2024-25 Vendetta NBA Power Rankings: December

2024-25 Vendetta NBA Power Rankings: December

We are over one month into the 2024-25 NBA Season. Where do we have each team slotted roughly 20 games into the new campaign? Let’s dive into our power rankings below!

(Editors Note: Tiebreakers go to the team with the best W-L record.)

30. Washington Wizards

(Matt Hanifan 30, Alex Chick III 30)

Average: 30

Last month: 29

The Wizards lead the #CaptureTheFlagg™ sweepstakes through the first month of the season. Rightfully so, too. This is not a good team. This was to-be-expected.

29. Utah Jazz

(Matt 29, Chickster 29)

Average: 29

Last month: 27

The Jazz are the worst team in the West and are tanking masterfully. Collin Sexton, John Collins and Walker Kessler, among others, will be pieces that this team looks to part with by the February trade deadline.

28. New Orleans Pelicans

(Matt 28, Chickster 28)

Average: 28

Last month: 14

The Pelicans have been beaten up with injuries–a la the Memphis Grizzlies from a year ago. Herbert Jones has missed all but four games; Zion Williamson has missed 16 and isn’t close to returning; Dejounte Murray has missed 17; and CJ McCollum and Trey Murphy III have missed 13. I wasn’t a believer in this roster before the season since they had too many mouths to feed with only one ball. Yet, it went from too many to too little. I loved what I have seen from rookie big Yves Missi, however.

27. Portland Trail Blazers

(Matt 27, Chickster 27)

Average: 27

Last month: 28

To some extent, Portland has been a feisty bad team in the West at 8-14. The proof will be in the pudding as the season goes on, but I don’t see them maintaining a 30-win pace the entire season. Scoot Henderson has been slightly more efficient, but still needs to do a better job with his decision-making and finishing in traffic. Donovan Clingan‘s been an absolute anchor for them while Deni Avdija has been a helpful addition, averaging 15.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals on 49.5/46.3/77.4 shooting splits over his last nine games.

25. Charlotte Hornets

(Matt 25, Chickster 26)

Average: 25.5

Last month: 24

The Hornets have been another team that’s dealt with poor injury luck (again), but you can also tell they’ve been slightly more competitive with first-year head coach Charles Lee to begin the season than last year. Though they have lost six straight games and will be without LaMelo Ball for at least two weeks, so I’m not sure that will continue.

26. Philadelphia 76ers

(Matt 26, Chickster 24)

Average: 25

Last month: 10

It’s been a disaster for the team in The City of Brotherly Love to begin this season. I wasn’t high on them entering the season–but I also didn’t expect it to be this bad. Tyrese Maxey can only do so much to compensate for Joel Embiid and Paul George‘s absences!

24. Toronto Raptors

(Matt 24, Chickster 25)

Average: 24.5

Last month: 26

Toronto is winners of three of its last four and four of its last seven after starting 2-11. I’ve been very impressed with the growth of second-year guard Gradey Dick. He’s a better ballhandler, playmaker and shot-creator than he was as a rookie, despite being a considerably worse 3-point shooter than we would’ve expected him to be exiting Kansas. RJ Barrett, who recently lit up the Heat for 37 points, and Jakob Poeltl have held the fort together outside of Scottie Barnes, who’s only played half of the team’s 22 games due to injury.

23. Brooklyn Nets

(Matt 23, Chickster 23)

Average: 23

Last month: 30

The Nets were expected to be the NBA’s worst team heading into the new season. So far, that has been far from the case. Shoutout to Dennis Schroder and Cameron Johnson, who have been the team’s two best players through 23 games. Again, I don’t expect a 32-win pace to continue, but they are well-coached by first-year head man Jordi Fernandez with not the worst nucleus we’ve ever seen.

22. Chicago Bulls

(Matt 22, Chickster 2)

Average: 22

Last month: 21

After years of being one of the slowest-pace teams with DeMar DeRozan, the Bulls have run run run! The 2024-25 Running With The Bulls lead the NBA in pace, sporting the 14th-best adjusted offense and fourth-highest effective field goal percentage. Conversely, they are No. 28 in defense with the seventh-highest eFG% allowed, which is to be expected if you’re trying to run teams out of the gym.

