NBA Power Rankings: Jazz jiving along behind play of Donovan Mitchell
The past week in the NBA featured plenty of noteworthy performances from players and teams alike, while it also saw others struggle to gain consistency on the court.
The action also produced perhaps one of the most awkward moments in recent memory when Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal interviewed Donovan Mitchell. Instead of keeping it civil, Shaq instead told Mitchell he didn’t think he could lead the Utah Jazz to the next level and then was seemingly upset that Mitchell didn’t care about his opinion. More on that, later.
To make sense of it all, Rookie Wire took a look at the NBA and ranked each team from worst to best. We will come back each week and provide our latest assessment on the best teams and those that are beginning to rise.
Check out our latest Rookie Power Rankings
Washington Wizards (3-9)
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Rank Last Week: 30 The Wizards finally returned to the court on Sunday after they had seven players test positive for the coronavirus. The results on the court looked like a team that hadn't played in nearly two weeks. Now they must figure out how to regroup and get back into game shape.
Detroit Pistons (3-13)
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Rank Last Week: 29 Since posting a surprising win over the Miami Heat on Jan. 16, the Pistons have lost four in a row. Jerami Grant continues to prove his doubters wrong while rookies Isaiah Stewart and Saddiq Bey have shown promise. But Detroit just can't put all of the pieces together this season.
New Orleans Pelicans (5-10)
(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Rank Last Week: 23 Stan Van Gundy was brought in to try to help guide the Pelicans in the right direction, but they have started to trend the wrong way. After an encouraging 4-2 start, the Pelicans have gone 1-8 and have lost three straight games. The blame shouldn't all be on Van Gundy, though, as the Pelicans are 28th in 3-point percentage and 26th in turnovers, but to say things haven't gone well this season is an understatement.
Minnesota Timberwolves (4-11)
(AP Photo/Andy Clayton-King)
Rank Last Week: 28 Had it not been for a miraculous game-winner by Cole Anthony on Wednesday, the Timberwolves would have finished the week with a 2-2 record. Minnesota had the seventh-best defense over that span, but is still struggling on offense. The group looked effective on Saturday in a win over the Pelicans without D'Angelo Russell, so Minnesota will certainly look to keep that momentum going with him back on Monday.
Sacramento Kings (6-10)
AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Rank Last Week: 27 Sacramento went 1-1 on the week after two of its games versus the Memphis Grizzlies were postponed due to health and safety protocols. Kings rookie Tyrese Haliburton was magnificent in the lone win, recording 16 points, five rebounds, four blocked shots, two assists and two steals. His four blocks were the most in a game by a rookie this season.
Orlando Magic (7-10)
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Rank Last Week: 19 Orlando had appeared to be getting back on track, but it blew a 14-point, second-half advantage over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday. The Magic have gone 1-8 over their last nine games and the only win was that aforementioned miraculous buzzer-beating game-winner by Cole Anthony on Wednesday. They very well could have a nine-game losing streak had it not been for that shot.
Miami Heat (6-9)
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Rank Last Week: 24 Miami is still working to get completely healthy after missing several players due to injuries and health and safety protocols. The expectation is the Heat should round back into form once fully assembled. Bam Adebayo is coming off a career-high 41-point explosion on Saturday, and Kendrick Nunn is beginning to return to his former self, which should give the team a much-needed boost. We don't expect the Heat to remain this low in the rankings much longer.
Charlotte Hornets (7-9)
(AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Rank Last Week: 18 Charlotte pulled off a 14-point comeback victory on Sunday versus the Orlando Magic to snap a four-game losing streak. The bench unit came up big for the Hornets and the team will need that effort to continue in order to stay around .500 this season.
Houston Rockets (6-9)
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Rank Last Week: 26 Victor Oladipo turned in a strong first week with the Rockets, in which he averaged 22.3 points per game, including 32 points in his debut. With so many new players in and out of the lineup, the Rockets are still tinkering, but we believe they should improve with more time together.
Oklahoma City Thunder (6-9)
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Rank Last Week: 14 The Thunder have exceeded expectations to this point of the season and are hanging tough in the Western Conference. The team is in the middle of a tough, five-game road trip after losing a contest to the Denver Nuggets and back-to-back games versus the Los Angeles Clippers. They wrap up with the Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns, and Damian Lillard will be trolling them during that matchup on Monday. So, send your well wishes to the Thunder...
New York Knicks (8-10)
(Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
Rank Last Week: 20 New York kicked off a four-game West Coast road trip with a win over the Golden State Warriors but have since dropped two straight. They nearly pulled off a comeback win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, in which rookie Immanuel Quickley dropped a career-high 31 points, but came up just short.
Chicago Bulls (7-9)
(AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Rank Last Week: 21 The Bulls went 2-1 last week with the lone defeat coming at the hands of LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. James went full cheat mode on the Bulls, so that loss was expected, but the Bulls have won three out of their last four games so they appear to be moving in the right direction.
Atlanta Hawks (8-8)
(AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer)
Rank Last Week: 25 Atlanta moved up seven spots following a 3-1 week and with other teams falling back. While the Hawks posted a strong record, two wins came against the Timberwolves and one against the Pistons, so they didn't necessarily have the toughest schedule. We are pumping the brakes on saying the Hawks are back, but last week was a good start in the right direction.
