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NBA Power Rankings: Victor Wembanyama Has Spurs Flying High

Vivek Jacob Written by Sports EditorVivek Jacob
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Victor Wembanyama, Spurs, NBA power rankings

We’re a week into the regular season and you are here to stay on top of what this regular season will mean in a playoff context. No, this isn’t your regular NBA power ranking. These rankings are going to prioritize how teams look in a playoff context and championship context.

We will pay extra attention to how a team fares against plus-.500 teams compared to sub-.500 teams. Some teams can execute their offense at a really high level against porous defenses but struggle against the best defenses and vice versa. All of that is going to mean something here.

Should we have seen the Cleveland Cavaliers’ early playoff exit coming last season? What about the Indiana Pacers’ unbelievable run to the NBA Finals? These power rankings are going to take some risks in evaluating both the biggest strengths and weaknesses in a playoff context and give you the goods accordingly.

With that in mind, these power rankings will also run bi-weekly instead of weekly, so we aren’t overreacting to one or two games.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (6-0)

The Thunder’s offseason was predicated on securing the services of their best players over the long haul. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams were all signed to significant extensions.

Williams is still recovering from undergoing surgery to repair his right wrist. He missed the opening six games and there is no clear timetable for his return. The Thunder have been so good they’re a perfect 6-0 anyway.

Usually, teams that go back-to-back have someone new provide a jolt and keep things fresh. Perhaps, that man this season will be Ajay Mitchell, who is averaging 18.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 27.2 minutes per game off the bench this season.

2. Denver Nuggets (3-1)

For my money, the Nuggets were the biggest winners of the offseason. Denver’s lack of depth has been exposed the last couple seasons and new personnel in the front office addressed that weakness in a massive way. Cameron Johnson, Bruce Brown, Jonas Valanciunas and Tim Hardaway Jr. are going to make meaningful differences to this roster.

Johnson looks very much as though he’s still adjusting to his new team, so he’ll need more time to be evaluated properly. What’s most exciting for Denver is the way Jamal Murray has started the season, looking extremely sharp in averaging 27.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists. Is this finally the year Murray makes an All-Star team?

Aaron Gordon has come back down to earth after his stunning 50-point performance in their opening game against the Golden State Warriors.

3. Golden State Warriors (4-2)

If the Warriors had completed their offseason transactions along the same timeline as most other teams, there would possibly be more noise surrounding this team. Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton are important upgrades and Melton had already shown signs of being a positive contributor last season before his ACL injury. We’ve yet to see him take the floor this season as he recovers.

Golden State was winning games at a championship-level pace after the arrival of Jimmy Butler last year. It’s very much looked like that team to start 2025-26 and Jonathan Kuminga has been a positive contributor so far. It was strange to see the Warriors drop a game to the Milwaukee Bucks sans Giannis Antetokounmpo but we’re not going to read too much into a trap game.

4. San Antonio Spurs (5-0)

It’s hard to believe that for all the winning Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan and David Robinson have done, this is the first time the Spurs have started a season 5-0 in franchise history.

That may have something to do with those previous Spurs teams getting some marquee matchups right out of the gate. The toughest game the Spurs have had to start this season is a surprising Miami Heat squad missing Tyler Herro.

Still, Victor Wembanyama has vaulted himself to the top of the MVP race and is reaping the rewards of a summer devoted to improving in a variety of ways. Consider that De’Aaron Fox is yet to play a game and the future is now in San Antonio.

5. Milwaukee Bucks (4-1)

Giannis Antetokounmpo and a heap of shooting certainly creates a path to success. That’s what we’ve seen play out.

What is shocking is the way the Bucks were able to stay committed to their identity and take down the Warriors without Antetokounmpo. Ryan Rollins has had a great start to the season, averaging 18.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists, including a career-high 32 points against Golden State. Being heavily reliant on a lot of 3-point shooters has played out extremely well for head coach Doc Rivers thus far as the Bucks currently hold the league’s sixth-best offensive rating.

6. Cleveland Cavaliers (3-2)

It feels as though the Cavs saw their spectacular 2024-25 regular season go to waste and are ready to bide their time so they can peak when it matters most. Darius Garland has yet to play a game but could return soon while Max Strus is out an extended period. Jarrett Allen has just hit the shelf with a fractured left index finger. We might not seed the real Cavs for a while yet.

