NBA Power Rankings: Post All-Star Break Edition
The Oklahoma City Thunder made a minor bench move at the deadline, but otherwise are giving their young core plenty of valuable reps this year and still win despite their youth. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is an All-NBA candidate and Jalen Williams has been a revelation as a rookie. Better yet, as well as they have played they are still just one win above the sixth-worst team in the league, so it’s an easy path to lottery balls.
The Miami Heat were in the Eastern Conference Finals last season with nearly the same roster, but this year they are in seventh place with a negative point differential. Which team are they? Are they a contender who slipped up a bit, or are they the team their resume say they are?
It’s been a wobbly season for the Golden State Warriors, who have been without Stephen Curry for 23 games already and without Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson for plenty more. Their history of being a championship team with this core is enough for plenty of benefit of the doubt, but they certainly have some big defensive flaws and desperately need their star back in the lineup. Klay’s scoring explosions have become more frequent, which bodes well for the future, and when Gary Payton II is healthy he will shore up many of those defensive issues.
The New Orleans Pelicans wish they had added Zion Williamson at the deadline, but he continues to miss games due to injury. In his stead this team has plummeted down the standings, but despite sitting in 10th at 30-31 they have a positive net rating for the season. Without Zion, it will be a tough fight to make the Play-In; with him, they should be favored to win their way out of it into the playoff field proper.
The formula for the LA Clippers is simple: play games with both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. When both are available the Clippers play like a fringe contender; when they aren’t, this team has been below average despite all of their supposed depth. They made some big changes at the Trade Deadline, adding Eric Gordon, Mason Plumlee and Bones Hyland, plus signing Russell Westbrook off the buyout market and handing him a starting spot. Whether those changes propel them into contention is something to watch down the stretch.