NBA Power Rankings Version 11 (1/17/23)

We are past the halfway point, and now less than a month until the trade deadline! Which teams will be looking to buy/sell? That, and more will be discussed in the rankings below!

Note: FT Differential should have been Free Throw Attempt Differential, not Free Throw Made Differential. That has been corrected for this ranking.

Team (Record, Z-Score, Previous Ranking)

1. Boston Celtics (33-12, .910, 1): The Celtics have now rattled off seven wins in a row, and continue to dominate the top spot. They are now up 4.5 games in the Eastern Conference and is their home court advantage to lose. They are above average in nine of the ten statistics that make up this model.

2. Denver Nuggets (30-13, .822, 2): Six in a row for Denver and I don't see these two teams moving from their respective positions for a while. The Nuggets are shooting 39.9% on the season from three, and for perspective, the 2015 73-9 Warriors shot 41.5% for the season. They are creeping up on record territory, with their seven leaders in minutes all shooting 37% or above from beyond.

3. Memphis Grizzlies (30-13, .651, 5): The Grizz jump two spots after rattling off their tenth straight victory, a thirty point thrashing of the Phoenix Suns. A totally different team than Denver in that they are so defensive based. They have the top defense and the top rebounding differential to make up for their relatively average shooting.

4. New Orleans Pelicans (26-18, .638, 3): An up-and-down last ten game for the Pels have them dropping a spot. The Zion injury has definitely caused some other players to have to pick up the slack in his absence. Dyson Daniels and Jose Alvarado played 29+ minutes in their last contest, which makes it seem like they should/will be buyers at the trade deadline to secure a little more depth.

5. Sacramento Kings (24-18, .634, 6): Right when it seemed like maybe the Kings were becoming the Kings again, they won four in a row to put them back six games above .500. Just a tremendous job so far from Mike Brown and the staff, producing the second best ORTG in the NBA!

6. Philadelphia 76ers (27-16, .333, 7)

7. Brooklyn Nets (27-15, .322, 4)

8. Cleveland Cavaliers (28-17, .287, 8)

9. Utah Jazz (23-24, .270, 9)

10. Phoenix Suns (21-24, .212, 10)

11. Portland Trail Blazers (21-22, .180, 12): A truly confusing team when it comes to what they will do at the trade deadline. It just seems like they need one more guy who is a semi-natural scorer, after Lillard/Simons/Grant. Looking at the statistics, other than their solid three point percentage, they are an average team. They currently sit in the 10th spot in the West and would be in the play-in.

12. Chicago Bulls (20-24, .153, 11)

13. Oklahoma City Thunder (21-23, .106, 15): The highest the Thunder have been all season and Sam Presti will have quite the decision to make. Although I don't see them making a blockbuster trade this year, they have picks for days. A minor trade with their assets in order to sneak into the playoffs seems to be likely, and it won't affect their long term plan.

14. Indiana Pacers (23-22, .053, 13)

15. New York Knicks (25-20, .048, 14)

16. Golden State Warriors (22-22, .044, 16)

17. Toronto Raptors (20-24, -.050, 19)

18. Milwaukee Bucks (28-16, -.067, 20)

19. Los Angeles Lakers (20-24, -.119, 17): A team stuck in mediocrity, their "big decision" probably won't be until the offseason. They will try and get someone at the deadline to sneak into the playoffs this season with Lebron running the show. What will happen after that? Who knows.

20. Dallas Mavericks (24-21, -.132, 18)

21. Minnesota Timberwolves (22-23, -.230, 21): It just doesn't seem like this experiment is working. I know the Western conference is good but this team must have had higher expectations than this coming into the year. A team with Rudy Gobert and (20ish games of) Karl Anthony-Towns has the fourth-worst rebounding differential? They also have the toughest remaining schedule in their final 37 games.

22. Washington Wizards (18-26, -.292, 22)

23. Miami Heat (24-21, -.303, 23): When watching the Heat play, it just doesn't seem like a recipe for success come playoff time. They definitely have been hit with the injury bug, but they need to make some improvements pre-deadline. They are the 4th-worst three-point shooting team, and play with the 3rd-slowest pace.

24. Atlanta Hawks (22-22, -.370, 24)

25. Los Angeles Clippers (23-22, -.386, 25)

26. Detroit Pistons (12-35, -.541, 26)

27. Orlando Magic (16-28, -.617, 27)

28. Charlotte Hornets (11-34, -.736, 28)

29. San Antonio Spurs (13-31, -.827, 29)

30. Houston Rockets (10-34, -.993, 30): Semi-surprisingly, 21-30 remained unchanged. The distance between the Rockets and the average team (somewhere between the Raptors/Warriors) is larger than the distance between the Celtics and that same team. Things have gotten scary in Houston, but now are fully in the drivers seat in the tank for Victor!