The last time we did NBA Power Rankings was after the first week of the season. Things have changed considerably since then.
Philadelphia's season already looks lost while Golden State is far outpacing what we thought it would be. The middle of the standings remains fluid. There are a ton of teams fighting to stay out of the Play-In Tournament in both conferences.
Things do still look similar at the very top. The Celtics and Thunder seem destined for a Finals matchup.
Here's how all 30 teams stack up after the first month of the 2024-25 NBA season.
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NBA Power Rankings
Tier 1: The true contenders
1. Celtics (--)
The Celtics have been at No. 1 since the preseason and haven't given any indication of relinquishing that spot. An impressive win against the Cavs cemented their place at the top of the East, and they've gotten Kristaps Porzingis back earlier than expected.
Boston ranks No. 3 in offense, No. 8 in defense and looks even better down the stretch of games than last season thanks to an improvement in Jayson Tatum's shooting. This is still the team to beat.
2. Thunder (--)
The Thunder stay firm at the No. 2 spot. They managed to keep afloat without any healthy centers on their roster, showing how skilled and deep they are.
Isaiah Hartenstein is finally ready to step in and has looked amazing right off the bat. They could have the best defense that we've seen in years.
MORE: Isaiah Hartenstein is everything Thunder could have hoped for — and more
3. Cavaliers (--)
The Cavs have jumped into this championship tier thanks to their crazy 15-0 start to the year. The Celtics ended that streak, but it took a blistering hot shooting performance and a rare poor game from Darius Garland to do it.
The Cavaliers still competed in that game because of how deep they are. Ty Jerome doesn't get the respect he deserves, but he should be the early favorite for Sixth Man of the Year. Caris LeVert is right there with him. And the team's foursome of Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are among the best in the league.
MORE: Six reasons why the Cavs have the best record in the league
4. Warriors (+7)
The Warriors will miss De'Anthony Melton, who is out for the year with an ACL injury. Brandin Podziemski hasn't been hitting his 3s and pressure will be on him. This team is up for it though. They win through their "Strength in Numbers" approach and have the depth to make up for Melton's loss.
Stephen Curry is, of course, still the engine holding Golden State together. He's been a top-six MVP candidate, drilling 3s alongside new Splash Brother, Buddy Hield.
Tier 2: Missing one piece
5. Rockets (+15)
The Rockets see the biggest climb in these Power Rankings. They've been terrific defensively, led by Ime Udoka's approach of switching heavily while keeping Alperen Sengun stationed near the basket. Tari Eason has exploded into an All-Defensive candidate.
Houston has won games by committee, leaning on depth to overwhelm opponents. The Rockets have been high in the standings, but they still need a top-10 player via consolidation trade to jump into the contender tier.
6. Grizzlies (+7)
Ja Morant is back and looking like his old self. Rookie Jaylen Wells has played well enough to supplant Marcus Smart in the starting lineup, who is handling the demotion gracefully.
Taylor Jenkins has uncovered hidden gems throughout the team's roster. Santi Aldama is having a career year as a passer, Zach Edey is one of the best rookies in the league and Jay Huff has become one of the best backup big men. The Grizzlies never stop running, and they'll always be in games with that strategy.
7. Magic (+2)
The Magic's defense will grind teams down. Jalen Suggs is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, but everyone on that roster can guard.
Franz Wagner has kept the Magic afloat during Paolo Banchero's torn oblique injury. Wagner looks poised to make his first All-Star game, rediscovering the stroke on his 3-pointer and doing everything on both ends.
FRANZ WAGNER GAME WINNER OVER THE LAKERS 🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/8yL14KwPIb
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 22, 2024
Orlando still needs one more offensive creator to leapfrog some of these other teams.
MORE: Magic trade for two-time Bulls All-Star makes too much sense not to happen
Tier 3: Playing below their potential
8. Knicks (--)
The Knicks have become this year's Pacers, hoping to outscore teams because they can't stop anyone. Karl-Anthony Towns has been scoring like prime Dirk Nowitzki — and guarding like present-day Dirk. O.G. Anunoby has been the team's best two-way player while Mikal Bridges has been a disappointment.
