Welcome to Def Pen’s NBA Power Rankings. These rankings are updated every Monday. These rankings aren’t necessarily based solely on talent level or team potential.They’re about who’s better right now/who has played better as of late. If a team has lost their last 5 games, they’re probably going to drop (at least) a few spots, even if they’ve got “better” players than a team ranked above them. Alright, let’s jump in.

Biggest Jump: Wizards Up 8

Biggest Drop: Trail Blazers, Lakers Down 5

1. Golden State Warriors
Record: 30-5
Last Week’s Ranking: 1

The Warriors don’t quite have that feeling of invincibility that they had last year, which feels like a weird thing to type about a team that’s on pace for 70 wins. It’s true, though. Don’t get me wrong, they should still be heavily favored to win the championship; it just isn’t necessarily a foregone conclusion.

The Warriors beat the Raptors by just 10 points after holding a 42-17 first-quarter advantage. They also lost to the Cavs. There’s a general feeling that Cleveland is in this team’s head. Whether or not that will be enough to overcome the sheer talent on the Warriors’ roster this time around is another question.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers
Record: 26-7
Last Week’s Ranking: 2

Kyrie Irving averaged over seven assists a game in the month of December, which was a pleasant surprise for the Cavs. LeBron is still LeBron, and Kevin Love is enjoying what has been by far his best season in a Cavaliers jersey thus far.

3. Houston Rockets
Record: 26-9
Last Week’s Ranking: 3

The Rockets’ aesthetically-appealing approach to basketball has been much more of a winning formula than most of us expected it to be. I had what I thought was a relatively positive opinion on Houston heading into the season (I picked them to make the playoffs as the sixth seed). It turns out that I had underestimated what has quickly become an offensive masterpiece of a team.

I thought that James Harden couldn’t possibly impress me more, and then he scored 53 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, and dished out 17 assists. In one game. That’s absurdly impressive. It’s been a few days and I’m still struggling to wrap my head around the idea that one player put up those numbers. No other NBA player has ever had a 50-15-15 game before. Ever.

Houston’s defense was underrated heading into the season as well. Expected to be a bottom-tier defensive unit, the Rockets have been middle-of-the-pack on that end (16th in defensive rating).

4. San Antonio Spurs
Record: 27-7
Last Week’s Ranking: 4

The Spurs don’t feel like as much of a threat this season. It’s hard to place your finger on quite why that is (Duncan gone, aging Parker and Ginobili, Warriors being amazing), but it’s the feeling that I get. This feels like a team that is well-equipped to coast to the second seed in the West, but could have a bit of trouble in the postseason.

That doesn’t mean that the Spurs aren’t a threat, just that they don’t feel quite as dangerous as they have in past years. That isn’t intended as a diss at all, they’re still one of the better teams in basketball. It’s just hard to envision them beating the Warriors.

5. Toronto Raptors
Record: 23-10
Last Week’s Ranking: 5

At the age of 27, DeMar DeRozan has scored more points than any Raptors player ever. The volume scorer is averaging 27.3 points per game on 47% shooting and still isn’t the best guard on his team. That is, of course, a testament to the greatness of Kyle Lowry rather than a knock on DeRozan. Jared Sullinger, who looked promising in preseason, is out of his walking boot and has been able to do some light shooting. The Raptors are the clear no. 2 in the East.

6. Boston Celtics
Record: 20-14
Last Week’s Ranking: 13

The Celtics had a strong December. Their 10-6 record may not be anything to write home about, but all six of their losses came to teams over .500, which is a good sign. Boston is (aside from a blown fourth-quarter lead every now and then) a consistent team, in that they typically beat the teams that they’re expected to beat.

However, the C’s haven’t had any “oh wow they won?” games this season; they’re 0-7 against teams ranked above them in these rankings. That could spell out trouble come playoff time.

7. Utah Jazz
Record: 22-13
Last Week’s Ranking: 8

The Jazz have bounced back from their three-game losing streak by winning their last four. They would get more points for that winning streak if it didn’t come against four of the very worst teams in basketball (Lakers, 76ers, Suns, Nets). Regardless, this team is awesome. They still haven’t gotten fully healthy, but that hasn’t stopped them from establishing themselves as a very good basketball team. Rudy Gobert should be considered a frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year, and George Hill would at least have his name in the conversation when discussing All-Stars had he been able to stay on the court more this season.

