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NBA power rankings: Nuggets remain Thunder’s main threat, Suns rise, Bulls slip, and Mavericks stay struggling

November 17, 2025

We’re about four weeks into the NBA’s 2025-26 regular season, and every team has now dealt with the regular season’s trials. The injury reports are filling up; the matchups aren’t always favorable; the sneaky starts are being exposed. This, right now, is where every squad stands.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (13-1, 1st in net rating)

What they’re up to: Oklahoma City has the league’s second-lowest turnover rate and the second-highest rate of turning opponents over. The Thunder’s start, best in the league in pretty much every regard, has come without Jalen Williams, who has missed the season’s first 14 games but appears to be nearing a return. The Thunder are allowing 102.8 points per 100 possessions; that’s almost seven points per 100 possessions better than the Denver Nuggets, who show up next on the list.

One question: Are we still underestimating how easily this team might win 70 games or more?

2. Denver Nuggets (10-2, 2nd in net rating)

What they’re up to: Denver’s offseason, meant to deepen a roster that has long struggled to have depth behind Nikola Jokić, will be tested in the coming weeks: Christian Braun will miss at least six weeks with an ankle sprain, and Cam Johnson has landed on the injury report, too. But Tim Hardaway Jr. and Peyton Watson were seamless starting lineup replacements in Saturday’s convincing win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. It’s a bummer our first matchup between the Nuggets and the Thunder must wait until February.

One question: Jokić’s True Shooting is 77 percent. The highest True Shooting ever recorded by a player averaging 25-plus points was Kevin Durant’s 2022-23 campaign, where he averaged 67.7 percent. Is this the best Jokić’s ever been?

3. Houston Rockets (9-3, 3rd in net rating)

What they’re up to: Houston’s three losses have all been clutch games. (Oklahoma City and Denver are the league’s only two other teams who can claim they haven’t yet been blown out.) Right now, Houston still boasts the league’s best offense. That will probably fall when Houston’s 3-point percentage does; the team’s currently shooting 42.6 percent, which tops the league. But with a surging Reed Sheppard leading the way — he’s hitting 59.5 percent of his wide-open 3s — this team might have far higher heights on that side of the court than expected.

One question: Even when the 3-point shooting slows, is there more meat on the bone for this Houston offense that’s shooting just 38.1 percent on mid-ranged shots?

4. New York Knicks (8-4, 4th in net rating)

What they’re up to: New York isn’t atop the Eastern Conference, but they’ve looked like the team most likely to win the conference thus far. Their secret superpower: Taking more shots than opponents pretty much every game. (They’re fourth in field goals attempted and second in field goals allowed.) Mitchell Robinson has only played six games, but he’d be leading the league in offensive rebounding percentage, ahead of even Steven Adams, if he qualified.

One question: Why was it so simple for Mike Brown to increase this team’s 3-point volume? New York’s top-five in the league after being bottom-five last season.

5. Detroit Pistons (11-2, 6th in net rating)

What they’re up to: Detroit’s cardiac comebacks have been its story with seven wins in nine tries when trailing by double digits this season. It’s the defense that has been the story: No team is allowing a worse percentage at the rim (59.5 percent), and that’s when opponents even make it there. (Detroit’s opponents have attempted the fourth-fewest shots in the restricted area.) That’s a legitimate recipe for a unit that has been third-best in defensive rating.

One question: Will Cade Cunningham’s 3-pointer (28.8 percent) start falling soon?

6. Los Angeles Lakers (10-4, 15th in net rating)

What they’re up to: For as good as Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves have been, the duo has combined to shoot just 32.6 percent from behind the arc so far this season. The team’s offense is currently below average, ranked just 16th, and it’s better shooting from those two that would be the most obvious improvement.

One question: Will G-League graduate Bronny James be a good locker room veteran for another call-up from the South Bay Lakers, LeBron James, who joins the first team after practicing with the South Bay Lakers last week?