7. New York Knicks (2-2)

Karl-Anthony Towns looks to be making the biggest adjustment to first-year head coach Mike Brown’s new offensive system. His 17 points per game have come on just 35.2 percent shooting after averaging 24.4 points and shooting 52.6 percent last season. 

It’s early and you expect someone with Towns’ offensive talent to figure it out soon enough. Currently 24th in offense, it’d be very surprising if this team remained that way for long.

8. Philadelphia 76ers (4-0)

Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe aren’t waiting for anyone. Joel Embiid or not, Paul George or not, these two are playing with determination and tenacity instrumental in the Sixers’ undefeated record.

When healthy, Maxey is one of the NBA’s most electrifying guards and he is currently leading the league in scoring at 37.5 points per contest. He gets to the basket at will, is making nearly 50 percent of his threes and is showing no signs of slowing down. Still, I’ve got to cool the jets somewhat because there’s only so far this team can go without George or an Embiid who can play 30-plus minutes a night.

9. Los Angeles Lakers (3-2)

Yes, Father Time is calling for LeBron James as he deals with sciatica but I wasn’t quite ready for Austin Reaves to now be the second-best player on the Lakers. He has looked phenomenal to start the season with a 50-piece and a game-winner already to his name, averaging a stunning 34.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 10.0 assists through five games.

Deandre Ayton is giving the Lakers what they need at center and Jake LaRavia is getting people to recognize who he is. It bodes well for what this team could be at full strength. Luka Doncic is expected back soon after a red-hot start to the season for him, too.

10. Detroit Pistons (3-2)

Detroit has made a solid start to the season with wins over Houston, Boston and Orlando. I do feel the departures of Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. are significant for the Pistons’ offensive identity while Dennis Schroder’s departure hurts them defensively as well as in the experience department.

Jaden Ivey’s injury has done little to quell my concerns but Ausar Thompson is stepping up in a big way. Cade Cunningham is awesome and Jalen Duren is off to a great start. I just need to see what this team looks like over an extended period with what figures to be a different dynamic over the course of the year. 

11. Houston Rockets (2-2)

Adding Kevin Durant has bolstered the offense but we have to see how that plays out over a larger sample. I still feel the lack of legitimate guard play could hurt the Rockets against quality opponents. They tried going big out the gate with Steven Adams alongside Alperen Sengun but that experiment has already ended with Josh Okogie now in for Adams.

Houston went out and signed Dorian Finney-Smith and have more than maxed out its forward options. I felt this way at the time and it might show even more as the season progresses, but the roster balance would have been much better if they pursued Nickeil Alexander-Walker instead, who went for a similar cost to Atlanta.

12. Chicago Bulls (4-0)

You deserve some major props if you had the Bulls going undefeated in their first four games of the season.

Josh Giddey got paid and seems determined to show his end-of-season flourish last year was no fluke. He’s averaging 19.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 7.8 assists and shooting over 40 percent from three. Nikola Vucevic continues to be a walking double-double with solid floor-spacing while Matas Buzelis is teasing a breakout.

Coby White is yet to return from a calf injury, so there may still be more meat to the Bulls’ bone.

13. Minnesota Timberwolves (2-3)

Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s departure is already hurting this team. With Anthony Edwards out due to a hamstring strain, the Wolves have reinserted Mike Conley Jr. into the starting lineup alongside Donte DiVincenzo because Terrence Shannon Jr. and Rob Dillingham aren’t ready for that.

The defense needs to be much better than the 28th-place ranking it’s been. It could be a difficult few weeks without Edwards but you expect this team to be a noise-maker in the West.

14. Orlando Magic (2-4)

This is probably the team to which I’m giving the most benefit of doubt. You expected there to be some growing pains as the Magic get Desmond Bane acclimated.

I do like Paolo Banchero applying a much more efficient process to his scoring, even if it hasn’t translated to great results just yet. 

This team has defended at a high level the last few seasons, so there’s no reason to believe things won’t trend upwards soon enough, despite a slow start on that end.

