Way-too-early 2022-23 NBA Power Rankings
The aroma of the 2022-23 NBA season has percolated. Media day began Monday, training camps begin Tuesday and preseason is right around the corner! That means it’s power rankings season! Let’s get into some of my way-too-early NBA power rankings that will absolutely be different by the end of the year!
1. Golden State Warriors (Last year: 53-29)
The reigning champs get the top spot in these power rankings ahead of this upcoming season. The Warriors did lose Gary Payton II, Otto Porter Jr. and Juan Toscano-Anderson to free agency. But Golden State acquired former No. 2 pick James Wiseman healthy, while also having nabbed two-way talents Donte DiVincenzo and JaMychal Green from the Kings and Nuggets, respectively. Klay Thompson also had his first fully healthy offseason since the 2018-19 season. And he should have more comradery with players not named Stephen Curry and Draymond Green this time around. The road to the Finals for a second straight year is never easy and it might be a tougher task to navigate at the top of the West, but if any team can do it (again), it’s Golden State.
2. Boston Celtics (Last year: 51-31)
Whew, have the Celtics had quite the offseason. The first minute, they traded multiple non-rotation players to the Celtics for Malcolm Brogdon and signed Danilo Gallinari to an inexpensive contract. The next thing you know, Jaylen Brown is getting thrown in trade rumors — whether they’re true or not — Robert Williams underwent knee surgery and head coach Ime Udoka, one of the most powerful man in their whole organization, got rightfully popped for an inappropriate workplace relationship that suspended him for a year. All of that is why they dropped to No. 2 in these power rankings. The Celtics still have a formidable top-8/9. They were the NBA’s top defense and acquired Brogdon, a pure point guard, to help accentuate their ball movement offensively. The biggest questions now rest on health and whether or not outside distractions will affect their season.
3. Milwaukee Bucks (Last year: 51-31)
The Bucks’ playoff run was wrecked by injury — most notably to All-Star guard Khris Middleton, who missed all but two postseason games. Giannis Antetokounmpo still relished the added burden and led the Bucks to a seven-game series in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. He averaging 33.9 points, 14.7 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.1 blocks on 51.6 percent true shooting. He’s the best player in the world and whenever you have that, you (the team) have as good of a chance as anyone.
4. Los Angeles Clippers (Last year: 42-40)
By virtue of having healthy Kawhi Leonard, who missed all of last season, and Paul George, the Clippers vaulted up these rankings (compared to where they finished) as one of the deepest teams in the NBA. The impact of the aformentioned combo has been well-established by now, but both will obviously need to stay on the court if Los Angeles wants to compete a title. The Clips will also now have full seasons of Norman Powell and Robert Covington, as well as taking on a reclamation project in John Wall, who could improve their playmaking from the lead guard position as well as their production in transition. They are a legit 2-3 deep at practically every position and are a team to reckon with come playoff time.
5. Phoenix Suns (Last year: 64-18)
Despite all the drama involving owner Robert Sarver, Deandre Ayton and Kevin Durant (rumors only), the Suns should be one of the top teams in the West yet again this year. Though my biggest concern comes in the frontcourt — they lost one of the most productive backup bigs in the NBA in JaVale McGee, who darted to the Dallas Mavericks on a three-year deal. But if Ayton and Devin Booker continue to grow on both ends and Chris Paul doesn’t look like he’s aged tenfold, the Suns could very well return to the Western Conference Finals and perhaps the NBA Finals for the second time in three years.
6. Memphis Grizzlies (Last year: 56-26)
The Grizzlies, on paper, got worse this offseason — particularly by the losses of two of their top defenders in Kyle Anderson and De’Anthony Melton. Though they retained Tyus Jones and John Konchar, and added rookies Jake LaRavia (as the future Anderson heir apparent), linebacker-turned-basketball-player David Roddy and Kennedy Chandler. The Grizzlies are still a consolidation team with plenty of depth amassed throughout their roster. Danny Green, who was apart of the Melton trade, could be a very good veteran presence for this budding roster, too. This is a loaded squad, even though they’re No. 6 here.
