NBA Power Rankings: Reasons for hope for each team

Welcome back to another installment of HoopsHype’s power rankings!

Rather than just talk about the week that was, I like to focus on something a little more specific for each team. Last time, it was a look at each team’s most intriguing young player. For the upcoming holidays, however, I thought it would be nice to examine reasons for hope.

Every squad has different goals at this point in the season, and their reasons for optimism won’t follow the same parameters. It’s unrealistic to expect 30 teams to compete for a championship, but there are still silver linings to the on-court product of even the teams most resembling an M1 Abrams. I didn’t want to lean on the lottery odds as a crutch for the bad squads, so I tried to find something about their current roster that gives a reason to tune in.

In that same cheerful spirit, we’ll start with the teams at the bottom. I know half of you are just here to look for the top five, but this way, the teams that don’t get talked about as much will get at least a little shine.

These power rankings are as much art as science. Net ratings, injuries, forward-looking projections, strength of schedule, and feel are all part of the equation. Just because one team beats another doesn’t mean they are more powerful. This early in the season, expect a lot of movement week-to-week.

30. Washington

Reason for hope: Kyshawn George’s passing

I am way, way too obsessed with the NBA’s worst team. I’ve probably viewed more Wiz games than any non-DMV resident in the country – it’s a problem.

One of my favorite Wizards things has been seeing the team’s trio of talented rookies show unexpected flashes. George is a perfect example. Although he loves to jack up three-pointers (the confidence is another plus), George is unselfish with the ball and possesses excellent vision on the bounce. He has a surprising subtlety to his passing that only pops if you’re paying way more attention to the Wizards than you should be. Watch as he pushes the break and gives a slight head fake toward Bilal Coulibaly on the wing. Julian Phillips bites harder than a fish on a rainy day, opening up the easy lob to Alex Sarr:

Of course, a team that’s spent much of the season starting three rookies and a second-year player is terrible. That’s to be expected. But there’s something fun brewing in Washington; stay tuned.

29. Utah

Reason for hope: Keyonte George’s shooting

George picked up this season where he left off his challenging rookie year: bricking everything in sight like he’s running Windows Vista (I can’t imagine that joke landed with many people, but I’m sticking to my guns). He started the year 9-of-40 from deep.

But since then, he’s righted the ship. George is still the primary ballhandler, but he’s ceded some control to rookie Isaiah Collier and the Jazz’s other guards. He looks a little more comfortable as a primary scorer and secondary initiator than the other way around, and it’s shown up in his shooting. Since that abysmal opening stretch, George is up to 39 percent from deep on nearly eight attempts per game – an excellent combination of volume and accuracy.

George still has plenty of holes in his game, but his strengths are finally starting to shine.

28. New Orleans

Reason for hope: Yves Missi

This has been a(nother) year from hell for Pelicans fans. Hopefully, Missi can salve some of the pain. The rookie big man has come from nowhere to take the Pelicans’ starting spot with force.

While Missi’s offensive game is raw (growing by the day, but raw), he’s already posting above-average block rates, avoiding fouls, and consuming O-rebounds like Honey Ohs. Missi’s sheer, tangible effort makes him an easy guy to root for.

If you want a broader reason for hope, we’ve seen this story before. Just a few years ago, the Pelicans started 1-12 and made the play-in; who is to say history can’t repeat itself?

27. Philadelphia

Reason for hope: Jared McCain

Three straight games against three tough defenses have cooled McCain off some, but he’s still been the team’s biggest bright spot by far. McCain is already good enough to be a major contributor as the team makes a playoff push with Joel Embiid and Paul George, but he’s also young enough to be a key component of any possible rebuild in the future.

Snagging McCain in the middle of the first round, like Tyrese Maxey before him, is an unbelievable coup for a team that desperately needs youthful talent regardless of which direction they go.

26. Charlotte

After a slow start to the season, Miller has found his way. In his last seven games, he’s averaging 27 points, seven rebounds, and four assists while shooting 42 percent from deep on insane volume (12 triples per game).

Miller’s scoring is one thing, but it’s been nice to see him ramp up the defense, too. I can’t stop watching this jackrabbit bounce to steal an alley-oop on the way up:

He’s still a work in progress, but Miller’s improvement on both ends has been a welcome Hornets storyline.

25. Portland

Reason for hope: Robert Williams

This feels cruel, to me, to you, to him. We know how the story ends with Robert Williams. He’s currently out with a concussion. And yet, I can’t stop loving him.

