As humans, it's almost impossible to go into any new situation with a truly clean slate. Our past experiences and preconceived notions color our judgment and expectations, sometimes leading us to make decisions that we look back on with regret. Let's all try to avoid that as we begin the 2023-24 NBA season.
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr always says during the postseason that every game is different, every series is different. Well, if that's the case, then it's certainly true that every NBA season is different. So while we might believe in our minds that the Nuggets, Celtics, Bucks and Suns (in some order) are the league's four best teams, we have to look at how they're actually performing.
With that in mind, the first edition of the Power Rankings is full of relative surprises. The New Orleans Pelicans, Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic and Dallas Mavericks all find themselves in the top-six by virtue of their undefeated records. Will they be there next week? Next month? Next season? Nobody can know, which is why it's best to live in the moment and enjoy the ride.
After that whole spiel, the Nuggets and Celtics are still the top two teams, looking as good on the court as they do on paper. At the bottom, we have the winless Trail Blazers, Rockets, Grizzlies and Nets trying to fight their way out of the cellar. The best part about these lists is that we do a new one each week, so you can expect plenty of changes along the way.
Here is the first edition of the 2023-24 NBA Power Rankings. It will be fun to compare these to how things look in six months.
*Please keep in mind that our NBA Power Rankings are based on weekly performance, not the whole season.
Biggest Movers
17
Pacers
15
Cavaliers
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Ho hum, just another three wins to start the season for the well-oiled machine that is the Denver Nuggets. After Sunday's drubbing of the Thunder, the Nuggets now have a robust net rating of plus-17.8. It almost looks unfair at times. Nikola Jokić has started his MVP campaign early, putting up 26.3 points, 13 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game on 62/46/77 shooting splits. Jamal Murray has been almost as impressive, averaging 21 points on 55/53/100 splits. Goodness. | -- | 57-25 |
| 2 |  | The Celtics are 2-0, and most would agree that they haven't gotten close to peak form yet. That's a scary thought. Jayson Tatum is in MVP form early, averaging 28 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists on 50% shooting. New addition Kristaps Porzingis has already endeared himself to Boston fans with averages of 23.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks over the first two games on 52/47/86 shooting splits. | -- | 64-18 |
| 3 |  | The Pelicans are 2-0 and Zion Williamson hasn't attempted a shot outside the paint -- all is well in New Orleans. The offense could be much better, but the defense has been the story so far this season, allowing just 94 points per 100 possessions to the Grizzlies and Knicks. Williamson and Brandon Ingram lead the team with 23.5 and 22.5 points per game, respectively, while CJ McCollum has put up 18 per game on 44% 3-point shooting. | 10 | 49-33 |
| 4 |  | Reports of the Pacers' bonkers offense have not been exaggerated. They've put up a robust 128.2 points per 100 possessions in their 2-0 start, dropping 143(!) on the unsuspecting Wizards in the season opener before hanging on to beat the shorthanded Cavs on Saturday. Tyrese Haliburton has been All-NBA level so far, putting up 41 points and 24 assists in the two games while committing just four turnovers. Aaron Nesmith appears ready to make a bid for more opportunities, averaging 16.5 points and seven rebounds on 6-for-12 3-point shooting. | 17 | 47-35 |
| 5 |  | Luka isn't wasting any time getting up to his old tricks. He put up a 33-point triple-double on opening night to help stave off Victor Wembanyama and the pesky Spurs, then went into supernova mode to bring the Mavs back in a thrilling win over the Nets on Friday. Dončić scored 49 points, making four straight 3-pointers in the closing minutes, including a one-handed heave from the sideline with the shot clock expiring. Just magical stuff. Oh yeah, Dallas is 2-0 with Kyrie Irving going 2-for-12 on 3-point attempts thus far. | 11 | 50-32 |
