -1 |
| 27 | Sacramento Kings | 6-10 | 31.3 | 28 | +1 |
| 26 | Orlando Magic | 8-10 | 35.3 | 25 | -1 |
| 25 | Chicago Bulls | 7-10 | 35.9 | 26 | +1 |
| 24 | Miami Heat | 6-10 | 36.9 | 21 | -3 |
| 23 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 8-9 | 38.3 | 24 | +1 |
| 22 | New Orleans Pelicans | 5-10 | 41.3 | 16 | -6 |
| 21 | New York Knicks | 8-11 | 42.4 | 23 | +2 |
- Only three teams -- the Miami Heat, New Orleans Pelicans, and New York Knicks -- moved multiple spots in the bottom tier of our rankings this week.
- Miami has lost 8 of 12 in January and they now possess the fifth-worst net rating in the league, according to NBA.com.
- New Orleans started the season 4-2. They're now 5-10 -- you do the math.
- Meanwhile, while New York is losing plenty of contests, they're actually competitive more often than not. So far this season, the Knicks have racked up victories over the Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz, and Boston Celtics -- all teams in the top tier of our rankings. And though they have struggled offensively, the Knicks currently rank fifth in the league in defensive rating.
The Middle of the Pack
| Ranking | Team | Record | nERD | Last Ranking | Plus/Minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Golden State Warriors | 9-8 | 42.5 | 22 | +2 |
| 19 | Charlotte Hornets | 7-10 | 44.4 | 19 | 0 |
| 18 | Washington Wizards | 3-10 | 44.8 | 17 | -1 |
| 17 | Portland Trail Blazers | 9-7 | 46.8 | 15 | -2 |
| 16 | Houston Rockets | 7-9 | 47.5 | 20 | +4 |
| 15 | Memphis Grizzlies | 7-6 | 47.6 | 15 | 0 |
| 14 | Toronto Raptors | 7-10 | 50.5 | 14 | 0 |
| 13 | San Antonio Spurs | 9-8 | 51.8 | 13 | 0 |
| 12 | Phoenix Suns | 8-7 | 53.2 | 10 | -2 |
| 11 | Dallas Mavericks | 8-9 | 53.4 | 6 | -5 |
- The Golden State Warriors have also put together an impressive résumé of victories this season and have now won 9 of their last 15.
- Since trading James Harden, the Houston Rockets are 3-3, though two of their three defeats came by six points or fewer. Despite having a record under .500, the Rockets find themselves 12th in net rating as of Wednesday.
- The Phoenix Suns have dropped four of their last five, which was enough to bump them out of the elite tier of our rankings. The Dallas Mavericks have had similar misfortune, losing five out of their last seven, including three by 16 points or more.
The Best of the Best
| Ranking | Team | Record | nERD | Last Ranking | Plus/Minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Boston Celtics | 10-6 | 53.6 | 12 | +2 |
| 9 | Indiana Pacers | 10-7 | 53.7 | 8 | -1 |
| 8 | Atlanta Hawks | 9-8 | 55.7 | 11 | +3 |
| 7 | Denver Nuggets | 10-7 | 57.8 | 9 | +2 |
| 6 | Philadelphia 76ers | 12-6 | 59.0 | 7 | +1 |
| 5 | Brooklyn Nets | 11-8 | 62.1 | 3 | -2 |
| 4 | Los Angeles Clippers | 13-5 | 67.9 | 5 | +1 |
| 3 | Utah Jazz | 13-4 | 68.5 | 4 | +1 |
| 2 | Milwaukee Bucks | 10-6 | 73.2 | 1 | -1 |
| 1 | Los Angeles Lakers | 14-4 | 76.1 | 2 | +1 |
- The Boston Celtics are getting back to full strength, which has led to improved play. After dropping three straight, the Celtics have won two in a row by convincing margins.
- Another team rebounding from a brief rough patch is the Atlanta Hawks. At one point, the Hawks had lost six of seven, but they've since been victorious in four of their last five.
- The Brooklyn Nets have dominated offensively since trading for Harden, but they've been equally as bad on the defensive side of the ball. Because of that, Brooklyn doesn't seem like a worthwhile championship bet at their current odds.
- Riding a league-high nine-game win streak, the Utah Jazz have moved into the top three of our rankings for the first time this season. Unlike Brooklyn, a title bet on the Jazz might actually be an investment worth making.
- The Los Angeles Lakers have regained the top spot in our rankings thanks to a league-best 9.7 net rating and 14-4 record. Despite being championship favorites according to most sportsbooks, the champs are still worth a wager, as I outlined here.
