It's an NBA Power Rankings Tuesday

The Committee (of One) is back with a pulse check spanning more than 4,000 words as we approach the regular season midpoint

It has been 40-odd days since The Committee (of One) last convened to whip up the world's most famous NBA Power Rankings.

We chose this Newsletter Tuesday to do it again because we are essentially at the midpoint of the 2024-25 regular season. New York and Orlando have already played 41 games and the rest of the league's 30 teams will be there soon.

Only two teams, though, have already cracked 30-win territory and stand out as the clear-cut top two so far. There is not much to separate 33-5 Cleveland and 32-6 Oklahoma City Thunder at the top, but the Cavaliers got the edge from The Committee in a nod to their storybook start and last week's home win over Oklahoma City. The Thunder, of course, get their shot at revenge Thursday night at home.

You guys surely know the general drill by now for these rankings. As established during our maiden full season on this platform in 2021-22, our preferred rhythm here calls for publishing rankings on a (roughly) monthly basis. These are broader periodic looks at the league as opposed to our old weekly ESPN pulse-takes … which ESPN still assembles without us but now happens to employ an actual committee that legitimately strays into double-digits to do so.

#thisleague

The overall mission here, no matter the cadence, remains unchanged: Establish a 1-to-30 order (somewhat) independent of the standings that measures big-picture potential and expectations alongside short-term results. Injuries and other off-court developments, positive and negative, are factored in as well … with some sprinkles of Committee whim mixed in.

We don't always achieve our goal of publishing an updated 1-to-30 ladder around the same time each month during the regular season, because unforeseen stories/shifting project timelines have a habit of derailing such plans, but it's always enjoyable to turn back the clock and immerse myself in Power Rankings mode to make sure we never forget how to do this.

You are asked, as always, to register your questions, quibbles or any other pertinent thoughts in the comments section below so we can respond and expound upon our thinking. And remember: Rankings posts are incredibly long. Just click on the main headline to get the web or app version instantly if it proves too unwieldy to consume as an email.

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1️⃣ Cleveland Cavaliers

Fueled in part by a 12-1 December in which 11 of the wins came by double digits, Cleveland is just the 10th team in league history to start a season by winning 33 of its first 38 games. History thus demands that we stamp the Cavaliers as a title contender right now, since seven of the previous nine teams to open a season 33-5 or better made it to the NBA Finals ... and six of those seven won it all. You know how it works, though, in #thisleague. Doubts will linger about the Cavaliers on some level until we see Donovan Mitchell and Co. do it on playoff stages because, well, we know no other way in the NBA. Unfair as that might sound to a squad on a 71-11 pace.

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 1

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2️⃣ Oklahoma City Thunder

While the West is universally regarded as the more treacherous conference, Oklahoma City can boast about holding the larger lead at the top (6 games over No. 2 Houston) than Cleveland holds over No. 2 Boston (5 1/2 games) in the East entering Tuesday's play. The Thunder, of course, are doing all of this despite not seeing Chet Holmgren in uniform since Nov. 10, with an immediate opportunity to remind everyone how good they are even without their top big man when they play host to Cleveland on Thursday night in a rematch of the teams' tremendous opening act last week.

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 3

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3️⃣ Boston Celtics

You can only drop the defending champions so far in these rankings ... even when the Celtics are a very pedestrian 7-6 since that 21-5 start. Our reluctance to shove them down any lower stems mostly from the fact that Boston's +9.3 average scoring margin remains No. 3 leaguewide behind only Oklahoma City (+12.7) and Cleveland (+10.8). Ditto for the fact that, yeah, these guys just won the championship. Nor does it hurt that the Celts, even in their current state, are the only team you'll find out there in the top five in both offensive and defensive efficiency. Boston's shooting has gone cold of late, which is an undeniable problem if it persists, but The Committee can't help but wonder if this is a team simply struggling to get up for certain regular-season games in the immediate aftermath of a title run. Motivation in January is always a challenge in those circumstances.

