NBA Power Rankings: Cleveland Cavaliers moving up in recent rankings

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BROOKLYN, NY – FEBRUARY 26 : D’Angelo Russell #1 of the Brooklyn Nets plays defense against the Chicago Bulls on February 26,2018 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Drazen Petrovic night. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The lowest tier

team. 125. . . . Atlanta Hawks. 15

The Hawks added Trae Young this offseason, but they didn’t do much else. There is a certain level of excitement in Atlanta as far as Young and 2017 first-round pick John Collins are concerned, but besides for them, the team is barren of talent. The Hawks are playing for the long-term, not short-term.

They’ll struggle, but it’s time for development and there’s always hope with such young, up-and-coming players.

. . Chicago Bulls. 14. team. 24.

The Bulls may not be horrible this season. They, as like several of these bottom Eastern Conference teams, drafted a solid rotational player in Wendell Carter Jr. Carter Jr. displayed versatility and defensive excellence during the Las Vegas Summer League.

Pair that with Lauri Markennan and the Bulls should at least be competitive in the East this season.

. . New York knicks. 13. team. 27.

The Knicks are without star Kristaps Porzingis for quite a while. He’s expected to miss at least the start of the season. However, first-round pick Kevin Knox absolutely destroyed the summer league and is showing much promise, so he’ll be getting all the run he can handle early on.

Knox and eventually KP should allow a possibly late-season run for New York. Next season, even if the offseason doesn’t go as planned, they should still be at least a playoff contender.

12. team. 38. . . . Orlando Magic

Drafting Mo Bamba should help the Magic kick the season off, but without great depth or exceptional play at positions other than Aaron Gordon’s small forward slot, the Magic are bound for another subpar season.

However, due to KP’s injury and New York’s difficult recovering from that, they should finish, and start, above the Knicks.

147. . . . Brooklyn Nets. 11. team

The Nets first-round pick turned into the Cavs first-round pick which then happened to be Collin Sexton. Without a pick, the Nets won’t improve too much from last season. They added Kenneth Faried and Shabazz Napier, two players that should improve the team’s overall success.

However, they’ll still one or two pieces away from competing for a postseason spot.