Williams’ seven games are already one more than last year, but you’d never know how rusty he should be from how he’s played. He’s swatting shots, running the floor, and dropping dimes like it’s the 2022 playoffs all over again. The processing speed is overclocked:

If anybody deserves a good break, it’s Williams; if anyone else does, it’s Blazers fans. This isn’t so much a “reason for hope” as it is something to hope for, but I’m a sucker for a Williams comeback story.

24. Toronto

Reason for hope: Scottie Barnes/RJ Barrett chemistry

In his fourth year, Barnes is doing even more, setting career highs in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and free throws. He’s struggled a little with his shot and missed time with an unfortunate orbital fracture, but he’s steadily improving.

The more noteworthy thing is how he’s interacted with Barrett. Barrett’s been a completely different player in Toronto than in New York. In seven games with Barnes, Barrett is averaging 24/6/5 on 52 percent shooting from the field and 39 percent shooting from range. Most importantly for a lousy team, the Raptors are slightly outscoring opponents when those two share the floor. That’s a big deal!

Barrett is a little overtaxed as the primary guy when Barnes is out, but he’s been an elite secondary scoring option, attacking tilted defenses like a rim-seeking missile while putting up excellent long-distance shooting numbers.

If those two can build upon their initial success, and the front office can find the right pieces to put around them, Toronto’s rebuild period might be shorter than expected.

23. Brooklyn

Reason for hope: Jordi Fernandez

Fernandez has been an incredible find, turning a mishmash of unheralded young guys and veteran role players into what was a Top 10 offense just two days ago.

Fernandez has gotten buy-in from a group that might not possess a single surefire piece of the future. The offense is predicated on the just-injured Cam Thomas and Dennis Schroeder’s ability to get two feet into the paint and spray out to the plethora of shooters on the roster, but Fernandez can also get huge nights from guys like Keon Johnson and Tyrese Martin when he needs to.

No one knows what the next iteration of the Nets will look like, but they’ve at least found their helmsman of the future.

22. Chicago

Reason for hope: Coby White, maintaining

Coming into the year, I was worried that a healthy Zach LaVine and new ballhandler Josh Giddey would cut heavily into Coby White’s role. Thankfully, White has almost entirely maintained his production while leaning even heavier into three-point shooting.

The 24-year-old guard is averaging 18/5/4 (with generous rounding) on 38 percent shooting from deep; those numbers are eerily close to last year’s 19/5/5 and 38 percent long-range shooting. With fewer ballhandling responsibilities, White has also improved his defense after it took a step back last season.

Chicago’s roster is a weird one, and there are rumors that they want to trade several vets –  although it’s far from a certainty that they actually will. Either way, watch White’s usage after the trade deadline. There’s a chance he explodes if given a little bit more opportunity.

21. Detroit

Reason for hope: Defense!

The Pistons brought in a new coach, JB Bickerstaff, and a hodgepodge of shooting-minded NBA role players (Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr., Tobias Harris) to try and reinvigorate last year’s saddest team.

It worked, albeit in a different way than some would’ve imagined. The team still can’t buy a bucket, but Bickerstaff, as he’s wont to do, has fashioned them into a try-hard defensive unit. Cleaning the Glass says they’re an above-average defense now, one particularly good at contesting every shot without fouling.

Do you know how hard it is to have an above-average defense when your starting center, Jalen Duren, has been one of the worst defensive centers in the game?

Jaden Ivey and Cade Cunningham continue to improve offensively, and with a new defensive backbone, the Pistons are a tough out every night. It’s not their time yet, but the future looks much brighter in Motown.

20. Indiana

Reason for hope: Bennedict Mathurin

It’s been a bit of a tough season for Indiana so far, but one silver lining has been the play of Bennedict Mathurin.

Mathurin’s success this season hasn’t come thanks to fixing his weaknesses – he’s still a poor off-ball defender and passer. However, he’s improved his strengths to such a degree that he’s impossible to keep off the floor now.

For the second straight year, Mathurin has dramatically improved his three-point accuracy – 43 percent from deep, although I’d like to see more than four attempts per game. He’s rebounding like a madman (nearly seven boards per game is a fantastic number for a wing), and he’s rediscovered how to get to the foul line.