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 2

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4️⃣ Houston Rockets

Add Ime Udoka to the list of coaches, alongside Orlando's Jamahl Mosley and Detroit's J.B. Bickerstaff, who isn't getting the sort of Coach of the Year buzz he normally might have thanks to Cleveland's stunning success under Kenny Atkinson. Houston has quietly rocketed to No. 2 in the West and continues to grind out victories (including two in a span of five days against the grit-and-grinders from Memphis to improve to 3-0 against the Grizzlies) despite losing a key cog defensively when Jabari Smith Jr. sustained a fracture in his left hand. I know I've said this before, but our pals from Strat-O-Matic appear to have been onto something when the computer simulation of the season that S-O-M commissioned on our behalf in October told us then that the Rockets would post the best record of any Texas team.

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 4

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5️⃣ Denver Nuggets

Perhaps The Committee is guilty of falling back in love with the Nuggets too quickly since we just saw them in person Sunday afternoon — with another in-person look looming Tuesday night after these rankings were to go live — but we ultimately had little hesitation declaring that they are worthy of a promotion back to the top five. Denver is 12-3 with Russell Westbrook starting alongside Nikola Jokić and Westbrook's impact as a starter is freeing things up a bit more for Jamal Murray. The big question confronting Michael Malone, rather suddenly, is how soon to work Aaron Gordon back into the starting lineup and whom to remove — Westbrook or Christian Braun? — when Gordon is healthy enough to reclaim his usual spot in the first five. Which would be the best problem that the Nuggets have dealt with in weeks.

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 12

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6️⃣ Memphis Grizzlies

Pretty remarkable first half for the Grizzlies. Ja Morant has missed 17 of 40 games through injury for a team that, just like last season, has endured considerable amounts of health woe beyond their star guard's day-to-day status. Yet there was Memphis on Tuesday morning at No. 5 in offensive efficiency and No. 7 in defensive efficiency. The only other three teams that can claim a spot in both top 10s are the consensus three best teams on our ladder: Cleveland, Oklahoma City and Boston. The Grizzlies' primary worry besides health might be their middling 12-12 record against fellow conference residents … which ranks 10th among the West's top 12.

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 10

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7️⃣ Indiana Pacers

The best team in the Eastern Conference in 2025? If we narrow the discussion down to such finite terms, Indiana can credibly claim that distinction with a 6-0 record since the new year began ... including an impressive victory Sunday night at Cleveland to inflict just the Cavaliers' fifth loss all season. Tyrese Haliburton has burst out of his early season funk, Andrew Nembhard is bringing the best out of him as a backcourt mate and Thomas Bryant has been an underrated (and underdiscussed) trade acquisition who has bolstered the frontcourt alongside Myles Turner. Heady (but deserved) rise for the Pacers, who also happen to have climbed to a more passable ninth in offensive efficiency.

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 22

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8️⃣ New York Knicks

The good news: New York has established a bit of separation from the bottleneck that starts with Orlando at No. 4 on the East ladder. The bad news: Mitchell Robinson still hasn't played yet this season and the Knicks are 0-5 against Cleveland, Boston and Oklahoma City. Other concerns to monitor: New York is merely 15th in the defensive efficiency table and three Knicks starters are found in the league's top 10 in minutes per game as we speak (No. 1 Mikal Bridges at 38.8 MPG, No. 2 Josh Hart at 37.5 and co-No. 8 OG Anunoby at 36.4).

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 8

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9️⃣ Minnesota Timberwolves

For all the consternation about the Wolves' season so far after trading away Karl-Anthony Towns, they quietly boast the league's fifth-ranked defense. The offense has started to look a bit better, too, since Donte DiVincenzo replaced Mike Conley in the starting lineup, but Minnesota's season has been undeniably funky. Among the weirder elements: The Wolves were placed on both the Opening Night and Christmas Day national TV cards almost exclusively because of Anthony Edwards ... yet Edwards somehow ranked just 19th among all players in the most recent All-Star game fan voting tally. Funky season.

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 13

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🔟 Orlando Magic

Who else would you have at the top of the theoretical Respect Standings than the Orlando Magic? Paolo Banchero missed 34 games. Franz Wagner has been out since early December. The Magic were off to a top-four start in the East when Banchero was lost right before Halloween and, well, here they still are at No. 4 in the East despite so many injury issues. Does any team in the league play harder than the Magic do for Jamahl Mosley? Banchero's recent return sealed it for The Committee: We decided they had to stay in the top 10 (if only just).