7. San Antonio Spurs (9-4, 9th in net rating)

What they’re up to: Victor Wembanyama is the league’s most destructive defensive force. It’s surprising he’s only contesting 6.5 shots per game within six feet of the rim even when you account for his rim deterrence. (That’s lower than VJ Edgecombe, for example.) It’s also just nuts that the Spurs’ defensive rating with Wembanyama on the court (105.5 points allowed per 100 possessions) is still lower than the Thunder’s overall rating. After an MVP start, we’ve seen Wembanyama slow down ever so slightly. Don’t get it twisted: He’s still the most fascinating watch in the entire league.

One question: Is San Antonio’s excellent double-big lineup with Wembanyama and Luke Kornet back on the menu after two defeats to the Golden State Warriors, where those two were outscored by nine points, perhaps the worst possible team to deploy it against?

8. Cleveland Cavaliers (9-5, 12th in net rating)

What they’re up to: Cleveland, this season, is a reimagined version of the title-winning Boston Celtics, taking almost half of its shots (49.4 percent) from behind the 3-point arc. Darius Garland should help them with that if he can just stay healthy, but that’s been the story of career.

One question: Have you noticed Jaylon Tyson’s emergence as a knockdown 3-point shooter (46.2 percent) and all-around useful fifth starter in Garland’s absence?

9. Minnesota Timberwolves (8-5, 8th in net rating)

What they’re up to: Minnesota hasn’t lost to a below .500 team (8-0) and hasn’t beat one above that demarcation line (0-5). The team’s defense is as wholly dependent on Rudy Gobert as it’s ever been: They allow about 17 more points per 100 possessions when he’s off the court. Unfortunately, the team has an even worse split on the offensive end with Julius Randle: They score about 125 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the court, a stat that craters to under 100 without him.

One question: Does Rob Dillingham have any chance to figure this out? Do the Timberwolves have any hope except to keep hoping he can?

10. Golden State Warriors (9-6, 16th in net rating)

What they’re up to: Golden State’s superb start faltered, and the team briefly dropped to .500, before kicking it back to winning ways with the baseball series sweep against the Spurs. New sneaker free agent Stephen Curry’s consecutive 45-point games were reminders that he’s still the league’s second-best watch after Wembanyama. (It was nice of them to perform their visual phenomena against each other.) Curry’s age has reduced his floor: He shot just 2-of-11 for nine points in Sunday’s comfortable win against the New Orleans Pelicans. But his highs are as high as they’ve ever been.

One question: What’s the answer for Golden State’s offense, which ranks 22nd in the league despite all that Curry’s doing?

11. Toronto Raptors (8-5, 5th in net rating)

What they’re up to: The Raptors! Fifth in net rating! Winning seven of their last eight! With the league’s second-best bench! Toronto has been the league’s biggest surprise, at least in a positive manner, with an incredibly competent start. This week, they face the Charlotte Hornets, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Washington Wizards, and the Brooklyn Nets. They have every opportunity to keep building on this.

One question: Can the Raptors promise me that this start is realer than the one that the Chicago Bulls got off to in the league’s first two weeks?

12. Milwaukee Bucks (8-6, 19th in net rating)

What they’re up to: Ryan Rollins leads the league in deflections while shooting 45.7 percent from behind the arc. He’s averaging almost 11 drives per game, too. Milwaukee’s up-and-down start has come despite Giannis Antetokounmpo performing at the peak of his powers, yet again, but Rollins is the type of find that could completely alter history’s course if he continues to be the league’s most improved player.

One question: Will associate head coach Darvin Ham (13-0 all-time) ever lose in the NBA Cup again?

13. Miami Heat (7-6, 11th in net rating)

What they’re up to: It’s genuinely bizarre watching the Heat play offense without pick-and-rolls. We’re so accustomed to basketball’s rhythm: The ball comes up the floor, a screener gets into possession, and then the action begins. Watching Miami do without them, however, feels akin to baseball with the pitch clock. There’s an implied extra beat or two that’s missing. And yet it’s still working well enough even with Bam Adebayo missing the past five games: Miami ranks 12th in offensive rating this season.

One question: Upon his return, does Tyler Herro fit into this no-pick-and-roll offense, or does Erik Spoelstra adapt it for him?

