Current NBA Standings, Offensive and Defensive Rankings, Net Ratings, and Projected Wins Before the Halfway Point of the Season
A overall view throughout the league of each team, and how each team's advanced stats has changed throughout the recent Covid surge.
On the last league standings post, the NBA had just started dealing with Covid issues on rosters. The league took a while before actually stepping up and changing the roster rules with allowing teams to add guys to 10-day contracts and hardship exceptions to fill in for these players that were missing games. But before the league inserted these new roster rules, some teams were playing with absolute skeleton crews. For example, the Chicago Bulls had nine guys out in the league’s Covid health and safety protocols, and the league was still making them play games. With all of these replacement level guys playing big minutes for the teams, some teams offensive and defensive ratings may be affected by missing key stars and rotation level guys. Certain teams have not been affected too much by Covid, such as the Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder.
The NBA All-Star game is also just over a month away as it is scheduled on February 20th in Cleveland, and the league released the current leaders in the fan voting. Steph Curry and Kevin Durant are the current leaders of the two conferences, meaning they would be the team captains of both All-Star teams. I have a couple of opinions on who I think deserves to make it based off of the initial voting release, so here is a link to the voting counts: https://www.nba.com/news/first-fan-returns-nba-all-star-voting-2022
In the Western Conference frontcourt, I would slide Karl Anthony-Towns and Rudy Gobert into the top 6, dropping Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Davis. The Pelicans Brandon Ingram should also be in the top 7, I actually think I would have him over KAT and even Paul George but mostly because of PG13’s injury. For the backcourt, I do not disagree with the top 8, except for Klay Thompson being 4th. I would like to see Ja Morant make the All-Star starters over Luka Doncic, but that is mostly just from a fandom of Ja Morant. I would also like to see Shai Gilgeous-Alexander make it over Russell Westbrook because he has just been better in my opinion. For the Eastern Conference frontcourt, I agree with the top 5 even with Jimmy Butler missing a decent amount of games from injury. Jarrett Allen has an argument to make it as he’s been great for the Cavaliers this year, and I also think Jalen Brown deserves to make the game over the other 4 guys listed even though Miles Bridges has been great this season. For the east backcourt, I would vote in Darius Garland and Fred VanVleet over Lamelo Ball and everyone else listed below him. Kyrie Irving should not make the All-Star game. He has played in one game so far this entire season. Why not have Ben Simmons in the top 10 while we are at it?
But enough All-Star talk, I think it’s kind of overrated anyway, let’s get into the standings and rankings. Just another rundown of how it’s presented, I will give every team’s current standings in their respective conference, along with the offensive and defensive rankings (points scored or allowed per 100 possessions), the net rating (difference between the offensive and defensive ratings), and the projected win totals calculated from the net rating. The equation is Total Wins = 40.99 + 2.515 x Net Rating, and all of these ratings were taken of the morning of January 8th from NBA.com. Each team’s previous conference standing, offensive and defensive ranking, net rating, and projected win total will be put to the right in parentheses next to the current numbers. The main reason to show the projected win totals and net ratings is to show what teams are over/underachieving record wise. The last post showing these numbers was on December 3rd before most of the Covid cases were experienced throughout the league, so you could account some numbers dropping or rising from this, just something to keep in mind as we look back on the standings and rankings from just over a month ago.
Let’s get into the East Standings first:
Chicago Bulls (26-10): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (2nd)
Offensive Rating: 112.1 (4th) - (7th)
Defensive Rating: 108.2 (13th) - (9th)
Net Rating: 4.0 (6th) - (4th)
Projected Win Total: 51 Wins - (53 Wins)
The Bulls have continually been at the top of the east all season long. A team I did not expect to see this from because of the defense. Besides adding Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso, I thought their defense would be average or even worse. It also helps that Demar Derozan is having a career year including his insane two days were he hit consecutive game-winning 3-pointers. I am not going to pencil them in as my favorite to come out of the east, but they will be hosting a home playoff series for sure. One of the funner teams to watch in the league, as well.