8. Memphis Grizzlies
Record: 22-14
Last Week’s Ranking: 6

The Grizzlies need to find a way to get Chandler Parsons healthy and useful. I’m a tiny bit skeptical about the sustainability of the outside shooting improvements from Marc Gasol and Mike Conley; they’re shooting 41.5% and 43%, respectively. I buy that they’ve both made significant strides, but am a tiny bit suspicious about any player who takes such a large leap forward so suddenly. Having Parsons be a contributor would give the Grizzlies some insurance in case their leaders don’t stay red-hot from outside.

9. Milwaukee Bucks
Record: 17-16
Last Week’s Ranking: 14

I was once (pretty recently) a skeptic about the long-term feasibility of playing Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker together, primarily due to positional similarities and lack of spacing. However, I’ve got to say that the duo has proved me wrong. My new question is this: How the hell do you guard both of them? Many elite NBA teams have a do-it-all wing defender. Kawhi Leonard on the Spurs, LeBron James on the Cavs, Jae Crowder on the Celtics, and so on. By playing Giannis and Parker together, the Bucks demand that teams have two of these defenders. Aside from the Warriors, I can’t think of a team that can match up with both of these long, versatile wings.

10. Oklahoma City Thunder
Record: 21-14
Last Week’s Ranking: 7

Russell Westbrook’s impact is truly incredible. I, like many others, expected this team to hover around .500, land in the 7 or 8 seed, and get (maybe gentleman’s) swept in the first round of the playoffs. The fact that this team is seven games positive is truly a testament to the level that Westbrook is playing at right now.

11. Atlanta Hawks
Record: 18-16
Last Week’s Ranking: 18

The Hawks are back on track. At one point this season, they had lost seven straight games, and things looked hopeless. Since that slide, they’ve won eight of their last 12 games, including Sunday’s overtime win over the Spurs. Paul Millsap (maybe the most underrated player in the NBA to casual fans) is reportedly on the block, which is a report that I definitely buy; if they let him walk in free agency they won’t get anything for him.

12. Washington Wizards
Record: 16-17
Last Week’s Ranking: 20

The Wizards should be a playoff team when healthy, which is why their slow start to this season was so strange. They won 10 of their 15 games in December, though, and are now right in the thick of the playoff hunt. John Wall, Bradley Beal, and Otto Porter are all phenomenal.

The Wizards’ bench has been tenuous this season, but a bright spot may have emerged. Trey Burke scored 27 points on 10-12 shooting in 30 minutes vs. the Nets. However, in Washington’s ensuing game in Houston, Burke played just 11 minutes and scored two points. So maybe it was just a garbage-time fluke. The Wizards could certainly use a spark from their second unit, though.

13. Charlotte Hornets
Record: 19-16
Last Week’s Ranking: 12

The Hornets have won consistently vs. teams that they should beat, and Kemba Walker is playing like an All-Star. That being said, consistently good play is not equivalent to being a great or elite team. The Hornets are good, but they aren’t a contender.

14. Indiana Pacers
Record: 17-18
Last Week’s Ranking: 10

After dropping four straight games, the Pacers have won their last two matchups, taking down the Bulls and Magic. The Pacers have a remarkably easy schedule in January. This month, they will only play two games against teams that currently own records over .500 – Utah and Houston. Capitalizing on such an easy schedule will be crucial if the Pacers want to make the playoffs (which they do).

15. Los Angeles Clippers
Record: 23-14
Last Week’s Ranking: 17

The Clippers are not good right now; injuries to Chris Paul and Blake Griffin will have that effect. This team lost six consecutive games (four of them to bad teams) before finally getting a win over the lowly Suns.

16. New York Knicks
Record: 16-18
Last Week’s Ranking: 13

The Knicks had started to look decent for a week or two there, which was weird. Now that they’ve lost five games in a row I feel much more comfortable. The Knickerbockers get back-to-back games vs. the surging Bucks next, which will be a battle of the ultimate unicorns (Giannis and Porzingis). *rubs hands together*

17. Sacramento Kings
Record: 14-19
Last Week’s Ranking: 22

After winning four games straight, the Kings were in the 8th seed! But then they immediately dropped two in a row, because #Kangz. This team isn’t shouldn’t be good enough to make the playoffs, yet they’re currently the eighth seeded team in the West.

18. Orlando Magic
Record: 16-20
Last Week’s Ranking: 21

The Magic are consistently decent, which is a lot better than what I thought they’d be (consistently dreadful). Their roster doesn’t make much sense, but they’ve managed to find a bit more success than most expected them to. The East is weird right now, and Orlando is just a game-and-a-half out of the eighth seed.

