Jalen Suggs, Orlando Magic. Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
30
Orlando Magic
Last rank: 30
Preseason Record: 1-3
The Orlando Magic have two young centers from the class of 2018 that they are trying to develop into long-term rotation pieces. Mo Bamba was originally drafted by the Magic, but injuries and COVID have slowed his development. Wendell Carter Jr. was up-and-down in Chicago and available “on the cheap” for the Nikola Vucevic trade.
Both players made an impact in the preseason. Bamba led the league in blocks per game, swatting 3.8 shots per game. He added 11.5 points, seven rebounds and 41.7 percent shooting from 3-point range, all in just 20.8 minutes per game. The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie joined the group predicting a breakout year for Bamba.
Some extra motivation for Bamba is the contract extension his direct competition for playing time received, a four-year, $50 million deal. Wendell Carter Jr. for his part scored 12.5 points per game in the preseason on a hyper-efficient 64.3 percent from the field, coincidentally the same amount (12.5) that he will average annually on his new deal.
The Magic hope one or both of these centers takes a major step forward, and they can either cement their center rotation or flip one for other assets down the line.
Bold Prediction: Jalen Suggs wins Rookie of the Year. The former Gonzaga point guard has had a shaky preseason, averaging just five points per game. Yet the Magic are going to provide him a full diet of shots, especially with Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac missing the start of the season. His work ethic and scoring skill, along with the volume he will have, will elevate him to a Rookie of the Year candidate. A few highlight plays or big shots will cement his place.
last week</a> we were reluctant to adjust too much for preseason results, this week we allowed the totality of the preseason to inform how teams shifted up and down.</p>
<p>In addition, we got out our Sharpie and wrote down a bold prediction for every team in the league. How we do bold predictions is to stay within the realm of reality, and use the predictions to highlight belief or skepticism in players and teams. Believing in Darius Garland of the Cleveland Cavaliers as a breakout player will mean pitching him for an All-Star team, not as an MVP candidate or the Cavs as a title contender. Let’s not get crazy.</p>
<p>In our final Power Rankings before the actual season begins, let’s go through every team. As always, we start in central Florida.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 30 </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Jalen Suggs, Orlando Magic. Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="30" data-rank-type="team" data-name="Orlando Magic" data-team-id="38" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 30th" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">30 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>Orlando Magic </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">30</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fmagic.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 1-3</p>
<p>The Orlando Magic have two young centers from the class of 2018 that they are trying to develop into long-term rotation pieces. Mo Bamba was originally drafted by the Magic, but injuries and COVID have slowed his development. Wendell Carter Jr. was up-and-down in Chicago and available “on the cheap” for the Nikola Vucevic trade.</p>
<p>Both players made an impact in the preseason. Bamba led the league in blocks per game, swatting 3.8 shots per game. He added 11.5 points, seven rebounds and 41.7 percent shooting from 3-point range, all in just 20.8 minutes per game. The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie joined the group predicting a breakout year for Bamba.</p>
<p>Some extra motivation for Bamba is the contract extension his direct competition for playing time received, a four-year, $50 million deal. Wendell Carter Jr. for his part scored 12.5 points per game in the preseason on a hyper-efficient 64.3 percent from the field, coincidentally the same amount (12.5) that he will average annually on his new deal.</p>
<p>The Magic hope one or both of these centers takes a major step forward, and they can either cement their center rotation or flip one for other assets down the line.</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: Jalen Suggs wins Rookie of the Year. The former Gonzaga point guard has had a shaky preseason, averaging just five points per game. Yet the Magic are going to provide him a full diet of shots, especially with Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac missing the start of the season. His work ethic and scoring skill, along with the volume he will have, will elevate him to a Rookie of the Year candidate. A few highlight plays or big shots will cement his place.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 29 </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Kevin Porter Jr., Houston Rockets. Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="29" data-rank-type="team" data-name="Houston Rockets" data-team-id="169" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 29th" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">29 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>Houston Rockets </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">29</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Frockets.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 1-3</p>
<p>The Houston Rockets are straddling a fence at the moment, and it’s unclear whether they will climb down into the field of tanking or try to walk along the top of the fence and fall headfirst into that field. They took four rookies in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft, including Jalen Green at No. 2 overall, and have a number of other young players in their core.</p>
<p>They should give those players plenty of run to see who they have and what they can become, while at the same time maximizing their ability to add another talent in next summer’s draft. Instead during the preseason, they have started a frontcourt of veteran players, with Daniel Theis starting at center alongside Christian Wood, and Eric Gordon or Danuel House Jr. starting at the 3 when available.</p>
<p>Wood has been really solid, averaging 13.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. He looks like either a building block of the future (he just turned 26) or a good asset to trade. Yet around him, the Rockets should be playing the likes of Alperen Sengun, Usman Garuba and Jae’Sean Tate. Chasing wins is not wise from a team-building perspective, but also not a realistic goal either.</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: They have the worst record in the NBA. To hammer home that point, our bold prediction is that the Rockets finish with the league’s worst record. At some point, they will realize that the youth movement is the way to go for the season. Even if they try to win early on, playing the likes of Gordon, House and David Nwaba, their complete lack of experience in the backcourt with Green and Kevin Porter Jr. should doom them to the bottom of the standings.</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons. Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="28" data-rank-type="team" data-name="Detroit Pistons" data-team-id="64" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 28th" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">28 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>Detroit Pistons </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">28</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fpistons.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 2-2</p>
<p>While the Rockets might be fighting their youth movement, the Detroit Pistons seem to understand exactly where they are. With four first-round picks of their own from the past two seasons, the Pistons look like they could start three or even four of them this season around Jerami Grant.</p>
<p>Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart are both in line to start, with Bey continuing his strong play from last season and “Beef Stew” manning the middle full-time, with Kelly Olynyk coming off of the bench. Killian Hayes, the No. 7 pick in 2020, missed multiple games with a concussion but started when he was available.</p>
<p>Cade Cunningham missed the entire preseason due to an ankle injury that is not expected to linger into the season. He is a lock to start as well, which means the Pistons could easily have a major youth movement in their starting lineup, with a collection of upside youth and reliable veterans on the bench behind them.</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: Cade Cunningham sets the modern record for triple-doubles. To clarify, we mean the “rookie” record for triple-doubles. Cunningham has a unique combination of size and passing ability, making him a candidate to rack up triple-doubles from the start. Oscar Robertson holds the rookie record with 26 in 1960-61, and that’s likely not realistic. In the non-juiced modern era, the record holder is Ben Simmons in 2017-18 with 12. Cunningham will inch out the record in the final week of the season and finish with 13.</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder. Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="27" data-rank-type="team" data-name="Oklahoma City Thunder" data-team-id="149" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 27th" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">27 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>Oklahoma City Thunder </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">27</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fthunder.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 1-3</p>
