2024-25 Vendetta NBA Power Rankings: March

2024-25 Vendetta NBA Power Rankings: March

We are nearing one month from the start of the 2024-25 NBA Postseason–the most exciting time in the league calendar! We are in the dog days of March. Let’s dive into our final power rankings of the regular season, shall we??!?

(Note: Stats are through March 12.)

30. Washington Wizards

Last month: 30

It’s unfortunate that second-year wing Bilal Coulibaly will miss the rest of the season with a hamstring injury. The Wizards have continued to develop Coulibaly, as well as rookies Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George. Obviously, it’s still a huge work in progress–with each player showing flashes throughout the season. Though with Coulibaly going down, Washington must be extra cautious with how it approaches the rest of the season.

29. Utah Jazz

Last month: 29

The Jazz have arguably been the worst team in the NBA at maintaining leads. That’s what we call a good ol’ fashioned tank, folks! On a more positive note, rookie Kyle Filipowski is averaging 15.7 points and 7.4 rebounds on 55.6/48.1/62.9 shooting splits over his 12 games with five 20-point performances over that span. Isaiah Collier has also improved as a playmaker despite shooting the ball inefficiently.

28. Charlotte Hornets

Last month: 26

Despite its improbable road victory against the Miami Heat Monday, Charlotte is still one of the worst offenses in the NBA and it’s not getting any better for LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges and Mark Williams without ascending star Brandon Miller. The Hornets sport the worst record in the NBA and, depending on where they fall in the lottery, will need to have conversations about Ball’s future in Charlotte.

27. New Orleans Pelicans

Last month: 29

Over his last 17 games, Zion Williamson is averaging 25.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.3 steals on 61.0 percent shooting and 63.5 percent true shooting in just 28.4 minutes per game. Despite the health, that’s a very encouraging sign for New Orleans, who’s likely to be in the top-5 in lottery odds at 18-48.

26. Toronto Raptors

Last month: 25

The Raptors, winners of four of their last six, still have not seen Brandon Ingram in uniform–and likely won’t for the remainder of the season, considering they are fighting for lottery position. They have given extra run for Jared Rhoden, A.J. Lawson, Colin Castleton, Jamison Battle and Orlando Robinson, who recently signed a two-way contract with the franchise. 

25. Philadelphia 76ers

Last month: 21

Joel Embiid will officially be shut down for the season with a nagging knee injury that’s plagued him for the last year-plus. There aren’t many worse situations in the NBA than Philadelphia with Embiid’s knee and an aging Paul George on the books for the next three seasons. Daryl Morey only knows how to acquire only like 14 players, which doesn’t help, either.

76ers shut Joel Embiid down for rest of 2024-25 season

24. Brooklyn Nets

Last month: 27

The Nets don’t necessarily know how to tank properly–even though they sport the NBA’s fifth-worst NET Rating. However, they have lost eight of their last nine games–with their lone win coming against Luka Doncic, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. They are currently tied with Toronto for the fifth-best lottery odds with 17 games left in the season, though Brooklyn has the 12th-easiest remaining strength of schedule, while Toronto has the easiest.

23. San Antonio Spurs

Last month: 17

San Antonio looked like a team destined to sneak into the playoffs until it wasn’t. Victor Wembanyama’s blood clots in his shoulder are a very scary situation, and hopefully, he’s able to fully recover in time for next season. The Spurs are just 3-8 since he exited the lineup, though Keldon Johnson, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell and newly-acquired Bismack Biyombo, among others, have all stepped up in his absence.

22. Chicago Bulls

Last month: 22

Despite being 11 games below .500 at the time of this publishing, the Chicago Bulls are likely going to remain in the play-in because of the 4.5-game gap between them and Philadelphia, who’s currently the No. 11 seed. I still have long-standing concerns about their size, or lack thereof. But Josh Giddey, Coby White, Matas Buzelis and Nikola Vucevic have all shown glimpses of playing above their weight, which is what Chicago will need if they have any hopes at making the postseason without Ayo Dosumnu. 

21. Miami Heat

Last month: 18

The Heat have lost five straight games for the first time all season and are seven games below .500 for the first time since 2018-19. They have also blown 17 double-digit leads this season, including an 11-point fourth-quarter lead earlier this week against the tanking Hornets. The Heat are currently in line for not one, but two first-round picks this summer as a result of the Butler trade ahead of the deadline. At least they have that going for them?!? 

