NBA League Pass Power Rankings: 4. Milwaukee Bucks
We have never seen a player like Giannis Antetokounmpo. That fact seems self-evident, but I don’t think it’s appreciated enough. Nobody with his size and strength has ever played as much on-ball as he does, and he’s equally comfortable beating big men off the dribble as he is backing down and dunking on smaller, quicker defenders.
His fifty-piece in the clinching game of the Finals last year is one of the most legendary performances in NBA history, and he hasn’t missed a beat this season despite lingering injuries.
Jrue Holiday’s defense remains wildly entertaining, and Khris Middleton brings a dose of old-school mid-range ballet that will please your grumpy uncle who hasn’t watched a game in five years but complains that today’s basketball is too soft. The only reason they’re not higher is that they blow too many teams out and often have to sit Giannis.
NBA League Pass Power Rankings: 3. Charlotte Hornets
The sublime passing of LaMelo Ball and the Thor-hammer dunks of Miles Bridges are the ideal steak and wine pairing in the NBA. Adding Eric Collins’ screaming on the broadcast after every play is the sinful dessert afterward.
But there’s even more to this team than slick passes and high-flying alley-oops. Terry Rozier brings underrated late-game heroics and on-ball wizardry. Gordon Hayward is sneaky-good at everything.
The Hornets in general play zero defense, so they’re always in high-scoring, close games. The uniforms and courts are eye-catching. This team just exudes fun.
NBA League Pass Power Rankings: 2. Chicago Bulls
This team is the mirror image of the Hornets, except they play an even better brand of basketball. Excitable announcers with a penchant for phrasemaking? Exit Eric Collins, enter Stacey King. Sweet alley-oop duo? Insert the other Ball brother, Lonzo, and Zach LaVine (or Alex Caruso, or DeMar DeRozan, or Derrick Jones Jr…).
This team can play any sort of style, so every Bulls game feels a little different from the prior one. DeRozan has the best mid-range footwork in the league, and he can get his shot off against anybody at any time.
Caruso can throw down, but also creates chaos on the defensive end, which gives the Bulls the nod over the Hornets for second-place in these rankings.
NBA League Pass Power Rankings: 1. Golden State Warriors
I mean, was there any doubt? The Warriors have surpassed even the rosiest expectations this year. Draymond Green quarterbacks the defense and drops slick dimes. Andrew Wiggins is playing the best two-way basketball of his career. Gary Payton II is a must-watch when he’s on the court, as opposing point guards are literally scared to dribble around him. But this is about one man:
STEPHEN CURRY IS A MAD MAN pic.twitter.com/w1t3zqKnBV
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 28, 2021
What is this? Who does that? Stephen Curry does things with a basketball that are literally unprecedented. We’ve never before seen this kind of talent married to that green of a light, where a player has carte blanche to do anything they want and the skill to follow through with it.
Curry is the most amazing thing to watch in the NBA, and no one else is really in the conversation. Proof? We were literally just talking about him making 16 threes in one game as if it was a legitimate coin-flip possibility. Enjoy watching Steph as much as you can, because the NBA has never seen anything like him before.