Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks are riding a 13 game winning streak. Is that enough to break the Lakers strangle hold on the #1 spot in our Power Rankings?
20. Washington Wizards (Down 1)
(6-13) Last week: 0-3
Come draft time, we always get a selection of ‘YouTube Mix Tape Superstars’ – the players that have the most glorious highlight moves, crazy hops, sweet strokes…..yet we never see the forced jumpers against 3 defenders, the blown defensive assignments, the lacklustre efforts in transition.
Imagine if that type of player were an NBA team team….Ladies and Gentlemen, your 2019/20 Washington Wizards!
The Wiz gave up 150 points to the Clippers this week – the second time they’ve given up at least 150 this season. In fact, they’ve conceded 130+ on five occasions already this season. If only there was some sort of improvement at that end, the Wizards offense, good for second in the league, would carry them to some stirring victories.
In one of the most preposterous stats imaginable, when Washington hold teams below 120 points, they’re a perfectly respectable 4-4. Read a little deeper into that stat – the Wiz have held opponents to under 120 in less than half of their games.
19. Oklahoma City Thunder (Up 2)
(8-12) Last week: 2-1
The decisions that General Manager Sam Presti makes coming up to the February trade deadline will be fascinating.
The playoffs were always an outside chance for the Thunder and whilst they’re not exactly tearing up any trees, they remain close enough to consider making a push.
Does Presti look to sell off Gallinari, Adams & Paul before the deadline, or try to make the eight and potentially increase his asset value?
Either way, the longer the Thunder stay in the race, the better for Presti as far as generating leverage for any possible deal.
18. Sacramento Kings (Down 3)
(8-12) Last week: 1-2
With De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley out, who is the Kings catalyst? Their bellwether? Buddy Hield and his quick trigger? The all-round game of Bogdan Bogdanovic? What if I told you it was Harrison Barnes? A guy that just kind of….exists, rather than stands out.
Check this out:
Points Assists Steals FG% 3P% FT% O Rtg D Rtg
Wins 18.5 2.1 1.3 52.2 45.5 83.0 129 109
Losses 15.4 1.9 0.7 47.0 31.8 75.6 113 115
Per Basketball Reference
Have a look at those shooting splits and Ratings.
Harry Barnes being a barometer for success is not a sentence that you expect to write, but here we are.
Fox and Bagley can’t return quickly enough.
17. Orlando Magic (Steady)
(10-11) Last week: 3-1
The Magic have made the most of a soft run of games, winning four of their last five, the only loss coming against Toronto.
Evan Fournier continues to be a quiet achiever in Florida, yet again averaging a career high 19.8 points per game with excellent efficiency.
At the rate he’s going, The Man Who Must Not Be Googled will end up with something in the vicinity of 15,000 points for his career, which would make him the second highest scoring Frenchman in NBA history.
16. Portland Trailblazers (Up 2)
(9-13) Last week: 2-1
Carmelo Anthony is looking, dare we say it, good! Olympic Melo good.
After shaking off some understandable rust, Melo is averaging 16.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and canning 1.5 threes at 38% since his resurrection.
The Blazers have won 4 of 5. The balance that Anthony has given the roster appears to have kick started a faltering Blazers squad.
15. Phoenix Suns (Down 1)
(9-11) Last week: 1-2
The Suns have lost eight of 11 and it should probably be nine, given Charlotte’s meek capitulation.
Phoenix are getting creamed in the paint. Without DeAndre Ayton and the New Nowitzki in Aron Baynes, the Suns have nothing but an over matched Frank Kaminsky to throw out there. He’s getting eaten alive. Kaminsky's individual stats look fine, given the minutes he's being force fed, but the team has a horrific 119 defensive rating with him on the floor since he joined the starting five.
Baynes did come back briefly before feeling his calf. There’s no timetable on his return at this stage
14. Brooklyn Nets (Up 2)
(11-10) Last week: 2-1
Spencer Dinwiddie continues to lead the Nets Kyrie-less revival. Since Irving went down, the former Colorado man is putting up 24.9 points and 7.1 assists – All Star level numbers.
With Irving’s timetable getting continually pushed back, Dinwiddie can continue to push a borderline All Star case, at the possible expense of his sixth man of the year campaign, funnily enough.
But what to do when Kyrie eventually comes back? The two ball dominant guards have proven to be fairly compatible (at least offensively) when they’ve shared the floor but both need the ball to be at their best. Kyrie is The Star – he has to take precedence.
On a very cheap $11m contract, could Dinwiddle be shopped for a piece that dovetails better with Irving?
13. Minnesota Timberwolves (Steady)
(10-10) Last week: 0-2
The continuing evolution of Andrew Wiggins is quite rightly generating headlines, but this is still KAT’s team. It’s a testament to his consistency that Karl-Anthony Towns’ performances this season have been kept in the shadows, somewhat.
KAT is putting up a nightly 26 and 12 with four assists plus more than a steal and block. He's knocking down 3.7 3’s at 42.7%. He’s a legitimate MVP candidate and can lay claim to being the best shooting big in the NBA today (Non Baynes division).
Remarkably, Towns only turned 24 last month – we’ve got so much more of this to look forward to.
12. Utah Jazz (Down 1)
(12-10) Last week: 1-3
Back to back to back thrashings at the hands of Toronto, Philadelphia and the Lakers come on the tail of a big loss to Indiana and giving up 50 to Giannis in a loss to the Bucks. The Jazz's only win through that period was a comeback victory against lowly Memphis.
The Jazz continue to struggle with the ball in hand, Bojan Bogdanovic – proving to be worth his $73m contract – aside. Mike Conley still hasn’t found his groove and is now injured. Joe Ingles finally broke out somewhat in the loss the the Sixers, with 13/8/8 and a pair of steals.
The concerning thing for Utah is that their usually impenetrable defense hasn’t been as solid of late. Giannis’ big game came with Gobert out injured. The other games were often decided early. The Sixers and Lakers both led by 18 at halftime. The Raptors led their contest by 40 at the same stage.
The Jazz were expected to contend this season. As coach Quin Snyder said after the Sixers loss ‘Oftentimes, growth is not linear’. The Jazz certainly hope that’s the case.
11. Indiana Pacers (Up 1)
(14-7) Last week: 3-1
The early part of the season was supposed to be a water-treading exercise for the Pacers. Integrate Malcolm Brogdan, keep working on the chemistry between Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis, get Victor Oladipo fit and then make your charge.
Three straight losses to open the season seemed to back that opinion up. The Pacers' recovery since then has been remarkable, winning seven of eight to set up their push for the top echelons of the East.
Brogdan has exploded in his first NBA leading role. He and Sabonis are potential All-Stars in the East this season. Turner (12.8 points, 6.6 boards and 2.2 blocks) is not the star the team perhaps hoped for, but is a fine complementary stretch 5.
The best news for Indy? Oladipo has been cleared for full contact practices and should be on the court for the Pacers by Christmas.