New York still isn't clicking on all cylinders, but it has enough talent in a weak East to remain in the top 10 of the league.
9. Mavericks (-3)
Klay Thompson has been solid as a Maverick, Naji Marshall is having a career year and yet the Mavs are still disappointingly in Play-In range.
Dallas hasn't been a good rebounding team, and Luka Doncic has started the season both shooting and defending at a subpar level. The Mavericks will have to learn how to play without him as he recovers from a wrist injury.
MORE: The latest updates on Luka Doncic's wrist injury
10. Suns (-5)
The Suns looked like they might jump into Tier 1 after starting the season 8-1. Then Kevin Durant got hurt, and their season started to go sideways. They went just 1-6 in his absence.
The Suns fell apart on both ends of the floor without Durant and Bradley Beal. They should resemble their early-season form as they get healthier.
11. Nuggets (-1)
The Nuggets have recovered from an ugly start to their season behind the play of Nikola Jokic, who is having a crazy season even by his standards. He's leading the league in 3-point percentage for a team starved for shooting. He's also near the top of the leaderboards in points, rebounds, assists and deflections.
Denver has needed that production from Jokic because Jamal Murray is still not himself and Aaron Gordon remains out with a calf strain. Peyton Watson and Christian Braun have stepped up as reliable two-way rotation players. Russell Westbrook's up-and-down game is starting to trend a little more up as he develops chemistry with Jokic, but they're not going anywhere without Murray.
Tier 4: Solid playoff teams
12. Lakers (-8)
The Lakers ran back mostly the same roster as last season. This is who they are. Anthony Davis is having a career year thanks to JJ Redick's coaching and LeBron James is still an All-NBA player. Both of those guys are getting up there in age, and they're a big part of why Los Angeles' transition defense is the worst in the league.
Dalton Knecht has been a nice surprise as a rookie. Austin Reaves has looked capable of being the lead playmaker in place of D'Angelo Russell. The Lakers still need more talent, and a trade may be coming.
MORE: Lakers trade rumors for Jonas Valanciunas make no sense
13. Clippers (+3)
Jeff Van Gundy has stepped in from a long coaching hiatus and turned the Clippers into the No. 5 defense in the league, and that's without Kawhi Leonard appearing in a single game. Kris Dunn is a defensive stopper on the perimeter, Derrick Jones Jr. has given the team the versatility it was hoping for and Ivica Zubac is an underrated paint defender.
James Harden isn't shooting the ball particularly well, but he still knows how to spray it out to teammates and set them up for easy baskets. Norman Powell has been an offensive dynamo. That has been enough to keep the Clippers overachieving.
14. Timberwolves (-7)
Anthony Edwards has turned into a nuclear 3-point shooter, but not a ton else has gone right for the Wolves.
The vibes between Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert look horrible. Mike Conley looks like he's on his last legs, and Rob Dillingham isn't ready to replace him. Their defense isn't at that elite level it was last season, making the Timberwolves a good-not-great team.
15. Heat (+4)
Jimmy Butler looks well-rested and is putting up some big performances again. Tyler Herro is playing like a legitimate All-Star, improving his scoring bag, shooting accuracy and passing substantially this season. And Bam Adebayo is shooting 3s at a capable level.
The Heat are always going to overachieve, and there's not a ton of competition in the middle of the East.
Tier 5: Fringe playoff teams
16. Kings (+5)
The Kings are starting to get healthy after missing Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan. De'Aaron Fox tried admirably to make up for those absences, going on a scoring tear in November that included 109 points over two consecutive games. They're going to need all three of their guys to carry them.
17. Bucks (-3)
Giannis Antetokounmpo simply won't let the Bucks fall any farther than this. He's been the second-best player in the league behind Jokic, leading the way in scoring with a much-improved midrange shot and his usual paint attacks.
Giannis is currently 3rd in the NBA in midrange FGA and he’s shooting 47.8% (wow)
— NBA University (@NBA_University) November 24, 2024
Looks smooth & confident. Early season, but the midrange has been a revelation. Allowing him to conserve some energy & hopefully helps him stay fresh into the playoffs. Love to see vets evolving. pic.twitter.com/PsZR49jpx1
Brook Lopez is starting to shoot the ball better. Can they get that same improvement from Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton, who have given them very little this season? They need a lot more from their role players.
