https://www.theringer.com/nba/2023/11/27/23977800/nba-power-rankings-denver-nuggets-boston-celtics
Im sorry but how is it even remotely reasonable to have like the warriors over the magic. This seems like so much cope trying not to seem wrong about your preseason predictions.
It feels like every article and podcast topic about the Bucks is negative like this Ringer article yet they’re 12-5…
Worst off season move is quite a line for Griffin while he’s shown he can adapt
It’s because you guys haven’t had a particularly difficult schedule (ranked 28th here fwiw) and are 12th in net rating and 20th in defense.
Logic dictates that the defense and net rating should improve a bit but the lack of PoA defense, wing defense and Middleton looking slower on that end have really hampered the elite rim protection you have with Brook and Giannis. Idk your money situation but you should be buyers at the deadline if any plus wing defender is available.
Your schedule gets a fair bit harder after this month so I’m interested to see if this team can click. You’re 7th in offense now but if your coaching staff can start to utilize your pieces better you should be top 3. Middleton (hopefully) easing into more minutes will also help.
But again a lot of it comes down to just lacking personel which might bite you guys since the two rivals in the east are built around wings.
first power ranking ive seen that ranks us fairlyNot really - almost every ranking is off from their preseason predictions.
Everyone’s seen these new teams look bright early and then fade out over time(It happened to the Wizards and Kings like…multiple times) so they hedge their bets on all new teams that look good.
That’s my thinking too, it’s a long season and usually the veteran teams know how to pace themselves. Wolves and OKC could be peaking so I can see why many ppl are being cautious.
Devin Booker is averaging 29.4 points to go along with 8.9 assists and only 3.1 turnovers, looking the part of one of the five best players in the league.
Suns have 2 top 5 players in the league.
It seems like he’s pretty firm and confident in his pre-season rankings and is trying not to overreact over a 1 month sample size. He definitely moved teams like the Thunder and Timberwolves up in a more dramatic way compared to others, but the majority of his rankings are directly based on where he had them a month ago, and I think that’s fine.
The lakers are one injury away from a lottery team. I said what I said.
If the Warriors and Magic started a series tomorrow, would you honestly believe ORL would beat GS?
I think that’s something lost on the FAKE OUTRAGE HOT TAKES about these things.
If the two teams played 100 times, I’d root for ORL 101 times.
But, I’m not stupid. If I had to bet money, I’d place it on GS 102 times out of 100.
I don’t care about Orlando’s potential. Don’t care about GS is washed (as a title contender.) THIS SEASON - 2023-2024 - I would easily pick GS over ORL in a playoff series.
That’s what power rankings are for. Anyone can just fucking look at the standings and list the teams in that order.
The problem with this is that some of the rankings appear to be based on what a team has done thus far, and others on future potential. Even the tier names suggest this.
There’s no possible world in which the 10-7 Lakers are the fourth best team of the last month (or the Clippers are 12th) and the 12-5 Magic are in the teens. Now, if you want to say the Clippers and Lakers would beat the Magic in a playoff series: OK, sure. That’s more realistic. But that’s not what KOC says this is.
Typical KOC bullshit article
Lakers at 4 is insane. Also Nuggets have not been the best team this year at all.
I am shocked that we are number 1, usually after the trades it was always Boston or Milwaukee