| 6 |  | Ladies and gentlemen, your 2-0 Orlando Magic. Nevermind that they beat two teams expected to be among the worst in the Western Conference -- wins are wins. Franz Wagner leads the way offensively with 21 points per game on 38% 3-point shooting, and Cole Anthony has been the spark plug off the bench Orlando desperately needs, putting up 19 points per game at a 52% shooting clip from the field. Another positive sign is that the defense has absolutely locked up opponents in the first two games. We'll see if that holds up when the quality of opposition improves. | 16 | 47-35 |
| 7 |  | The Suns won on opening night with two of their three stars on the floor, then split games with the Lakers and Jazz with only Kevin Durant available of their trio. Durant was phenomenal in the two games without Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, averaging 32.5 points on 56% shooting, but Saturday's win against Utah was a full-team effort. Eric Gordon, Jusuf Nurkić, Jordan Goodwin, Grayson Allen and Josh Okogie all had major contributions, an encouraging sign for the much-discussed Suns supporting cast. | 3 | 49-33 |
| 8 |  | The Warriors lost on opening night to the Suns, then picked up road wins over a new rival (Kings) and an old rival (Rockets) to finish the week 2-1. Draymond Green made his season debut on Sunday, pushing Chris Paul to the bench for the first time in his NBA career. CP3 kept the team afloat while Steph Curry struggled for much of the game, finishing as a plus-22 in the box score. Curry ended with a flourish, however, hitting four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help the Warriors pull away from the Rockets. | -- | 46-36 |
| 9 |  | The Kings' offense is still clicking, but the defense has continued to struggle over their 2-1 start. De'Aaron Fox carried over the magic from his breakout playoff performance, averaging 31 points and six assists per game on 49/38/81 shooting splits, while Domantas Sabonis keeps doing his thing with 18 points, 15 rebounds and six assists per game. Sacramento has been able to win without really getting going from 3-point range yet, which is a good sign for coach Mike Brown. | 2 | 46-36 |
| 10 |  | The Sixers would have started the season undefeated were it not for a late ambush from Damian Lillard on opening night in Milwaukee. Philly has looked good since, beating the Raptors and destroying the Blazers to finish out the week. Joel Embiid is back in MVP form, averaging 31 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks on 55% shooting. Tyrese Maxey has made a lot of people forget about James Harden, putting up 30 points, seven rebounds and six assists per game on 56%(!) 3-point shooting. | 1 | 47-35 |
| 11 |  | The Clippers looked great in an opening-night win over the Blazers, but their comeback fell short two nights later in Utah. They bounced back on Sunday, however, to blow the Spurs out of the water in a 40-point win. The Clippers seem more energetic and fun than in previous years, thanks largely to Russell Westbrook and Bones Hyland. It also helps that Paul George and Kawhi Leonard are healthy and active, putting up a combined 50 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists per night. | -- | 51-31 |
| 12 |  | OKC looked good in wins over the Bulls and Cavs to start the season, but ran into a buzzsaw Nuggets team in a bad home loss on Sunday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had an uncharacteristically poor 2-for-16 shooting performance in the loss, but he's still averaging 24 points and seven assists on 48% shooting -- which tells you how good he was in the first two games. Chet Holmgren has lived up to the hype so far, logging seven blocks against the Cavs and putting up 15 points and seven rebounds per game on 55% 3-point shooting. | 6 | 57-25 |
| 13 |  | Things went about as well as they could for new head coach Monty Williams in the Pistons' opening week, losing to the defending Eastern Conference champion Heat by a single point before convincing wins over the Hornets and Bulls. Cade Cunningham had a "remember me?" game in the opener, dropping 30 points and nine assists on Miami. The other early story has been Jalen Duren, dominating in his second season with averages of 18 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and three blocks thus far. | 16 | 14-68 |