15. Miami Heat (3-2)

Erik Spoelstra is doing it again. The Heat have overhauled their offense after consulting with Memphis Grizzlies assistant Noah LaRoche and have made things much more motion-based and free-flowing. That’s a great thing for Norman Powell, who has thrived in particular, but I do wonder how things will flow when Tyler Herro is back in the mix. 

The defense, anchored by Bam Adebayo, has looked strong. You expect that with quality defenders like Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell flanking the big man. 

16. Memphis Grizzlies (3-2)

Memphis is effectively trying to hold down the fort right now as Jaren Jackson Jr. eases his way back from a turf toe injury and both Zach Edey and Brandon Clarke are out.

Watch out for Cedric Coward. The rookie wing is making a very good case for why he should be in the starting lineup and it may just be a matter of time. The Grizzlies’ lineup data has been compelling with him alongside either of Jaylen Wells or Kentavious Caldwell-Pope while the starting lineup pairing of Wells and Caldwell-Pope has underwhelmed.

17. Los Angeles Clippers (2-2)

Perhaps, there’s some dark Aspiration cloud bias but something just stinks about the Clippers.

Kawhi Leonard hasn’t quite looked the behemoth of a player he can be. Bradley Beal appears a massive downgrade from Norman Powell and I’m not sure they feel great about Derrick Jones Jr. as their starting power forward. Oh, and this team is old and playing like it. The Clippers are getting killed in a speed game and there’s no great workarounds with how this roster is currently constructed.

18. Portland Trail Blazers (3-2)

How about Jrue Holiday? While it was widely recognized Holiday was sacrificing individual numbers to be part of a great Boston team, it was assumed his best days were behind him as he entered his mid-30s.

Lo and behold, the 35-year-old Holiday is averaging 19.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting over 50 percent from the field. With Deni Avdija carrying on from where he left off last season, the Blazers are looking good to keep trending in the right direction regardless of a huge off-court distraction.

19. Dallas Mavericks (2-3)

The Mavs’ two wins so far have come against teams that are a combined 1-8. Two of their losses have come to teams that are a combined 11-0. Everything is bigger in Texas, so Dallas has decided to go super big with its starting lineup. The defense has actually been quite good but it’s the offense that ranks 29th thus far. A chunk of that is having had to go up against elite defenses in the Thunder and Spurs.

The elephant in the room, though, is their main theoretical floor-spacer Klay Thompson could hardly be having a worse start of the season. One of the greatest shooters of all-time is averaging just 8.2 points and shooting just 25.9 percent from three. He has never shot under 38.5 percent in a season and made 39.1 percent of his threes last year. You expect more, even if he is in a state of decline.

20. Atlanta Hawks (2-3)

Atlanta arguably had the second-best offseason after Denver. Adding Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Luke Kennard and Asa Newell over the course of the summer beefs up the roster in a meaningful way.

Results have not panned out as the Hawks would have hoped thus far. Now, Trae Young is out with a right knee sprain. Does that open up an opportunity to improve the defense? It could be a telling stretch for the franchise if it’s successful in his absence.

21. Boston Celtics (2-3)

The Celtics seem determined to compete as best they can. You’d expect no less from a Joe Mazzulla-led squad. Boston has a clear identity in how it wants to play on both ends of the floor, which gets you further than the talent on this roster suggests. Despite losing the first three games of the season, it’s clear what the Celtics are trying to do and that’s why they’ve had a couple blowout wins since.

Still, the front-court depth is overwhelmingly lacking and you expect that to hinder them as the sample gets larger.

22. Utah Jazz (2-2)

The Jazz will likely lose more than they win and may even go into tank mode later this season. But right now, they are having themselves some fun.

Keyonte George has taken his playmaking and scoring around the basket up a notch while Walker Kessler seems to have added at least a serviceable 3-point shot. Lauri Markkanen is back to haunting defenses with hyper-efficient scoring, averaging 34 points per game. After some exciting moments in preseason, Ace Bailey has yet to catch fire with just 4.0 points in 16 minutes per game, shooting 25 percent from the field.

23. Toronto Raptors (1-4)

It’s hard to believe just how poorly the Raptors are defending right now after posting the second-best defensive rating post-All-Star Break last season. Yes, playing sub-.500 teams then had a fair amount to do with it but there is enough defensive talent to be much better than 29th.

