Official /r/nba Power Rankings #9 (2.20.2023) – All-Star Break Edition

[25/30 rankers reporting this week.](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1–xX0VpsDJBfsTPlnpVkF2IRD0RMEfIzX1wEyOxDP7Q/edit?usp=sharing) /R/NBA’s Power Rankings are published every two weeks which is a bit different from most rankings. Other than that we rank the teams the same way as our competition. If write ups are left blank the team rep decided not to submit. We encourage any user to fill in the blanks in the comment section.

\# | Team | Δ | Record | Comment |
–: | :– | :– | :-: | :– |
1 | [](/MIL) Bucks | +1 | 41-17 | Despite a 12-0 run that leaves the Bucks only half a game behind the Celtics for HCA, the real story is Giannis’ right wrist injury. He flew to NY to see a specialist after the All-Star game and every Bucks fan is praying it’s not something serious that could derail the season. |
2 | [](/BOS) Celtics | — | 42-17 | The Celtics went 5-1 going into the All-Star break, with their only loss coming against the Bucks in OT in a game that had the Celtics without Smart, Tatum, Horford, and Brown. It’s been the Derrick White show lately, and he’s averaged 22.7 points per game since the last rankings while shooting 43% from deep. The team as a whole has been on a hot streak from deep since the last rankings, with Malcolm Brogdon, Blake Griffin, and Sam Hauser all shooting over 50%, and Al Horford, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard all shooting over 40%. To top it all off, the Celtics pulled a trade at the deadline for Mike Muscala, who provides yet another shooter on the floor and a replacement for Luke Kornet depending on the matchup. |
3 | [](/DEN) Nuggets | — | 41-18 | The Nuggets enter the All-Star break with a comfortable 5 game lead in the West, and barring an insane finish from the reloaded Mavs or Suns, it’s hard to envision another team catching up over these final 23 games if the Nuggets stay the course. The team made a few small moves at the deadline, trading the disgruntled Bones Hyland to the Clippers for 2nd round picks, and effectively using those picks to acquire Thomas Bryant from the Lakers, as well as signing Reggie Jackson from the buyout market. Michael Malone has emphasized rest days for the starters this year, especially for guys like Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon who are still rehabbing and nursing minor injuries, and the additions of Bryant and Jackson will allow Malone to give more rest days over this final stretch without sinking the team. |
4 | [](/PHI) 76ers | — | 38-19 | I don’t mean to start negatively, but I can’t remember the last time the Sixers could rebound at a competent level. Outside of that gripe, this team is really finding their stride and truly belongs in the upper echelon of “contenders.” Though Jokic seems primed for yet another MVP, Embiid is still putting up numbers that would warrant consideration at any point. Harden looks completely rejuvenated and has even contributed majorly on the scoring end again. The lack of a dependable backup center will surely rear its ugly head once the playoffs come around again, but if Embiid can finally have the healthy run he deserves, it might not hurt all that much. |
5 | [](/CLE) Cavaliers | — | 38-23 | The Cavaliers went 5-1 since the previous power rankings, and have dominated February with a league high +13.7 net rating in the month. Just like last year, the Cavaliers entered the all star break 4th in the east, but unlike last year, we have an empty injury report leaving the break. Optimism is growing about achieving their first 50 win season without LeBron James since 92-93, as the Cavs will need to finish the season with just a 12-9 record. This record seems very achievable with one of the easiest schedules remaining, as 8 of the remaining games come against teams that have the 25th or worse record, and only 9 are against teams over .500… The Cavs host the Nuggets to start out of the break and setting the tone with a W would be massive. |
7 | [](/MEM) Grizzlies | — | 35-22 | After a rough few weeks, the Grizzlies got a much needed break for the all star game. While neither Ja or JJJ got many reps in the big game, the team needs rest more than anything. The outside world learned a few things about the Grizzlies that many fans of the team already knew. 1) Adams is the glue that holds this team together. We aren’t a great shooting team, so having the best rebounder in the league grab the missed shots provides many more opportunities. Luckily, it appears that Adams should be ready to return in the next few weeks which should give a nice runway to the playoffs. 2) Our GM Zach Kleiman did everything under the sun to improve this roster, without falling for a massive overpay. Unfortunately it didn’t result in a massive roster improvement, but it did result in getting Luke Kennard which should be a significant bench scoring upgrade for us. The teams success will hinge on whether JJJ can stay on the floor and if the team can start hitting shots; but we sure look like a prime candidate to be an early round exit barring a substantial change in play. |
7 | [](/PHX) Suns | +2 | 32-28 | The Twins will be missed 🥲. Welcome to Phoenix Kevin Durant!! |
8 | [](/LAC) Clippers | -2 | 33-28 | |
9 | [](/SAC) Kings | -1 | 32-25 | With the 4th toughest schedule remaining the Kings will be looking to fight for one of the top 6 seeds and avoid that play in. Opting to not make any moves at the break could be awful for this kings team that continues to struggle with size and their ability to rebound the ball. Davion “Off Night” Mitchell continues to have an Off Year as his scoring leaves a lot to be desired. Can the Kings continue to win? Find out on the next episode of Kangz |