18. Spurs (+5)
Did anyone have Harrison Barnes winning his first career Player of the Week award on their bingo card? The Spurs have gotten great contributions from Barnes, Chris Paul and interim coach Mitch Johnson, even winning games with Victor Wembanyama out. San Antonio has gone from the worst defense in history to a top-10 unit in Wemby's second year.
MORE: Spurs fixed Victor Wembanyama's offense with this one tweak
19. Pacers (-2)
The Pacers are two different teams at home and away, mostly because Tyrese Haliburton looks night and day in those settings. Haliburton's back seems to be bothering him, and he has been playing poorly when he hasn't slept in his own bed. This team isn't getting right until his body does.
20. Nets (+6)
The Nets weren't supposed to be this good, but Cam Thomas has turned into an efficient scorer, Cam Johnson is handling a bigger offensive load well and Jordi Fernandez is simply too good of a coach to lose with this roster. Ben Simmons still looks like a shell of his former self, missing a wide-open layup about as badly as you'll see this season.
21. Bulls (+1)
The Bulls are more fun thanks to going from one of the slowest teams in the league to the fastest. They're never out of a game because of how many 3s they shoot, and Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine's resurgences have created some nice comeback wins. But they can't guard anyone and they don't have much of a chance on nights that their 3s aren't falling.
MORE: Bulls history may be repeating after another bad Thunder trade
22. Pistons (+6)
It turns out that Jaden Ivey isn't a bad player when he doesn't have a coach holding him back. Ivey's already hit a game-winner this season thanks to the trust of J. B. Bickerstaff. The Pistons look much feistier than the 14-win disaster of last season.
23. Hawks (-5)
The Hawks have an All-Defensive guard in Dyson Daniels, but can anyone else get some stops? Trae Young leads the league in assists, but his scoring is down. Jalen Johnson is a strong candidate for Most Improved Player and looks like a legitimate No. 2 option.
Tier 4: Capture the Flagg teams
24. Hornets (--)
LaMelo Ball has been a terrific 3-point shooter and scorer. Brandon Miller is having an up-and-down second year. There hasn't been much else behind those two. The Hornets haven't had a healthy rotation of big men all year, instead leaning heavily on 39-year-old veteran Taj Gibson. Grant Williams' season-ending ACL injury is a huge blow.
25. Blazers (+2)
Donovan Clingan's NBA-ready defense and the re-emergence of Robert Williams III make Deandre Ayton look more and more expendable by the day. The Blazers have some good defensive players like Toumani Camara, but they need a lot more offensive creation.
26. Raptors (-1)
The Raptors should see a boost with the return of Scottie Barnes, pushing RJ Barrett into a better role. Jakob Poeltl has been outstanding this season. These guys should not be this bad defensively.
27. 76ers (-11)
It's been a disaster of a season for the Sixers, who haven't been competitive in most games. Joel Embiid started to show some signs of life but continues to miss games.
Nobody has played particularly well aside from Rookie of the Year favorite Jared McCain and bench big man Guerschon Yabusele. It might be time to start tanking and trying to keep their top-six protected pick.
28. Pelicans (-16)
Elfrid Payton came off the street and recorded 21 assists. He's been one of the few bright spots for a Pelicans team that has been sabotaged by injuries. Brandon Ingram has done a good job of trying to keep New Orleans respectable, and Dejounte Murray is close to returning. The same can't be said of Zion Williamson, whose hamstring injury is worrisome.
29. Jazz (+1)
Lauri Markkanen is having a good year but the Jazz are working from too big of a talent deficit to do much. No. 10 pick Cody Williams does not look ready for the NBA, hitting 26.9 percent of his shots through his first 16 games.
30. Wizards (-1)
The Wizards have had some individual successes this year. Bilal Coulibaly continues his development, Alex Sarr has been a good shot blocker, Bub Carrington is showing a well-rounded game and even Jordan Poole is having a comeback year. But this team is a mess from a team standpoint. Kyle Kuzma has been a disaster on the floor, chucking Washington out of games and making it the worst watch in the league.