14. Atlanta Hawks (9-5, 13th in net rating)

What they’re up to: The Trae Young absence might be A Thing as Atlanta has won six of the eight games without him. The team has a top-six offense in its five-game winning streak, and Jalen Johnson looks every bit the star we’ve expected him to be, averaging 24 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists across his past four appearances. (He missed the first game of this streak.) Perhaps this really is signalling the end of an era, and the start of a new one.

One question: Is any team having more fun in the fast break? (Atlanta has tallied 117 points in transition across its five-game winning streak.)

15. Philadelphia 76ers (7-5, 14th in net rating)

What they’re up to: Joel Embiid’s been injured again, and the 76ers have only some bad losses to show for it. Even amidst their hot start, there was reasonable concern for an offense that was generating the worst shot quality in the league, something that still holds true. While Tyrese Maxey is sustaining it with difficult shotmaking and Philadelphia’s drive-and-kick style is pleasant to the eye, the results aren’t debatable of late.

One question: Surprisingly, it isn’t Embiid who’s slowing down the 76ers, but Maxey. Why does this team, seemingly built to run, average 110 possessions per game in his limited time off the court but just 99 when he’s playing? Surely his ridiculously high minute totals are to blame, right?

16. Phoenix Suns (8-6, 7th in net rating)

What they’re up to: It must be said: Phoenix has benefited from a soft schedule, one which has had them play 10 teams currently at or below the .500 mark, which is tied for the most in the league. It also must be said: These Suns are fun, man. The defense’s feisty and full-court, the shooters are ruthlessly confident, and Mark Williams is starting to make a measurable defensive impact (the Suns allow seven fewer points per 100 possession when he’s playing).

One question: Do we have any theories why Devin Booker, who possesses one of the most picture perfect jumpers in recent memory, is a 35.4 percent career 3-point shooter?

17. Orlando Magic (7-7, 17th in net rating)

What they’re up to: Orlando could have a four-game win streak if it hadn’t blown Sunday’s game against the Rockets, one in which the team held a double-digit fourth-quarter lead. But the offense, about four points better per 100 possessions than last season, still firmly rests in the league’s bottom half. That’s even with Tristan Da Silva’s emergence as a reliable floor spacer.

One question: Are we sure, like absolutely sure, that Zach LaVine wouldn’t have been a better trade candidate for the Magic rather than Desmond Bane?

18. Boston Celtics (7-7, 10th in net rating)

What they’re up to: Amusingly, the Celtics lead the league in mid-range shooting this season. So much for Joe Mazulla’s hard-nosed dorkdom about what is and isn’t a good shot! Of course, it’d be better if more of those shots came at the rim, where the Celtics are third-to-last in the league in generating looks, but Boston’s still finding ways to compete with this mismatched roster during this implied gap year.

One question: When will Derrick White, whose True Shooting is down to just 48 percent, start hitting shots?

19. Chicago Bulls (6-6, 18th in net rating)

What they’re up to: We’ll always have those few days that the Bulls sat atop the Eastern Conference. While Coby White’s return helps, it won’t do much to fix Chicago’s defense, which is still the league’s leakiest at allowing shots at the rim and has faltered in several disappointing defeats in the past week. This team’s offense, especially now that White’s back, needs to surge back into the top-10 for the early magic we saw from Chicago to persist this year.

One question: Would Matas Buzelis be the first pick in a 2024 redraft?

20. Portland Trail Blazers (6-7, 20th in net rating)

What they’re up to: Interestingly, Portland leads the league in shot quality and boasts the league’s 16th-best offense, a marked improvement from last year. But the team’s defense, one of the league’s best down last season’s stretch, hasn’t matched the offensive improvements.

One question: Is Shaedon Sharpe’s 2-point improvement, up to 53.1 percent, here to stay?

