NBA POWER RANKINGS PRE 1.0

by sully6827

With the vast majority of the off season heavy lifting done, its time to take stock of how it looks as though the NBA power structure is put together. There is no change at the top overall as the Warriors have done nothing to come back to the pack.

In the East though, the Raptors have added a very well rested Kawhi Leonard, while losing DeMar DeRozan, amongst others. The 76ers lost a lot of the veteran leadership they acquired last year, but have gained another year of experience. And in Boston the Celtics return Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward to pair with the young headliners of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Out West, while the top of the mountain remains unfazed, there was more than a little movement below the peak. The Lakers overhauled their roster, adding Lebron James. They also added numerous veteran retreads, but the ceiling will be dictated by James and the maturation of youngsters Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Kyle Kuzma. The Thunder were able to re-sign Paul George, while Carmelo Anthony made his way to Houston. San Antonio improved, DeRozan will be a massive upgrade from the contribution they got from Leonard last season and should flourish in the Spurs system. The big question is will we see a post hype development from Denver and Minnesota, two darlings of last year’s off-season who failed to meet lofty expectations. Will another year together aid in their progress.

We’re just over 7 weeks from the real deal hardwood action. So before training camp starts, here is the NBA power rankings, top to bottom.

1. Golden State Warriors
2. Boston Celtics
3. Houston Rockets
4. Oklahoma City Thunder
5. San Antonio Spurs
6. Philadelphia 76ers
7. Toronto Raptors
8. Utah Jazz
9. Denver Nuggets
10. Los Angeles Lakers
11. Indiana Pacers
12. Minnesota Timberwolves
13. Milwaukee Bucks
14. New Orleans Pelicans
15. Washington Wizards
16. Portland Trailblazers
17. Miami Heat
18. Detroit Pistons
19. Los Angeles Clippers
20. Charlotte Hornets
21. Memphis Grizzlies
22. Brooklyn Nets
23. Dallas Mavericks
24. Phoenix Suns
25. Cleveland Cavaliers
26. Chicago Bulls
27. Orlando Magic
28. Sacramento Kings
29. New York Knicks
30. Atlanta Hawks