Golden State Warriors (8-8)
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Rank Last Week: 13 The Warriors continue to show reasons why they could be great and reasons why they could be just mediocre, as Steve Kerr so eloquently described. The team posted an impressive victory over the Lakers but then lost to the Knicks later in the week, which shows the inconsistency that plagues them. Draymond Green has had a busy week, though, from his viral moment mentoring James Wiseman to getting kicked out of a game for yelling at Wiseman.
Memphis Grizzlies (7-6)
(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
Rank Last Week: 16 Memphis played one game last week and will not play again until Saturday at the earliest with several players in the health and safety protocols. Prior to the stop in play, the Grizzlies had been rolling with five straight wins and the return of Ja Morant.
Dallas Mavericks (8-8)
(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Rank Last Week: 12 The Mavericks have been a tough team to get a grasp of this season. They have been wildly inconsistent to begin the year and went 2-2 last week. Dallas ranks near the middle of the NBA in offense and defense and has Luka Doncic on the roster, which means they are seemingly one hot streak away from climbing up the standings.
Cleveland Cavaliers (8-8)
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Rank Last Week: 17 The Cavaliers posted two huge wins over the Brooklyn Nets last week as Collin Sexton went off in those matchups. However, they followed that up with a complete disaster against the Boston Celtics on Sunday after losing by 38 points. Cleveland boasts a tough defense and that should enable them to hang around this season.
Toronto Raptors (7-9)
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Rank Last Week: 22 Suddenly, the Raptors are among the hottest teams in the league. After beginning the season 1-6, Toronto has since gone 6-3 and have won five out of their last six games. The team boasts too much firepower to be under .500, and we firmly believe they will begin their ascent up the standings.
San Antonio Spurs (9-8)
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Rank Last Week: 11 The Spurs continue to chug along after going 2-2 last week. San Antonio has a defense ranked inside the top 10 and seemingly has four or five players that can lead the team in scoring each night, something that has been remarkable to see.
Indiana Pacers (9-7)
(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Rank Last Week: 10 The Pacers have hit a little bump in the road, losing three of four. They eked out an overtime win over the Magic on Friday that prevented a winless week but are still a team to watch in the Eastern Conference. Myles Turner continues to block everything and Domantas Sabonis is enjoying the best start to a season of his career.
Denver Nuggets (9-7)
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Rank Last Week: 15 Don't look now but the Nuggets have won three straight and have Michael Porter Jr. back. The team endured a slow start to the season, but he is enjoying an upward trajectory behind the brilliant play of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
Brooklyn Nets (10-8)
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Rank Last Week: 8 Kyrie Irving is back in the lineup and the Big 3 era in Brooklyn is off and running. They suffered two losses to the Cavaliers but should continue to get better as the trio logs more time together on the court. Despite giving up 41 to Bam Adebayo on Saturday, Brooklyn walked away with an important win.
Phoenix Suns (8-7)
Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sport
Rank Last Week: 5 Since beginning the season 7-3, the Suns have struggled. Of course, they missed a week of action due to health and safety protocols and have lost three of four since returning. They have a few days off to regroup and will certainly need that time to rest up.
Boston Celtics (9-6)
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Rank Last Week: 6 The Celtics have dropped three out of their last four games without Jayson Tatum, but are expected to get their All-Star back on Monday following a bout with the coronavirus. He will likely need a few games to get back into game shape but a Jayson Tatum at less than 100% is still better than no Jayson Tatum at all.
Portland Trail Blazers (9-6)
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Rank Last Week: 9 Portland is still managing at this point, even with injuries to C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic. With Damian Lillard leading the way, the Trail Blazers are seemingly always in contention given his ability to take over games and dominate the opposition.
Milwaukee Bucks (10-5)
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Rank Last Week: 3 The Bucks had a tough schedule last week after posting losses against the Nets and Lakers. The team is clearly still attempting to establish itself with the other top tier teams in the league and is looking to gain momentum in the coming days.
Philadelphia 76ers (12-5)
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Rank Last Week: 7 The Sixers are seemingly fully healthy for the first time in weeks and their recent play reflects that. The group has won three straight, including two wins over the Celtics. With another matchup against the Pistons on Monday, that winning streak should reach four with no problems.
Utah Jazz (12-4)
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Rank Last Week: 4 The Jazz currently own the longest winning streak in the NBA at eight games. Shaq may not think very highly of him, but Donovan Mitchell is playing like a true No. 1 option and has his team playing like one of the best in the league. Seriously, though, what's the deal with Shaq? We applaud how Mitchell handled that awkward interview. He didn't care about Shaq's opinion and he shouldn't, either.
Los Angeles Clippers (13-4)
(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Rank Last Week: 2 Behind the Jazz, the Clippers have posted a seven-game winning streak following a string of strong performances by Kawhi Leonard, who is averaging 29.1 points during that span. L.A. has a tough seven-game East Coast road trip looming this week, which figures to test them.
Los Angeles Lakers (13-4)
(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Rank Last Week: 1 King James and the Lakers continue to reign supreme in the league. Anthony Davis reminded everyone recently after dropping a season-high 37 points that he does not, in fact, suck. The Lakers continue an East Coast road trip this week and will look to continue their perfect season (9-0) on the road.
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