20. Portland Trail Blazers

Last month: 24

We went over this last month, but the Trail Blazers have continued to be a feisty out, moving to within five games of the play-in. If that was ever its ceiling, it’s too little, too late … but I have appreciated their effort–plus the play of Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara and Scoot Henderson (is he turning a corner)–of late. Chauncey Billups deserves credit.

19. Phoenix Suns

Last month: 20

It feels like the Phoenix Suns have been in a free fall since the first month of the season. It did not help that Mike Budenholzer allegedly told Devin Booker, their franchise player, to tone it down vocally. It’s been an incredibly disappointing season for Phoenix and they will likely head into another offseason with more questions than actual answers.

18. Orlando Magic

Last month: 19

I don’t trust Orlando’s offense and its shotmaking, or lack thereof. When Franz Wagner or Paolo Banchero can’t get it going, it completely falls apart. Jalen Suggs is gone for the season with a knee injury that required surgery, which stings on both ends of the floor. There aren’t many viable options elsewhere. There’s reason to be concerned.

17. Atlanta Hawks

Last month: 23

The Hawks are currently jostling with the Heat and Magic for the Southeast Division title and the No. 7 spot in the play-in. Division titles mean nothing, so that’s neither here nor there. Regardless, they’ve done so with Zaccharie Risacher continuing to play like one of the league’s top rookies. The No. 1 overall pick has averaged 13.3 points and four rebounds on 44.2 percent shooting from distance since the start of February.

16. Dallas Mavericks

Last month: 14

From trading Luka Doncic to Kyrie Irving’s season-ending ACL injury, after one of the most catastrophic months in NBA History, I wouldn’t blame any Mavericks fans for checking out at this point. That’s all I have to say.

Kyrie Irving’s unfortunate injury underscores latest flaw in Mavericks’ deadline disaster

15. Sacramento Kings

Last month: 15

Zach LaVine has been a firehose for the Kings, which is encouraging to see, at the very least. Over his last 10 games, he’s averaging 25.4 points on 56.1 percent shooting, including 50.7 percent from 3-point range (!!!!) on 7.5 3-point attempts per game and 88.9 percent from the free-throw line. He’s been a huge boost amid Domantas Sabonis’ recent hamstring strain, which has kept him out for a handful of games.

14. Los Angeles Clippers

Last month: 9

Winners of four of their last five, the Clippers dropped outside of the top-10 after a 1-6 stretch in late February. The shooting efficiency hasn’t quite been there for James Harden, but he’s more than exceeded expectations in terms of taking on a huge offensive burden–including a 50-point performance earlier this month against the Detroit Pistons. Their defense has taken a recent dip, too, but they are still a top-5 unit on that end.

13. Indiana Pacers

Last month: 13

Tyrese Haliburton has been one of the league’s most efficient guards since the start of February. Over his last 14 games, he’s averaged 19.4 points on 50.7/46.3/93.5 shooting splits–in addition to 9.8 assists; over his last 11, those numbers buoy to 21.5 points on 54.4/50.0/100 splits, equating to an insane 67.5 effective field goal percentage and 69.9 true-shooting percentage. He’s recently missed time with a hip injury, which will be something to monitor as the season winds down. 

12. Minnesota Timberwolves

Last month: 11

The Timberwolves were still a fringe top-10 defense despite Rudy Gobert’s recent back injury. They have won six straight and seven of their last nine, however. But I still have questions about their offense–which has been very good of late–heading into the postseason outside of Anthony Edwards. They have one of the easiest remaining strength of schedules, so perhaps they can build some momentum heading into the play-in if they’re not able to catch Golden State.

11. Golden State Warriors

Last month: 13

Jimmy Butler has been a huge breath of fresh air in Golden State’s lineup. In games where he’s been active, the Warriors are 12-1 with a plus-11 NET Rating when he’s been on the floor. You couldn’t ask for much more, as he’s adjusted seamlessly into a new role as a screener and secondary shot creator alongside a reinvigorated Stephen Curry.