Brooklyn Nets (24-13): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (1st)
Offensive Rating: 110.7 (12th) - (11th)
Defensive Rating: 108.1 (12th) - (8th)
Net Rating: 2.6 (9th) - (5th)
Projected Win Total: 48 Wins - (51 Wins)
The Nets are one of the weirder situations in the league as they have allowed Kyrie Irving to return back to the team even though he is still unvaccinated and cannot play in home games or games against the Knicks or Raptors due to city laws. Kevin Durant has kind of cooled off offensively from his ridiculous start to the season, and James Harden just does not seem to be able to take over games offensively like people are use to seeing. Maybe this stems from Steve Nash normally using more defensive lineups instead of going with insane offensive lineups. Although roster-wise, I am not sure they can have one until Joe Harris returns.
Milwaukee Bucks: (26-15): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (4th)
Offensive Rating: 111.9 (5th) - (12th)
Defensive Rating: 107.8 (9th) - (11th)
Net Rating: 4.2 (5th) - (7th)
Projected Win Total: 52 Wins - (49 Wins)
The Bucks are currently my favorite to come out of the east, especially if they could claim the number 1 seed and avoid the Nets in the second round. Not because I think they would lose a series to the Nets, I would choose the Bucks as of right now, but limiting your competition in the playoffs with seeding is still helpful. The main reason for optimism with this team is the Bucks are 16-3 when Giannis, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday all play so far this season. Milwaukee was hit pretty hard with Covid plus all of the injuries they’ve already experienced so far this season, maybe giving their bench guys good experience if they need to step up in a playoff series.
Miami Heat (24-15): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (5th)
Offensive Rating: 111.6 (7th) - (9th)
Defensive Rating: 107.8 (10th) - (10th)
Net Rating: 3.8 (7th) - (6th)
Projected Win Total: 51 Wins - (51 Wins)
The Heat continue to be steady no matter who plays, showing why they are considered one of the better organizations throughout the league. Guys like Gabe Vincent and Max Strus have had big games at times to add some wins during the month of December. Even though Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo have missed extended time, and Miami is still on a 51 win pace to finish the season. A fully healthy Heat squad should frighten any team in the east, and Erik Spolestra continues to show why he is regarded as one of the best coaches in the leauge.
Philadelphia 76ers (22-16): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (11th)
Offensive Rating: 110.9 (11th) - (10th)
Defensive Rating: 109.1 (16th) - (18th)
Net Rating: 1.8 (11th) - (10th)
Projected Win Total: 46 Wins - (45 Wins)
On the last standings post, it looked like the 76ers fell off of a cliff compared to how well they started the season, but with sample sizes sort of ironing themselves out, I think Philly has to feel pretty good with where they are. Joel Embiid is back from injury and looks completely dominant in games. His injury at the time of the last post was mostly the reason for the team’s steep drop in the conference standings, but the team has seen growth from guys that actually play for the team. I mentioned how well Seth Curry started the year and Tyrese Maxey being a solidified starting point guard for this team, and now, Matisse Thybulle is being recognized as one of the best defensive guards in the entire league. If Philadelphia can make a Ben Simmons trade that gives them legitimate playoff depth, rather it be a starter or bench depth, this team could go on a serious run as long as Joel Embiid stays 100% healthy.
Cleveland Cavaliers (22-17): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (6th)
Offensive Rating: 110.3 (14th) - (22nd)
Defensive Rating: 104.9 (3rd) - (3rd)
Net Rating: 5.4 (4th) - (9th)
Projected Win Total: 55 Wins - (47 Wins)
Another team I was entirely wrong about to start the season. I thought Cleveland would have been a bottom 4 team in the east as I predicted them to finish the season with the 13th best record before the start. Evan Mobley deserves praise, but Darius Garland becoming a legit point guard who can control an offense in his third year has maybe been the biggest difference for this team. It sucked seeing Ricky Rubio go down with a season ending ACL tear against the Pelicans after Cleveland already lost Collin Sexton for the season with a meniscus tear. Hopefully their recent transaction of adding veteran point guard Rajon Rondo will give them good backup point guard play, but guys like Kevin Love and Cedi Osman who have been great floor spacers this year need to keep that level of play up if Cleveland wants to avoid the play-in tournament. The twin towers of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen continue to anchor this defense as one of the best in the entire league, and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff should also get more media love for the job he has done this year.