<p>The Oklahoma City Thunder are not trying to win basketball games. They know they will win some, especially with a budding star like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but that is incidental (and technically a little harmful) to their goals for this year. They have assembled a roster containing multiple raw, high-upside players, and they want to grow those players into true difference-makers down the line.</p>
<p>Rookie Josh Giddey looks well on his way already, averaging 13.5 points, seven rebounds and five assists per game in four preseason games. He directed the offense and helped propel the Thunder reserves to a win over the Denver Nuggets’ starters in the team’s only preseason win. Other players like Aleksej Pokusevski and Tre Mann will get plenty of run this year as well.</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a top-5 scorer in the league. Someone has to take shots on this team, and Gilgeous-Alexander is an excellent candidate to do just that. He averaged 23.7 points per game last season, and with his efficiency, a slight uptick in volume could get him into the 27 or 28 point range, enough to finish in the Top 5 in most years.</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs. Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="26" data-rank-type="team" data-name="San Antonio Spurs" data-team-id="29" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 25th" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">26 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>San Antonio Spurs </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">25</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fspurs.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 3-2</p>
<p>The San Antonio Spurs are a franchise that is used to winning games, bringing home five titles across two decades. Their current team has had to come to grips with its inability to keep winning without star talent, and they have finally excised the veterans who helped prop this team up for so long.</p>
<p>Now it’s something of a youth movement, although some of their “young” players are already in their mid-20s. Are Dejounte Murray and Derrick White the backcourt of the future? Can Keldon Johnson take the leap to be this team’s best player? These are the kinds of questions the Spurs have to find an answer to, a far cry from “how do we defend this superstar in the NBA Finals.”</p>
<p>Murray was clearly the team’s best player in preseason, leading the team with 17 points per game and even shooting 40 percent on 3-pointers. The newly signed Doug McDermott his 42.9 percent of his 3-pointers, as expected, while another newcomer in Thaddeus Young settled into a low-usage role as a rebounding and defending big. Do these pieces all fit together? We’re about to find out.</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: This season will bring the most losses of Gregg Popovich’s career. Making the playoffs for so many consecutive seasons means that Gregg Popovich has never truly sustained a losing season; the last two seasons, with 39 losses each, were the first losing seasons in almost 25 years.</p>
<p>The record for most losses in a season for Popovich goes back to his first season on the job in 1995-96, when the Spurs effectively tanked to get Tim Duncan. That team lost 47 games after Pop took over; a season of 34-48 would set the record for the future Hall of Fame coach.</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Collin Sexton, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="25" data-rank-type="team" data-name="Cleveland Cavaliers" data-team-id="156" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 26th" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">25 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>Cleveland Cavaliers </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">26</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fcavaliers.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 2-3</p>
<p>The Cleveland Cavaliers have slowly climbed up the power rankings, debuting at 27 and now landing at 25. That isn’t because of some major change, but simply a team that looks to have actual roster balance this year after injuries and poor construction doomed them a year ago. That, and Evan Mobley has looked really good.</p>
<p>He is still a beanpole and raw offensively, but defensively the No. 3 pick has flashed incredible instincts. He seems to know where to be and how to time his contests, leading to a number of blocks or shot-altering contests. He also has taken rebounds and pushed in transition as the ball-handler, the sort of frontcourt playmaking this team hasn’t had in years.</p>
<p>Darius Garland looks to be on the verge of a breakout season, one that not only puts him into the Most Improved Player conversation but on the fringe of the All-Star one as well. The Cavs also gave some minutes to their “Triple Towers” look of Lauri Markkanen and Evan Mobley at the 3 and 4 flanking Jarrett Allen. Allen is the shortest player of that trio at 6’11”.</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: Collin Sexton is not on the team at the end of the season. The Cavaliers and Collin Sexton have not been able to come to a contract extension as the deadline for rookie extension quickly approaches (October 18th). As a gifted scorer Sexton likely believes himself worth at or near the max. The Cavs likely understand that his lack of supporting skills and small stature as a 2-guard limit his value, as does the fact that Garland looks like their pick (wisely so) as their cornerstone guard. Sexton is not a great fit beside him, and therefore the prediction is that he is traded by the deadline, ideally for someone who can play the 3.</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans. Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="24" data-rank-type="team" data-name="New Orleans Pelicans" data-team-id="69" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 24th" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">24 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>New Orleans Pelicans </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">24</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fpelicans.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 1-3</p>
<p>There has not been a lot of optimism surrounding the New Orleans Pelicans this season, as outside criticism of their offseason has paired with the absence of Zion Williamson to cast a pallor over the organization’s start to the season. An absolute shellacking in the preseason has not helped things.</p>
<p>The bright spot has been rookie Trey Murphy III, who led the team in scoring with 17.5 points per game. The Pelicans traded back in the first round in July and picked up the perfect fit for their roster, a 3-and-D wing who can absolutely stroke it from deep. Murphy hit 53.1 percent of his eight 3-pointers per game. He chipped in 6.5 rebounds per game as well.</p>
<p>Murphy might start with Brandon Ingram at the forward positions with Williamson out to start the season. The backcourt looks set as well, with Devonte’ Graham and Nickeil Alexander-Walker in line to start. Alexander-Walker breaking out this season would go a long way towards helping the Pelicans move from up-and-comer to playoff team over this season and next.</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: Zion Williamson is first-time All-NBA this year. This prediction becomes incredibly bold with the news that Williamson will miss the start of the season as he rehabs from offseason foot surgery. When he comes back he is likely to face conditioning issues and minutes restrictions.</p>
<p>Even so, he has a chance to hit this lofty height if he is healthy the rest of the way. Williamson was incredible last season, a ball-handling freight train that no defenders in the league could stop. His combination of speed, strength and finishing tough is unheard of, Shaq-with-a-handle, and if injuries don’t hold him back he will be in the MVP conversation for the next decade.</p>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-436805" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1346817287.jpeg" alt="NBA" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1346817287.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1346817287-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards. Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="23" data-rank-type="team" data-name="Washington Wizards" data-team-id="142" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 21st" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">23 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>Washington Wizards </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">21</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fwizards.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 0-4</p>