21. Indiana Pacers

(Matt 20, Chickster 21)

Average: 20.5

Last month: 13

Coming off winning Olympic Gold with Team USA, Tyrese Haliburton hasn’t looked completely healthy to begin the 2024-25 season–especially on the road. I don’t think I — or anyone — could earnestly pinpoint the case, but his home-road splits have been staggering. He’s averaging 9.3 more points, 2.8 more assists with a 13.8 percent difference in field goal percentage and a 16.9 percent difference in true shooting. That’s staggering. Outside of his unusual struggles, it’s encouraging to see Bennedict Mathurin, who’s second on the team in scoring (18.5 points on 62.0 TS%) through 22 games, bounce back the way he has.

20. Atlanta Hawks

(Matt 21, Chickster 20)

Average: 20.5

Last month: 20

This is a weird team. There’s not a lot I like about this Hawks team other than they are winning more than I thought they were going to. I don’t like Trae Young or how he plays, I didn’t think they should have kept him and traded Dejounte Murray. Other than Trae Young, there’s just not a lot of HUGE names on this team that scares you. Despite all that, they’re still .500. That’s not a mistake, the guys on the Hawks have all found a role on their team and execute that just enough to win enough games to be .500. Dyson Daniels has taken the lockdown defender guard void that Dejounte Murray left and leaves the scoring more to Jalen Johnson. I don’t think it’s a reach at all to say that Johnson is the best player on the Hawks right now.

Maybe I’m a hater on Trae Young (I am), but no one can deny what Johnson has done for this team. He plays the game more efficiently than Young when it comes to scoring, while Young facilitates the ball better, Johnson scores more efficiently and is the leading rebounder for this team. Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu are cut from the same cloth and play similarly. Bogdan Bogdanovic still can get a bucket here and there. I don’t know, this team is oddly shaped but it works well enough for them. I don’t expect it to last though, Trae Young will fail them, as he always does. — Alex Chick III

19. Detroit Pistons

(Matt 19, Chickster 19)

Average: 19

Last month: 25

The Pistons are six wins away from eclipsing their 14-win season last year and nine away from eclipsing their 17-win season from 2022-23. It’s a modern miracle! Cade Cunningham is no longer playing with telephone-booth spacing and is playing the best basketball of his life, averaging 23.5 points and 8.8 assists. They’re also defending (the rim) much better, sporting the 18th-best adjusted defensive rating with the 15th-best effective field goal percentage allowed and the seventh-best rim percentage allowed.

17. Miami Heat

(Matt 17, Chickster 17)

Average: 17

Last month: 16

The Heat are the definition of mediocrity through 20 games, going 10-10 with a plus-0.8 NET Rating with the 16th-best adjusted offense (thank you, Lakers!) and 11th-best defense. Bam Adebayo has been one of the league’s worst around the rim, Jimmy Butler continues to miss games due to injury and they’re returning young players (Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic) have either regressed or are out of the rotation entirely. Tyler Herro has been sensational, which has been one of their only positive storylines to begin this season.

17. Sacramento Kings

(Matt 15, Chickster 18)

Average: 16.5

Last month: 18

I think the Kings have been slightly unlucky. They’re 1-4 in close games despite sporting the fifth-best NET Rating in clutch situations–defined as the point differential being five points or less in the game’s final five minutes. DeMar DeRozan has been exactly as advertised, but Keegan Murray’s regressed, shooting just 28.7 percent from 3-point range. I expect that to progress back to the mean. Sacramento’s still been excellent offensively behind DeRozan, De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, but they’ve been a below-average team defensively and disastrous in shutting opponents down from distance.

16. San Antonio Spurs

(Matt 16, Chickster 16)

Average: 16

Last month: 22

The Spurs are the epitome of the coming storm that cannot be stopped. Much like Vendetta Sports Media, we’re going to the moon and you cannot stop us. The Spurs are a rebuilding team and are above .500 this early in the season. This is without Jeremy Sochan, Tre Jones, and Devin Vassell for more than half of their games. Chris Paul has found a role for this Spurs team facilitating the ball. The veteran presence of Harrison Barnes also is beneficial to a very young Spurs team. Other than those guys, it has been all the young guys learning and progressing at an unreal pace.

Of course, Stephon Castle is a guy to highlight who already is progressing and plays the game at a high IQ. Never battered for a rookie and always composed. He plays fantastic on the defensive end and learning how to play offense in the NBA. Are there any Julian Champagnie truthers out there? This guy carved out a role for the Spurs last year and has never looked back. The Spurs are looking better with every game and one aspect that can’t be underestimated is the impact of Mitch Johnson. While the sample size has been small, the Spurs have played well in the absence of Gregg Popovich. As he recovers from a stroke, this is a glance at what could be to come after Popovich’s time with the team.