7. Philadelphia 76ers (Last year: 51-31)
I outlined this when I wrote which teams were the most improved in the offseason, but I think Philly improved dramatically. They snatched P.J. Tucker from conference rival Miami and traded for De’Anthony Melton; they both add toughness and defensive versatility to further bolster this team’s defensive acumen. Melton can be a secondary ball handler while Tucker is your prototypical 37-year-old swiss army knife that can guard 1-4, rebound, screen and, of course, knock down his patented corner 3 adequately. Both players have a track record to impact winning, and if Harden looks 80 percent of the Harden from old, a Maxey-Melton-Harden-Harris-Embiid-Tucker six with Montrezl Harrell, Matisse Thybulle, Georges Niang, Shake Milton and Paul Reed all as solid bench options. That’s an incredibly solid 11.
8. Miami Heat (Last year: 53-29)
The Miami Heat, the top team in the East last regular season, didn’t sign or trade for anyone externally after being knee-deep into the rumor mill for acquiring Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Donovan Mitchell. They did, however, bring back Victor Oladipo, who was key for them last postseason, swapping his production out for Tucker, who was one of their most important players last year. All together, should Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry stay healthy, they should be one of the top teams in the East yet again in 2022-23.
9. Dallas Mavericks (Last year: 52-30)
Dallas’ biggest move this offseason was trading for Christian Wood, which gives them the best frontcourt option they had since…..Dirk Nowitzki? Maxi Kleber could only do so much! But Luka Doncic will now have two great roll-partners in Wood, who will be their sixth man, and McGee. They did, however, lose guard Jalen Brunson — their top secondary ballhander — to the Knicks, but drafted Jaden Hardy, who showcased intriguing traits as a scorer with G-League Ignite last season despite sporting below-average shooting splits.
10. Brooklyn Nets (Last year: 44-38)
Three months ago, the Nets were in a state of peril. Now, they retained both of their star players in Irving and Durant while sneakily improving their wing depth with the additions of TJ Warren, Markieff Morris and Royce O’Neale. Oh, and they have all-worldly defender Ben Simmons; regardless of what your thoughts are on Simmons as a shooter or scorer, his ability to defend multiple positions while initiating in the open court should theoretically fit seamlessly next to Irving and Durant. If Nash lets him play free and easy, don’t be surprised if Simmons thrives and potentially get back to his All-Star caliber self.
11. Denver Nuggets (Last year: 48-34)
I almost wanted to put the Nuggets higher in these power rankings because they have the (well-deserving) back-to-back MVP in Nikola Jokic with Jamal Murray and Michael Porter as excellent sidekicks. In fact, I probably should of, but they’ll be at No. 11 for now. They improved their defense with the additions of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and pseudo-center Bruce Brown. This team, on paper, is a 50-win team, but so much relies on the health of MPJ and Murray. It’s hard making a season prediction for them without that, in my view.
12. Minnesota Timberwolves (Last year: 46-36)
While Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert are strange fits together, Minnesota will unquestionably be a better regular season team than its 46-win self a year ago, barring injury. That’s also assumes Anthony Edwards — who now has Gobert as a screen-and-roll outlet — takes a leap in his own right. I’m not sure how much Gobert elevates their title odds, but you need to have a good defensive center to have a good defensive infrastructure because of how often they’re the centerpiece schematically. Gobert is exactly that, with a stronger defensive nucleus in Minnesota than Utah, easing pressure off him.
13. Toronto Raptors (Last year: 48-34)
The perpetually feisty Raptors will be … wait for it … feisty yet again! They added yet another 6-foot-9 wing in Otto Porter Jr. — who became a very important depth piece to the Warriors’ title run — who can rebound, defend multiple positions and score at the second and third levels. They return their entire core that consisted of Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr., Scottie Barnes, OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam and Chris Boucher and added hyper athletic 7-footer Christian Koloko to the mix. Whatever Vegas’ over-under win total is, bet it.