<p>The Washington Wizards were the talk of the offseason when they managed to fit a dozen offseason moves into one mammoth five-team trade, effectively turning Russell Westbrook and a couple of draft picks into Spencer Dinwiddie and three rotation players, a much better situation to be in from a financial and team-building perspective, even if their theoretical “star power” meter went down.</p>
<p>This new-look group went out and laid an 0-for in the preseason, which is not the biggest deal in the world but also isn’t a shot of confidence. Daniel Gafford looked good as a potential breakout pick as this team’s starting center, and Dinwiddie was solid running the point in his first action since suffering a partially torn ACL.</p>
<p>On the other hand, many of the other new additions shot poorly from the field, and the team flung the ball around en route to a number of turnovers. The question of who will start at the 4 is wide open, with Davis Bertans ice cold all preseason and none of the other candidates standing out. Should fans of the Wizards be concerned heading into the season?</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: The Washington Wizards make the playoffs. The prediction here is that no, they should not. The Wizards were the eighth seed last season despite a massive COVID outbreak and having a much deeper roster this season can help a more balanced approach secure a .500 record or so this season. They might start slow and end strong again, and that will get them through the play-in.</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Buddy Hield, Sacramento Kings. Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="22" data-rank-type="team" data-name="Sacramento Kings" data-team-id="84" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 23rd" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">22 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>Sacramento Kings </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">23</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fkings.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 4-0</p>
<p>Five teams went undefeated in the preseason; raise your hand if you expected the Sacramento Kings to be one of them. The team with the worst defense in the league last season played reasonably well on that in the preseason, providing hope that this team can push for the play-in this year.</p>
<p>Davion Mitchell was the team’s big offseason acquisition, a defensive monster at the point-of-attack who has the nickname “Off Night” for how he limits opposing stars. He was a baller in the preseason, with a 17.8 net rating and an encouraging 52.6 percent shooting performance from 3-point range on decent volume.</p>
<p>The Kings are hopeful that De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton and Mitchell are capable of playing minutes together, as a lineup of those three plus Harrison Barnes and Richaun Holmes is a solid two-way group. Behind them, the bench still looks shaky and vulnerable defensively.</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: They will be part of a 300-point game. That vulnerability will almost certainly rear its head throughout the season. Mitchell will help the defense, but to go from last in the league to competent without doing much to change the personnel is a big ask. Their offense should have the ability to explode, however, which sets them up for fireworks.</p>
<p>Last season, the league’s highest-scoring game was a 149-146 barnburner between the Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets. The Kings’ combination of offensive firepower and soft defense could make them a part of a game that scores a few points more and crosses the 300-point mark. 10</p>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-436803" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1346764693.jpeg" alt="NBA" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1346764693.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1346764693-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves. Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="21" data-rank-type="team" data-name="Minnesota Timberwolves" data-team-id="86" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 22nd" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">21 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>Minnesota Timberwolves </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">22</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Ftimberwolves.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 3-1</p>
<p>The Minnesota Timberwolves caught lightning in a bottle late last season. Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards were all healthy and played above .500 down the stretch. All three enter this season healthy, and with new head coach Chris Finch able to install his system over a full offseason the optimism is growing in Minnesota and around the league that this team could get back into the playoff mix.</p>
<p>Towns was balling in the preseason, dropping 15 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists in just 22.7 minutes per night. For the first time in a while, this team has legitimate depth. They go 11 or 12 deep with reliable rotation players, and they can mix-and-match for offense (Malik Beasley) or defense (Patrick Beverley, Josh Okogie).</p>
<p>The question handing over the franchise’s head is whether a trade will be pulled off for Ben Simmons. He would make a great fit with Karl-Anthony Towns in the frontcourt, but the question becomes what the team has to give up to bring him in.</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: They will make the final playoff field. Chris Finch is a legitimate NBA head coach, and he has a lot of offensive pieces to work with. Towns is in line for a strong season, and Jaden McDaniels looks like a steal from last year’s draft. The long-term ceiling of Russell and Edwards as a pairing is still a problem, but they will help elevate the floor enough to make the final eight-team playoff field.1</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">OG Anunoby, Indiana Pacers. Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Image</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="20" data-rank-type="team" data-name="Toronto Raptors" data-team-id="81" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 20th" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">20 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>Toronto Raptors </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">20</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fraptors.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 3-2</p>
<p>The Toronto Raptors accidentally tanked last season, and this year they are looking like a team who is planning to fight their way back up the standings. If they can rebound as the team that almost made the Conference Finals two seasons ago, they will quickly move up these rankings.</p>
<p>For now, the reality of the changeover that has happened around their core holds them in a tension of uncertainty. How does Scottie Barnes look as a rookie, and is he a point guard offensively or a playmaking big? Is Malachi Flynn capable of becoming a starting point guard? Does Goran Dragic have anything left in the tank?</p>
<p>Nick Nurse is still an elite head coach, and he will have this team ready to play every night with some sort of opponent-specific wrinkle. Lineups combining Barnes, OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam are tantalizing, even more so if you add Chris Boucher to give maximum shot-blocking, rim running impact.</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: OG Anunoby leads the team in scoring. Siakam is out for at least a few more weeks to start the season, and for all of his offensive ability, VanVleet is best cast as a secondary scorer. Enter Anunoby, who has grown in leaps and bounds every season since entering the league. He is already a premier perimeter defender, but last year he increased his scoring by over five points per game. If he does something similar this year he will lead the team in scoring.</p>
<p>He did just that this preseason, averaging 19.3 points per game in just 25.1 minutes, hitting 54.2 percent of his 3-pointers. It’s very reasonable to think he can carry that over into the regular season. Anunoby could become this franchise’s fifth different All-Star in the last five years.</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Domantas Sabonis, Indiana Pacers. Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="19" data-rank-type="team" data-name="Indiana Pacers" data-team-id="100" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 19th" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">19 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>Indiana Pacers </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">19</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fpacers.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 2-2</p>
<p>Stop me if you have heard this before, but the Indiana Pacers were derailed by injuries last season. Their story mirrors that of at least a dozen other teams who all saw injuries to significant players prevent them from reaching their ceiling. Unfortunately for the Pacers, they don’t enter this year healthy.</p>
<p>Two presumed starters, Caris LeVert and TJ Warren are expected to miss the start of the regular season due to injuries. Add in the loss of Doug McDermott in free agency and the offensive ceiling for this team is greatly reduced. New head coach Rick Carlisle as a history of creating offensive gold, but he generally had an elite offensive player at the fulcrum: Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic being the key names.</p>
