2022-23 Vendetta NBA Power Rankings: October
The 2022-23 NBA season has officially arrived! For each month, we will be conducting our very own site power rankings. Today, we launch our October edition.
Without further ado, let’s jump into it!
30. San Antonio Spurs (Average: 28.9)
(Matt Hanifan 30, Alex Chick III (Chickster) 30, Chase Racherbaumer 25, Anthony Miranda 30, Jackson Law 29, Trey Daubert 30, Jack Sabin 29, Garrett Burroughs 28)
The Spurs place as the last-ranked team in our power rankings. They have budding young players in Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell, but plan to be in the thick-and-thin of the Victor Wembanyama-Scoot Henderson-Thompson twins race. Book-end them as a bottom-5 team in the NBA.
29. Utah Jazz (Average: 28.8)
(Matt 29, Chickster 27, Chase 29, Anthony 29, Jackson 30, Trey 29, Jack 30, Garrett 27)
The Jazz acquired more draft picks for Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert and Royce O’Neale than there are states in America. Well, not quite, but they still got a lot! And they’re not done, with Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson, Lauri Markkanen, Kelly Olynyk, Rudy Gay, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley next up, possibly. They might squeak out some un-probable wins at the beginning of the season, but don’t have high hopes for this team, who’s in the midst of a firesale.
28. Oklahoma City Thunder (Average 27.9)
(Matt 28, Chickster 29, Chase 30, Anthony 28, Jackson 25, Trey 28, Jack 25, Garrett 30)
You want to talk about a team with picks? Look no further than the Thunder, who have been a feisty bad team (except when they lose by 70-plus points) under Mark Daigneault. And they likely will be again! Tre Mann, Josh Giddey and Aaron Wiggins are all primed for breakout campaigns. Luguentz Dort will (also) inevitably improve as a two-way menace while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will continue to thrive in a non-pressurized environment. They’re still a couple of years away, but the future is bright in OKC!
27. Houston Rockets (Average: 27.4)
(Matt 27, Chickster 28, Chase 28, Anthony 27 Jackson 28, Trey 27, Jack 28, Garrett 26)
The Rockets might project to be a bottom-5 NBA team, but they have a formidable core. Jalen Green could be a 20-25 point-per-game scorer; Jae’Sean Tate, Jabari Smith, Jr. and Tari Eason all carry strong two-way potential as wings; Kenyon Martin, Jr. will put dudes through the hoop; Alperen Şengün is one of the craftiest big men in recent memory. Houston, we have something here.
26. Indiana Pacers (Average: 25.5)
(Matt 26, Jackson 26, Chase 26, Anthony 24, Jackson 27, Trey 25, Jack 27, Garrett 23)
The Pacers have some young promising pieces in future star guard Tyrese Haliburton and rookie Bennedict Mathurin, who looked great in the preseason. They have some quality players in sharpshooter Buddy Hield, center Myles Turner, and guard Chris Duarte. However, the rest of their roster needs work and this is a team that will most likely be a top-10 lottery team. — Anthony Miranda
25. Orlando Magic (Average: 24.6)
(Matt 23, Chickster 25, Chase 27, Anthony 26, Jackson 18, Trey 23, Jack 26, Garrett 29)
The Magic are building something special. Franz Wagner looks like the second coming of Dirk Nowitzki. Bol Bol has looked good so far and other young studs like Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony who have shown a lot of promise. They will stay competitive and can get some strong wins against some good teams. — Jackson Law
24. Washington Wizards (Average: 22.6)
(Matt 25, Chickster 24, Chase 23, Anthony 22, Jackson 19, Trey 24, Jack 23, Garrett 21)
I don’t think the Wizards will be a good team, but a fully healthy Bradley Beal with Will Barton, Kyle Kuzma, Daniel Gafford, Rui Hachimura and Kristaps Porziņģis, as long as he stays on the court should offer some excitement (before the trade deadline), right?
