NBA Power Rankings Version 3 (11/13/22)

Things begin to come clearer as the season moves on, time to dive into the next set of rankings. 15% of the season is in the books, where do the teams in the NBA fare?

Note: there was one statistic (Turnover Differential) that was being calculated incorrectly for the first two weeks of rankings. There may be some jumps/drops that are unexpected, but happy to catch the mistake early on in the process.

Team (Record, Z-Score, Previous Ranking)

1. Cleveland Cavaliers (8-4, .798, 1): The Cavs hold the top spot for the 3rd week in a row, but its much tighter than it was. They are very much above average in the top three rated statistics of ORTG, 3P% and DRTG. The only statistic that the Cavaliers rank below average in is Pace. A big game awaits for the Cavs as they head to Milwaukee Wednesday night.

2. Boston Celtics (10-3, .714, 5): The C's have been steadily moving up the ranks, and almost challenged the Cavs for #1 this week. They have the best offense in the league by a significant margin, along with tied for first with highest margin of victory (+6)

3. Denver Nuggets (8-4, .588, 2): The clear top three according to the rankings is rounded out with the Nuggets. A team shooting 41.9% from three over 12 games is going to rank very high. Mike Malone has things working, specifically on the offensive side of the ball. A couple good road tests for them this week in Chicago and in Dallas.

4. Utah Jazz (10-4, .548, 11): The biggest surprise to the season so far. The Jazz were supposed to be tanking this year for the #1 pick Victor Wembanyama, but that has certainly not been the case. First year head coach Will Hardy has the Jazz running an assist-heavy efficient offense, and it's working.

5. New Orleans Pelicans (7-6, .540, 3): Dropping a little bit since the past ranking, one has to wonder if their early season run has slowed down. They still have a +2.8 free throw differential and +3.2 rebound differential though, which are good numbers.

6. Phoenix Suns (8-4, .425, 6)

7. Toronto Raptors (7-7, .402, 7)

8. Indiana Pacers (6-6, .341, 14): The numbers love the Pacers. Sitting in one of the play-in spots, they are in the top five based on the model. They get up a lot of shots, shoot above average from deep, and have the highest assist % in the NBA.

9. Portland Trail Blazers (9-4, .321, 9)

10. Memphis Grizzlies (9-4, .318, 8)

11. Chicago Bulls (6-7, .251, 10)

12. Sacramento Kings (5-6, .241, 13)

13. Milwaukee Bucks (10-2, .235, 4): 1-2 since the last ranking, but still the best record in the league falling to the 13th spot? A below average offense and a below average schedule is hindering the Bucks in these rankings. Obviously though, the record speaks for itself so far.

14. Brooklyn Nets (6-7, .081, 20): The Brooklyn Nets are an "above average" team in the NBA. Based on all of the drama and struggles at this point of the season, Nets fans should take that.

15. Philadelphia 76ers (6-7, .075, 16)

16. Dallas Mavericks (7-5, .028, 12)

17. Miami Heat (6-7, .012, 24)

18. San Antonio Spurs (6-7, -.107, 15)

19. Atlanta Hawks (8-5, -.165, 22): The numbers do not like the Hawks. They keep winning but according to the rankings, this is still a below average team. They don't shoot the three well, and are a -6.3 in free throw attempts. We will see if this catches up to them.

20. Golden State Warriors (5-7, -.175, 19)

21. New York Knicks (6-6, -.340, 17)

22. Orlando Magic (4-9, -.3471, 21)

23. Oklahoma City Thunder (5-7, -.3473, 30): The Thunder got victimized by the incorrect turnover stat which causes the jump. They've had a respectable start to the year, even with the very low expectations.

24. Minnesota Timberwolves (5-8, -.383, 18): Loser of three straight, the Wolves are in danger with three more on the road this week against good teams.

25. Washington Wizards (7-6, -.442, 27): No respect for the boys in the Capital City, as an above .500 record puts them at 25. A below average ORTG and DRTG somehow has them to 7 wins.

26. Houston Rockets (2-11, -.448, 25)

27. Charlotte Hornets (3-11, -.669, 23)

28. Detroit Pistons (3-11, -.772, 29)

29. Los Angeles Clippers (7-6, -.795, 26): For reference, 0 Z score is average, -1 Z score is one standard deviation below average. The Clippers ORTG has a -2.033 Z Score, it's shocking that they are 7-6 with that statistic.

30. Los Angeles Lakers (2-10, -.930, 28)