<p>Malcolm Brogdon is healthy and led the team in scoring this preseason, while rookie first-rounder Chris Duarte will be a part of the rotation, and possibly the starting lineup, from day one. If the Pacers get a career year out of Duarte, Justin Holiday, Oshae Brissett or Jeremy Lamb they have a good chance at weathering the injury storm and getting back into the playoffs.</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: The Turner – Sabonis pairing is broken up this season. Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis are both talented basketball players who have made their pairing work, but at the end of the day, both are ideally centers. Carlise hasn’t started two centers since his first stint in Indiana, and after a few months to evaluate things the team could finally follow through on the league’s worst-kept trade rumor and move either Sabonis or (more likely) Turner in exchange for a perimeter player. Warren once healthy can move down to power forward and help to open up the offense.</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets. Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="18" data-rank-type="team" data-name="Charlotte Hornets" data-team-id="170" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 18th" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">18 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>Charlotte Hornets </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">18</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fhornets.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 1-3</p>
<p>The Charlotte Hornets will be one of the most entertaining teams in the league to watch this season. LaMelo Ball loves to throw outlet passes that would make an NFL quarterback envious, and Miles Bridges is one of the league’s great in-game dunkers. This team will run and gun with the best of them.</p>
<p>The question will be whether they can find a way to create good offense in the half-court. Last season it was a lot of Terry Rozier isolation plays. Can a healthy Gordon Hayward help to balance things out and make their approach more sustainable? How much will they miss the shooting of Devonte’ Graham and Malik Monk?</p>
<p>Hayward, Rozier and new addition Kelly Oubre Jr. only played in one game, and that was a Hornets win. Oubre was incredibly active, blocking three shots in his 13 minutes. He will add some verve and help the Hornets thrive in their small-ball defensive swarm units, which use athleticism and activity to balance out a lack of size.</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: LaMelo Ball is an All-Star. Ball may have missed much of last season due to injury, but it wasn’t enough to hold him back from winning Rookie of the Year, because he was that good already. The Hornets should be in the play-in mix early on in the season, and Ball is the real deal and will put up numbers to earn an All-Star berth in just his second season.</p>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-436800" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1345058828.jpeg" alt="NBA" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1345058828.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1345058828-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies. Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="17" data-rank-type="team" data-name="Memphis Grizzlies" data-team-id="211" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 16th" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">17 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>Memphis Grizzlies </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">16</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fgrizzlies.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 3-3</p>
<p>A 3-3 preseason record doesn’t completely tell the proper tale of the preseason, as the Grizzlies spread their players out among the games; only John Konchar and Xavier Tillman Sr. played in all six games. In the four games where their core players suited up, the Grizzlies went 3-1, and overall they were a strong +9.3 overall across the six games. They played very well this preseason.</p>
<p>Part of that is because of their depth, which is ludicrous for how good it is throughout. The Grizzlies go 2.5 deep at every position, and with so many differing skillsets head coach Taylor Jenkins can craft lineups like he’s building Legos.</p>
<p>Ja Morant was electric, averaging 21 points per game in 25 minutes. Sam Merrill came over in the Grayson Allen deal and was on fire from outside, hitting 58.8 of his 3-pointers. If he can become a shooting specialist who comes in to nail a couple of shots he will absolutely see some regular-season minutes, somehow squeezed in around the million players on this team that deserve the same.</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: Jaren Jackson Jr. wins Most Improved Player. The former Michigan State big man came into the league with a lot of excitement, and he has delivered enough to keep the hype alive even if he hasn’t exploded like his fellow 2018 draftees Luka Doncic or Trae Young, or even DeAndre Ayton. He is healthy this year after missing nearly all of last season, and he was excellent in the preseason. If he stays healthy, he will take that step forward and win Most Improved Player after averaging 20 points. nine rebounds and two blocks while hitting 40 percent of his 3-pointers.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 16 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-436799" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1346844872.jpeg" alt="NBA" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1346844872.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1346844872-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls. Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="16" data-rank-type="team" data-name="Chicago Bulls" data-team-id="24" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 17th" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">16 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>Chicago Bulls </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">17</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fbulls.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 4-0</p>
<p>The Chicago Bulls decided they were done waiting around for draft picks to develop into good players. They mortgaged the future to compete in the present, bringing in Nikola Vucevic at the trade deadline and DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso over the offseason. Patrick Williams will likely start at the 4, and he is the only player drafted by the Bulls who is a lock to make the rotation.</p>
<p>The Bulls are an inverted roster, with its best defenders both in the backcourt and likely to come off of the bench. To win this season the Bulls need two things to happen: they need their offense to be smoking hot, and they need those backcourt defenders to cause havoc.</p>
<p>So far in the preseason: check and check. The Bulls have poured in 118 points per game and finished a perfect 4-0, with a whopping +21.5 point differential. Zach LaVine averaged 22.5 points per game in only 29 minutes a game while a part of the 50/50/90 club. He and DeMar DeRozan already have chemistry. So far, so good on the offense.</p>
<p>Defensively both Alex Caruso and Javonte Green were terrorizing opposing ball-handlers, and they spring a number of transition opportunities going the other way. Ball, Caruso and Green averaged a combined 5.8 steals per game in the preseason. That combination of transition-inducing turnovers and incendiary offense makes one think this experiment might actually work.</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: Despite all of the new talent, this team misses the playoffs. Now it’s time to toss a wet blanket on that fire. The Bulls will absolutely have some games where the offense and defense come together and they put up 130 points or more. The problem is that if they don’t get those turnovers, their defense is going to be incredibly vulnerable. The East also looks strong around them, and if Brooklyn, Milwaukee, Philly, Atlanta, Miami, Boston and New York all make the playoffs, there is only one spot left. The bet here is that Chicago misses out.</p>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-436798" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1233382501.jpeg" alt="NBA" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1233382501.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1233382501-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers. Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="15" data-rank-type="team" data-name="Los Angeles Clippers" data-team-id="77" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 15th" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">15 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>Los Angeles Clippers </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">15</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fclippers.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 1-3</p>
<p>Fans of the Clippers over the past decade will find this ranking blasphemous. Fans of the Clippers over the three decades before that will wonder how I could have them this high. This Clippers team is without its best player in Kawhi Leonard, and without him, they will be at a severe disadvantage in a tough Western Conference.</p>