Most encouragingly, Mathurin has honed his finishing beyond merely throwing himself at defenders and firing up a wild layup attempt. He mixes up his strides, utilizes a more consistent Eurostep, and shows more patience, as I talk about for HoopsHype here.

Mathurin is still a flawed player, but he’s an increasingly reliable source of efficient offense – the most valuable skill in the game.

19. Miami

Reason for hope: The turnover game

It’s been a strange, uncomfortable start to the season for Miami. Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler are both down, and the team has struggled to beat even bad teams.

However, the turnover battle is one key to their limited success so far. Miami has the fifth-lowest turnover rate but forces turnovers at the seventh-highest rate.

An unusually aggressive defensive scheme with players attacking the passing lanes and hunting steals is a major factor; having sticky-fingered defenders like Adebayo, Butler, and Haywood Highsmith helps, too.

18. Sacramento

Reason for hope: The core four are working!

You couldn’t tell it from the Kings record or their vibe, but the team’s core four (DeMar DeRozan, De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, and Keegan Murray) are actually part of two different lineups that rank among the league’s best (min. 100 possessions): one with 3-and-Der Keon Ellis, and one with the offensive-minded Malik Monk.

The problem is that they bleed out with almost any other combination of players.

It is a pivotal time for the Kings as they try to emerge from a 1-6 slump; coach Mike Brown is already riding his starters hard, but he’ll need to alchemize some new combinations to keep the team afloat for 48 minutes straight.

This didn’t sound very hopeful, did it? Sorry, Kings fans. For what it’s worth, Sacramento has posted an above-average point differential, and Cleaning the Glass suggests they’ve underperformed their expected win total by more than any team in the league. With a little more luck, brighter times could be ahead.

17. LA Lakers

Reason for hope: Knecht 4

Dalton Knecht has looked like a six-year vet so far this season, knocking down 41 percent of his many three-point attempts. In nine games as a starter, he’s averaged 17 points almost entirely as an off-ball weapon whizzing around the perimeter.

The automatic three-pointer is huge for the Lakers, but his ability to threaten even with the shot holstered, like a gunslinger thumbing his belt, has been a pleasant surprise.

Look at this DHO with Anthony Davis. Knecht takes the ball to the nail, draws two, quickly gets it out to Davis, and then moonwalks to the three-point line. Knecht’s defender, Johnny Juzang, is so scared of the rookie’s shot that he scampers out of the lane even with Davis driving right at him, making for an easy layup:

It’s been a minute since the Lakers had a player this respected from the three-point line, and even if the shot doesn’t stay scorching (he’s 1-for-10 in his last two games), he’s already earned the kind of respect from opponents that will make his teammates’ life easier.

16. Atlanta

Reason for hope: Jalen Johnson

Johnson has been exactly what the Hawks hoped for this season, a two-way wrecking ball with playmaking chops and burgeoning shooting. He’s averaging 20/10 with nearly six assists per game, putting up 2.6 stocks (steals+blocks), and notching career-best three-point shooting volume and accuracy.

The Hawks are mediocre overall, but the team’s youth movement is far more interesting than it appeared in the preseason. Zaccharie Risacher has looked advanced beyond his years in everything except his shot (which, to be fair, is the most important thing!), Dyson Daniels is earning nautical-themed nicknames for his defensive abilities, and Johnson is making an All-Star case.

This isn’t quite the year for the Hawks, but they’re a team on the rise.

15. Milwaukee

Reason for hope: The East stinks!

Pinching my nose at the entire conference isn’t quite fair, as Cleveland, Boston, Orlando, and New York have all shown high levels of play for varying lengths of time. But it drops off like the Mariana Trench after that, as the East’s middle class has looked softer than a Christmas custard.

Milwaukee’s current 8-1 streak looks impressive on paper, but it’s been built on the backs of mediocre-to-terrible conference opponents: Toronto, Detroit, Charlotte (whom they also lost to by a point), Indiana, Miami, and Washington.

You can only play whoever’s in front of you, however, and perhaps the confidence gained from beating lesser lights will transfer over to more competitive contests – they did eke out a dramatic victory over Houston, after all, and beat the Heat without Giannis.

Friday’s clash against the Celtics will be a fantastic litmus test.

14. Minnesota

Reason for hope: Edwards, drilling threes

Anthony Edwards is currently jacking up the second-most threes in the league, which would be problematic if he weren’t nailing 42 percent of them.

You may not like his newfound style, but you should (unless you’re a hater, in which case, hate away!). It’s no coincidence that this is the first year Edwards has boasted an above-average true shooting percentage.