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 5

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1️⃣1️⃣ Milwaukee Bucks

The Committee thought that winning the NBA Cup in Las Vegas would be a real springboard for the Bucks. Oops. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. haven't slumped as badly as LeBron James and the Lakers did after winning the inaugural In-Season Tournament — do you remember L.A. losing 10 of its next 13 games? — but a 6-6 mark since the Bucks throttled the Thunder in Sin City hasn't been too reassuring. Especially when you drill down on the actual results and find two home losses to Brooklyn and another to Portland on the list. The Bucks, furthermore, certainly can't ask Giannis to give them more than he has when he's averaging 31.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.0 assists and shooting nearly 60% from the field.

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 9

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1️⃣2️⃣ Sacramento Kings

The execution of Mike Brown's sudden firing on Dec. 27 undoubtedly reflected poorly on the Kings and won't soon be forgotten, but there can be zero quibbling with the results since the change. Sacramento is a heady 7-1 under interim coach Doug Christie, off to a 6-0 start in 2025 and just beat Boston — in Boston — without De'Aaron Fox in uniform. The Kings are playing fast, defending better and finally starting to resemble the team they were projected to be coming into the season. Perhaps no one has benefited more from Christie's arrival than Domantas Sabonis, who has always clicked with Christie and was just named Western Conference Player of the Week.

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 21

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1️⃣3️⃣ Detroit Pistons

The NBA does not have a Most Improved Team trophy. If it did? That award would be clinched by now. The Pistons, remember, were 3-36 this time a year ago. This group matched last season's 14 wins by the day after Christmas ... with a one-point win at Sacramento that got Mike Brown fired. The space that belonged to The Committee on this Newsletter Tuesday will be devoted to intense All-Star discussion and analysis over the next two Tuesdays, but we don't have to do any extra number-crunching to make this particular declaration right now: Cade Cunningham deserves an Eastern Conference roster spot for the midseason classic in San Francisco on Feb. 16. There should be no debate there. And if you think we're gotten too carried with the Pistons' start to have them this high … understood. Just remember: We're suckers for a good story and always have been.

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 20

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1️⃣4️⃣ Dallas Mavericks

These Mavericks are routinely (and rightly) described as one of the deepest teams in franchise history. But they've been trying to get by lately without both Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving, which isn't realistic no matter how deep they might be. Luckily for Dallas, Kyrie Irving is nearing a return from his back injury after missing six of the past seven games ... and after the Mavs managed to grind out wins last week over the visiting Lakers and Trail Blazers without both of their backcourt pillars. Daunting as it to see Dončić deal with the most serious injury of his career (calf), Dallas did relish seeing Irving play in 29 of its first 32 games. He played in 58 games total in 2023-24 in his first full season as a Maverick.

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 6

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1️⃣5️⃣ LA Clippers

Although the Clippers continue to sport a top-five defense, they're trying to compensate for a bottom-10 offense in this season of significant adjustment in the wake of Paul George's free-agent defection to Philadelphia. Norman Powell has played better-than-ever basketball in his 11th season and we finally saw Kawhi Leonard make his season debut on Jan. 4 ... but Leonard has only played in three games for a total of 61 minutes. James Harden, meanwhile, is shooting just 39.3% from the floor and 34.8% on 3-pointers as the focal point of opposing defenses.

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 11

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1️⃣6️⃣ Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers are one of only two teams leaguewide that has amassed a winning record while posting a negative per-game point differential (-2.7); 21-19 Detroit, fresh off winning in New York, is the other. They're also the only team in the league that rosters a 40-year-old — pretty good one, too, named LeBron James — and managed to get some useful early trade business done by outbidding Memphis in the chase to acquire Dorian Finney-Smith. Yet the many challenges for first-year coach JJ Redick have obviously taken on a complex and tragic off-court dimension with the ongoing wildfires crisis in Los Angeles.