21. L.A. Clippers (4-9, 24th in net rating)

What they’re up to: The Clippers are finally building that dynasty they dreamed of … for Oklahoma City, who have swap rights to their first round pick. This is pig-fattening stuff right now for the league’s most disappointing team, one which looks slow and sluggish despite James Harden’s ridiculously good performances. They’ve leaned on two two-way contracts, Jordan Miller and Kobe Sanders, to provide any athleticism at all, an area that’s only going to get worse if bad news comes out about Derrick Jones Jr.’s seemingly serious knee injury suffered Sunday.

One question: If John Collins can’t reliably hit 3s, does he add much at all to this team?

22. Utah Jazz (5-8, 22nd in net rating)

What they’re up to: Lauri Markkanen is shooting 41.2 percent on 8.8 catch-and-shoot 3s per game, a ridiculous figure even for a shooter as good as he is. Utah tried its best to offload its good players and has still started this season feistier than they’d like given the team’s long-term need for talent injections. It’s a tricky conundrum for fans and the front office alike.

One question: Truly, have we ever seen a player quite like Markkanen? A 6’10 Klay Thompson with volume scoring?

23. Charlotte Hornets (4-9, 21st in net rating)

What they’re up to: Charlotte’s fun start has run into disappointment, and LaMelo Ball’s return this weekend wasn’t enough to save them from an overtime defeat to the Bucks. Kon Knueppel has been the league’s best rookie, however, averaging 17.2 points and hitting more than 40 percent of his 3s.

One question: Is Ryan Kalkbrenner the league’s most surprising rookie?

24. Memphis Grizzlies (4-10, 25th in net rating)

What they’re up to: Memphis has lost eight of its last nine games with Ja Morant morphing from an existential question to a banged up star who left Saturday’s game after just six minutes with calf soreness. At least Zach Edey’s back, and we can once again see if the defensive dynamism he created paired with Jaren Jackson Jr. is something Memphis can expect going forward.

One question: How much of Memphis’ suffering has been due to Ty Jerome and Scotty Pippen Jr.’s continued absences?

25. Dallas Mavericks (4-10, 23rd in net rating)

What they’re up to: Dallas has been feistier in the past week than its record might suggest; they’ve played more clutch games than anyone in the league. Still, my concern for this team coming into this season was that the team would look demonstrably better when playing single big lineups than when Anthony Davis was forced into a power forward that doesn’t suit him. Due to Davis’ extended injury, which caused owner Patrick Dumont to dramatically overrule Nico Harrison’s desire to have him return before Harrison was fired last week, the team hasn’t even had to deal with that awkward fit. When Davis returns, that problem will reemerge.

One question: Are we remembering that Cooper Flagg, fresh off his best game of the season, is the league’s youngest player?

26. Sacramento Kings (3-11, 26th in net rating)

What they’re up to: Sacramento has played a lot of good teams: 12 of its 14 games have come against above-.500 opponents. That’s the barest bones of optimism that can be rallied for a team that just looks as poorly constructed as anticipated.

One question: Can someone please rescue Keon Ellis?

27. Brooklyn Nets (2-11, 28th in net rating)

What they’re up to: Brooklyn’s defense, while pretty abysmal, has been victim to unsustainable hot shooting from opponents. Its offense, on the other hand, is starting to work itself out. Egor Demin looks better, and Drake Powell has shown signs of life.

One question: What happens when Cam Thomas returns?

28. Indiana Pacers (1-12, 29th in net rating)

What they’re up to: There’s not much to say to Pacers fans except, well, I’m sorry. This has been a season from absolute hell.

One question: Can we go one week without a new Indiana injury?

29. New Orleans Pelicans (2-11, 27th in net rating)

What they’re up to: Willie Green has been fired, Derik Queen keeps showing out, and the Pelicans are just as bad as we feared. Zion Williamson’s return, coming closer, shouldn’t be this concerning, but it’s hard to imagine how he and Queen can effectively share the court right now.

One question: Why did the Pelicans make that trade?

30. Washington Wizards (1-12, 30th in net rating)

What they’re up to: Kyshawn George is this team’s standout player and Alex Sarr is putting together a rookie campaign that answers many of the concerns his rookie year cast upon his game. And yet this has still been abysmal! It shouldn’t be this bad!