NBA Power Rankings: Lakers Looking Lost
In this week’s NBA Power Rankings, we take a look at the lovable losers — the Los Angeles Lakers.
Our Monday NBA Power Rankings will be taking this format from here on out. It will be a quick glance around the league, getting you set for the week to come. If you’re interested in the longer, slideshow version of the power rankings, you’ll find those coming out Friday mornings.
The preseason is in full swing and while we’re not going to take preseason results too seriously (the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers are a combined 2-7), we have found some things to be concerned about.
With that, these rankings are not solely indicative of preseason. We all know that when the regular season comes around, the starters will ramp up their minutes and the records will reflect that. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the rankings.
- Cleveland Cavaliers (4-1) — Kevin Love is shooting 58.8 percent from 3-point territory. Gonna be impossible to defend this team if that keeps up.
- Chicago Bulls (4-2) — It’s not that we didn’t believe Jimmy Butler was good…but he’s looking like Kawhi Leonard and then some right now.
- San Antonio Spurs (1-3) — Gregg Popovich hates Phoenix so much he just decided to stay home. Can’t do that October 31st, when Spurs visit Suns for real.
- Golden State Warriors (4-2) — Yeah, preseason and all…but Klay Thompson‘s shooting line is 53.6/58.6/89.5. Makes Stephen Curry‘s 50.0/47.8/87.0 look pedestrian.
- Los Angeles Clippers (1-4) — Just a friendly reminder that Chris Paul is averaging 12.8 points, 8.6 assists and 2.4 steals in the preseason. Guy would fight his grandma to win.
- Dallas Mavericks (2-3) — Dirk Nowizki and Monta Ellis have only played in two games, but nobody cares. They’ll be ready once the season hits.
- Houston Rockets (4-1) — Hakeem Olajuwon thinks Dwight Howard will be MVP this season. Hard to tell from just 32 total minutes played in five games.
- Portland Trail Blazers (2-2) — Let’s all hope that Wesley Matthews‘ irregular heartbeat was a fluke and not a sign of things to come.
- Memphis Grizzlies (2-3) — Marc Gasol‘s per-36 this preseason? Roughly 24 points, 15 rebounds and 3.8 blocks. Contract year, baby!
- Washington Wizards (4-2) — Without Bradley Beal, a guy like Glen Rice Jr. could get lots of run…if he shoots 17.6 percent from three, that run will only be in practice.
- Toronto Raptors (5-1) — DeStar DeRozan is picking up where he left off, scoring 16.2 points in 20.2 minutes per game. Lou Williams as 6MOY could really happen.
- Miami Heat (2-4) — They need to get comfortable and Chris Bosh‘s 27.8 MPG is proof of that. His 17.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game will work this season.
- Phoenix Suns (3-1) — The Point Guardians of the Galaxy look really great together. If Markieff Morris raises his level of play, the Suns will do backflips.
- Charlotte Hornets (3-3) — Al Jefferson is one of the best post players in the league, right? Then why am I worried about his 40 percent from the field?
- Oklahoma City Thunder (2-4) — It’s Russell Westbrook‘s time to shine, but he needs Anthony Morrow and Jeremy Lamb to give him a hand while Kevin Durant heals.
- Brooklyn Nets (3-1) — A darkhorse out East? If Mirza Teletovic keeps it up, Brook Lopez stays healthy and Deron Williams produces, why not?
- Denver Nuggets (2-4) — The deepest team in the league, yet they’ll miss the playoffs in the West. Danilo Gallinari is back, jack.
- Atlanta Hawks (2-3) — Al Horford‘s been understandably rusty and Jeff Teague is shooting just 20 percent from three. Get back to us in three weeks and we’ll reassess.
- New York Knicks (2-2) — It’s been awfully quiet for the Knicks, but maybe we should be talking about Tim Hardaway Jr’s chance at stealing Iman Shumpert‘s minutes.
- New Orleans Pelicans (3-2) — I’m being a bit greedy, but I’d like to see Anthony Davis work on his passing a bit. Maybe he should watch Kevin Love’s progression.
- Detroit Pistons (4-2) — Speaking of contract years, Greg Monroe is shooting 61.3 percent and is averaging 16.5 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 28,5 minutes.
- Orlando Magic (4-2) — Pro Tip: Want this team to excel? Get a veteran coach in there who can make the pieces fit together.
- Minnesota Timberwolves (2-2) — Andrew Wiggins and Ricky Rubio will be fun to watch, just don’t look at FG percentage or win/loss totals.
- Sacramento Kings (2-3) — DeMarcus Cousins has played less than 20 minutes per game and is putting up a ho-hum 14 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.5 blocks. S-T-U-D.
- Los Angeles Lakers (2-3) — Kobe Bryant‘s getting shook, Steve Nash hurt himself carrying bags and the Lakers are allowing teams to shoot 50.1 percent. Not going to be fun for them.
- Boston Celtics (4-3) — Did you see Jared Sullinger‘s 21-19 game? He’s averaging 14.9 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals this preseason.
- Utah Jazz (4-2) — Everyone works on their conditioning during the preseason, but it’s not often talked about. The fact we’re talking about Derrick Favors has me frightened.
- Milwaukee Bucks (2-3) — Jabari Parker’s looking pretty solid so far. His fluidity is impressive and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him as the best player in the 2014 NBA Draft.
- Indiana Pacers (2-3) — They were already in full struggle mode and now David West is getting an MRI and could miss time. This team could average 90 points per game.
- Philadelphia 76ers (2-4) — Bad by design, but at least it will be fun watching Nerlens Noel throw shots all over the place (on both ends of the court).
Make sure you check back every Monday for the quick NBA power rankings and Friday’s for the full versions!