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The original was posted on /r/nba by /u/powerrankingsnba on 2023-11-06 19:51:20.

25/30 rankers reporting this week. /R/NBA’s Power Rankings are published every two weeks which is a bit different from most rankings. Other than that we rank the teams the same way as our competition. If write ups are left blank the team rep decided not to submit. We encourage any user to fill in the blanks in the comment section.

# Team Δ Record Comment
2 Celtics – 5-0 The Celtics are the only undefeated team still standing. Albeit just under 2 weeks into the season, basically every metric says the Celtics are by far the best team in the league right now. The 76ers are 2nd in the league with a net rating of 11.8. The difference between the Celtics in 1st place and the 76ers in 2nd is the same as the difference between 2nd place and 8th place. The Celtics net rating is 18.1. It cannot be understated just how insane of a start this has been for the Celtics. If you want to be a downer, of course you could point to a lot of these stats being heavily inflated by the 51 point victory over the Pacers and their 19 point win over the Wizards (which was a 31 point lead going into the 4th before garbage time with no one in), but it’s fandom so who cares about being rational or realistic. Did you know this is the 11th time the Celtics have started 5-0 to start a season? All other 10 times they’ve made at worst, the ECF. Fuck it, hang the banner.
2 Nuggets -1 6-1 The Nuggets have picked up right where they left off in June, streaking to a 6-1 start and leading the pack in the West. We could talk about Nikola Jokic and his gaudy stats that have become the norm, but instead, I’d like to highlight the bench play this week. Though the season is still young, perhaps the largest question mark for the Nuggets entering this season was whether or not the bench unit would survive the loss of super sub Bruce Brown and veteran Jeff Green. Thus far, they’ve passed with flying colors. Reggie Jackson has looked much more comfortable this season, after his struggles trying to mesh as a trade deadline acquisition last year. Christian Braun has excelled and built on his solid performance in last year’s playoffs. The biggest surprise, however, has been the emergence of Peyton (S)Watson. Picked at the end of the first round in 2022, Watson was a project who left UCLA after one season averaging 3 PPG off the bench. After splitting the season between Denver and the Grand Rapids Gold last year, Watson has emerged as a tough defender capable of scoring around the rim and has looked surprisingly comfortable. Credit should also be given to coach Michael Malone, who has been including Jokic and/or Murray in the second unit more frequently this year to provide some stability.
3 76ers +4 4-1 The Sixers are… fun? The James Harden saga ended with some picks that may well be beyond Morey (or even Embiid’s) tenure and some expiring contracts, but the biggest positive of this year is the Sixers actually look kinda fun. Nick Nurse has this offense moving with nice motions and cuts, and they have some nice athleticism from new additions like Kelly Oubre. Even Tobias Harris is contributing at a high level! The question is, how long does this last?
4 Warriors +1 5-2 Back to back game winners separating the Warriors from being a top seed or a bottom at this way too early point of the season. The CP3 experiment is an interesting one. He has shot like Jordan Poole but everything else he is far better at. It’s not the improvement we thought we were getting but we will take it but bro please make more 3s. CP3 is now 2/26 from 3 on the season.
5 Mavericks +9 5-1 What a start for the Mavericks at 5-1, with their lone loss against the reigning champs. A big part of this hot start is rookie center Dereck Lively, who outplayed Victor Wembanyama in his NBA debut, and has matched that level of output already (against Charlotte for example). Another key for Dallas was that, before the Nuggets game Friday, Lka Doncic was putting in strong effort on the defensive end. Dallas will be tested in the span until the next rankings, playing just 3 home games to 5 road games with 3 back-to-backs in that window. If Dallas can survive that 8 game stretch, look for them to be a staple near the top of these rankings barring injury.
6 Bucks -3 3-2 It’s been a bit of a strange start to the Bucks’ season with new head coach Adrian Griffin still figuring the team out – it’s encouraging to see him switch to a defense that Brook can actually play in – but strange that he tried something so ill-fitted to the teams’ personnel for 4 games. With Dame, Giannis, and Khris all playing themselves into shape I doubt we’ll see the best version of this team until Christmas, but Dame’s already flashed the 4th quarter-scoring dominance he was brought in for and Khris has probably been our best player so far when actually on the court. Also, I hope MarJon takes Beasley’s starting job sooner than later… the kid can hoop and has clamps.
7 Clippers +3 3-2 Apply to be Clippers Ranker here
8 Hawks +9 4-2 John the Baptist was an Atlantan preacher active in the area of the Chattahoochee River in the early 21st century AD. John rose to fame by baptizing non-believers, and many of his followers considered him the messiah. John would rebuke those claims, saying that he was merely a prophet, and that the true messiah would come after him. John would eventually be sent into exile for a second round pick, and yet the faithful awaited the arrival of their savior. And for their faithfulness they have been rewarded. For even though He has been among us for two years, He has truly arrived this season. When His people stumbled against the Hornets and the Knickerbockers, He shouldered our burdens and entered the starting lineup. Ever since then, He has elevated His compatriots and helped lead them to four straight victories. His passing hones our sword, and His defense strengthens our shield. I come to you today as a humble prophet of His word, letting you know the glory of His works. Praise be to the Savior- Jalen, son of John!!!
9 Pelicans +9 4-2 The Pelicans have started strong led by the scoring of CJ McCollum and the defensive of Herb Jones. But they also have been without their complete duo of Zion and BI for half of their six games already. Fans wait with bated breath as the revamped medical staff was truly the most critical off-season change.
10 TWolves +5 3-2 Wolves start the season with the best defense in the association having held 4 of their 5 opponents under 100 points. Gobert is back to his top performing self and looks like the player who has won 3 DPOY. Anthony Edwards has started the season strong, and Wolves are getting major contributions from Naz Reid off the bench. Wolves off to a solid start and look to make noise in a crowded West.
11 Suns -7 3-4 The Suns Big 3 has disappointed so far: Bradley Beal has yet to play a game, while Booker has entered the lineup just twice due to nagging injuries. Kevin Durant is keeping the ship afloat, but this team is still learning how to play together. Two consecutive embarrassing losses at home to San Antonio have fed the haters and put fans on edge.
12 Magic +9 4-2 Season started off strong and then a visit to the Crypto.com Arena changed things real fast. Early west coast trip ended .500 with the cherry on top being a blowout win on the return home against the Lakers. WCJ is probably out for a few months after getting surgery on his broken finger and with both Harris and Fultz nursing lower body injuries, the Magic bench has been asked to step up big time. Goga more than held his own against AD and Anthony Black showed much promise after an underwhelming preseason. Paolo and Franz seem to have left their very early season slump behind them and Jalen Suggs has had an All-Defensive caliber start to the season. Maybe this gets said too often but the future truly is bright in Orlando.
13 Lakers -7 3-3 It has a been a mediocre(literally) start to the season, with a record of 3-3 to begin the season. It is pretty significant that our top wings in Rui, Prince, Gabe and Vando have been sidelined for half of these games(Vando is yet to debut), as the glaring weaknesses through this stint has been the lack of rebounding and stagnant offense during the non-LeBron minutes. Among the other playmakers, Reaves has picked up some steam after a poor start to the season since the OT-win vs. the Clippers (yay 11-game losing streak snapped), D’Lo has been alternating between great and awful games. AD, Wood and LeBron have been the bright spots so far, while the hope is that the physicality and rebounding is enforced as the injuries recede. Starting every single game with a massive 1st quarter deficit and LeBron solely being relied upon for offense is not sustainable in the long-term, hopefully some good health and urgency in games in on the way.
15 Cavaliers -6 3-4 Starting the season…

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