| 14 |  | It was a tale of two games in the Bucks' first week, first with Dame Time showing up on the very first night of the season to deny Philly's upset bid. Lillard set a franchise record for a debut with 39 points, and hit an absolute dagger step-back 3-pointer to seal the win. Milwaukee would just as soon forget the encore, however, a 17-point loss to the Hawks on Sunday that wasn't as close as that deficit indicates. Lillard scored just six points in the loss. | 11 | 49-33 |
| 15 |  | The Lakers were outclassed by the Nuggets on opening night, then scraped their way past a Suns team without Devin Booker and Bradley Beal before narrowly falling to the Kings in overtime. Anthony Davis went scoreless in the second half of the opener, but has put up strong numbers overall with 26 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks per game on 48/50/91 splits. LeBron James supposedly had a minutes limit, but he's averaged 37 minutes over the last two games. The half-court offense is once again a problem for the Lakers -- a familiar refrain. | 10 | 47-35 |
| 16 |  | The Knicks lost to the Celtics on opening night, then beat the Hawks before scoring just 87 points in a loss to the Pelicans on Saturday. Jalen Brunson is shooting 48% on eight 3-pointers per game, but he's only connected on 29% of his 2s, after making 52% of them last season. RJ Barrett has picked up the slack, averaging 23 points per game on 47/38/82 splits, while Julius Randle has yet to find his range, shooting just 28% from the field. | 6 | 50-32 |
| 17 |  | The Wolves lost an ugly game to the Raptors on opening night before beating the Jimmy Butler-less Heat on Saturday. Hey, here's something that's not so great: Lineups with Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert on the floor have a net rating of minus-18 in 36 minutes. The offense has sputtered thus far, and it's clear they're going to need more time to click. It doesn't help that Edwards shot 36% from the field in the two games. | 3 | 56-26 |
| 18 |  | After starting the season with losses to the Hornets and Knicks, the Hawks turned things around extremely quickly by crushing the new-look Bucks in Milwaukee on Sunday. Jalen Johnson has been the breakout story of the young season, earning the start against the Bucks while putting up averages of 15 points and eight rebounds on 65% shooting over the three games. Trae Young has been shooting the ball atrociously (26.5%), a trend that Hawks fans hope does not continue from last season. | 3 | 36-46 |
| 19 |  | The Jazz had a tough schedule to start the season, but came away with a win over the Clippers in their home opener between losses to the Kings and Suns. There was a slight missed opportunity on Saturday against Phoenix with Devin Booker and Bradley Beal out, but they were on a back-to-back. Any thoughts of a regression for Lauri Markkanen have quickly been dismissed, as he's averaging 24 points and eight rebounds on pristine 49/46/92 shooting splits. John Collins has put up 13 points and 11 rebounds per game in his first season in Utah. | 1 | 31-51 |
| 20 |  | Miami survived by a single point against the Pistons on opening night, then dropped games to the Celtics and Timberwolves -- the latter without the services of Jimmy Butler. Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo have led the way offensively, each averaging 22 points over the first three games, with Herro shooting 38% from 3-point range. Rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. has looked good so far, and could earn more minutes moving forward. | 8 | 46-36 |
| 21 |  | The Cavs beat the Nets by a point in the opener, then dropped two games with Darius Garland out with a hamstring injury. Donovan Mitchell went off for 43 points in the loss to the Thunder, then joined Garland on the sideline for Saturday's loss to Indiana. Max Strus has looked good in his first year with the Cavs, averaging 19 points, nine rebounds and four assists on 39% 3-point shooting so far. Evan Mobley took more of the offensive reins on Saturday with Garland and Mitchell out, putting up 33 points to go along with 14 rebounds and three blocks. | 15 | 48-34 |
| 22 |  | The Hornets picked up an impressive win on opening night against the Hawks, but followed that up with a disappointing double-digit home loss to the Pistons on Friday. The defense has looked solid, but the offense has struggled mightily with just over 100 points per 100 possessions (not good). LaMelo Ball has averaged 17.5 points, 9.5 assists and 7.5 rebounds per game, but has gone just 2-for-14 on 2-point field goals so far. | 5 | 21-61 |