The Spurs have played with better sets and better basketball since Johnson has taken over for the time being. As mentioned, the sample size is small but curious to look at. The Spurs can be dangerous, they can sneak into the play-in and maybe even steal a playoff spot. Who knows, the sky is the limit for the young Spurs team and they’re taking advantage. — Chickster

15. Los Angeles Lakers

(Matt 18, Chickster 14)

Average: 16

Last month: 17

After a 10-4 start, the Lakers are losers of five of their last seven games. They’ve been markedly worse defensively, and I think a big part of that is the personnel outside of Anthony Davis. Did anyone see their effort against Miami Wednesday? Yikes1 At some point, Rob Pelinka needs to consider adding another big and consolidate for one or two more plus defenders–especially if Jarred Vanderbilt continues to be sidelined due to injury. I don’t know what those answers look like, but that should be the objective over the next few months.

Dalton Knecht continues to be exactly what the Lakers needed

14. Minnesota Timberwolves

(Matt 13, Chickster 15)

Average: 14

Last month: 5

The Timberwolves have stumbled out of the gate after their roaring start last year. Anthony Edwards called out the team’s toughness, and there may be some credence to that. They have taken a slight step back defensively and have been more vulnerable around the rim, despite being better offensively. Though we are entering the Father Time stage with Mike Conley, and Donte DiVincenzo still hasn’t quite found his 3-point shooting he showcased last year. Thus, I want to see rookie Rob Dillingham have more consistent run to see if can add a punch, even though there are obvious defensive concerns there.

13. Phoenix Suns

(Matt 14, Chickster 12)

Average: 13

Last month: 11

Phoenix has dealt with injuries to Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, which cooled their hot start. Tyus Jones has been a revelation at point guard while first-round rookie Ryan Dunn has been a massive blessing in disguise–especially offensively. I was high on their offseason and, while their record still doesn’t quite reflect “progress,” I think they’re in better shape to contend this year than last, even in a loaded West.

Ryan Dunn has already made 1 massive development months after being drafted

12. Milwaukee Bucks

(Matt 12, Chickster 13)

Average: 12.5

Last month: 8

Milwaukee has won nine of their last 10 after a disastrous 2-9 start. The biggest difference? They’ve been excellent defensively after a sluggish start, and they’ve been the league’s best 3-point shooting team by nearly two percentage points. One of the NBA’s biggest surprises has been the emergence of AJ Green, who’s arguably been Milwaukee’s top perimeter defender while shooting 49.5 percent from 3-point range on nearly five attempts per game.

11. Los Angeles Clippers

(Matt 11, Chickster 11)

Average: 11

Last month: 23

While the Clippers may have lost nine-time All-Star Paul George, their biggest addition was assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy. Their “defensive coordinator” has led a top-5 unit leaguewide, ranking in the top-10 in opposing turnover rate and in the top-3 in defensive rebounding percentage. He’s done a masterful job running that defense.

10. Denver Nuggets

(Matt 10, Chickster 10)

Average: 10

Last month: 4

Is there anything more to say about Nikola Jokic? He’s averaging a career-high in points and assists with his second-highest effective field goal percentage and third-highest true-shooting percentage. The bad news is the Nuggets have been a disaster–17.1 points per 100 possessions worse, to be exact–when he hasn’t been on the floor, per Cleaning The Glass. That ranks in the 3rd percentile … yikes! He’s legitimately carried them to an 11-8 record with a tough schedule. They simply need more from Jamal Murray, but Christian Braun has continued to blossom, averaging 15.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals on 58.0/46.0/77.8 shooting splits through 19 games.

Could the NBA eliminate conferences altogether?

9. Dallas Mavericks

(Matt 9, Chickster 8)

Average: 8.5

Last month: 6

Dallas was bit by bad luck early in the season, but it has won five straight and nine of their last 10–with their lone loss coming in overtime against Miami on Nov. 24. Lots honed in on Klay Thompson‘s addition this offseason, and rightfully so. But Naji Marshall has been just as impactful of late, adding 11.6 points with plus defense, including 16.4 points on 57.8 percent shooting and 39.3 percent from deep (3.1 3PA) over his last nine games.

8. Golden State Warriors

(Matt 8, Chickster 7)

Average: 7.5

Last month: 15

The Golden State Warriors began 2024-25 near the top of the West, but have lost five straight to the Spurs, Nets, Thunder, Suns and Nuggets, respectively. Draymond Green has turned back the clock defensively, though I believe this iteration is deeper than what we saw last year. De’Anthony Melton‘s season-ending injury is unfortunate, but I think Golden State has still outperformed expectations through the first month.