Toronto Raptors (19-17): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (12th)
Offensive Rating: 111.0 (9th) - (13th)
Defensive Rating: 109.6 (20th) - (24th)
Net Rating: 1.4 (12th) - (20th)
Projected Win Total: 45 Wins - (39 Wins)
The Raptors have been dramatically better lately mostly because their key starters and role players are healthy again. Pascal Siakam missed the beginning of the year, OG Anunoby missed a large portion of the season, and rookie Scottie Barnes and Fred Van Vleet have been the two main constants for this team. Barnes is already getting the recognition in the rookie rankings and is usually in the top 3 when people mention their Rookie of the Year votes/predictions, but Fred VanVleet deserves more attention than he is getting. Friday night he had a 37 point triple double and is averaging 21.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, and 6.8 apg while shooting 44.4% from the field and 40.5% from 3-point range. I mentioned earlier that I think he should be an All Star because he does so much for a team that does not really have a star go-to guy on offense compared to most teams that are in playoff contention.
Charlotte Hornets (20-19): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (2nd)
Offensive Rating: 112.9 (3rd) - (4th)
Defensive Rating: 113.7 (28th) - (26th)
Net Rating: -0.8 (21st) - (17th)
Projected Win Total: 39 Wins - (40 Wins)
The Hornets have not really changed my opinion of them too much from the last post at the beginning of December. A great and fast paced offensive team, ranked first in the league in Pace, who just does not have the defensive talent to slow any of their opponents down. They have five guys who are averaging over 16.5 ppg as of right now which is pretty absurb in Bridges, Ball, Rozier, Hayward, and Oubre Jr., with Miles Bridges being the leading scorer with 19.5 ppg. Lamelo also leads the team in rebounds, assists, and steals per game as he continues to show he can be a do-it-all point guard. Head coach James Borrego just cannot put a consistent passable defense to slow opposing teams down like he did last year when the Hornets finished with the season with the 16th best defense.
Washington Wizards (19-20): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (9th)
Offensive Rating: 108.6 (20th) - (19th)
Defensive Rating: 110.9 (23rd) - (13th)
Net Rating: -2.3 (23rd) - (15th)
Projected Win Total: 35 Wins - (42 Wins)
What a weird stretch for the Wizards the past month has been. After December 1st, they lost 7 of their next 8 games with the only win being in overtime against the Detroit Pistons. Since that stretch, they have won four of their last nine games, including their loss to the Bulls where Kyle Kuzma look to have hit another game-winning, or sealing I should say, shot until Demar Derozan hit a ridiculously contested three from the corner. Bradley Beal has had better games as of late but started the season pretty rough and is still shooting below 30% from 3-point range for the season. Spencer Dinwiddie also has up and down games where he will finish games with zero points, but the Wizards still end up winning like their game against the Jazz. Or his game against the Miami Heat when he finished with 24 points and 11 assists, but the Wizards end up losing.
New York Knicks (19-20): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (10th)
Offensive Rating: 108.5 (21st) - (16th)
Defensive Rating: 109.6 (19th) - (19th)
Net Rating: -1.1 (22nd) - (18th)
Projected Win Total: 38 Wins - (39 Wins)
The Knicks have been one of the most volatile teams in the league to me. Kemba Walker is benched because his on and off numbers are bad, but when he returned back into the lineup, he played pretty well. I think most of the issues for the Knicks comes from Julius Randle having a down season compared to last year where he just carried and basically willed this team to wins by being the main piece on offense. His 2-point field goal percentage is basically the same as last year, but his 3-point percentage has dropped from 41.1% last year to 32.4% this year. They have also had injuries where it seems like the team is never fully healthy, but you kind of have to expect that nowadays in the league. I have been impressed with two of their young guys from what I’ve seen so far in Quentin Grimes and Deuce McBride.
