NBA 2021-'22 Power Rankings Week 2: Bulls On The Rise?
As we head into Week 2 of the NBA season see where the top 15 teams in the league rank.
It’s early and you have to remember that when you do lists like these. You can’t overreact to these first few games because teams are just really trying to gel together, especially new put-together teams like the Lakers who started the season struggling. But you do want to make a good first impression right? Take the Bulls who are one of three remaining undefeated teams as of today. Middle of the pack on last week’s ranking but have their early success moved them up on Week 2 rankings? Find out here:
PC’s Power Rankings, released every Tuesday during the season, are based on the games during that previous Week of NBA action.
1. Bucks (2-1)
(Up 2)
The Bucks had an up-and-down opening week. They took down a title favorite in the Nets but then had a 42 point loss to the Heat. But since it’s early we are giving the defending champions some grace as they rebounded well for a win. Giannis Antetokounmpo has had a bit of a slow start to the season and his preseason shooting hasn’t carried over into the regular season. All this said they move to the top spot as the top two teams from last week had a worse week.
2. Warriors (3-0)
(Up 5)
The Warriors have looked impressive to start the season. They took down all their rival teams in California and Steph Curry has looked like an early MVP candidate. Jordan Poole has contributed well as his role increased in Klay Thompson’s absence and this team just looks like Warriors of old with strength in numbers. When Thompson returns this could be a dangerous team in the playoffs.
3. Bulls (3-0)
(Up 7)
The only undefeated team in the East currently is the Big Baller Bulls. Though two of their wins came against the Pistons I cant take away from how good they look. Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso have been a terror defensively which is what this team was lacking. Currently, they are top five in defensive ratings (93.7) and have outscored their opponents by 21 points per 100 possessions in DeMar DeRozan’s 36 minutes with Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic off the floor.
4. Nuggets (2-0)
(Up 8)
The Nuggets just continue to be good no matter who is available. They are still missing star Jamal Murray but their reigning MVP is holding down the fort. Tied for the biggest jump in this week’s ranking the early signs they have shown are enough to move them up. They can be much better than they are offensively so their poor rankings aren’t troubling yet.
5. 76ers (2-1)
(Up 4)
With the Ben Simmons situation still in the air, this team has come together well and played some really good basketball. Their lone loss came against the Nets and that was one they honestly let getaway in the fourth quarter after controlling most of the game. Seth Curry has been a bright spot so far for the team with his excellent shooting and really it looks business as usual for this group.
6. Jazz (2-0)
(Up 8)
The Jazz is at the top of the league in regard to point differential from 3-point range (+22.5) per game. They also haven’t missed a beat defensively by holding both of their opponents under a point per possession. Last season’s playoff loss left a bad look for this team but Rudy Gobert has shown improvement playing defense on the perimeter.
7. Knicks (2-1)
(Up 6)
The Knicks were a top defensive team last season but desperately needed scoring to take pressure off of Julius Randle who again is playing at an All-NBA level. Now they have Kemba Walker who is 8-for-14 from deep so far and Evan Fournier who is an improvement from anything they had last season. A good season-opening win against the Celtics was enough to move them up in this week's rankings.
8. Nets (1-2)
(Down 7)
The Nets fall in this week’s ranking with two losses against Eastern Conference teams. They had a good comeback win against the 76ers as mentioned earlier but if not for Kevin Durant’s hot start to the season could be 0-3. James Harden hasn’t looked like himself early but it is not too much of a concern, yet. You have to wonder if missing Kyrie Irving is more of an issue than they want to let on. Without him, they simply just can’t rely on outscoring oppoenents.
9. Lakers (1-2)
(Down 7)
The Lakers have been a mess to start the season. They had an embarrassing loss against their rival Suns who put them out in the first round last year and that was the least talked about thing coming from that game. They had a total of five off-the-court instances including one bizarre scuffle on their bench between Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard to which the legendary Magic Johnson had to call out on Twitter. Russell Westbrook's early returns don’t look good with his shooting struggles but still, this isn’t enough to knock them completely off the map.
10. Hornets (3-0)
(New)
Their first appearance on the list this season, the hot Hornets moved up to 10 on this week’s ranking. LaMelo Ball looks primed for an All-Star season as it seems he has taking the reigns from the vets on the team. They had a big win against the Nets in Barclays with Miles Bridges showing he is also ready for a breakout season. Bridges totaled 62 points on 22-for-40 shooting (with 12 free throw attempts on Sunday) in the Hornets’ last two wins.
11. Heat (1-1)
(Down 7)
The Heat started the season with a bang with a big win against the defending champions. Then they followed with a loss against the Pacers, though they were missing Kyle Lowry. Tyler Herro's early signs have been great to see as he looks to bounce back after somewhat of an up and down season where as Jimmy Butler is off to a poor shooting start going 2-for-10 from outside the paint. Lowry’s health will be a big question for this team as they put all their eggs into getting him and losing guads like Goran Dragic and Kendrick Nunn could prove a issue for this team.
12. Mavericks (1-1)
(Down 6)
Kristaps Porzingis is getting off to a bad start shooting just 11-for-33 over their two games. He is key for their season as he has the potential to be an All-Star player but if he can’t improve on his play he will find himself off this team by the trade deadline. They lost badly against the Hawks in their opener but had a comfortable win in Toronto which holds them in the top 15 but Jason Kidd has to get more out of his big man sooner than later. They were a good defensive team last season but sit in the middle of the pack right now.
13. Grizzlies (2-1)
(New)
Another first-time appearance goes to the young Grizzlies’ team who improves every season with Ja Morant at the helm. He’s currently top in the league in scoring (35 ppg) while shooting better than 60% from the field. The Grizzlies are a top team offensively but have to improve on the defensive side. That said, they were an FT away from potentially going on to be 3-0.
14. Hawks (1-1)
(Down 3)
The Hawks had a good win against the Mavericks but struggled against the Cavs who are still a bad team. They had trouble scoring in the loss which is surprising given the talent of the team. A good stat to hang their head on so far is being a top defensive team which is something they improved on as Nate McMillan became the head coach.
15. Suns (1-2)
(Down 10)
The Suns had the biggest drop this week moving down 10 slots as they had a blowout loss against the Blazers after an emotional win against the Lakers. They’ve been outscored by 20 points per game from 3-point range but the bigger issue has been on defense. They rank 29th in opponent 3-point percentage at 43.1%. Defense was key for them last year especially on their finals run so they better hope this doesn’t stick.
Power Rankings will update every week.