<p>A big problem for the Clippers is their lack of shot creation. Paul George prefers to take jump shots, and Reggie Jackson could be a mirage after one bounceback season. Leonard carried a significant amount of that load, and without him, this offense could sputter, even with all of their shooting prowess.</p>
<p>There is some hidden upside with this group as well. Luke Kennard signed a large extension last offseason but had a middling year; he led the team in scoring in the preseason, perhaps a sign of a bounceback year. Terance Mann signed an extension of his own this month, and his combination of defense and fearless shooting could eventually push him into the starting lineup while Leonard is out. Isaiah Hartenstein, Brandon Boston Jr. and Keon Johnson are young players with upside to help restock the bench.</p>
<p>This team will rise and fall with the play of Paul George, and he hasn’t had to be “the guy” in a long time. He showed in the postseason he can elevate his play without Leonard, but he seems uncomfortable with the shot load of a heliocentric star. He shot just 33.3 percent from the field in preseason, which highlights his tendency to be streaky as a shooter.</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: Kawhi doesn’t come back and they miss the playoffs. The first part isn’t very bold given Kawhi Leonard’s track record with managing his own injuries, but he has indicated himself he has thought about coming back before the end of the season. The prediction here is that he doesn’t, and because of that the Clippers fade back into the play-in group and don’t make it to the eight-team playoff field. That’s a brutal end result for a team that was hoping to contend every season, but with Leonard and George both under contract long-term, it won’t mean the end of the run.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 14 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-436797" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1073,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1346808252.jpeg" alt="NBA" width="1600" height="1073" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1346808252.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1346808252-768x515.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Kemba Walker, New York Knicks. Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="14" data-rank-type="team" data-name="New York Knicks" data-team-id="27" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 15th" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">14 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>New York Knicks </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">15</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fknicks.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 4-0</p>
<p>Everyone is ready with their strong opinions about the New York Knicks. Plenty of analysts recognize the outlier aspects of last season’s leap to the 4-seed (regression for opponent shooting, a fallback season for Julius Randle), while fans of the Knicks are heady with the sheer amount of wins from last year and expecting the rise to continue. The honest conclusion is likely somewhere in the middle, but which end is it closer to?</p>
<p>To his credit, Randle has been playing well in the preseason, averaging 23.3 points and 10 rebounds per game. Around him, the Knicks re-signed a number of contributors, but also added Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier. Both have played limited minutes in the preseason but should raise the ceiling of the offense.</p>
<p>The other factor to consider is Tom Thibodeau. He drives his teams hard, which is likely why they went 4-0 in the preseason and multiple players averaged over 30 minutes per game. Does that drive continue to push this team to wins in the regular season? Or will it start to wear thin as early as this year?</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: Kemba Walker is an All-Star again. Just two postseasons ago the Toronto Raptors were running a box-and-one offense specifically to limit Kemba Walker as a scorer. His chronic knee injuries will always linger, but if he can stay healthy at least through the All-Star Break he could absolutely make his fifth All-Star team.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 13 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-430064" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1321611241.jpeg" alt="NBA" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1321611241.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1321611241-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers. Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="13" data-rank-type="team" data-name="Portland Trail Blazers" data-team-id="34" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 12th" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">13 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>Portland Trail Blazers </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">12</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Ftrailblazers.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 0-4</p>
<p>The Portland Trail Blazers may only get this season, or even the start to the season, to convince Damian Lillard that he can contend with the team built around him. The team did not get off to a hot start, with an 0-4 record in the preseason with the league’s worst point differential.</p>
<p>Lillard himself was strong in limited minutes, shooting 58 percent from the field and 46 percent from 3-point range. The team around him had trouble getting the ball in the net, and their opponents had no trouble scoring themselves. Stephen Curry in particular went supernova against them in the preseason finale.</p>
<p>The preseason has to be taken with a major grain of salt, but when it confirms your priors it has greater weight. Starting Lillard, CJ McCollum and Norman Powell puts this team in an incredibly difficult place defensively, as Lillard and McCollum are both poor defenders and Powell is undersized at the 3. To help put the team in a better position to contend against the elite backcourt in the Western Conference they may need to bring Powell off the bench and start Larry Nance Jr. alongside Robert Covington.</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: Damian Lillard stays…but CJ McCollum is traded. The other option to make the defense sustainable is to move one of their small guards. Lillard has created deep bonds with the city of Portland and it will take a lot for him to finally request a trade. The team could finally decide to split up the backcourt in a move similar to what Toronto did with Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. Exchanging McCollum for a larger wing, be that Ben Simmons or another option, can help this roster make a little more sense.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 12 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-436796" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1321318489.jpeg" alt="NBA" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1321318489.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1321318489-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics. Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="12" data-rank-type="team" data-name="Boston Celtics" data-team-id="18" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 14th" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">12 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>Boston Celtics </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">14</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fceltics.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 2-2</p>
<p>The modern NBA is all about two-way wings. If you have them, you can compete for a title. If you don’t, then you have a tiny margin for error. While teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic are stuck in the basement because they can’t find any, the Boston Celtics have two All-Star wings with which to build upon.</p>
<p>Both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown continue to ascend in the league. Brown led the league in preseason scoring with 25 points in his lone appearance, playing just 26 minutes. Tatum averaged 20.3 in his three games. Their versatility will give new head coach Ime Udoka the flexibility to slide them up and down the lineup and craft rotations in a variety of ways.</p>
