NBA Week 6 Power Rankings: Cavs stabilize, Lakers show life
team. 110. . 9-11. Previous: 16th. Miami Heat. 20
The Miami Heat don’t seem to have it this year. They have some truly talented players, for sure, but things don’t seem to be fitting together well. Duncan Robinson continues to cool off as a shooter, Bam Adebayo can’t be everywhere at once on defense, and Victor Oladipo is nowhere to be found. The Heat have a lot of (earned) pride, but they look like a team that won’t factor into the title chase at any point this year.
. 11-9. Previous: . Los Angeles Clippers. 19. team. 77
The LA Clippers are 11-9, and they’re finally getting healthy. The preseason title favorites should rocket up to the top of the rankings, right? Wrong, as everything about the Clippers other than their record suggests they are a below-average team. Add in that the issues with Kawhi’s knee are unlikely to go away and you get a pessimistic outlook on a team that should be much better than this.
Previous: . Chicago Bulls. 18. team. 24. . 8-11
The Chicago Bulls are the mirror image of the LA Clippers, logging an 8-11 record after a 2-4 stretch since the last ranking. Their performance, however, suggests they are a much better team than that. They are defending at a high level and DeMar DeRozan continues to carry them on offense. Zach LaVine’s knee is cause for concern, and they don’t have the upside the Clippers do, but they are playing much better right now.
Previous: . Brooklyn Nets. 17. team. 147. . 9-11
The Brooklyn Nets continue to reject any easy narrative you wish to apply to them. Winning without Kyrie, Ben Simmons is back, they have no defense, they’re winning with defense, they’re losing because of their defense. The simple fact of the matter is that they have Kevin Durant and they have a really intriguing collection of role players, but nothing fits together well and they have some glaring weaknesses. Most likely this team is just waiting for the next crisis to tear them apart.
Previous: . Indiana Pacers. 16. team. 100. . 11-7
The climb of the Indiana Pacers continues. They are currently fourth in the Eastern Conference at 11-7, with a point differential that is…fourth in the Eastern Conference. There is nothing overly fluky about their performance thus far. They have played a very easy schedule but they are also incredibly fun to watch, with Tyrese Haliburton a budding star and Myles Turner having his best year.