Jimmy Butler has been exactly as advertised with Warriors

10. Detroit Pistons

Last month: 16

Did anyone expect the Pistons to be anywhere near the top-10 of any power rankings that didn’t have something to do with tanking this season–especially given what happened last season? Absolutely not. It’s well deserved, however. They are tied with Milwaukee and Indiana for the 4th seed in the East with the league’s 11th-best NET. Detroit went 9-3 in the month of February and is on track to finish with its best record since 2007-08.

9. Milwaukee Bucks

Last month: 11

We have the Bucks one spot ahead of the Pistons, even though you could convince me that these two teams should be swapped. Giannis Antetokounmpo is still one of the best players on the planet, but it’s fair to slightly downgrade the Bucks without Bobby Portis (and now Khris Middleton, who was traded). I’ll also be interested to see if this top-10 defense translates to April and May.

Is Mike Budenholzer’s job in jeopardy amid latest report?

8. Houston Rockets

Last month: 7

The Rockets hit a wall in late January, which caused them to lose eight of 11. They have won six of their last nine, including a four-game win streak over the Pelicans (twice), Magic and Suns, respectively. It’s hard to not buy into this team’s defense, but they are arguably the most flimsy team in the West that rests inside the top-7 because of their anemic half-court offense. 

7. New York Knicks

Last month: 5

I still don’t trust the Knicks’ defense, which has sunk to a middle-of-the-pack unit for the season. I also don’t trust them to stay healthy for four playoff rounds, but that’s been a continued problem with Tom Thibodeau running his players into the ground. That said, Miles McBride, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges have continued to be productive when the Knicks have needed them to be. They don’t have much depth, but they are still a gritty team that won’t go down easy.

6. Grizzlies

Last month: 4

We are now seeing the Ja Morant we’ve been waiting to see all season–despite shooting less than 25 percent from 3-point range since the start of February. However, he’s still averaging 24.5 points and 7.4 assists on 42.6 percent shooting, including four games of 29 or more points over his last six. If the Grizzlies get this version of Ja come the postseason, they’re going to be an incredibly tough out–especially if Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. (injured since March 3) and rookie Jaylen Wells continue to play the way they have throughout the season.

5. Denver Nuggets

Last month: 6

It’s going to be a continued debate throughout the rest of the season who’s the MVP between Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. What we do know is that Jokic became the first player in NBA history to put together a 30-20-20 game followed by averaging 29.5 points, 15.5 points and 8.5 assists in a two-game set against SGA’s Thunder. Denver is dead even with Memphis for the No. 2 seed in the West with 16 games left on its schedule. 

4. Los Angeles Lakers

Last month: 8

Despite a pair of bad losses to the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets, we still have the Lakers as a top-5 team this month. Prior to those two losses, they won eight straight and 14 of their previous 16. LeBron James’ groin injury will be tricky to navigate, but as long as he’s healthy come mid-April, the Lakers shouldn’t have much to worry about. There’s a legitimate sample of them playing like a top-10 defense without Anthony Davis, too, which may or may not be sustainable depending on the matchup. That frontcourt is thin.   

3. Boston Celtics

Last month: 3

The Celtics picked up their 18th loss of the season on the last day of February after finishing last season with 18 in its entirety. Nevertheless, when they are healthy, they are still one of the most complete teams in the NBA. Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis have been banged up lately, which has worsened their defense. You can argue that there should be no reason for concern, but they are reigning champs and have continued to show glimpses as to why they can still repeat. 

2. Cleveland Cavaliers

Last month:2

While the Celtics are still my favorite to make it out of the Eastern Conference, what the Cavaliers have done cannot be ignored. They are winners of 15 straight games and are outscoring opponents by 13.4 points per 100 possessions over that stretch. There’s not debate that Cleveland has been the most dominant team in the Eastern Conference this season. Can they get to 65-70 wins?

Report: Kevin Love to get his jersey retired by Cavaliers

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

Last month: 1

Oklahoma City bounced back from a 13-point loss Monday against Denver with a six-point win against Boston on the road. The Thunder has lost consecutive games just once this season, which is absurd. There is no more creative of an in-between scorer than Gilgeous-Alexander, the likely front-runner for MVP if the season ended today. He’s put together three 40-point games over the last 10 days with 12 this season–including four 50-point games.

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