Darko Rajakovic wants his team to wreak havoc on opposing offenses with extreme ball pressure. But so far, we’ve just seen reckless gambles constantly compromising the defense. The offense has actually looked quite good at 12th in offensive rating, which could embolden Rajakovic further to not be so aggressive defensively. 

Brandon Ingram has come out of the gate scoring the ball extremely efficiently but the defense has left much to be desired. This team might need until the end of November to find its best identity.

24. Indiana Pacers (0-4)

This might just not be the year for the Pacers. Seeing both T.J. McConnell and Andrew Nembhard go down with injury has stacked the deck against a team already missing its best player in Tyrese Haliburton. The center spot is a sore one after the departure of Myles Turner and it has left too much of a burden on Pascal Siakam. His 26.3 points, 11 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game are keeping them afloat but they just need more able bodies to get in the win column.

25. Charlotte Hornets (2-3)

The Hornets are never healthy and with Brandon Miller injured already it’s hard not to fear the worst. LaMelo Ball is putting up some gaudy stat lines so far with 24.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 10.2 assists. We’ve got to enjoy it for however long it lasts.

Rookie Kon Knueppel is showing his polish through five games with some solid reads off the bounce and knocking down 50 percent of his 34 3-point attempts. Ryan Kalkbrenner has already usurped Moussa Diabate for the starting center spot and might have some teams rethinking how they evaluated him in the Draft by letting him slip to the second round.

26. Washington Wizards (1-4)

They may be losing but at least they’re fun. I don’t think the Wizards have been fun since the youthful days of John Wall and Bradley Beal.

Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George and Tre Johnson are at the forefront of what this new Washington team is trying to be, and they are making the most of expanded opportunity. Sarr is averaging 18.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 blocks, which includes the first 30-point double-double of his career.

George, meanwhile, has doubled his production in almost every meaningful category. His scoring is up from 8.7 to 18.6 points, his rebounding from 4.2 to 8.8 and his assists from 2.5 to 5.2. You expect his current 54.8 percent clip from downtown to cool off, though. Johnson, meanwhile, is steadily getting his feet wet at the NBA level. The sixth overall pick in the 2025 Draft has put up 13.8 points per game off the bench, with his outside stroke looking extremely smooth.

27. Phoenix Suns (1-4)

Who wants to tell Phoenix once again it needs a point guard? Devin Booker is a great player in his own right. But he is not being put in a position to maximize his talent if he has to take on primary ball-handling responsibilities and share the backcourt with Jalen Green.

The Suns’ only win of the season thus far coming against the Sacramento Kings tells you all you need to know.

28. Sacramento Kings (1-4)

Sacramento has the least logical roster in the NBA. It is extremely difficult to explain what general manager Scott Perry is trying to do. Russell Westbrook, Dennis Schroder, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis on the same team do not make any sense at all. Keegan Murray could have been the one shining light to start the season but he’s out injured.

There is simply no way the Kings can be adequately competitive in the mighty Western Conference. They need to break up this horrible mishmash of players as soon as possible.

29. New Orleans Pelicans (0-4)

Zion Williamson has played three of four games, averaging 21.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 3.0 steals. That’s the good news.

The bad news is the Pelicans have the league’s worst offense and 27th-ranked defense so far. Trey Murphy is shooting just 21.7 percent from three; Jordan Poole is shooting 35 percent from the field; Herbert Jones is at under 30 percent from the floor.

Head coach Willie Green appears to be on the hot seat already. If this keeps up, it might not be too long before we see some changes.

30. Brooklyn Nets (0-5)

Development, development and more development.  Oh, and seeing what Michael Porter Jr. looks like in an expanded offensive role. It’s not going to be a pretty season for the Nets but that’s what this year is about. 

Porter Jr. is averaging 21.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists thus far, which marks career-highs in the scoring and passing categories. He’s shooting just over 50 percent from the field and 41 percent from three. Rookie Egor Demin has had some nice early moments and Brooklyn will be happy to see him shooting 40.9 percent from deep so far.

Vivek Jacob Written by Sports EditorVivek Jacob
Vivek Jacob is a freelance sports writer with over seven years experience. During this time, he has written for outlets including The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Sportsnet, CBC, and Complex. Primarily covering the NBA, Vivek also covers tennis, soccer, and cricket.
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