10 | [](/NYK) Knicks | +4 | 33-27 | “To those of you who shared very kind words with me regarding my breakup two weeks ago, thank you very much- your goodwill means more than you can know. There is yet hope for this Nephew. Last night I hit PRs in 4 different exercises at the gym and am on my 20th consecutive day working out. Gents, I think Creatine may be a wonder drug. Lets see if I can squat 275 before my kidneys explode. In actual news, my Knicks have been aces. Josh Hart was exactly the glue guy we needed to mesh our very distinct starter and bench units, and his impact on the already-positive team chemistry cannot be exaggerated. Brunson has been playing at an All-NBA level since the new year, Randle is not far behind, and the Immanuel Quickley + Quentin Grimes defensive combo is arguably the best in the NBA according to advanced stats. This has all been without our actual defensive god in Mitch Robinson. He’s being re-evaluated for his hand injury this week and hopefully he’ll be back soon. He’s a top 5 rim protector, top 2 offensive rebounder, and has surprisingly become a very vocal presence on organizing team defense. The odd man out, sadly, is RJ. I still believe in him, but then again I was the first and last man on Ntilikina Island so my opinions on the matter have become somewhat of a joke over in the Knicks sub. I did help lobby for us to finally get the MF DOOM flair though, so there’s that.” |
11 | [](/DAL) Mavericks | +1 | 31-29 | The Mavs open the second half of their all star break looking to quiet a loud narrative: the Mavs have won two games with Kyrie Irving, and zero when both Luka Doncic and Kyrie play together. The Mavs are hoping to get defensive anchor Maxi Kleber back healthy again, which should help the team hit its regular season ceiling. |
12 | [](/MIA) Heat | -2 | 32-27 | Trade deadline came and went and the only move the Heat made was sending Dedmon far away. A lot of fans were hoping for a big move to put us in a stronger position post deadline, but alas that was the only move made at the deadline. Post deadline however, we are looking to sign Kevin Love and Cody Zeller. Kevin Love should be good for the Heat unless his thumb injury makes him a non factor (which could very well be the case). Cody Zeller should also provide a body to back up Bam Adebayo . The larger benefit of the additions is it moves Caleb Martin back to a more natural position where he should have a better time. Martin’s taken more shots in the paint this year in past years, and hasn’t had a strong season shooting elsewhere on the court. Hopefully with the addition of the bigmen he can re-find his mid-range and 3pt rhythm from last season and provide more as an offensive option. Of course his down year (compared to last season) could have nothing to do with playing power forward considering years before that were nothing special. Other news is that Oladipo hasn’t played since January (won’t be back until hopefully March), Lowry has played one game in February (hopefully back by the end of February), and Omer Yurtseven could soon return after missing the entire season. Missing Lowry and Oladipo has been rough so getting them back would help immensely in righting the ship. It would be a surprise if Yurtseven played this season considering the additions in the frontcourt and just how long he’s been out of action. We will have to see what post-All Star break season offers the Heat and if we have reason to be hopeful for the postseason. |
13 | [](/MIN) TWolves | — | 31-30 | Wolves made a bold move swapping out PG D’Angelo Russell for vet Mike Conley at the trade deadline. In a move that they hope to get more out of Gobert on the offense and empower 1st time All Star Anthony Edwards. 15-9 record and a top 10 defense since the start of the new year the Wolves are still in the fight for playoff seeding in the West with optimism that KAT can come back soon post all star break |
14 | [](/BKN) Nets | -3 | 34-24 | |
15 | [](/GSW) Warriors | +2 | 29-29 | It really doesn’t matter if the Warriors are healthy or if they are hurt, they will find a way to .500. With Steph out Warriors have shot their way to 2-3, with a big win against the Thunder and a disappointing loss against a depleted Lakers team. Kerr is still struggling to find rotations since the hot and cold hand is a different player every night. If they could find some consistency offensively, you know they will not be playing defense. GP2 was supposed to shore that up a bit but his availability may not be this year. Curry’s timeline is maybe after all star break and he’s the Dubs only hope to potentially get to the top 6. |
16 | [](/NOP) Pelicans | +2 | 30-29 | |
17 | [](/OKC) Thunder | +2 | 28-29 | For some reason, we’re allergic to getting to a .500 record. |
19 | [](/ATL) Hawks | -3 | 29-30 | The Hawks are bad and disappointing and not fun to watch, discuss, or think about. I haven’t hated a Hawk team this much since the Dwight Howard seasons. It’s so soul-sucking and joyless, and what’s most annoying is that there’s still nothing new to say about this team. It’s been the exact same situation all season. There is so much talent on the roster but poor coaching, effort, and leadership from top to bottom in the organization has capped what the team is capable of. |