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 18

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1️⃣7️⃣ San Antonio Spurs

‌People are still talking about the recent home-and-home duel, with the road team winning both times, in which Victor Wembanyama rung up 55 points, 41 rebounds and six blocked shots in a two-game split against Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets. Wemby only celebrated his 21st birthday 10 days ago yet looks bound for both the All-Star Game and perhaps even an All-NBA berth in his second season. Wemby's Spurs, meanwhile, are even a little better than expected and determined to be a playoff factor in the West ahead of schedule ... as evidenced by the 40-13 haymaker they threw at the Lakers on Monday night after trailing 89-86 late in the third quarter.

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 16

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1️⃣8️⃣ Miami Heat

If you feel like there's a lot of Miami Heat talk in your life, brace yourself: The chatter is only going to increase as Jimmy Butler nears the end of his seven-game suspension this week. Can a trade possibly materialize for both sides to truly move on before the Feb. 6 trade deadline? Will the Heat actually reinstate Butler to the team after completing their six-game West Coast road trip? That's the path they appear to be on while also surely kicking themselves, amid all the Butler tumult, for losing a league-high four games already this season in which they led by at least 15 points. They would have taken a 4-0 record on the trip into Monday night's loss to the Clippers had they not squandered a 17-point lead in Sacramento with eight minutes left in regulation in the trip opener.

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 17

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1️⃣9️⃣ Phoenix Suns

Moving Bradley Beal to the bench and removing Jusuf Nurkić from the rotation entirely both seem to have given the Suns a short-term lift. Beal, in particular, has adapted to a sixth man role well even though he clearly doesn't love the idea. Mike Budenhozler has made his available moves and the front office will continue trying to overcome its own limited options to find a trade that can help a team with much higher aspirations rise above Play-In Tournament territory. A more realistic source of potential improvement: Devin Booker shooting the ball more like Devin Booker. Book is at a career-low 43.7% from the floor and 33.7% from deep.

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 15

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2️⃣0️⃣ Golden State Warriors

That Orlando could not retain the top-five status bestowed upon the Magic in December when The Committee last convened for a fresh batch of Power Rankings is understandable; Franz Wagner joined Paolo Banchero on Team Torn Oblique four days after those rankings were published. Golden State's slide from No. 7 on Dec. 3 all the way down to No. 20 — with a 19-20 record — has been steeper and painful in mostly metaphorical ways after the Warriors got their own hopes up with that 12-3 start. While the Warriors' defense has clung to a spot in the league's upper third at No. 8, they've tumbled to No. 21 in offensive rating, clearly missing the injured Jonathan Kuminga's athleticism. The Committee is genuinely surprised that Dennis Schröder, who was playing some of the best NBA basketball we've ever seen from him as a Net, has found it harder to click as a Warrior than anyone anticipated.

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 7

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2️⃣1️⃣ Atlanta Hawks

Only one player in the whole league is averaging at least 10 assists per game: The Hawks' Trae Young at 12.1 APG. Young has also posted three games already this season with at least 20 points and 20 assists; Isiah Thomas holds the single-season NBA record with five for Detroit in 1984-85. A recent buzzer-beater from halfcourt to beat the Jazz in Utah is another shiny entry on Young's All-Star resume, which should contain enough — with the Hawks at 19-19 despite the recent injury absence of Jalen Johnson — to compensate for Young's shaky shooting numbers (40.1% FG; 33.9% 3FG).

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 14

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2️⃣2️⃣ Chicago Bulls

The Committee knows you want to know if Chicago will find a trade to ship out Zach LaVine, Nikola Vučević or Lonzo Ball over the course of the next 23 days. Hard as it is to answer that question with just three weeks (and change) to go before the Feb. 6 trade deadline, we naturally feel compelled to hat-tip LaVine for the ridiculous run he's on: Six games played in 2025 and no less than 31 points in all six games. LaVine and Vučević, in truth, are both playing All-Star-worthy ball. One word of caution, though, when assessing the Bulls' playoff viability: They're 4-0 in one-possession games thus far. Can that sort of fortune really last?

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 23

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2️⃣3️⃣ Philadelphia 76ers

Forgiving is a far-too-polite adjective to describe this season's Eastern Conference. Joel Embiid has appeared in only 13 of 37 games for the 76ers. Paul George and Tyrese Maxey haven't shot the ball like they're capable of. And Philly is a dreadful 5-19 against teams with records of .500 or better. Yet Nick Nurse's Sixers, as rough as this first half has been, are only five games out of the East's No. 6 seed and just two games out of a Play-In Tournament spot. Not sure they can miss the playoffs in #thisEast even if they wanted to.

