NBA Week 4 Power Rankings: Cavs stumble, Jazz soar

The Phoenix Suns got off to a really strong start, 6-1 with some marquee wins. Then adversity began to strike, with Chris Paul’s age really starting to show and Cam Johnson undergoing meniscus surgery that will keep him out for a couple of months. Devin Booker has been sublime, and Mikal Bridges is expanding his offensive bag, but it’s possible the Suns fall to earth over the coming weeks.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have lost three-straight games after their 8-1 start, but it’s not as bad as it sounds. The Cavs were in each game until the final minute, all three came on the road, and their opponents all benefited from positive shooting luck. The Cavs lead the league in point differential, in adjusted net rating and in SRS. The reason they aren’t first is that the three losses have uncovered a few weak spots to be addressed, but there is no reason to view them as anything more than a quirk of the schedule. This team is really good.

The Utah Jazz had their Vegas win total set to 24.5 wins. They are currently on track for 59. There isn’t much fluky about their start, either; while opponents have shot poorly against them, the Jazz have the league’s fifth-best net rating against an average schedule. Lauri Markkanen is making a serious All-Star case and new head coach Will Hardy is pushing all of the right rotational buttons. The Jazz probably won’t lead the Western Conference when all is said and done, but this is certainly not a lottery team.

The Milwaukee Bucks have one “real” loss and one loss to the Spurs when they sat their main guys. Giannis Antetokounmpo has been simply incredible, and Brook Lopez is a front-runner for Defensive Player of the year. The Bucks not only have the league’s best defense, it’s been the best by far. They aren’t first because they’ve played an extremely easy schedule thus far and Khris Middleton is still out for a time, but they look like a top-tier title favorite right now, neck-and-neck with the Celtics.

Speaking of Boston, what a start to the year for this group. The Brooklyn Nets let offseason drama spill into the year (and created new drama along the way); the Boston Celtics have not, absolutely cruising with an interim coach and without their All-Defense center. Jayson Tatum is leading the league’s best offense, Malcolm Brogdon has been an excellent addition, and the defense is forcing the right kinds of shots even if opponents have hit them at an above-average rate. This is a group not only playing well now, but set up to dominate in the postseason.

The next two weeks will likely shake up these standings even more, but the further we get into the season the more they will begin to stabilize. The West has a lot of work to do to sort itself out, but the top three teams in the East look here to stay.