23. Detroit Pistons (Average: 22.5)
(Matt 21, Chickster 22, Chase 24, Anthony 23, Jackson 21, Trey 21, Jack 24, Garrett 24)
Detroit might have one of the most exciting rosters within the entire league, while still being one of the youngest. With the Pistons adding Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren to go alongside a core of Cade Cunningham and Saddiq Bey, it’ll most definitely be a team to keep an eye on. Even in adding Bojan Bogdanović, the Pistons are still a year or two away from making any noise in reaching the playoffs. Detroit could surprise a lot of people this year, but it depends on how well Cunningham progresses after his rookie season. — Chase Racherbaumer
22. Charlotte Hornets (Average: 22.5)
(Matt 20, Chickster 17, Chase 22, Anthony 25, Jackson 24, Trey 26, Jack 21, Garrett 25)
One of the most under-talked about funny stories of the offseason was Charlotte hiring Kenny Atkinson, him abruptly going “You know what? Nope!” and then hired Steve Clifford — the coach they fired before James Borrego, who they just fired after four bleh seasons. Yes, this was something that happened, and it was also perhaps the most exciting thing to happen to the Hornets this offseason. They dropped to the bottom-third of our power rankings after consecutive play-in bouts for a reason.
21. Portland Trail Blazers (Average 21.4)
(Matt 24, Chickster 21, Chase 21, Anthony 21, Jackson 20, Trey 22, Jack 20, Garrett 22)
Should Damian Lillard, Sr., Anfernee Simons, Jerami Grant and Jusuf Nurkić all stay healthy, it wouldn’t be impossible for the Blazers to sneak into the play-in conversation. The additions of Grant and Gary Payton II with Nassir Little, Keon Johnson and Justise Winslow create a fascinating defensive infrastructure around Lillard and Simons, too. It’ll be tough for Portland to create a lot of noise with how deep the NBA is, though.
20. Sacramento Kings (Average: 20.4)
(Matt 22, Chickster 23, Chase 20, Anthony 19, Jackson 26, Trey 15, Jack 22, Garrett 18)
The Kings have such an intriguing roster after quietly having a successful offseason. Sacramento kept the core of De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis in place while filling out the rest of their roster with quality young role players. Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk were great additions and will provide some perimeter shooting and Keegan Murray looks like another talented piece who can produce right away. Sacramento could be knocking on the door of being a play-in team at the end of the season. — Racherbaumer
19. New York Knicks (Average: 19.3)
(Matt 19, Chickster 19, Chase 19, Anthony 18, Jackson 22, Trey 19, Jack 18, Garrett 20)
The New York Knicks were a disappointing team last season, but added Jalen Brunson and Isaiah Hartenstein to the mix to take pressure off Julius Randle. On the surface, this should help them improve, as well as internal growth of Quentin Grimes, Immanuel Quickley, Obi Toppin and R.J. Barrett. But it’s a question whether this team makes a play-in spot with how deep the East is.
18. Los Angeles Lakers (Average: 18.3)
(Matt 18, Chickster 16, Chase 18, Anthony 17, Jackson 23, Trey 18, Jack 17, Garrett 19)
Oh yeah, the Lakers are #RunningItBack. Well, with Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis and LeBron James, that is. They swapped out plenty of veterans, bringing in Patrick Beverley, Thomas Bryant, Lonnie Walker IV, Dennis Schröder (again) and Juan Toscano-Anderson, to name a few. Assuming Westbrook, Davis and James all stay healthy, could the Lakers make noise in the West? Time will tell.
17. Chicago Bulls (Average: 17.6)
(Matt 17, Chickster 20, Chase 17, Anthony 16, Jackson 15, Trey 20, Jack 19, Garrett 17)
The injury to Lonzo Ball limits the ceiling of the Bulls, which is why they’re this far down in these power rankings. Though it wouldn’t be shocking to see DeMar DeRozan to light the court on fire again with potential leaps-in-production from Nikola Vučević — who had an off 2021-22 season — Javonte Green, a healthy Patrick Williams and Alex Caruso. It might not be enough in the end, but there’s some ingredients for success there.
16. Atlanta Hawks (Average: 15.3)
(Matt 15, Chickster 15, Chase 16, Anthony 14, Jackson 16, Trey 16, Jack 16, Garrett 14)
The Hawks, who also disappointed last year after having high expectations heading into the season, brought in lengthy guard Dejounte Murray from the Spurs to pair up with Trae Young in the backcourt. He led the NBA in steals (2.0) last year, posting career highs in points (21.1), rebounds (8.3) and assists (9.2). It’ll be interesting to see how Murray-Young fit together offensively since both primarily play on the ball, but it’ll be easier to stagger/bridge minutes when either is on the bench. The Hawks still have a deep team with Young, Murray, De’Andre Hunter, Bogdan Bogdanović, John Collins and rising center Onyeka Okongwu. They should be better in 2022-23, in theory.