Boston Celtics (18-21): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (8th)
Offensive Rating: 108.3 (22nd) - (24th)
Defensive Rating: 107.6 (8th) - (5th)
Net Rating: 0.7 (13th) - (12th)
Projected Win Total: 43 Wins - (44 Wins)
The Celtics are another wild ass team to watch. I put them as one of the most entertaining teams in the league because they just always have crazy games no matter who their opponent is. Whether it be Jaylen Brown blowing a game-tying layup in transition after the Spurs inbounder throws the ball directly to him or RJ Barrett hitting a game-winning 3-pointer going to his right as Jayson Tatum is right in his face. This team just screams the need of a point guard to run the offense like a Chris Paul or Mike Conley, probably more like Conley honestly. Rumors are also swirling around trying to trade Jaylen Brown which makes no sense to me. The league is dominated by athletic wings who can do a little bit of everything on the court. I do not know why you would want to split Brown and Tatum up unless you are a team who simply wants to poach one of these guys.
Atlanta Hawks (17-21): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (7th)
Offensive Rating: 113.0 (2nd) - (2nd)
Defensive Rating: 113.1 (26th) - (22nd)
Net Rating: -0.1 (16th) - (8th)
Projected Win Total: 41 Wins - (48 Wins)
I would describe the Hawks as a mixture between the Hornets and the Jazz. The Hornets comparison comes from their offensive and defensive rankings, great offense and bad defense. But if you look at the roster, they have Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu who are good rim protectors for their roles, but the Hawks just do not have any perimeter defenders to stop any bleeding once it starts defensively, like Gobert and the Jazz perimeter guys. Recent rumors have swirled around the Hawks trying to trade for Jaylen Brown or Ben Simmons, and I think a Ben Simmons pairing with Trae Young is one of the better trade destinations I have heard of. But in the end, it will all come down to the price.
Indiana Pacers (14-25): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (13th)
Offensive Rating: 109.7 (15th) - (17th)
Defensive Rating: 110.2 (21st) - (14th)
Net Rating: -0.4 (18th) - (14th)
Projected Win Total: 40 Wins - (43 Wins)
Since the last standings post, the Pacers announced that they were willing to trade basically everyone on their team, but looking at the advanced stats, they have been one of the more unlucky teams throughout the league. To me the biggest trade target is Myles Turner, a rim protector who can shoot 3’s should be interesting to every team in the league, in my opinion. Domantas Sabonis is a good offensive player and having arguably the best season of his career, but I feel like he needs the ball in his hands to be this effective. I am not sure how many teams would want to take him when he kind of needs the ball to show his true skillset while also being a negative on defense. For Caris LeVert, sadly with his injury history and inconsistency on offense, I am not sure many teams will put in a good enough offer for Indiana to pull the trigger and ship him out.
Detroit Pistons (7-30): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (15th)
Offensive Rating: 101.0 (29th) - (29th)
Defensive Rating: 110.8 (22nd) - (23rd)
Net Rating: -9.9 (30th) - (28th)
Projected Win Total: 16 Wins - (17 Wins)
The Pistons at this point in the season need to focus on one thing, and that is giving Cade Cunningham the most reps possible to figure out if he is truly your cornerstone piece of the future and what works best for him to be that piece. He has progressively played better as I think he was just not comfortable when he first came back from his ankle injury at the start of the season. It just comedown to if he can run an NBA offense like a Luka Doncic which was a comparison given to him by some scouts, although a high-end/ceiling comparison.
Orlando Magic (7-32): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (14th)
Offensive Rating: 103.0 (28th) - (27th)
Defensive Rating: 112.7 (25th) - (25th)
Net Rating: -9.6 (29th) - (29th)
Projected Win Total: 17 Wins - (16 Wins)
The Magic have found a great piece in Franz Wagner who has pushed his way into the Rookie of the Year conversation. I’ve been impressed with his ball-handling and playmaking as he does not seem like a great athlete to beat the defense and cause the help defense to crash in, but his pick and roll game has been his main way of getting into the teeth of the defense and creating for others. The main thing I am looking forward to or keeping an eye on is how Jalen Suggs will play once he returns from his thumb fracture.
Now the West Standings:
Phoenix Suns (30-8): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (1st)
Offensive Rating: 111.5 (8th) - (6th)
Defensive Rating: 103.7 (2nd) - (2nd)
Net Rating: 7.8 (3rd) - (3rd)
Projected Win Total: 61 Wins - (60 Wins)
The Suns continue to be one of the best teams in the league as their overall team depth is what makes them truly great to me. Cam Johnson has been awesome this year, and even bench guys like Javale McGee are key contributors for the team, although I would credit Chris Paul with McGee’s career numbers this year. As of now, they are my favorite to come out of the west because of their overall depth. I will hold this opinion until we see Klay Thompson get some NBA games under his belt, however, but I would not be surprised if we saw a replay of last year’s finals matchup.
