NBA Power Rankings: Way too early pre-season predictions

All of a sudden, we are just a few short weeks away from the return of the NBA season. Free agency has settled down. Outside of whatever lays in Ben Simmons’s future, the trade scene is quiet. Now, all there is left to do is look ahead.

With free agency and the draft behind us, we can finally consider the rosters as nearly whole going into next season in our early NBA power rankings.

Let’s get started.

Added: Josh Giddey, Tre Mann, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Josh Hall, Aaron Wiggins, Derrick Favors

Lost: Al Horford, Moses Brown, Tony Bradley, Svi Mykhailiuk

While Oklahoma City Thunder fans seem hesitant to relate what is going on with their team to the famous Philadelphia “Process”, it certainly is looking like another year of plenty of losing is ahead. The Thunder had an active draft, surprisingly taking Josh Giddey at six. They followed that up by trading out of the sixteenth pick and Alperen Sengun before adding Tre Mann and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.

For the second season in a row, the Thunder look to be a fun young team that is not particularly interested in winning basketball games. Next year’s draft class is looked to be as impactful as this year’s, giving the team another chance after the lottery did not fall their way. Until then, the youth developing remains the only thing to tune in for.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was a borderline All-Star last season (averaging 23.7 points, 5.9 assists and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 41.8 percent from distance) before being shut down early. Lu Dort is a fan-favorite and elite defender who took a step as a shooter in his second season. Theo Maledon, Isaiah Roby and Darius Bazley all showed flashes last season. Then there is the current league king of flash, Aleksej Pokusevski. The lone veteran leader on the roster is Derrick Favors. But the way this process goes, he will likely be moved before the deadline for draft compensation.