NBA Power Rankings Week 2: The rise of the Atlanta Hawks

Last Week: Lost to Milwaukee Bucks 144-97, Beat Milwaukee Bucks 119-108, Lost to Dallas Mavericks 93-83

This Week: 1/4/2021 vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, 1/6/2021 vs. Boston Celtics, 1/9/2021 at Washington Wizards

Jimmy Butler missed two of the three games this week so everything about the Miami Heat should be reviewed with that in mind. The loss against the Milwaukee Bucks was borderline unwatchable. The win felt like it was them getting back on track but still unimpressive outside of the team they beat.

The offense this season is disjointed but that is to be expected for a team on this short of turnaround and not led by the greatest player of all time. Bam Adebayo has continued his All-Star ways but everyone else is hit or miss. Tyler Herro goes from having 21 points and 15 rebounds against the Bucks to struggling with 11 points against the Mavericks.

Give this team time. They are tinkering with the roster and know full well that the regular season matters only for getting a good seed in the playoffs. Keep an eye on the development of Precious Achiuwa. He is the quintessential Heat player and will be a fixture in this roster throughout the season.

Duncan Robinson is still a flamethrower from deep. Goran Dragic is having a nice bounce back after his injury cost him the majority of his time in the Finals. Like many of the teams contending, the regular season may look messier than reality.