| 23 |  | A players-only meeting after the first game of the season isn't ideal. Neither is a 16-point loss to the Pistons. In between was a wild overtime win over the Raptors, but at this point something is rotten in the city of Chicago. The offense is generating a measly 103 points per 100 possessions, while the defense has been nowhere near the level it was last season. The Bulls front office has thus far resisted trading any of its "Big Three," but something will have to change if things continue down this path. | 4 | 39-43 |
| 24 |  | Toronto started off the season with a gritty win over the Wolves, then lost a wild overtime affair in Chicago before falling to the 76ers on Saturday. Offense has been a major problem, but the defense looks good under new coach Darko Rajaković. Scottie Barnes has taken on more of the playmaking duties after Fred VanVleet's departure, and the third-year forward has put up 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists per game so far. Dennis Schröder is averaging 16 points and nine assists on 53% 3-point shooting in his first season as a Raptor. | 1 | 25-57 |
| 25 |  | In case there was any doubt, it's certain now: Victor Wembanyama is the real deal. Even with Sunday's 11-point dud in a blowout loss to the Clippers, the 7-foot-4 prodigy is averaging 16 points, seven rebounds and two blocks per game to start his career. The efficiency may take a while to get there, but the skill set is on display every single night. Devin Vassell has led the way for San Antonio with 21 points per game on 55% shooting. | 3 | 22-60 |
| 26 |  | Things weren't looking great when the Pacers dropped 143 points on the Wizards at home in the first game of the season, but give Washington credit for bouncing back and beating the Grizzlies in a game that they led by 25 points in the third quarter. Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma are each averaging 23 points on over 20 shots per game (no surprise), while Tyus Jones has looked good as the starting point guard with averages of 15 points and 6.5 assists on 50% shooting from 3-point range. | 4 | 15-67 |
| 27 |  | Brooklyn dropped a heartbreaker to the Cavs in the season opener, then fell victim to Luka Magic after a valiant effort in Dallas. Cam Thomas has been the early story, going on one of his signature scorchers to the tune of 33 points per game on 63%(!) shooting. Ben Simmons hasn't been scoring much, but he's contributing in other ways, averaging seven points, 10 rebounds and 8.5 assists over the first two games. | 3 | 32-50 |
| 28 |  | The absence of Ja Morant and Steven Adams has shown its effects in an 0-3 start for the Grizzlies, who have generated just 102 points per 100 possessions thus far. Desmond Bane leads the team with 24 points per game, but has seen a predictable drop in efficiency with defenses keyed in on him. Xavier Tillman is doing an admirable job filling in for Adams with averages of 12.7 points, nine rebounds, two steals and a block, but, ultimately, the Grizzlies are going to have to find a way to consistently put the ball in the basket if they're going to survive while Morant serves his suspension. | 11 | 27-55 |
| 29 |  | Well, the acclimation process might take a little more time for the new-look Rockets, who dropped games to the Magic, Spurs and Warriors to start the season. New coach Ime Udoka seems to still be figuring out roles on a team chock full of young talent, but Alperen Sengun has stood out thus far, putting up 19 points, nine rebounds and seven assists per game on 55% shooting. Fred VanVleet has struggled shooting the ball, averaging 15 points per game on 37% shooting from the field. | 4 | 41-41 |
| 30 |  | Whatever hope the Blazers may have held for a surprisingly strong start may have gone out the window when Anfernee Simons tore a ligament in his thumb, an injury expected to keep him out at least a month. Shaedon Sharpe appears ready to step up in the scoring department, putting up 19 points per game this season, but Portland is going to need more from Deandre Ayton, who has sputtered to just 8.3 points per game thus far. Rookie Scoot Henderson has struggled as well, averaging just over seven points per game on 33% shooting. | 4 | 21-61 |
