NBA

NBA Power Rankings: Can the Nets Overcome Their Defensive Deficiencies?

With a couple of weeks in the 2020-21 NBA regular season in the books, it's time to take a look at numberFire's power rankings and see which teams saw the most movement since the last week.

Teams will be ranked in terms of nERD, which is our efficiency metric based on in-game data. These ratings allow us to understand which teams and players are performing best. nERD is indicative of a team's expected winning percentage, so an average team will have a nERD score of 50.0.

Here's a look at how each team stacks up.

The Bottom 10

RankingTeamRecordnERDLast RankingPlus/Minus
30Minnesota Timberwolves4-1227.6300
T28Detroit Pistons4-1330.729+1
T28Oklahoma City Thunder7-930.727-1
27Sacramento Kings6-1031.328+1
26Orlando Magic8-1035.325-1
25Chicago Bulls7-1035.926+1
24Miami Heat6-1036.921-3
23Cleveland Cavaliers8-938.324+1
22New Orleans Pelicans5-1041.316-6
21New York Knicks8-1142.423+2


- Only three teams -- the Miami Heat, New Orleans Pelicans, and New York Knicks -- moved multiple spots in the bottom tier of our rankings this week.

- Miami has lost 8 of 12 in January and they now possess the fifth-worst net rating in the league, according to NBA.com.

- New Orleans started the season 4-2. They're now 5-10 -- you do the math.

- Meanwhile, while New York is losing plenty of contests, they're actually competitive more often than not. So far this season, the Knicks have racked up victories over the Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz, and Boston Celtics -- all teams in the top tier of our rankings. And though they have struggled offensively, the Knicks currently rank fifth in the league in defensive rating.

The Middle of the Pack

RankingTeamRecordnERDLast RankingPlus/Minus
20Golden State Warriors9-842.522+2
19Charlotte Hornets7-1044.4190
18Washington Wizards3-1044.817-1
17Portland Trail Blazers9-746.815-2
16Houston Rockets7-947.520+4
15Memphis Grizzlies7-647.6150
14Toronto Raptors7-1050.5140
13San Antonio Spurs9-851.8130
12Phoenix Suns8-753.210-2
11Dallas Mavericks8-953.46-5


- The Golden State Warriors have also put together an impressive résumé of victories this season and have now won 9 of their last 15.

- Since trading James Harden, the Houston Rockets are 3-3, though two of their three defeats came by six points or fewer. Despite having a record under .500, the Rockets find themselves 12th in net rating as of Wednesday.

- The Phoenix Suns have dropped four of their last five, which was enough to bump them out of the elite tier of our rankings. The Dallas Mavericks have had similar misfortune, losing five out of their last seven, including three by 16 points or more.

The Best of the Best

RankingTeamRecordnERDLast RankingPlus/Minus
10Boston Celtics10-653.612+2
9Indiana Pacers10-753.78-1
8Atlanta Hawks9-855.711+3
7Denver Nuggets10-757.89+2
6Philadelphia 76ers12-659.07+1
5Brooklyn Nets11-862.13-2
4Los Angeles Clippers13-567.95+1
3Utah Jazz13-468.54+1
2Milwaukee Bucks10-673.21-1
1Los Angeles Lakers14-476.12+1


- The Boston Celtics are getting back to full strength, which has led to improved play. After dropping three straight, the Celtics have won two in a row by convincing margins.

- Another team rebounding from a brief rough patch is the Atlanta Hawks. At one point, the Hawks had lost six of seven, but they've since been victorious in four of their last five.

- The Brooklyn Nets have dominated offensively since trading for Harden, but they've been equally as bad on the defensive side of the ball. Because of that, Brooklyn doesn't seem like a worthwhile championship bet at their current odds.

- Riding a league-high nine-game win streak, the Utah Jazz have moved into the top three of our rankings for the first time this season. Unlike Brooklyn, a title bet on the Jazz might actually be an investment worth making.

- The Los Angeles Lakers have regained the top spot in our rankings thanks to a league-best 9.7 net rating and 14-4 record. Despite being championship favorites according to most sportsbooks, the champs are still worth a wager, as I outlined here.