<p>The bigger question for the Celtics is what happens in the backcourt. Dennis Schroder was available inexpensively after a down year. Marcus Smart and Josh Richardson have strong defensive reputations but are inconsistent on offense, recently because Smart hasn’t met a shot he doesn’t like and Richardson rarely finds one that he does. Payton Pritchard had a good rookie campaign and will look to build upon it. If the Celtics get at least two consistent contributors from those four players they will be in business for a major bounceback.</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: They will have the #1 defense in the NBA. The Boston Celtics may trot out a starting lineup of Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford and Robert Williams III. There is not a bad defender in that group. Dennis Schroder, Josh Richardson and Grant Williams should all be in the rotation. Pritchard may be the weakest defender in the entire rotation depending on what other wings are played. This team has an extremely high defensive floor, and the upside is there and the lineups are possible to field the best defense in the league this season.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 11 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-436795" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1136,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1345923270.jpeg" alt="NBA" width="1600" height="1136" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1345923270.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1345923270-768x545.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets. Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="11" data-rank-type="team" data-name="Denver Nuggets" data-team-id="73" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 10th" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">11 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>Denver Nuggets </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">10</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fnuggets.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 1-4</p>
<p>The Denver Nuggets are missing a key star just like the LA Clippers, but unlike them, they still have their MVP-level player and a stronger roster around them to help fill in the gap. The loss of Jamal Murray keeps the Nuggets out of title contention, but Nikola Jokic put together an all-time MVP season year ago and there is only so far a team with a player like that can fall.</p>
<p>Jokic will also have help, primarily in the person of Michael Porter Jr. The young forward just inked a max extension and could see his scoring totals rise above 20 points per game at the very least. His partner on the forward line is Aaron Gordon, a new owner of an extension himself, providing the defense and secondary passing to be the yin to Porter’s yang.</p>
<p>Denver can mix-and-match options in the backcourt to make up for the loss of Murray. Will Barton will start at the 2, and Monte Morris is the first option to start at point guard. Exciting rookie Bones Hyland could crack the rotation, while free-wheeling Facundo Campazzo and tough-nosed PJ Dozier will provide a different look off the bench.</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: Jamal Murray does return by the end of the season, and the Nuggets win a playoff series. This is the mirror version of the Clippers’ prediction. Murray suffered his injury earlier than Leonard, and is younger; that combination could carry him back into the lineup during the last month of the season. Even if he is not 100 percent his shot-making will inject some juice into the Denver attack. The Nuggets could win a series even without him – they did last year – but with him, they will be a strong candidate to do so.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 10 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-436793" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2293,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1323586040.jpeg" alt="NBA" width="3200" height="2293" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1323586040.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1323586040-768x550.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers. Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="10" data-rank-type="team" data-name="Philadelphia 76ers" data-team-id="93" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 9th" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">10 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>Philadelphia 76ers </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">9</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2F76ers.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 2-2</p>
<p>The Philadelphia 76ers have been at the epicenter of a media maelstrom all offseason as the Ben Simmons saga has played out. No one expected Simmons to <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/11/sixers-ben-simmons-chaotic-return/">end his holdout so soon</a>, and absolutely no one, including the Sixers, would have predicted Simmons would just show up outside the arena and text the GM to let him in. Philly always manages to create a soap opera; remember when their former GM was discovered to have a multitude of burner accounts?</p>
<p>Even with Simmons back in the building (or at least just outside) there are a number of directions in which this could go. Simmons could suit up and play hard, as he always does, and the 76ers could keep him in-house. He could play well and help the team trade him. He could play but purposefully be terrible, like James Harden last season. Finally, he or the team could create a reason for him to be present but sitting out.</p>
<p>Hang tight a moment for the prediction, but it would be criminal to get out of the preseason without mentioning Isaiah Joe. The former Arkansas shooting guard has been lights out in the preseason, leading the team in scoring and hitting 59.3 percent of his 6.8 3-pointers per game. His fellow 2020 second-rounder, Paul Reed, has been a multi-category monster himself. In 22.1 minutes per game, he is averaging 7.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks. No player reached those numbers last season. Even without Simmons, this group has some intriguing players on the rise.</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: Ben Simmons plays at least 50 games for the 76ers. The talented forward seems to have thin skin, which is not a great thing playing in Philadelphia, but he also seems to have a great work ethic and motor. He always plays hard, and the bet here is he continues to do so. There are going to be some chemistry issues, but they don’t have to derail the season. Morey will field offers but ultimately decide to wait until next offseason to find one he likes the most, hoping Simmons redeems his trade value even further in the interim.</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Kristaps Porzingis, Dallas Mavericks. Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="9" data-rank-type="team" data-name="Dallas Mavericks" data-team-id="79" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 11th" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">9 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>Dallas Mavericks </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">11</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fmavericks.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 4-0</p>
<p>The Dallas Mavericks are primed for a monster season and should push for the NBA Finals. Luka Doncic is the real deal, an offensive superstar who is still only 22 years old. The last time Kristaps Porzingis had knee surgery he was much better a full season removed, so he should be much sprier defensively this year — as indeed he has looked this preseason. The team added 3-and-D players this offseason in Reggie Bullock and Sterling Brown who are the perfect fit around a star like Doncic. Finally, the Mavs are unlikely to have another COVID outbreak that completely derails their season.</p>
<p>The Dallas Mavericks are primed for a massively disappointing season. The team did nothing to truly upgrade around Doncic, hoarding that cap space just to add a role player and re-sign Tim Hardaway Jr. Jason Kidd may have been the worst head coach in the league when he was in Milwaukee and is a significant downgrade from the tactical genius of Rick Carlisle. Doncic handled an insane load all of last season and then did the same in the Olympics in a summer shorter than normal by a month, a sure recipe for wear and tear to catch up to him.</p>
<p>Which of the two above scenarios is correct? Time will tell, and the Mavericks’ ranking is attempting to straddle those two realities. The Mavericks could make the Western Conference Finals or lose in the play-in tournament; Jason Kidd could be the terrible coach we expect or be competent enough not to get in his players’ way. Your guess is as good as ours.</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: Kristaps Porzingis is an All-Star. The one bet we are going to make is the one on Porzingis being more athletic with an offseason to rest and be completely healed from his latest surgery. He is moving well in the preseason, and the Mavs didn’t add anyone in the frontcourt to limit his role or minutes. He will have every opportunity to average 20-10 and once again be an All-Star.</p>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-436532" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1345419873.jpeg" alt="NBA" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1345419873.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1345419873-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Tyler Herro, Miami Heat. Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="8" data-rank-type="team" data-name="Miami Heat" data-team-id="110" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 7th" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">8 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>Miami Heat </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">7</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fheat.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 5-1</p>
<p>The Miami Heat put together their starting lineup this offseason, and it’s a formidable one. It also doesn’t contain a lot of question marks. How often and accurately do Jimmy Butler and PJ Tucker shoot? That’s mainly it.</p>
