Power Rankings: Do Cavaliers take the top spot? Who rounds out the Top 5?

The NBA season enters week four and teams are developing identities. Interestingly, just eight squads have decent or better records for the early action, but six stand out.  

Before the review, here are some interesting things seen in the league so far: James Harden took the 22nd regular season all-time scoring spot from Kevin Garnett in the Los Angeles Clippers’ win over the Sacramento Kings; fifty-one percent of the NBA had G-League experience on opening night (Oct. 22); and Joel Embiid shoved a local reporter, getting suspended for three games. 

It already seems like a regular season to remember. Let’s review the teams on top.

Honorable mention: Phoenix Suns: 

This group was 8-1 when Kevin Durant suffered a calf strain, sidelining him for at least two weeks. At that point, the group was also generating the eighth-most paint touches in the NBA.

 Despite being capable offensive players, missing KD will put extra stress on Devin Booker and Bradley Beal to produce open looks for the team. 

Still, the Suns are fifth in defensive rebounding percentage (73.6), which is higher than any other team on this list. Defensively, they send help promptly and disrupt the ball well in single coverage. The Suns allow rivals to convert 44.7 percent of attempted field goals, the fourth-best mark

5. Oklahoma City Thunder:

The Thunder are powered by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the best type of guard—one who likes to go to the body. The second option, Jalen Williams, is a quick, stocky perimeter player who can create breakdowns by himself, too.

Nonetheless, the Thunder operate at the fifth-quickest pace in the NBA and control the ball better than 27 other units. 

Chet Homgren’s hip injury is the reason for bringing them down from no. 2 to the fifth spot because they lost a security blanket on the attack and the best defender on the team. In his absence, the point-of-attack protections of Lu Dort, J. Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander will have to be stricter than ever.

Isaiah Hartenstein will likely return in two weeks. He was arguably the toughest player on the New York Knicks last season. He doesn’t offer as much offensive firepower as Holmgren, but he is a great roller and rebounder, making him a suitable option to take on extra responsibilities, perhaps until the end of the season.

 Hartenstein, because of his acreage and strength, should be an excellent pick and roll/pop partner for Gilgeous-Alexander, J. Williams and Isaiah Joe. Yet, until Hartenstein comes back, the Thunder are dangerously thin in the front court with Kenrich Williams being next up. 

4. Denver Nuggets: 

The Nuggets started the season poorly, losing the first two games at home, but they have turned into one of the hottest groups in the league despite being without Aaron Gordon's two-way services for three outings.

The defense has tightened up, perimeter shots are falling and Nikola Jokić is playing at a historic level, causing overreactions and averaging a triple-double. The rest of the starting unit is one of the sharpest in the NBA, recording the second-highest offensive rating of all initial rotations.

Additionally, the Nuggets are hard to beat because they don’t always attack a set defense- the squad is sixth in transition frequency and fourth in fast break points. And the attack has operated well without Jamal Murray, who is regarded as the second best player on the team, finding his groove.

Christian Braun has emerged as one of the league's top perimeter defenders and the most serious candidate, along with Norman Powell of the Los Angeles Clippers for the Most Improved Player crown. Braun’s screen navigation buys the backline defender, in many cases Jokić, time to be in the right spot. Peyton Watson is another defensive ace who can bother the other team's best perimeter player.

Don’t underestimate a team with the greatest player in the world and one that was humiliated by losing Game 7 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Denver to close last season.

3. Golden State Warriors: 

The Warriors average the most passes and the second most off-ball screens in the league, creating a free-flowing motion offense led by Stephen Curry, the greatest shooter in history. To boot, marksman Buddy Hield, acquired via sign-and-trade in July, leads the team in made triples (40) on 48.8 percent accuracy. 

The group’s defense is elite, allowing opponents below-average efficiency in the restricted area by four percentage points and permitting only 31.9 percent of hoisted triples. Draymond Green has credited assistant coach Jerry Stackhouse for his defensive influence boosting the team.  

When opponents give away the ball, the Warriors punish them, too. They are tied for second in points off turnovers (21.3).

Andrew Wiggins is still a very good point-of-attack pest. And Green may be older, but he’s still a first-rate disruptor, especially when using his strength in the post. 

Notably, not one Warrior averages more than 28.3 minutes per game. 

2. Boston Celtics:

The defending champions have a 9-2 record and score 124.1 points per 100 half-court possessions, per Cleaning the Glass. Keep in mind, they are without center Kristaps Porziņģis, a 7-foot-3 matchup nightmare, until December. 

The Celtics are a top-shelf outfit, tied for the second-best road record in the NBA (6-1) with the Golden State Warriors. Interestingly, the former registers the least amount of paint points in the league (40.5) yet downs the most 3-pointers (18.5) nightly on 36.2 percent accuracy. A high-volume of off-ball screens and dribble penetration opens up the champs’ half-court offense.

Its two best players, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, can take over a match on either side. 

1. Cleveland Cavaliers: 

The Wine and Gold are the only undefeated squad in the NBA (12-0) and the starting lineup only averages 28.6 minutes per game.  The core four of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are recording their best work together, while the bench has been deeper than expected in Max Strus’ absence. 

The team’s ninth-ranked defense is anchored by two pivots -Mobley and Allen-  who are canceling each other out for the Defensive Player of the Year award. Each of them is interchangeable at the perimeter and backline. 

The offense is the most accurate in the league, registering the highest effective field goal percentage (60.7), and true shooting marks (63). Additionally this season, the group attacks less in the half court; Garland is taking and making more threes, which has helped him return to All-Star form; plus Mobley is more involved as a playmaker- a big ball handler breaking into the lane forces over-help. 

The Cavaliers made the correct tweaks, so Mitchell doesn’t waste himself in the regular season. And the crew has the third-highest assist-to-turnover ratio (2.18) in the NBA.