NBA Power Rankings: Where do Sixers stand after tough start to season?

Posted by Admin October 31, 2024 NBA

The NBA season is about a week old and now is the time for the first edition of the power rankings of the 2024-25 season. The league has seen its fair share of surprises and disappointments to begin the season and now is the time to see where each team stacks up.

In the East, the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers have been terrific while the Philadelphia 76ers have gotten off to a tough start amid the injuries to their star players. The New York Knicks will be there all season as well while the Orlando Magic and the Miami Heat cannot be forgotten about.

Out West, the Oklahoma City Thunder have been at the top while teams like the Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, and Minnesota Timberwolves will be teams to worry about as well.

With that said, here is the first edition of the NBA Power Rankings after the first week of the season:

30. Utah Jazz (0-4)

The Jazz are off to a rocky start to the season, but have to like what they have seen from second-year man Keyonte George. He’s averaging 12.8 points, 6.5 assists, and 3.2 rebounds to begin the season. Utah also has trade pieces such as Jordan Clarkson and John Collins.

29. Detroit Pistons (1-4)

The Pistons are close. They are taking steps forward under new coach JB Bickerstaff and rising star Cade Cunningham has been terrific. They are currently in the crawl stage before they can walk or run in this lengthy rebuild in the Motor City. More production from the veterans would certainly help.

28. Toronto Raptors (1-4)

The Raptors have gotten off to a solid start in terms of effort on the floor. They pulled off a win over the Sixers thanks to the strong play of rookie Jonathan Mogbo and Toronto almost pulled off a win over the Nuggets before falling in overtime. Coach Darko Rajakovic has his team playing solid basketball despite the record.

27. San Antonio Spurs (1-3)

The addition of Chris Paul has been a solid fit on the floor thus far. However, Victor Wembanyama has gotten off to a slow start in his second season as it appears the league has begun to adjust to him. The Spurs will need their superstar phenom to find a way to break through and get the job done on the floor.

26. Washington Wizards (2-2)

Alex Sarr won the first two rounds of No. 1 vs. No. 2 in the 2024 draft when he had seven points and nine rebounds compared to four points for Hawks rookie Zaccarie Risacher in a Wizards win. Sarr and the Wizards then took Round 2. Overall, Washington has to love the start for Jordan Poole who has got off to a great start.

25. Brooklyn Nets (2-3)

The Nets have been scrappy. Dennis Schroder has done a terrific job of getting everybody involved while Cam Thomas has taken on that go-to scorer’s role for Brooklyn. Management also has to like what it has seen out of Ziaire Williams who has shown flashes of potential.

24. Portland Trail Blazers (2-3)

The Blazers need Scoot Henderson to take another step in his efficiency. He’s shooting only 44.1% from the floor to begin the season and his 3-point percentage is only at 29.4%. At some point, Portland needs to decide what to do with the No. 3 pick in the 2023 draft as well as Anfernee Simons as the rebuild continues.

23. Atlanta Hawks (2-3)

No. 1 overall pick Risacher still needs time to develop, but with Trae Young playing like he has been, Atlanta needs more production. With that being said, Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, and De’Andre Hunter have been very good for the Hawks. Losing Bogdan Bogdanovic for an extended period of time will be tough for them to overcome.

22. Charlotte Hornets (2-2)

With LaMelo Ball healthy, this Hornets team has been much more watchable than in recent seasons. Ball’s ability to run the offense at a high level while also providing scoring is a big boost in Charlotte. One has to believe that when Brandon Miller returns, the Hornets will be a tough out every night.

21. Houston Rockets (2-2)

It has been an up-and-down start for the Rockets. They have had some good wins, but some head-scratching losses as well. Jalen Green has been playing out of his mind to begin the season and Alperen Sengun is making an early case to be named an All-Star. Houston just needs to find some consistency.

20. Philadelphia 76ers (1-3)

The Sixers have had a miserable start to the season. A win over the Pacers was nice, but losses to teams like the Raptors and the Pistons have shown a lot of warts. Philadelphia has struggled to shoot the ball from deep to begin the season and is relying on Tyrese Maxey a bit too much with Joel Embiid and Paul George sidelined for the time being.

19. Memphis Grizzlies (2-3)

The Grizzlies are coming off a loss to the tanking Nets at home that saw Marcus Smart leave the game after just six minutes. Memphis had to squeak out a win over the winless Jazz on opening night and then had a blowout win over the Magic, but losses to the Nets, Bulls, and Rockets have certainly been some head-scratchers.

18. New Orleans Pelicans (2-3)

The Pelicans haven’t looked good to begin the season. They barely beat the Blazers before losing to the Blazers in the rematch and then dropping two straight to the Steph Curry-less Warriors. New Orleans is a talented bunch, but it needs to clean up a lot of mistakes in order to move forward.