14. Cleveland Cavaliers (Last year: 44-38)
Cleveland capped off the offseason with a bombshell, “out of essentially nowhere” trade for Donovan Mitchell in a package that sent back guard Collin Sexton, who did not play last season, to the Utah Jazz. His addition gives Cleveland a much-needed ballhandler that can take pressure off of Darius Garland as a scorer and distributor. The Cavs were a top-five defense last season, and possess arguably a better defensive infrastructure than Utah — helping Mitchell. Sure, they might’ve parted with plenty of draft capital, but this was exactly the move Cleveland needed to make to thrust themselves back into the top-6 in the East.
15. Atlanta Hawks (Last year: 43-39)
The Hawks had very high expectations heading into last season after making the Eastern Conference Finals the year prior. They underwhelmed, barely squeaking into the playoffs as an No. 8 seed before getting dusted by the Heat in five games. Now, the Hawks added guard Dejounte Murray while losing Danilo Gallinari and Kevin Huerter; while I have questions about that on-court fit between Murray and Trae Young together, the on-off splits with Young will be substantially mitigated with Murray’s presence. The lengthy guard adds formidable guard defense and rebounding that Atlanta’s backcourt hasn’t had in quite sometime. If all goes well, the Hawks should make noise in the conference yet again.
16. New Orleans Pelicans (Last year: 36-46)
The Pelicans began 1-12, and then-first-year head coach Willie Green didn’t deviate from the process. Somehow, they climbed into the playoff mix and took the top-seeded Phoenix Suns to six games! And should I mention that they were without Zion Williamson for the entire year? Now, he’s presumably healthy, they kept their entire core together and added two quality rookies in Dyson Daniels and E.J. Liddell, a possible second-round steal. They will also have a full season of CJ McCollum, who averaged 24.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists in 26 games with New Orleans last year. The Pelicans possess a fountain of youth with a bright future if Williamson can remain healthy.
17. Chicago Bulls (Last year: 46-36)
The Bulls didn’t do much to improve this offseason, adding Andre Drummond behind Nikola Vucevic, Goran Dragic and Dalen Terry. The big determinant will be Lonzo Ball’s health heading into season — he’s expected to miss at least the first few weeks of the season. When Ball, Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan were all on the floor, the Bulls were one of the best defenses across the NBA. Should they be healthy, they should get back to that point again this season, though I don’t know how they stack up with how deep the East is.
Update: Ball might be out for a while, unfortunately. This sucks, man.
18. New York Knicks (Last year: 37-45)
The Knicks!! They made moves!! Good moves, too!! Again, I wasn’t a big fan of the cost of Brunson, but the principle of adding a true point guard instead of overwhelming Derrick Rose and Julius Randle with touches was paramount. Brunson knows how to operate an offense; we saw that in Dallas, especially when it was without Doncic. They also snatched Isaiah Hartenstein from the Clippers, which was a transaction I loved. Could they squeak into the playoff mix this season?
19. Los Angeles Lakers (Last year: 33-49)
The Los Angeles Lakers … had quite the offseason. Not necessarily in a good, or bad way. Well, maybe not for Russell Westbrook; for the time being, he’ll be playing alongside Patrick Beverley and former-now-current-Laker-again Dennis Schroder, which should be interesting, to say the least. They also swapped age-old veterans for slightly younger veterans, but the team’s ceiling is predicated on the health and play of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. That’s what it’s down to — with or without Westbrook.
20. Charlotte Hornets (Last year: 43-39)
The Hornets were stagnant this offseason, transaction-wise; they also failed to rescind the qualifying offer for Miles Bridges, who could be facing up to 12 years in prison for domestic violence. They almost landed Kenny Atkinson as their new coach, until they didn’t — ending up with former Hornets coach Steve Clifford. Coaching changes were needed, but I didn’t particularly love their offseason otherwise, which is why they’re No. 20 in these power rankings. At least they still have LaMelo Ball??
