NBA Week 4 Power Rankings: Cavs stumble, Jazz soar

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Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images /

The NBA season began 26 days ago, and over that time there has been plenty of off-court drama. The Brooklyn Nets, San Antonio Spurs, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets and Brooklyn Nets (not to mention the Nets) have all had stuff going on that has drawn attention off of the court. That is a shame, because the on-court product has been simply fantastic.

Seven players are averaging at least 30 points per game this season. The Utah Jazz are leading the Western Conference, just ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers, both teams projected into the lottery. In the East the expected contenders are at the top, but they are joined by the Cleveland Cavaliers and MVP-candidate Donovan Mitchell.

The NBA season is a month old, and teams are starting to make their mark. Who joins the Cavs and Jazz on top of the Week 4 Power Rankings?

Sorting through the results thus far is a difficult task. How do you balance good teams off to poor starts with teams having unexpectedly great starts? At this point we begin to shift significantly off of preseason expectations and give teams credit for what they have accomplished thus far.

Then we mix in injuries, strength of schedule, shooting luck and a dash of gut feeling to put together a final ranking. Here we are, from the worst teams in the league all the way to the top. That means a trip to Motor City to kick things off.