Power Ranking For All 30 NBA Teams Early In Season

NBA Analysis Network
Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors, NBA Rumors, Detroit Pistons
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#20: Toronto RaptorsCurrent Record: 7-9

OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr. and rookie Scottie Barnes are all averaging 16-plus points per game on the year, but something about the Toronto Raptors does not seem right. Defensively, they are allowing teams to shoot 47% from the floor, the fourth-worst mark in the league, and they just look out of rhythm. 

They definitely have the making of being a playoff team in the Eastern Conference if they can remain healthy, but it is hard to imagine this team making it out of the first-round as of right now. Wins over the 76ers, Wizards and Knicks look good on their resume right now, but they are overshadowed by some critical losses to the Pistons and Blazers. 

Being just 2-6 at home this season, Toronto needs to start defending their home court if they are to have a shot at getting back to the playoffs. They also need to begin tightening up their rotations, especially with OG Anunoby now sidelined indefinitely due to a hip pointer injury. 

Masai Ujiri has not been afraid of making big moves to ensure success for his team, which is why we need to keep an eye on Pascal Siakam this year. Siakam has played in just five games due to returning from offseason shoulder surgery, but he could wind up being the best trade asset around the league that is available this year. 

#19: Portland Trail BlazersCurrent Record: 8-8

Personally, I believe the Trail Blazers should be lower than 19th on this list, but it is hard to count out Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. Overall though, this Blazers team has really struggled and they just seem to be missing something. 

Jusuf Nurkic, Robert Covington and Norman Powell are all great players in their own rights, but this does not look like a championship roster and Portland needs to realize this. With all the talk of Dame wanting out in the offseason, they should be eager to make moves to add more talent, but the Blazers have not shown any willingness to switch their roster up. 

Recent wins over the Raptors and Bulls at home have seemed to quiet the chatter surrounding the struggles of this team a little bit, but this is not a contending team in the Western Conference. Lillard and McCollum could continue to be high-level offensive talents, but this team needs a third star if they are to be a Western Conference contender once again. 

#18: Boston CelticsCurrent Record: 7-8

Not having Jaylen Brown due to a hamstring injury has resulted in the Celtics losing some games that they should not have, but this team seems to be hanging around .500 in the Eastern Conference. Jayson Tatum has played great to begin the year and with contributions from Dennis Schroder as well, the Celtics are definitely a team to keep an eye on this season. 

Anytime you have a new head coach, there should be an expected learning curve, which is why Boston got off to a slow 2-5 start of the year. Things seem to be starting to come around for this team and they now rank 11th in the league in defensive rating. 

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With a little more depth than they had in previous years and the ability to still add more talent to their roster via multiple trade exceptions, we should expect Brad Stevens to be aggressive ahead of the trade deadline this year. Who Boston will trade away is a key question, but this team is only going to get better as the year goes on. 

Holding five of their last eight opponents under 100 points, the Celtics defense seems to be their driving force this season. It is going to be interesting to see if their defense can hold up against teams like the Nets, Bucks and Bulls at the top of the Eastern Conference. 

#17: Cleveland CavaliersCurrent Record: 9-8

One of the biggest surprises so far this NBA season has been how well the Cleveland Cavaliers have played. No matter who is in or out of the lineups/rotations, the Cavs always seem to play at a high-level and very rarely have they been blown out to the point that they were not in the game. 

They have eight guys on their roster averaging at least 10 points per game this season and while they will be tested with Markkanen, Sexton, Mobley and Allen out, Ricky Rubio has been the glue keeping them together. 

The veteran guard is averaging 15.0 points, 3.6 rebounds 6.4 assists, 1.4 steals and is shooting 37.1% from three-point range. This Cavaliers team just has so much fight in them and no matter how much they are leading or trailing in a game, they are a team that never backs down for all 48 minutes they are on the floor. 

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Predictions For Latest NBA Trade Rumors: Bagley, Brown, Wall, Simmons

Cleveland is not as good as the Knicks were defensively last season, but this team reminds me a lot of that New York team that went on to be the 4-seed in the Eastern Conference last year. I am not saying that the Cavaliers will be the 4-seed in the Eastern Conference, but they certainly look like a playoff team early on and with their length at full strength, they are one of the best defensive teams in the entire league. 

#16: Atlanta HawksCurrent Record: 7-9

Starting the year 4-9 is not what the Atlanta Hawks envisioned after making the Eastern Conference Finals last season, but they have since won three games over the Bucks, Magic and Celtics, each by double-digits. 

Trae Young, Clint Capela and John Collins seem to have this team back on the right track, but it has been a tale of two teams for Atlanta this year. They are 6-1 at home this season, but just 1-8 on the road, which is very puzzling. 

At home this year, the Hawks are averaging about 115.7 points per game and are allowing an average of 101.4 points per game to their opponents, a difference of +14.3 points. On the road though, the Hawks are only averaging about 103.8 points per game and are allowing an average of 126.3 points per game, a difference of -22.5 points per game. 

If this team is going to make it back to the Eastern Conference Finals, then they are going to have to not only improve on the road, but become a more consistent defensive team like they were at the end of last season. They currently rank 28th in the league in defensive rating, which will need to change if they are to be a real title threat. 

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