NBA Power Rankings Week 3: A new number one has arrived

20 of 31

Paul George #13 and Reggie Jackson #1 of the LA Clippers smile on the bench in the fourth quarter of the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) /

Week 3 NBA power rankings: 12. LA Clippers

team. 77. . 4-4. Previous: 17th. Los Angeles Clippers. 12

Last week: (3-0) – vs. OKC (W), @ MIN (W), @ MIN (W)

Offensive rating: 103.3 (22nd in NBA)

Defensive rating: 100.2 (3rd in NBA)

Going into the season, a lot of people thought the LA Clippers would struggle without Kawhi Leonard. Well, they were right, but the team picked things up a bit last week.

Sure, all three wins were against subpar opponents, but wins are wins in the NBA. The Clippers took care of business when they needed to, which is a lot harder than it sounds.

Paul George is putting up numbers similar to his near-MVP year in Oklahoma City. He’s stepping up in a big way with Leonard likely sidelined for the entire season.

They’ve been getting solid contributions from their depth pieces as well. Their recent success allows them to make a big leap in the rankings this week.

Season outlook: As mentioned, a lot of people believed the Clippers would struggle with Leonard out. While that is true to some degree, they should still easily be a play-in team at the very least. In reality, they could probably be a low-end playoff team this year.