2023-24 Vendetta NBA Power Rankings: March
The calender has finally flipped to one of the most exciting months in the basketball calendar! No, we will not be talking about March Madness (while that is very exciting), but our March 2023-24 NBA Power Rankings! Without further ado, let’s hop into it!
(Note: All stats/numbers are through March 7)
30. Detroit Pistons
(Matt Hanifan 29, Jack Sabin 30, Alex Chick III 29, Ezzie Douek 30)
Average: 29.5
Last month: 30
Unlike the Wizards, the Pistons actually can build on their roster. While not good, you can at least be excited about Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren. Monty Williams should have this team better than they are, however, in years to come. — Chick III
29. Washington Wizards
(Matt 30, Jack 29, Chickster 30, Ezzie 28)
Average: 29.25
Last month: 29
The Wizards are the worst team in the NBA and they don’t even have anything to build on. Jordon Poole is cheeks and might be the worst contract in the NBA. The Wizards need to tank and trade anyone of value for a chance to get Cooper Flagg in two years. — Chickster
28. San Antonio Spurs
(Matt 28, Jack 27, Chickster 27, Ezzie 29)
Average: 27.75
Last month: 28
The Spurs have Victor Wembanyama. It’s just nice to say that sentence. He’s generational and it shows every night. He’s already a top 20 player in the NBA and that number might be too low. Devin Vassell is also a hooper, but there are a lot of questions after that. Wemby will continue to ball out, but for the rest of the roster, they’re fighting for a roster spot for the future. — Chickster
27. Charlotte Hornets
(Matt 27, Jack 28, Chickster 28, Ezzie 27)
Average: 27.5
Last month: 27
Without LaMelo Ball, this team is a hard watch. While he’s out, this team could be below the Pistons themselves. Losing P.J. Washington was a bad look too. He’s more valuable than Grant Williams. I’m not sure exactly what the Hornets plan is other than LaMelo and Brandon Miller is a part of it. — Chickster
26. Portland Trail Blazers
(Matt 26, Jack 26, Chickster 26, Ezzie 26)
Average: 26
Last month: 26
This team is just meh. Anfernee Simons is a hooper, Jerami Grant is just there, DeAndre Ayton hasn’t done shit and rookie Kris Murray is a nice piece for them. Scoot Henderson being out hurts his development that he desperately needs. These injuries will keep them near the bottom and nowhere near success for the time being. — Chickster
25. Memphis Grizzlies
(Matt 25, Jack 25, Chickster 25, Ezzie 25)
Average: 25
Last month: 25
The Grizzlies just went 2-10 in the month of February–with those lone two wins against Houston and Milwaukee ahead of the All-Star break. They’ve won two straight, including coming back down 15 to beat the Philadelphia 76ers on the road earlier this week. At this point, Memphis is just ready for this season to be done with all the injuries; it got ample run out of Jaylen Nowell, Jordan Goodwin, Shaq Harrison, Matthew Hurt and Trey Jemison on hardship deals while young players GG Jackson, Jake LaRavia and Vince Williams Jr. have taken advantage of the opportunities presented to them.
24. Toronto Raptors
(Matt 24, Jack 24, Chickster 23, Ezzie 20)
Average: 22.75
Last month: 24
Raptors are in a rebuilding stage, but it also doesn’t feel like it. While Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby are gone, the Raptors have several assets. After this season, they could offer a hefty package for a superstar should one become available. If they can manage to get their hands on a superstar next season, they could be a scary playoff team in future seasons. — Ezzie Douek
23. Brooklyn Nets
(Matt 22, Jack 21, Chickster 24, Ezzie 23)
Average: 22.5
Last month: 21
The Nets are currently 4-5 under new head coach Kevin Ollie, who took over for Jacque Vaughn after he was fired during the All-Star break amid a 21-33 start. They remain 3.5 games back of the Atlanta Hawks, who are missing Trae Young, and began a stretch of 10 of 11 on the road Wednesday. Roughly half of those road contests will be against the NBA’s bottom feeders, but it’s not looking likely that they can squeeze into that final play-in spot.