<p>It’s the bench that contains the intrigue for the Heat. Especially with Tucker and Butler getting up there in age, the Heat need to keep the minutes down for their key players. The problem is that they don’t have many proven players coming off of the bench. Tyler Herro is one of the biggest swing players in the entire league. If he can recapture his play from the NBA Bubble the Heat can raise their ceiling to championship level.</p>
<p>The rest of the bench is filled out by players who came up through the G League. Max Strus looks like he could be the real deal as an offensive threat in the backcourt. Gabe Vincent is the team’s latest 3-point gunner, while Omer Yurtseven was once a highly-regarded prospect and could work his way in as the backup center behind Adebayo. How that trio develops could change the Heat’s season.</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: They do not have home-court in the playoffs this year. The Heat are built for the postseason, with a tight group of tested players who have all been deep in the playoffs. Given the strength of the top-6 in the Eastern Conference, the Heat will fall short of having a home-court advantage in the first round.</p>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-436758" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2210,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1345437549.jpeg" alt="NBA" width="3200" height="2210" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1345437549.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1345437549-768x530.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors. Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="7" data-rank-type="team" data-name="Golden State Warriors" data-team-id="41" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 8th" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">7 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>Golden State Warriors </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">8</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fwarriors.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 5-0</p>
<p>Klay Thompson is expected to begin practicing in full sometime in November, with a return sometime in December or early January. Fans and the organization are hopeful that timetable trends earlier, especially since Thompson will have two years of rust knock off.</p>
<p>The encouraging thing about the preseason is it highlighted that this team doesn’t need Thompson to play well. His return is necessary for them to realize their ceiling, but the floor should be high even in his absence. Jordan Poole is stepping into the starting lineup and has been incredible in the preseason, scoring 21.8 points per game in 22.7 minutes per game. He looks confident and can hit shots from anywhere.</p>
<p>Otoo Porter Jr., Andre Iguodala and Nemanja Bjelica are veterans off the bench who are excellent fits for Steve Kerr’s system, unlike some of the options from a year ago. Holdovers like Juan Toscano-Anderson and Damion Lee can come in at any time and execute at a high level.</p>
<p>And of course, Stephen Curry looks like he is still on fire from last season when he led the league in scoring. He dropped 41 points on the Portland Trail Blazers in their preseason finale last Friday, and he averaged 24.5 points per game in four appearances in just 22.8 minutes. The teenagers on the roster will likely get run in Santa Cruz as their role will likely wait until next season.</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: They will win the Western Conference. This is one of the boldest takes on the board, but if the Warriors roll into the playoffs with a healthy Klay Thompson every single team will be afraid of them. The core of this team still knows how to win, and the pieces around them are an excellent fit. Steve Kerr can form just about any lineup he wants around Curry now. With no one in the West looking like a juggernaut, the Warriors can reclaim their throne.</p>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-436791" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2102,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1345420970.jpeg" alt="NBA" width="3200" height="2102" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1345420970.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1345420970-768x504.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks. Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="6" data-rank-type="team" data-name="Atlanta Hawks" data-team-id="125" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 2-2nd" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">6 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>Atlanta Hawks </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">2-2</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fhawks.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 2-2</p>
<p>It’s reasonable for someone to conclude that the Atlanta Hawks will have a consolidation year. They made a major leap a season ago, flew higher than they perhaps should have in the postseason, and are young across the rotation. There is plenty of talent in the Eastern Conference to push them down the standings.</p>
<p>That being said, here in the Power Rankings we are placing them third in the East. The Hawks <em>are</em> young, which is why so many pieces on the roster will take a step forward from last year. They had some serious injuries a year ago, including just 19 games from De’Andre Hunter, who looks like a budding two-way star as a combo forward. They are also insanely deep across the roster. Rather than fall back to earth, the Hawks might spring into orbit.</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: They have the best record in the East. Let’s complete that thought – they do reach orbit. Trae Young is even better, and this time he has a pair of legitimate offensive co-stars in John Collins and a healthy Bogdan Bogdanovic, and a couple of defensive stars in Clint Capela and De’Andre Hunter.</p>
<p>Rookie first-rounder Jalen Johnson looks like a steal at 20th overall. Players like Kevin Huerter, Danilo Gallinari and Delon Wright are all coming off of the bench. With the Nets needing to manage the minutes and games of their stars and the Bucks fresh off a title run, the Hawks could make a surprise leap up to the top of the standings.</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers. Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="5" data-rank-type="team" data-name="Los Angeles Lakers" data-team-id="20" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 4th" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">5 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>Los Angeles Lakers </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">4</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Flakers.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 0-6</p>
<p>Before anyone freaks out at that 0-6 record, we should report that LeBron James appeared in just three games and the team was a +17 in his 73 minutes. The Lakers didn’t play any of their expected rotation players (except for Kent Bazemore) for all six games.</p>
<p>Even so, many of the concerns surrounding the Lakers were confirmed, not assuaged, in those six winless games. James and Davis both shot 25 percent from deep, a death sentence given the lack of spacing they will have in the starting lineup alongside Russell Westbrook and their collection of short-range centers.</p>
<p>Trevor Ariza and now Talent Horten-Tucker have gone down with injuries that will sideline them through the opening weeks of the season. Carmelo Anthony looks like his chuck-tastic alter ego, Carmelo Anthony. Of their collection of low-cost players only Malik Monk played well, and he was a -33 in his 63 minutes. At the end of the day, this team will rise and fall by the play of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but the roster construction only looks worse on the eve of the season.</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: Once again they do not make the Western Conference Finals. Let’s build that skepticism into a prediction. Two seasons ago the pairing of LeBron James and Anthony Davis won a title. Last year, injuries and a talented Phoenix Suns team saw them booted in the first round. As good as James is, he is mortal, and this year when he needs a little help from the roster around him it is nowhere to be found.</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz. Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="4" data-rank-type="team" data-name="Utah Jazz" data-team-id="118" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 5th" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">4 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>Utah Jazz </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">5</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fjazz.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 2-2</p>
<p>The Utah Jazz had the best record in the league last season, with a dominant point differential, but when they lost again short of the Conference Finals it seemed to be an indictment of that regular season, rather than the result of a poor matchup and injuries to both of Utah’s star guards. However you look at it, the Jazz have to prove themselves in the postseason for the opinion of this team to change.</p>