17. Sacramento Kings (2-2)

The Kings have to like what they have gotten from DeMar DeRozan so far. The veteran is averaging 23.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists through four games to begin the season. Sacramento overall has a talented roster, but just needs time to grow with this group.

16. Chicago Bulls (3-2)

The Bulls have looked better than advertised to begin the season. Having Lonzo Ball finally make his return to the floor is a big help to this group—although he’s currently out with an injury–while Zach LaVine has looked very healthy on the offensive end. Chicago still has a long way to go to become a regular playoff team, but this has been an encouraging start.

15. Miami Heat (2-2)

The Heat need Jimmy Butler to be aggressive. When he is taking things over on the offensive end of the floor, that’s when Miami is able to take off. He only took nine shots in a loss to the Knicks on Wednesday and Bam Adebayo has to better as well. Still, obviously, very early, but the Heat need their main stars to take off and lead the way.

14. Milwaukee Bucks (1-3)

The Bucks haven’t been good to begin the season, but one as to assume Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo will get it together. This is a very talented bunch led by two legitimate stars and Milwaukee will eventually get it together and go on a run. The Bucks will need Gary Trent Jr. to play a role on the defensive end.

13. Los Angeles Clippers (2-2)

The Clippers have two terrific road wins over the Nuggets and Warriors to begin the season, but home losses to the Suns—which isn’t a bad loss—and the Blazers—which is a bad loss. James Harden is playing well to begin the season and LA will be fine, but the Clippers have to weather the storm until Kawhi Leonard can return.

12. Indiana Pacers (2-3)

It has been a weird start for the Pacers. After making a surprise appearance in the Eastern Conference finals, some were picking Indiana as a dark horse contender in the East. However, Tyrese Haliburton has gotten off to a tough start shooting the ball and Indiana has taken some bad losses. A win over the Celtics on Wednesday should be a springboard.

11. Denver Nuggets (2-2)

Obviously, it’s still so early in the season, but the Nuggets haven’t looked great to begin the season. They had to squeak out wins over the Raptors and the Nets and the addition of Russell Westbrook hasn’t brought early returns to Denver. Nikola Jokic continues to be otherworldly so they can take solace in that.

10. New York Knicks (2-2)

The Knicks have received good play out of rookie big man Ariel Hokpurti which has been useful with New York down Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa for now. Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Mikal Bridges still need time to jell, but overall, the Knicks have had some encouraging performances outside of opening night.

9. Orlando Magic (3-2)

The Magic took a tough loss to the Bulls, but Orlando has gotten off to a good start to begin the season. Jalen Suggs has been terrific shooting the ball from deep and Paolo Banchero looks like he’s ascending into the upper echelon of players in this league. They just need Franz Wagner to bounce back from two lackluster performances.

8. Los Angeles Lakers (3-2)

The Lakers got off to a 3-0 start in the JJ Redick era, but then lost to the Suns and got blasted by the Cavaliers. Either way, LeBron James and Anthony Davis are playing well and Redick is maximizing the talent on this roster. One has to like the direction the franchise is going in as it moves forward.

7. Golden State Warriors (4-1)

The Warriors are currently without Steph Curry, but are off to a 4-1 start after two wins over the Pelicans. Golden State has received strong play out of former Sixer Buddy Hield who’s shooting 50% from deep and averaging 21.2 points to begin the season.

6. Minnesota Timberwolves (2-2)

When the Wolves get it together and go on their run, Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle have shown a lot of potential as a star duo. The trade of Towns to New York came at a bit of a shock, but Randle has played very well on the floor next to Edwards and the other pieces around them will eventually get it going.

5. Phoenix Suns (3-1)

The Suns have been terrific on either end of the floor. New coach Mike Budenholzer has made an immediate impact on this group while Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal continue to mesh and grow as a trio on the floor.

4. Dallas Mavericks (3-1)

The addition of Klay Thompson has proven to be a nice addition to begin the season. He can still shoot the ball with efficiency and has been a safety valve for Luka Doncic when he drives into the paint and kicks it out. Combine that with Kyrie Irving’s brilliance and Dallas is in a good spot in the Western Conference.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers (5-0)

The Cavs have been fantastic to begin the season. They’ve beaten the lesser teams in the league (Detroit, Washington, Toronto) while also earning wins over the Lakers and Knicks. Coach Kenny Atkinson has begun to implement his style in Cleveland while Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland have played well. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen have been terrific as well.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder (4-0)

The Thunder are continuing to grow. While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren are still the duo that will lead the way, the other pieces such as Jalen Williams, Alex Cruso, and Lu Dort continue to make an impact for OKC. One has to believe the Thunder are the top Western Conference contender.

1. Boston Celtics (4-1)

Despite taking a loss to the Pacers, the Celtics are still No. 1 in the league. Everybody in their lineup can stick a triple and the star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown continues to fluster opponents. Once Kristaps Porzingis returns, the defending champs will be an even-dangerous bunch.