15. New Orleans Pelicans (Average: 15.1)
(Matt 16, Chickster 17, Chase 14, Anthony 20, Jackson 13, Trey 11, Jack 14, Garrett 16)
A healthy Zion Williamson changes the complexion for the Pelicans, who somehow squeaked into the 8th seed after starting 1-12 and taking the top-seeded Phoenix Suns to six games in the playoffs under first-year head coach Willie Green. A full season of C.J. McCollum, Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones and Jonas Valančiūnas could be a problem for any team on an off night. You’ve been warned, NBA.
14. Minnesota Timberwolves (Average: 13.8)
(Matt 13, Chickster 14, Chase 15, Anthony 15, Jackson 17, Trey 17, Jack 7, Garrett 12)
The Minnesota Timberwolves shocked the entire NBA when they traded for Rudy Gobert. Well, it was more so what they traded for Gobert, which I won’t re-hash, but Trey can! Anywho, the Wolves should be a much-improved defensive team with Gobert protecting the cup. The Wolves have a better defensive infrastructure around him than Utah, particularly with Kyle Anderson and Jaden McDaniels. How far can Anthony Edwards-KAT-Gobert take Minnesota, though?
13. Cleveland Cavaliers (Average: 12.4)
(Matt 14, Chickster 9, Chase 13, Anthony 12, Jackson 12, Trey 12, Jack 12, Garrett 15)
The Cleveland Cavaliers pried Donovan Mitchell away from Utah, which fits seamlessly with Cleveland’s young core of Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. This a very good young group, now they just have to put the pieces together in deep conference. A new era of Cavs basketball is here, and boy, will it be exciting to watch.
12. Toronto Raptors (Average: 12.1)
(Matt 12, Chickster 12, Chase 12, Anthony 13, Jackson 14, Trey 13, Jack 10, Garrett 11)
Don’t be surprised if the ever-so-feisty Raptors punch above their weight yet again and climb into the top-5 in the East. Their half-court offense still has some question marks, but the Raptors have all of the other makings to take the next step — especially should 21-year-old wing Scottie Barnes take a strong second-year leap. And they have at least half of the 6-foot-9 wings with 7-plus foot wingspans in the league. O.K., maybe not half — but their roster is loaded with length, and they have one of the NBA’s best coaches in Nick Nurse.
11. Dallas Mavericks (Average: 11.5)
(Matt 10, Chickster 13, Chase 9, Anthony 11, Jackson 11, Trey 10, Jack 15, Garrett 13)
While the Mavs placed just outside the top-10 of these power rankings, they still might a fringe contender as long as Luka Dončić remains healthy. They did lose Brunson, but will have a fully healthy Tim Hardaway, Jr. with a full season of Spencer Dinwiddie to ease some of the ballhandling burden off Dončić. They also made a splash in acquiring Christian Wood for pennies on the dollar, who will be a quality roll-and-rebounding threat off the bench.
10. Brooklyn Nets (Average: 10.5)
(Matt 11, Chickster 11, Chase 10, Anthony 7, Jackson 10, Trey 14, Jack 13, Garrett 8)
This Nets team is hopefully over all the distractions that have plagued them over the last few years, whether that be vaccines and trades. They do not possess the strongest roster top to bottom, but there are quality pieces in Claxton, Mills, Curry, Harris, and O’Neale. Ben Simmons will get back to performing like an All-Star and arguably the best defender in the league. Finally, they have a superstar in Kyrie Irving and arguably the best player in the NBA in Kevin Durant. They can be a dangerous team come playoff time. — Miranda
9. Miami Heat (Average: 8.5)
(Matt 9, Chickster 10, Chase 7, Anthony 9, Jackson 8, Trey 9, Jack 6, Garrett 10)
The Heat weren’t an active team over the offseason, but I wouldn’t count them out as a top-4 seed that could return to the Eastern Conference Finals. Counting them out is the last thing you should do to an Erik Spoelstra-led team; he always finds ways to maximize the talent on the court regardless of who they are. They have a perfect blend of youth and veteran leadership, led by Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. When they’re clicking, watch out.