22. Utah Jazz
(Matt 23, Jack 23, Chickster 20, Ezzie 22)
Average: 22
Last month: 19
The Jazz had the West’s third-worst record (3-8) and NET Rating (minus-5.7) in the month of February and are now currently seven games below .500. They have dealt with recent injuries to big men Walker Kessler and Lauri Markkanen and traded away Kelly Olynyk and Simone Fontecchio ahead of the deadline. As a result, top-10 pick Taylor Hendricks has gotten more run alongside John Collins, averaging 9.2 points and 7.0 rebounds on 53.7/36.4/100 shooting splits in 25.1 minutes over his last six games. Though arguably Utah’s biggest bright spots outside of Markkanen have been Jordan Clarkson, Keyonte George and Collin Sexton.
21. Houston Rockets
(Matt 21, Jack 22, Chickster 22, Ezzie 21)
Average: 21.5
Last month: 18
It was a bad month for Houston. They have all but fallen out of the play-in chase in the West and went just 3-9 in February while courting the NBA’s 11th-worst NET Rating (minus-5.6) over that span. It was also officially announced this week that second-year wing Tari Eason would be out for the season, but at least it got Fred VanVleet back from injury. That’s been one of their few positives lately, outside of the play of some of their young players, including Alperen Sengun and Cam Whitmore. Sengun’s 45-point, 16-rebound, five-steal performance against Wembanyama Tuesday was one to behold.
20. Chicago Bulls
(Matt 19, Jack 20, Chickster 21, Ezzie 24)
Average: 21
Last month: 23
It’s not a direction reflection of his play, but the Bulls have weathered any expected storm in Zach LaVine’s absence, going 21-17 in games he hasn’t played in this season. The Bulls have won four of their last five and five of their last seven and are now just one game behind .500. Barring a collapse from one of Indiana, Philadelphia, Miami, New York or Orlando, they are pretty firmly locked into the No. 9 seed in the East. Coby White has continued his trek for “most improved player” (which is Tyrese Maxey’s award to lose) plus Ayo Dosunmu has surged as a promising rotation player over the last several months.
19. Atlanta Hawks
(Matt 20, Jack 19, Chickster 19, Ezzie 18)
Average: 19
Last month: 22
Could the Hawks be at risk of falling out of the play-in? Trae Young will miss at least the next month with a torn ligament in his finger (left pinkie). Atlanta’s still 3.5 games above the Brooklyn Nets for the final spot, but it doesn’t help that Atlanta has the 11th-hardest remaining schedule, while Brooklyn has the fourth easiest, per Tankathon. Dejounte Murray, Jalen Johnson and Bogdan Bogdanovic, among others, have provided decent production in the seven games since Young’s injury, but whether or not it will be enough down the stretch is a completely different–yet important–question.
18. Orlando Magic
(Matt 16, Jack 18, Chickster 18, Ezzie 19)
Average: 17.75
Last month: 15
The Magic are finally good, they got their guy in Paolo Banchero, despite this team owning the No. 4 seed. Currently, this team is too inexperienced in the playoffs and is looking at a first-round exit. That’s something to be happy about, as the Magic hasn’t been good in a while. Banchero still needs some time to develop, but this team is going in the right direction. — Douek
17. Sacramento Kings
(Matt 18, Jack 17, Chickster 17, Ezzie 15)
Average: 16.75
Last month: 13
Domantas Sabonis is having a transcendent season alongside De’Aaron Fox, leading the NBA in triple-doubles (22) with the second-best true-shooting percentage (64.9) of his career. But that has not always translated to wins or a winning product. After lighting the league on fire with their pace a year ago, they are No. 13 in offense and No. 20 in defense, though it ranked in the top 10 in the former in the month of February. The Kings could be a threat to make a series difficult for the top teams in the West, but I still don’t see the path for a deep playoff run … yet.