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 25

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2️⃣4️⃣ New Orleans Pelicans

Leave it to the ever-thorough John Schuhmann, my NBA.com Power Rankings counterpart, to point out that the Pelicans are already just one loss away from being this season's first team to match its loss total (33) from last season. It is so utterly Pelicans to welcome back Zion Williamson after an absence of 27 games — Williamson even returned with a windmilling flourish — and immediately have to follow up with two dire announcements: 1) Ace defender Herb Jones is the latest Pelican to be victimized by a long-term setback (shoulder) in this heinously injury-filled season and 2) Williamson was suspended for one game after repeated lateness.

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 29

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2️⃣5️⃣ Toronto Raptors

The Committee indeed finally made it back to our beloved Toronto for a weekend in December after a five-year wait that was far too long. The Raptors, meanwhile, had to wait 35 games this season for their first glimpse of Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley on the court together — it finally happened Jan. 6 in a home loss to Milwaukee. Not sure that the Raptors, truth be told, were in a huge rush. They're clearly hoping for a top-three pick in the loaded 2025 draft while continuing to assess how the rest of the roster fits around Scottie Barnes.

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 24

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2️⃣6️⃣ Portland Trail Blazers

The Committee will always stop to watch Deni Avdija and there have likewise been some promising first-half flashes from the likes of Shaedon Sharpe, Truman Camara and rookie center Donovan Clingan. What the Blazers really needed most this season, though, was a vibes-lifting sophomore rebound for Scoot Henderson and/or a promising trade market for veteran forward Jerami Grant. Neither seems to be materializing.

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 26

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2️⃣7️⃣ Utah Jazz

The questions you're probably asking about the Jazz when you think of them this time of year: Will they trade Jordan Clarkson? Or Collin Sexton? Or John Collins? The Committee's equally pressing question: Is the somewhat diminished production we've seen from Lauri Markkanen this season — 20.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game on 42.8% shooting from the field and 36.5% from long range — merely the byproduct of playing for a team that is clearly focused on the draft? The Jazz, remember, started 26-26 in each of the past two seasons before the lottery fade began in earnest. This team is 10-28.

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 28

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2️⃣8️⃣ Brooklyn Nets

The first time we published in-season Power Rankings in early December, Brooklyn was 9-13. In the nearly six weeks since, we've seen the Nets win just four games and, crucially, make two trades, sending out Dennis Schröder and Dorian Finney-Smith to get this team back on a tank ... er ... prioritizing-draft-position track. They will continue to hold The Committee's interest (to a degree) after signing former Newcastle United academy product-turned-NBA prospect Tosan Evbuomwan.

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 19

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2️⃣9️⃣ Charlotte Hornets

LaMelo Ball is probably the most popular Hornet in league history ... unless we try to factor in Michael Jordan's ownership years somehow. Ball's robust All-Star voting totals, of course, haven't had much impact on the Hornets' win total — they've remained a bottom-five team with Ball, as my fellow Substacker

Tom Ziller

just covered in depth, hoisting nearly 25 shots per game. While Brandon Miller over Scoot Henderson at No. 2 in the 2023 draft certainly looks like the right choice, Charlotte's new coach/GM leadership duo of Charles Lee and Jeff Peterson clearly still has tons of work to do.

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 27

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3️⃣0️⃣ Washington Wizards

The least competitive team in league history, based on average per-game point differential, is the 1992-93 Dallas Mavericks, who went 11-71 and were outscored by 15.2 points per game. Be advised, though, that the 2024-25 Wizards are challenging that mark at -14.3, which would saddle Washington with the second-worst average scoring margin in league history if that figure doesn't improve over the next 44 games. The 7-59 Charlotte Bobcats of 2011-12 were outscored by 13.9 points per game during a lockout-shortened season that spanned just 66 games. Yet these Wizards, amazingly, are on pace for 13 wins somehow … thanks largely to the two each they've manufactured against Atlanta and Charlotte.

Last ranking (Dec. 3): 30