The trade for Julius Randle would inevitably narrow Edwards’ path to the basket. The fact he’s been able to respond with not just more threes, but more accurate ones, is a huge boon to the Wolves’ chances of making a postseason splash with this roster.

13. LA Clippers

Reason for hope: Big Zu

Ivica Zubac has stepped up in the absences of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, averaging career highs in minutes, points, rebounds, and assists without sacrificing much efficiency or defense. Despite his burden, he’s even averaging a career-low in foul rate!

Zubac is a traditional big man with just enough modern pizazz to thrive in the modern NBA. He can move his feet on the perimeter sufficiently to survive late-clock switches and make some nifty passes, but he’s also a strong post presence, a mean pick-setter, and a hungry hippo for rebounds.

The Clippers have been a sneaky fun watch this year, and Zubac is a big reason why.

12. San Antonio

Reason for hope: Youth ahead of schedule

Oodles of ink have been spilled about the early greatness of Victor Wembanyama and, increasingly, Stephon Castle (*cough*). But Devin Vassell is back now and shooting 46 percent from deep on prodigious volume, Julian Champagnie keeps improving on both ends, and Jeremy Sochan is set to return tonight to hopefully continue his breakout season.

I didn’t expect a team with this many young guys playing this many minutes to be so competitive, but they’re 11-9 overall and 5-1 in their last six games. Props to interim coach Mitch Johnson, but mostly, to the young fellas for stepping it up.

11. Phoenix

Reason for hope: Kevin Durant

The 37-year-old Durant is averaging both the second-most threes and the second-highest long-ball accuracy of his illustrious shooting career, a big reason why the Suns are 10-2 when Durant plays. On/off numbers, lineup data, and advanced metrics all suggest Durant has been one of the league’s better defenders, too. My eyes agree:

Those double-pawful of wins weren’t all walks in the park, either. They throttled the Lakers twice (after dropping the first one), hung on against the Mavs with Luka Doncic twice, notched two tough wins over the Clippers twice, and beat a Warriors squad with Steph Curry. That’s a very solid resume.

The team still has plenty of kinks to work out while adjusting to coach Mike Budenholzer’s new systems on both sides, and health is always an issue. But Phoenix’s ceiling is still in rarefied air – and Durant’s continued excellence is the big reason why.

10. Dallas

Reason for hope: The defense has held!

Coming into the season, most people assumed that the Klay Thompson/Kyrie Irving/Luka Doncic trio would light people up on offense but struggle at the point of attack.

And maybe that will still be the case in the playoffs, but the trio has held serve so far. The Mavericks are a Top 10 defense overall, and lineups with the three caballeros have been about average defensively.

There are matchups where they might not be tenable, but there are plenty of times when that much combined firepower will be worth whatever small defensive drop-off exists. They should only get better with more reps, too.

9. Golden State

Reason for hope: Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins have found their shots

The Warriors are in a bit of a rough patch right now, but one thing to cheer Golden State fans up: Draymond Green has been legitimately helpful from beyond the arc. He’s canning 40 percent on nearly four attempts per game and shooting with more deserved confidence than ever before.

Wiggins, similarly, is shooting half-again as many triples as last year (up to 5.4 per game) and hitting 41 percent. He’s also looking spryer on defense.

With the inconsistent play of the team’s youth, it’s been nice to see the two vets step up.

8. Denver

Reason for hope: C’mon, now

All hope for the Nuggets centers around Nikola Jokic. It’s ridiculous to say this about a three-time MVP, but Jokic might be having his best year ever – again.

He’s fourth in scoring, second in assists, second in three-point percentage (!!), and first in rebounding. He leads every advanced stat by a metric mile.

He’s been the unquestionable MVP of the first quarter. When Jokic looks like this, it almost doesn’t matter who you put around him; it’ll be a championship-caliber lineup. If Denver could be merely very bad in his scant minutes of rest instead of execrable, they might be favorites in the West. Alas.

7. New York

Reason for hope: KAT

Towns has been everything the Knicks could have reasonably expected. Yes, the defense has been tough, but that’s more about Thibodeau’s refusal to put KAT in advantageous positions (although, to my eyes, he has been at the level of the screen more often recently, where he’s better equipped to muck up passing angles). Opponents won’t shoot 300 percent at the rim against him forever, right? Offensively, though, he’s been lights out.