19 | [](/WAS) Wizards | +3 | 28-30 | I just wanted to take this time to talk my shit and point out that Bradley Beal is shooting 52% from the field, averaging 23.1 points a night. The Wizards are 20-16 with Bradley Beal in the line-up, 8-14 without him. The Wizards are getting healthy again, receipts have been kept, KP should have been an All-Star, things are looking up in DC. No one will talk about it, the media stopped talking about the Wizards literally two days after the Hachimura trade. We’re back to regularly scheduled programming of getting into the play-in tournament, being decent to the point where I tell myself, “Maybe next year is the year.” I’m basically Jessie Spano in Saved By The Bell when she’s on caffeine pills. |
20 | [](/TOR) Raptors | +4 | 28-31 | Everyone’s a bit confused with what the Raptors plan is, but right now it looks like they’ll be able to qualify for the play-in. Their top 6 (Pascal, FVV, Poetl, OG, Gary and Barnes) is pretty good when healthy and they have a couple ok guys behind them, so making the playoffs is definitely a possibility. |
22 | [](/POR) Trail Blazers | -1 | 28-30 | The excitement over the trade deadline moves was tempered a bit by Simons’ ankle injury, but there is still some room for hope in Rip City. Cam Reddish is looking like a solid piece after a rough stint of DNP-CD in New York; Shaedon Sharpe is averaging 13.8/4.0/2.0 on 62/56/100 shooting splits since Hart was traded; and Dame continues to be on an absolute tear, averaging 37.1/4.8/7.4 on 41/38/94 shooting splits over his last 20 games. But if the Blazers hope to make the playoffs, they still have a lot of work to do. Most importantly, they need to get healthy. Three starters were injured going into the break, and only one (Grant) expects to be back when play resumes. |
22 | [](/UTA) Jazz | -7 | 29-31 | The Utah Jazz had more winners than any other team during All-Star weekend. I hope this is true because I can’t be bothered fact checking. Lauri Markkanen contributed a handful of buckets in a winning effort for team Giannis. Clarkson, Kessler and Sexton combined to win a *skills* challenge to take some silverware home too. Regardless of what happens now, I’m pretty sure we have to say the Jazz were the most successful team this season |
23 | [](/LAL) Lakers | — | 27-32 | LeBron James added a feather to his cap becoming the undisputed Scoring King passing Kareem, and he was rightfully so celebrated in Los Angeles but it occurred in yet another cruel loss to the Thunder who they are battling right now for seeding, and that’s where Pelinka came in to the King’s aid. After months of speculation, Lakers finally acquired D’Lo, Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, Mo Bamba at the deadline at the cost of the just one protected top 4 2027 FRP and a few seconds. It has been a delightful redemption for Pelinka after a couple of dreadful years, the team currently complements the talents of LeBron and AD and it truly showed on the court in the final game before the break vs. Pelicans. Granted that the Lakers, still the 13th seed have a huge mountain to climb but given the renewed energy and the vicinity of the teams above them there is a plenty of room for optimism. |
24 | [](/ORL) Magic | +1 | 24-35 | Trade deadline came and went without the huge bang some of the fandom expected. Bamba shipped out for a quickly bought-out Patrick Beverley and a second round pick, along with Terrence Ross getting bought-out after a seven year run with the team. Bamba never could find his spot in the team, potential was always there but something was missing. The Human Torch was and always will be a fan favorite. Looking past the deadline, the All-Star Break definitely came at a great time. Paolo and Franz have been in a bit of a slump and the long rest should be much appreciated in the last third of this season which sees the Magic possibly pushing for a play-in spot. |
25 | [](/CHI) Bulls | -5 | 26-33 | The Bulls suck, right after the deadline has passed. We made zero moves to try to improve the team or rebuild, but at least we have continuity. Maybe we can lose enough for a top 4 pick. |
26 | [](/IND) Pacers | — | 26-34 | The Pacers head into the final stretch of the season at a crossroads. Just a few games outside of the play-in game, Indiana has shown at points this year they can compete with any team. However, their play leading towards the All-Star break would suggest that a lottery pick is on their minds as well. The team is completely healthy for the first time in a while, so the effort certainly won’t be lacking. |
27 | [](/CHA) Hornets | — | 17-43 | |
28 | [](/DET) Pistons | — | 15-44 | I’m not sure what the point is. We have a coach who won’t play youth at the end of games to develop them. Tanking at the sacrifice of youth development is not the ideal way to go about things, but here we are. Wiseman looked ok in his debut. I’m not sure if there is going to be anything long term there with overlap of positionality with Duren, but at this point the trade has been made. Houston, Charlotte, and San Antonio: May the odds be ever in your favor for the Tank Wars. |
29 | [](/HOU) Rockets | — | 13-45 | |
30 | [](/SAS) Spurs | — | 14-45 | As someone who does want the team to secure a good draft pick this year, it still hurts to see the young guys lose games like this (especially when they all very clearly care a lot). I was hoping to not see a new franchise record for losing streak get set this year, but unfortunately that’s what we now have on our hands. I do think that if we’re going to be *this* bad, we might as well have the worst record in the league and have our worst pick be 5th overall, rather than 7th overall, but still. It’s tough out here man. The team finishes off the Rodeo Road Trip with @DAL, @UTA, @UTA and then has IND, HOU, @HOU to close out their next two weeks. |

by powerrankingsnba