21. Portland Trail Blazers (Last year: 27-55)
The Trail Blazers substantially improved around the edges this offseason, most notably by acquiring versatile wing Jerami Grant. Grant might not be Robert Covington off-the-ball, nor is he C.J. McCollum when creating his own bucket, but he can still defend multiple positions with enough length and mobility while scoring 15-18 points per night on average efficiency. They also pried Gary Payton II away from the Warriors, while taking a chance on Shaedon Sharpe — an incredible athlete — with a top-10 pick.
22. Detroit Pistons (Last year: 23-59)
The Pistons might not win a ton of NBA games next season, but boy will they be a ton of fun. They added a very athletic bunch in Jalen Duren, Jaden Ivey and Nerlens Noel, who should all get playing time in the rotation alongside Cade Cunningham, Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart. They just traded for Bojan Bogdanovic to add much-needed help to their floor spacing despite his declining athleticism. The Pistons might be atop my list of teams I’m most excited to watch this season.
23. Sacramento Kings (Last year: 30-52)
Personally, I thought the Kings newfangled duo of De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis was incredibly fun. Adding Huerter adds a multi-level scoring dimension to their backcourt while rookie Keegan Murray was ultra-impressive in Summer League as a creator. I don’t believe they’re a playoff team, but the Kings are an incredibly intriguing bunch.
24. Washington Wizards (Last year: 35-47)
The Wizards acquired three guards in Will Barton, Johnny Davis, who they drafted No. 10 overall, and point guard Monte Morris, who might be able execute the Wizards’ offense as good as any of their recent point guards. Kristaps Porzingis was feisty in his limited sample and might be able to revive his stature without the pressure of performing in New York or Dallas. This NBA team is meh, but could be a possible play-in team if Bradley Beal returns to his 2020-21 form.
25. Indiana Pacers (Last year: 25-57)
In lieu of the Brogdon trade, the Pacers added Aaron Nesmith while drafting Ben Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard. Now, Tyrese Haliburton has the keys to the car with young bucks Oshae Brissett, Chris Duarte, Isaiah Jackson and Jalen Smith surrounding him. This offense will be fast-paced and put up a lot of points, but questions remain on the defensive end.
26. Orlando Magic (Last year: 22-60)
While health issues have plagued Jalen Suggs and Jonathan Isaac early in their respective careers, the Magic still possess Franz Wagner — who is garnering plenty of preseason buzz — along with adding dynamic shot creator Paolo Banchero No. 1 overall. If Banchero showcases anything close to what he was doing in Summer League, he will be a great player and the Magic will have a great foundation to build off of.
27. Houston Rockets (Last year: 20-62)
It’s Alperen Sengun time in Houston! The 7-foot center will now likely be the full-time starter, possessing plenty of crafty traits inside the arc and as a dynamic post presence. He will improve his defense over time, but Sengun absolutely has the tools to be one of the most fun players across the NBA with his craftiness and high IQ. Jabari Smith also fell to No. 3 overall and Houston followed that up by nabbing Tari Eason and TyTy Washington, so the young group alongside Sengun and second-year guard Jalen Green should be interesting.
28. Utah Jazz (Last year: 49-33)
If you’ve been living under a rock, the Jazz traded four of their best players — Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Bojan Bogdanovic and Royce O’Neale — for a slew of picks and players in return. The Jazz have 18 active players on their roster, but the teardown is probably far from over with Mike Conley and Jordan Clarkson potentially out the door, too.
29. Oklahoma City Thunder (Last year: 24-58)
What looked to be a very intriguing start for the Thunder with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren as the franchise’s two centerpieces, turned into more pain with Holmgren out for the year and SGA expected to miss the start of training camp. This team could be fun when both are healthy, but I guess we’ll have at least an extra year to see them together.
30. San Antonio Spurs (Last year: 34-48)
#TankForVictor.
Yep, the Spurs aren’t good, which is why they cap off these power rankings.
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