Towns is setting career highs all over the place, including true shooting percentage, three-point percentage, and rebounds. He’s even dramatically reduced his most dumbfounding turnovers. The Knicks are a tiny fraction of a point away from being the league’s No. 1 offense, and lineups with KAT are scoring a downright silly 124 points per 100 possessions.

I’m very curious to see how Towns looks next to Mitchell Robinson, when he can resume being a power forward defensively.

6. Orlando

Reason for hope: Defense

I thought about being cute here, but let’s be honest. The Magic’s defense is profoundly menacing. They’re second in the league in defensive rating, behind only OKC, but the Magic are certainly more unpleasant to play against.

With Jalen Suggs pressing full court, Gary Harris and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope harassing wings, Franz Wagner locking down forwards, and a battalion of fierce centers (Jonathan Isaac might be the league’s best defensive player, and he comes off their bench), the Magic make life miserable for opposing offenses.

They still haven’t quite figured out the other end of things even with Franz Wagner’s surge, thanks to Paolo Banchero’s injury and their shooters forgetting how to shoot. But they’re winning games without offense now; what happens when they find even a little?

5. Memphis

Reason for hope: Taylor Jenkins

It almost hasn’t mattered who has suited up for the perpetually injured Memphis Grizzlies this year, as they keep churning out wins – they’re 6-4 without Ja Morant!

Jenkins has driven a small segment of Grizz fans mad with some of his rotation choices, but there’s no denying that everyone has been ready to step up and play their role. I’m not sure anybody in the league rolls with the punches quite like Memphis, and to have a Top 5 offense and a Top 5 defense with this MASH unit should be impossible. The schedule will get tougher, too. But it’s hard not to love what’s happening in Tennessee.

4. Houston

Reason for hope: The Terror Twins

I wrote two weeks ago about Tari Eason, but the other half of Houston’s lockdown bench duo, Amen Thompson, is having just as strong a campaign.

Thompson can do everything except shoot threes, and he’s gotten better across the board this year. He’s savvier cutting without the ball, stronger with it, and meaner in taking it away from the other team’s ballhandlers:

Both Eason and Thompson are in the race for Sixth Man of the Year right now. Houston is riddled with talent up and down their roster. Their fast start this season is no joke; they think they can win the Western Conference – and they’re right.

3. Oklahoma City

Reason for hope: They won’t be worse than this

It’s wild to think about, given OKC is at the top of the West, but barring catastrophe, the Thunder should not ever be worse than they are right now.

They’ve battled a multitude of injuries to every center on the roster, and it barely slowed them. New addition Alex Caruso left his shot in Chicago, and it hasn’t mattered. The team as a whole is shooting 35 percent from deep, in the bottom third of the league, and they just keep winning. (It helps that opponents are ice-cold from long-range against them, too.)

Yes, I realize they just lost to the Rockets, but they were missing Holmgren while Houston was at full strength (and they have a much higher net rating – +10.9 compared to Houston’s +8.8).

Better health and greater chemistry should only lead to even more impressive things for OKC. They’ve looked as good in practice as they did on paper.

2. Cleveland

Reason for hope: Kenny Atkinson

Cleveland couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season, outside of a pair of baffling losses to the Hawks. They split the matchup with Boston in two scintillating games, have mostly dominated bad and mediocre teams, and could still get better if any of their wings could stay healthy for more than, like, two minutes.

Atkinson’s impact has been impressive. He has the Cavs playing faster, ditched the elbow touches for more drive-and-kicks, and put the ball in the hands of Evan Mobley (and Ty Jerome!) more. While Donovan Mitchell’s numbers look down, it’s because he’s playing fewer minutes – Atkinson is trying to keep his starters fresh for the playoffs. Darius Garland is having a nice bounceback year.

Would I pick Cleveland over Boston in the East? Not right now. Would I be shocked if they make a Finals run? I would not.

1. Boston

Reason for hope: (*gestures broadly at everything*)

The Celtics put together one of the most dominant postseason runs we’ve seen in a while last year, and while you can quibble with the quality of the competition, it’s hard to argue with the success they’ve had this year with the same core.

It doesn’t feel like the Celtics are even firing on all cylinders – their 9th-ranked defense somehow feels like a disappointment – and yet they’re still 17-4 with the league’s best point differential. It’s a good time to be a Celtics fan.

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: NBA Power Rankings: Reasons for hope for each team