7. Houston Rockets

(Matt 5, Chickster 9)

Average: 7

Last month: 19

The Rockets built off a 41-41 record with a 15-7 start and the NBA’s third-best defense through 22 games. Look no further than Amen Thompson and Tari Eason from a production standpoint defensively, averaging 2.8 and 5.0 stocks per 75 possessions, respectively. They continue to be one of the league’s best rebounding teams and lead the NBA in opposing effective field goal percentage allowed. Their team defense has been eye-popping, and I think it’s the biggest reason why they’re eight games above .500 — especially with how dominant Alperen Sengun can be offensively.

6. Memphis Grizzlies

(Matt 7, Chickster 5)

Average: 6

Last month: 9

While the Grizzlies have been battered with injuries, they have stayed afloat and No. 4 in the West. This can be attributed to the depth of this Grizzlies team. However, this team looks so much better now that Ja Morant is back with the team. Memphis is 8-4 when he plays and with the depth that they have been playing with, they’re electric. Jaylen Wells, Santi Aldama, Jake LaRavia, Jay Huff and Scotty Pippen Jr. are all guys that have stepped up with the plethora of injuries the Grizzlies have faced. While it sucked early on for the Grizz, they’re a better team because of it because when it becomes playoff time, this team could be so versatile to take on any team they play. With Morant hopefully back for a while, expect this team to go on a few win streaks to rise up the Western Conference. — Chickster

5. Orlando Magic

(Matt 6, Chickster 6)

Average: 6

Last month: 7

This might be the quietest giant in the world. The Orlando Magic are a team that no one is talking about, like, at all. This team is without their best player Paolo Banchero and is still 3rd in the Eastern Conference. I mean, what?! I was talking about how the Spurs were a young team and were dangerous but this team is even younger and better. They only have three guys who are healthy and are averaging double-figures in points, but their depth on the team covers the rest. They can throw a bunch of different looks offensively and defensively at a team to score and win games.

While I can’t still fully trust their guard play on a night-to-night basis, their frontcourt is so deep that they can supplement any deficiencies from the guard and make team play to their wings and frontcourt. If this team can figure it out and stay afloat WITHOUT Paolo Banchero, this team should be feared whenever they get him back. Stay wary of the quietest giant. — Chickster

4. New York Knicks

(Matt 4, Chickster 4)

Average: 4

Last month: 4

New York may have gotten off to a sluggish start, but it’s slowly finding its rhythm. You can’t underestimate how good Karl-Anthony Towns has been since he showed up, leading the league in rebounding while averaging 25.1 points on 52.8/45.2/86.4 shooting splits through 20 games. He’s also throwing passes like this:

Karl-Anthony Towns was in his bag with the pass 👀pic.twitter.com/ygBleD30Vy https://t.co/wT25c8FH87

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 4, 2024

What more is there to say?

3. Cleveland Cavaliers

(Matt 3, Chickster 3)

Average: 3

Last month: 12

The Celtics handed Cleveland its first loss on Nov. 19, but the Cavaliers enacted revenge on Dec. 1. Only the Hawks are the other team to have beaten them — doing so in consecutive games. Kenny Atkinson has been a god send, including with how he’s unlocked Evan Mobley and Darius Garland–along with Donovan Mitchell.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder

(Matt 2, Chickster 2)

Average: 2

Last month: 2

The Thunder are loaded. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is an MVP candidate and Jalen Williams continues to be one of the league’s rising two-way stars too, averaging 21.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.1 steals through 21 games. They lead the NBA in NET Rating, adjusted NET Rating and defense. Chet Holmgren‘s injury is unfortunate, but Hartenstein has stepped right in and has been excellent around the rim defensively through six games.

1. Boston Celtics

(Matt 1, Chickster 1)

Average: 1

Last month: 1

I still think the reigning champion Celtics are the best team in the league, even if they’re not atop the standings. It’s a narrow margin between them and Oklahoma City, and I think Cleveland is a smidge behind both, respectfully. Payton Pritchard would likely lead the charge for sixth man of the year if the season ended today, and Boston just got back Kristaps Porzingis to help alleviate duties off Al Horford, Luke Kornet and Neemias Queta. Oh, and they have the league’s best duo in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who are continuing to play at an All-NBA level.

Jaylen Brown Criticizes Star Players For Skipping Back-To-Backs

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