8. Phoenix Suns (Average: 8.1)
(Matt 7, Chickster 8, Chase 8, Anthony 10, Jackson 9, Trey 8, Jack 8, Garrett 7)
The Suns had a tumultuous offseason. Maybe they make it back to the Western Conference Finals after stinking it up against Dallas in the West Semis. But I’m not going to entirely bank on it — at least not yet. Maybe that’s foolish, maybe that’s not. We’ll see. The average suggests we can’t move the 64-win team higher in our power rankings. So we aren’t.
7. Memphis Grizzlies (Average: 7.5)
(Matt 6, Chickster 7, Chase 11, Anthony 8, Jackson 7, Trey 6, Jack 9, Garrett 6)
Memphis was one of the biggest surprises of last NBA season. While they lost a few vets in Kyle Anderson and De’Anthony Melton, the team also added some NBA-ready prospects and look to have 2nd year player Ziaire Williams take a much bigger role. Even with Jaren Jackson, Jr. missing the start of the season, Memphis is ready for the challenge. — Law
6. Denver Nuggets (Average: 6.4)
(Matt 8, Chickster 5, Chase 6, Anthony 5, Jackson 5, Trey 7, Jack 11, Garrett 4)
Denver drastically improved their roster this offseason to give Nikola Jokić what he needs to make a championship run. They added two great pieces in Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who could fit perfectly alongside the core already in place. Denver desperately needed more shooters and perimeter defenders during last year’s playoffs. However, the health of Michael Porter, Jr. and Jamal Murray will make or break this team. With this roster having such a high ceiling, Denver very well can come out of the West this upcoming season if injuries don’t plague the team. — Racherbaumer
5. Philadelphia 76ers (Average: 5.6)
(Matt 5, Chickster 4, Chase 5, Anthony 6, Jackson 6, Trey 5, Jack 5, Garrett 9)
The biggest issue for the 76ers last season was their clear lack of depth which was addressed in the offseason with the signings of PJ Tucker and Montrezl Harrell and the trade to acquire De’Anthony Melton. Tyrese Maxey is also due to take another big leap and can hopefully rise to the level of an all-star/ superstar. The question as always will be the health of Joel Embiid and the coaching ability of Doc Rivers. — Jack Sabin
4. Los Angeles Clippers (Average: 3.9)
(Matt 4, Chickster 3, Chase 3, Anthony 4, Jackson 4, Trey 4, Jack 4, Garrett 5)
The Clippers are always hard to gauge. On paper, they should be in championship contention every year. The problem is that their stars are never healthy. With pretty much a year off for Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, perhaps the Clippers can make some noise. As a side note, I truly am rooting for John Wall. I hope he has an awesome season and helps the Clippers make a run. — Law
3. Boston Celtics (Average: 3.5)
(Matt 3, Chickster 6, Chase 4, Anthony 3, Jackson 3, Trey 3, Jack 3, Garrett 3)
Similar to the 76ers, the Celtics were in need of some more depth on the bench, especially regarding the point guard position. The trade for Malcolm Brogdon should help to eliminate that issue. But overall this is a team who just played in the championship and didn’t really lose anybody from that core roster. The loss of Ime Udoka should be a slight worry and may lead to some early-season issues. But if Brad Stevens has shown us anything throughout his career with the Celtics, it’s that he always seems to find a way to make this team better and a playoff contender. — Sabin
2. Milwaukee Bucks (Average: 1.6)
(Matt 2, Chickster 2, Chase 1, Anthony 2, Jackson 1, Trey 2, Jack 1, Garrett 2)
One of the big “what-ifs” last postseason was if Khris Middleton was healthy. Enough dwelling on the past, the Bucks might have the best team in the Eastern Conference and arguably the best in the NBA. Giannis Antetokounmpo might be the league’s best player and won’t stop improving while Milwaukee has constructed a perfect team around him — spearheaded by Middleton, Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen and Bobby Portis. They’re arguably the early favorites to make it out of the East, and I don’t think anyone would second-guess you if you picked them to win their second NBA title in three seasons.
1. Golden State Warriors (Average: 1.4)
(Matt 1, Chickster 1, Chase 2, Anthony 1, Jackson 2, Trey 1, Jack 2, Garrett 1)
The defending NBA Champions look like they will contend for another title this year. They still have their Championship core of Curry, Thompson, Green, Wiggins, and Poole. Also, Kuminga, Moody, and Wiseman are solid young players that have a chance to blossom next year. The Warriors had an underrated free agent signing in DiVincenzo. Ultimately, this is a Golden State team with the potential to repeat as Champions in 2023. — Miranda
And that caps off our first site power rankings!
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