16. Indiana Pacers
(Matt 15, Jack 14, Chickster 16, Ezzie 16)
Average: 15.25
Last month: 12
With Tyrese Haliburton officially back, the Pacers were once again able to play up to the standard of basketball they set early in the year. Although it’s looked like at times that Haliburton is still dealing with this injury and isn’t fully at 100 percent. Even then, this is still a much better team when he’s on the floor. He and Pascal Siakam should work beautifully and turn Indiana into a decent free agency destination for the first time really In my entire life. This may not be the Pacers year quite yet. But they are really laying the foundation for something special if they play their cards right. — Jack Sabin
15. Los Angeles Lakers
(Matt 17, Jack 16, Chickster 14, Ezzie 10)
Average: 14.25
Last month: 16
Father Time is undefeated but LeBron James is definitely challenging that. Him and Anthony Davis should still put a scare into teams. There’s also decent talent on the rest of the roster, but the thing that’s holding them back is Darvin Ham. I’m not sure that guy is smart. The Lakers are floating around that 10 spot. But as we all know, Playoff LeBron is different. If they make the play-in, they’ll play a first-round series and at least put some scare in that first round. — Chickster
14. Golden State Warriors
(Matt 12, Jack 12, Chickster 13, Ezzie 17)
Average: 13.5
Last month: 20
You want to talk about an old team? Here you go. They might be the oldest team in the NBA and are the group trying to stay relevant. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Chris Paul are a nasty group for the retirement home. No Curry disrespect cause he’s still nasty but these other old geezers? Get them out of here. Despite their age, they’re still No. 9 in the West and are in line to be in the play-in, they might make the playoffs but I can’t see them going much further unless Steph scores 40 every night (it’s possible). — Chickster
13. Dallas Mavericks
(Matt 14, Jack 11, Chickster 15, Ezzie 12)
Average: 13
Last month: 14
The Mavericks improved their back-line at the trade deadline, acquiring P.J. Washington from the Hornets and Daniel Gafford from the Wizards. But Dallas has still had some problems defensively getting stops, ranking No. 26 defensively and second-to-last in opponent’s effective field goal percentage allowed since the All-Star break. They are currently stashed in the Western Conference play-in race, though they are only 1.5 games back of Sacramento for the sixth-and-final non-play-in spot with 19 games left.
12. Philadelphia 76ers
(Matt 13, Jack 15, Chickster 9, Ezzie 14)
Average: 12.75
Last month: 10
All things considered, while the month of February didn’t treat the 76ers too kindly, it definitely could have gone a lot worse. Once it was revealed that Joel Embiid would basically miss the season, any fan with a brain pretty much knew this season was a wash. Like there will still be a playoff birth, but no real serious run without Embiid. This was made clear by the Sixers’ 4-8 record this past month and their inability to beat top contending teams. But saving this season from being a total wash has been the arrival of Buddy Hield, who has seemingly come into his own as a member of the Sixers. With no Embiid, it’s obvious he is free to take as many shots as he pleases. But at the very least, it seems like he’s earned a couple more years in Philly. Sixers move off a lot of guys after this offseason, basically, everybody expects Embiid. Assuming Maxey is re-signed, you could have a trio of those two finished off with the shooting of Hield, something the Sixers have desperately needed for a long time. — Sabin
11. Miami Heat
(Matt 11, Jack 13, Chickster 12, Ezzie 9)
Average: 11.25
Last month: 17
The Heat are looming once again. It does not mean that last year’s results come mid-April will repeat, but Miami was the NBA’s second-best defense in the month of February, going 8-3 with a five-game road win streak. Miami’s won 11 of its last 15, Jimmy Butler looks like he cares about being intentional on the court again, Caleb Martin‘s playing the best he has all season and Duncan Robinson’s continued to fine-tune the edges outside of being one of the league’s deadliest snipers. Miami’s deeper than it was last year, but let’s see if the same results will lend itself come April.
10. New York Knicks
(Matt 10, Jack 10, Chickster 11, Ezzie 13)
Average: 11
Last month: 7
Even after being the arguable winners of the trade deadline, the Knicks had a rocky February due to injuries to Isaiah Hartenstein, OG Anunoby and Julius Randle at different points. They also avoided a recent scare with star guard Jalen Brunson Sunday, who reportedly suffered a knee contusion after a scary non-contact fall. Their No. 27-ranked defense in the month of February is not indicative of how this group is when they’re fully healthy.
9. New Orleans Pelicans
(Matt 8, Jack 9, Chickster 10, Ezzie 11)
Average: 9.5
Last month: 11
Pelicans are currently in fifth place in the West and are sleepers for the playoffs. Zion Williamson has only missed 11 games, averaging 22 points, five rebounds and 5.2 assists per game, which is a big contributor to the Pelicans’ success this season. That’s not all: Williamson is also accompanied by Brandon Ingram and C.J. McCollum, who are both averaging nearly 20 points per game. Bench pieces–like Herbert Jones–help make this team so dangerous. The Pelicans can legitimately make it to the second round this year. Their size and shooting pose a big threat to many teams. — Douek
8. Phoenix Suns
(Matt 9, Jack 8, Chickster 8, Ezzie 8)
Average: 8.25
Last month: 9
Outside of the revolving door of its top-3 players–Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal–one player I want to shine light on is Grayson Allen. He’s been one of the best volume 3-point threats in the sport, knocking down eight 3s apiece over his last two games against Denver and Toronto. Even since then, he’s knocked down 47.0 percent of his 5.8 triples since Christmas, adding 3.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 33.4 minutes per contest. He’s been a big part of their recent success, especially in games without one of their three stars.