19. Detroit Pistons
Record: 16-20
Last Week’s Ranking: 15

The Pistons have certainly underperformed this season. Expectations were pretty high for a young team that won 44 games last season, then added a couple of key bench pieces in the offseason. Now, here we are in 2017 and they’re four games under .500. Disappointing.

20. Denver Nuggets
Record: 12-13
Last Week’s Ranking: 19

POINT JOKIC IS A THING AND I COULDN’T BE HAPPIER ABOUT IT! This kid is so damn fun. The Nuggets really snagged a potential franchise player with the 41st pick in the draft. Man this league is wild.

Even with the emergence of Jokic, the Nuggets have a lot to figure out. Things were looking up (they had won five of seven) until Denver dropped a home game to the Sixers. This team won’t make the playoffs this season, and they may not next season either. They have a lot of exciting young talent, but need to find some coalescence.

21. Chicago Bulls
Record: 17-18
Last Week’s Ranking: 20

The Bulls are exactly what we expected them to be prior to the beginning of the season. Their hot start was nothing more than a flash in the pan – that early shooting was never going to be sustainable. Rajon Rondo is out of the rotation. Jimmy Butler, who just had a 52-point, 12-rebound game vs. the Hornets, has the lone bright spot on the Bulls during this dark time.

22. Portland Trail Blazers
Record: 15-21
Last Week’s Ranking: 17

The Blazers were widely expected to be awful last season. Instead, they won 44 games and made the second round of the playoffs. This is an incomplete team with no real defensive identity, and not much offense outside of their backcourt. Regression was not hard to see coming, and it has arrived.

23. New Orleans Pelicans
Record: 14-22
Last Week’s Ranking: 23

If the Pelicans are going to make a run at the eighth seed, now is the time. Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday are still healthy. Tyreke Evans is back. They just signed Donatas Motiejunas. Fully healthy, this is a team that is definitely capable of making the playoffs. And they’re only 1.5 games away.

24. Minnesota Timberwolves
Record: 11-23
Last Week’s Ranking: 25

This summer, if I had known how much Portland and New Orleans would be struggling, I would have assumed that Minnesota would be in position to grab the seventh or eighth seed. I would have been very, very mistaken. This is probably our fault for heralding Towns and Wiggins as two of the next greats, and (perhaps subconsciously) assuming that they would get to that level immediately. We set our expectations too high, when in reality these are 21-year-old kids. They shouldn’t be judged so quickly.

25. Dallas Mavericks
Record: 10-24
Last Week’s Ranking: 30

The Mavs have gotten better, but only marginally. They’re still a bottom-10 team in both offensive and defensive efficiency.

26. Philadelphia 76ers
Record: 8-24
Last Week’s Ranking: 28

Embiid is still great. NBA Twitter is pretty split on whether or not he should be an All-Star. My two cents: Based on merit, no. However, I really want him to get a date with this mystery celeb so keep tweeting “Joel Embiid #NBAVote,” please. (Context, if you’ve been living under a rock or maybe just don’t follow the NBA too closely):

There is my chance to finally be with my CRUSH so i need your help y'all ha….. Joel Embiid #NBAVote https://t.co/lzxoKq2n10

— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) December 29, 2016

27. Phoenix Suns
Record: 10-25
Last Week’s Ranking: 27

Despite the Isaiah Thomas-Eric Bledsoe-Brandon Knight catastrophe, the Suns apparently still haven’t learned that having three starting-caliber guards on the same team doesn’t often work well. Now, Brandon Knight is reportedly on the block. *Sigh*

28. Miami Heat
Record: 10-25
Last Week’s Ranking: 26

The Heat have gone full tank-mode, but at least Pat Riley doesn’t think it will be a lengthy rebuild! The Heat received resonant laughter after this tweet (sort of a “who’s who” of the NBA in one lineup):

Tonight's @BBVACompass starting 5 vs the Pistons! pic.twitter.com/uiY6RacL6N

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) January 1, 2017

29. Los Angeles Laker
Record: 12-25
Last Week’s Ranking: 24

The Lakers started strong this season. Then they came crashing down to reality. The Lakers have the worst defense in basketball, and won just two of their 16 games in December. Yikes.

30. Brooklyn Nets
Record: 8-25
Last Week’s Ranking: 28

After losing eight of their last nine contests, the Nets own the worst record in the NBA. They are not very good, and Boston still has the right to swap draft picks with them, so losing this much does not benefit them whatsoever. Different year, same story.

The post 2016-17 Def Pen NBA Power Rankings: Bucks Are Fun, Wizards Gunning For Playoff Spot appeared first on Def Pen.