<p>They kept the core of this team intact but added a couple of frontcourt options in Rudy Gay and Eric Paschall to provide a different look behind Rudy Gobert. They also added Baylor guard Jared Butler in the second round and he has been fearless in the postseason, leading all rookies (and the Utah Jazz) in scoring with 18 points per game.</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: Donovan Mitchell wins the scoring title. To this point in his career, Mitchell has been a really good volume scorer, but not the type of hyper-efficient unstoppable force that other top guards in the league have been. This season he will take that next step, improving as a finisher and continuing to shift midrange attempts to the perimeter. With a corresponding slight uptick in volume, he slips over the 30 point-per-game average mark and wins the scoring title.</p>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-436788" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1066,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1345371758.jpeg" alt="NBA" width="1600" height="1066" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1345371758.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1345371758-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Chris Paul, Phoenix Suns. Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="3" data-rank-type="team" data-name="Phoenix Suns" data-team-id="66" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 3rd" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">3 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>Phoenix Suns </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">3</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fsuns.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 3-1</p>
<p>With the Los Angeles Lakers battling injuries and the basic math of the 3-point line, and the Utah Jazz faltering in the postseason again, the West’s defending champions slide back up and are the top-ranked team in the conference.</p>
<p>Chris Paul could take a step back as he is now 36, and the Suns will almost certainly have to deal with injuries more than they did a season ago, practically the only playoff team not to suffer a major injury. On the other hand, Devin Booker is continuing to grow as a No. 1 scorer, DeAndre Ayton and Mikal Bridges are entering just their fourth season, and the rest of the conference (as discussed) is not exactly in a position to shove them back down the standings.</p>
<p>Booker made one appearance this preseason, shooting 60 percent from the field and scoring 17 points in just 18 minutes. Mikal Bridges just signed a long-term extension for four years, $90 million, and is perhaps the best 3-and-D wing in the league already. This team is built well and still relatively young, so a step backward does not have to be in the cards.</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: They have the best record in the West. Let’s double down on that analysis and predict that they will win more games than the Lakers or Jazz. To mix in some more activity to that vanilla prediction: Booker will make an All-NBA team, Mikal Bridges will make an All-Defensive Team, and Jalen Smith will continue to make Suns fans grouchy that Tyrese Haliburton is not on this team.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 2 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-436787" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1322582529.jpeg" alt="NBA" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1322582529.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1322582529-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets. Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="2" data-rank-type="team" data-name="Brooklyn Nets" data-team-id="147" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 2nd" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">2 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>Brooklyn Nets </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">2</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fnets.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 3-1</p>
<p>Everyone seems to want to dance around this topic because we recognize that for some people whether or not to take the COVID-19 vaccine is a difficult issue. There are a small minority of people who have legitimate physical or ethical restrictions in taking the vaccine, and for those people, they have to make difficult decisions where either option has significant consequences for their lives and livelihood.</p>
<p>That being said, the vast majority of people choosing not to take a vaccine are doing so for other reasons – political stance, laziness, anger, etc. These people are not an oppressed minority but an extremely vocal and well-covered one. Kyrie Irving has joined them in not taking the vaccine, and in doing so he is <em>a bad teammate</em>.</p>
<p>Yes, we did it. We called him a bad teammate. He is! Whether he genuinely believes that someone needs to stand up for the unvaccinated or is using that as a cover to not take the vaccine, he has chosen not to make a sacrifice to be available for his team. He is still taking up a massive percentage of the salary cap, preventing the Nets from doing anything else with that salary slot, and right now is choosing not to play alongside his teammates.</p>
<p>It’s the latest in a long history of decisions made by Kyrie that harm his team, from trade demands to his insane insistence on defending Giannis Antetokounmpo in the playoffs three years ago, to walking out on his team multiple times in the last couple of seasons. There is a legitimate argument to be had about how much an individual player has to “look out” for his team, but no one wants to work alongside the guy who always puts himself first. No one on the Nets is served by Irving’s “cause of the month” subscription and yet again it means his teams have to take the hit.</p>
<p>Alright, we’ll put away the soapbox now.</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: Brooklyn wins the title….with Kyrie Irving. All of that said, the Nets are entirely capable of winning the title without Irving, although they are more neck-and-neck with Milwaukee now instead of clear favorites. The bet here is that Irving, who doesn’t seem to hold many convictions all that strongly, finds a way to save face enough to come back to the team. Once that happens and the team works through whatever issues stem from that, this team will be in line to win it all.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 1 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-436786" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1346639690.jpeg" alt="NBA" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1346639690.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1346639690-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks. Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="1" data-rank-type="team" data-name="Milwaukee Bucks" data-team-id="89" data-meta-a="" data-meta-b="Previous: 1st" data-inner-content=""> <div class="power-ranking remove-native-227"> <div class="order">1 </div> <div class="power-head"> <h3>Milwaukee Bucks </h3> <h4> <span class="last-rank-title">Last rank: </span><span class="last-rank-info">1</span> </h4> </div> <div class="power-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fbucks.png"> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Preseason Record</strong>: 1-4</p>
<p>The defending champions deserve to be in the top slot, at least until someone or something proves they don’t deserve it. A fully healthy Brooklyn Nets team looked like it should have been here, but Irving’s AWOL status is enough to put the Bucks back where they belong.</p>
<p>The confidence gained from a run to the title should benefit this team, and they look deeper than they were a season ago. Jordan Nwora looks ready to be a part of the rotation, dropping 17.8 points per game across five preseason contests. Grayson Allen can stand in at shooting guard until or even past Donte DiVincenzo returning. George Hill and Semi Ojeleye can replicate some of what Bryn Forbes and PJ Tucker did last year.</p>
<p>Depth aside, this team ticks according to their three stars. Jrue Holiday is having the year of his life in 2021, swallowing up player after player in the playoffs and proving to be the lifeblood of the Team USA Olympics team. He should only get more comfortable in his second season with the club after a full offseason, and he’s a strong bet to be a first-team All-Defensive Team pick.</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction</strong>: Giannis Antetokounmpo wins MVP again. No player is on top of the world like Giannis Antetokounmpo, who absolutely dominated in the NBA Finals to win the title and Finals MVP. He is the ultimate competition with a limitless work ethic, and no one would be surprised if he comes back hungrier than ever to defend his title. He dominates, has a career year, and forces voters to give him a third MVP award.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="Luka Doncic rises to first in 2018 NBA Redraft" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/18/nba-draft-luka-doncic-rises-2018-redraft/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/18/nba-power-rankings-3-giannis-mvp/2/"https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/18/nba-draft-luka-doncic-rises-2018-redraft/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Luka Doncic rises to first in 2018 NBA Redraft </a> </div>
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