7. Los Angeles Clippers
(Matt 7, Jack 7, Chickster 7, Ezzie 6)
Average: 6.75
Last month: 5
This might be the best chance for that fraud James Harden to win a ring. This is a very deep team. As much as I hate the guy, Harden as your third option on your team cannot be a bad thing. It’ll be interesting to see how this team adjusts without Russell Westbrook (good or bad). If James Harden doesn’t win a ring this year, I can’t wait for the excuses. — Chickster
6. Cleveland Cavaliers
(Matt 5, Jack 5, Chickster 6, Ezzie 7)
Average: 5.75
Last month: 8
The Cleveland Cavaliers have dealt with the injury bug for most of the season, most recently to Evan Mobley (ankle) and Donovan Mitchell (knee). They most recently relinquished their No. 2 spot in the East–currently a half-game behind Milwaukee (more on them below), but Cleveland is still in prime position for a top-3 seed. They went 9-4 in the month of February with a top-8 offensive and defensive rating, though they are 2-2 to begin the new month, including coming back down from 22 to beat the Boston Celtics behind Dean Wade’s fourth-quarter surge Tuesday. They are a threat in the East, though they will need to showcase more shotmaking from deep (which it has) plus added toughness in the playoffs to survive, which it did not have last year.
5. Milwaukee Bucks
(Matt 6, Jack 6, Chickster 5, Ezzie 5)
Average: 5.5
Last month: 6
The Bucks have looked much more put together after the All-Star break. It helps that Giannis Antetokounmpo is arguably having the best season of his career. If this team can play better defense and stay consistent, they are the top threat to the Celtics. — Douek
4. Oklahoma City Thunder
(Matt 4, Jack 3, Chickster 3, Ezzie 4)
Average: 3.5
Last month: 2
This team is scary. Not because they are good (they’re really good actually), but because the team is still so young. They aren’t even at their peak yet and they’re already this high in the NBA. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is disgusting in a good way. He spearheads this team and the rest of the team picks their games to have their night, it’s a nasty combination, we’ll see how well it works in the playoffs. — Chickster
3. Minnesota Timberwolves
(Matt 3, Jack 2, Chickster 4, Ezzie 3)
Average: 3
Last month: 4
Maybe it’s because I’m a hater … wait, let me rephrase, I am a hater. I know the Wolves record, but I’m still not exactly encouraged by this team. This team screams a better 2015 Hawks team in a much better conference. Anthony Edwards is a dawg. Karl-Anthony Towns may miss the rest of the season with a torn meniscus. Their next-best players behind Rudy Gobert are Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid, not ideal if you’re trying to make a playoff run. — Chickster
2. Denver Nuggets
(Matt 2, Jack 4, Chickster 2, Ezzie 2)
Average: 2.5
Last month: 3
The only team that should honestly scare the Celtics. The defending NBA Champions can play ball too. For my money, this is the only team that can beat the Celtics. I’m not confident that anyone else has a chance. I’m. If saying that the Nuggets are unbeatable in the West but they’re definitely my choice to make it out of the West. My NBA Finals prediction is the Nuggets and Celtics. — Chickster
1. Boston Celtics
(Matt 1, Jack 1, Chickster 1, Ezzie 1)
Average: 1
Last month: 1
Another month passes, and again the Celtics find themselves atop our power rankings. I know it’s getting boring by now, but really, the Celtics are giving us no choice. It’s just clear they are not only the best team in the East, but arguably the best in the league. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown continue to have this offense running at a high level. The offseason additions of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis make this already stacked team even better. All the chips are on the table for Boston here and it’s clear they are going all in for that championship. They have been so close for so long that it’s gotta hurt. But is this finally the year we can see the Celtics get over that hump?? Guess we will find out. — Sabin
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