Golden State Warriors (29-9): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (2nd)
Offensive Rating: 110.9 (10th) - (3rd)
Defensive Rating: 102.2 (1st) - (1st)
Net Rating: 8.7 (2nd) - (1st)
Projected Win Total: 63 Wins - (73 Wins)
The Warriors have kind of fallen down with their net rating and projected win total, but their defense has held the number one spot in the league. With Curry’s career 3-point record hunt and overall struggles recently, the offense has looked a little suspect at times, but Steve Kerr and this revamped Warriors coaching staff is not afraid to through weird and random defensive looks against teams in the middle of the regular season to keep the opponent on their toes. Klay Thompson’s return could truly push this team over the edge as the clear championship favorite as I do not believe their is one right now which is awesome to me.
Utah Jazz (28-11): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (3rd)
Offensive Rating: 116.8 (1st) - (1st)
Defensive Rating: 107.6 (7th) - (6th)
Net Rating: 9.2 (1st) - (2nd)
Projected Win Total: 64 Wins - (66 Wins)
The Jazz offense continues to be number one is the league as it almost seems they are just a team of chuckers, averaging the second most 3-point attempts per game. They also lead the league in effective field goal percentage, and this stems from most of their shots being three pointers and having good shooters taking those 3’s. The offensive excellence stems from Utah having some of the best floor spacers in the league, but this team has enough depth to make a move for a perimeter defender, something this team will need once they make it into the playoffs. Rudy Gobert is a great defender, but he is only one man who can cover up so many holes on that end of the floor.
Memphis Grizzlies (26-14): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (5th)
Offensive Rating: 111.7 (6th) - (5th)
Defensive Rating: 108.0 (11th) - (29th)
Net Rating: 3.7 (8th) - (22nd)
Projected Win Total: 50 Wins - (38 Wins)
On the last post, I had asked if the Grizzlies could hold water while Ja Morant was out with his injury and boy did they. Desmond Bane was, and still is, incredible for this team when Morant was missing time, and head coach Taylor Jenkins made some adjustments to the teams overall defense where they hedge and help more on the perimeter which skyrocketed their defense from basically worst in the league to almost a top 10 defense. With Ja Morant back in the swing of things, I recommend people catch as many of their games as they can.
Dallas Mavericks (21-18): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (4th)
Offensive Rating: 109.4 (17th) - (15th)
Defensive Rating: 107.1 (5th) - (20th)
Net Rating: 2.3 (10th) - (21st)
Projected Win Total: 47 Wins - (39 Wins)
Like the Grizzlies, the Mavericks also jumped up their defensive rating as they currently rank in the top 5. Most would have expected their offense to make a big jump, but Luka Doncic has missed an extended amount of time with an ankle injury. Jalen Brunson has been the biggest contributor to Dallas remaining in the top 5 of the western conference. It will be interesting to see if Jason Kidd cements Brunson as the team’s starting point guard once Doncic returns, or if he moves him back to the bench, like in the beginning of the season, and try to stagger the two’s minutes to run the offense.
Los Angeles Lakers (21-19): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (6th)
Offensive Rating: 108.2 (23rd) - (23rd)
Defensive Rating: 108.6 (15th) - (15th)
Net Rating: -0.5 (19th) - (24th)
Projected Win Total: 40 Wins - (37 Wins)
The Lakers still are not the force most people expected them to be, and they experienced a major struggle stretch during the month of December. They have been some bright spots recently that I would stem from Frank Vogel, Lebron James - of course, and Malik Monk. Vogel finally gave up giving big minutes to Deandre Jordan and Dwight Howard and implementing small ball lineups with Lebron at center. This allows them to have more shooting around Lebron and Westbrook which was something that could not even happen with Anthony Davis because Davis’s shooting numbers were so putrid at the beginning of the season. And Malik Monk has been shooting the absolute shit out of the ball as of lately.
Denver Nuggets (19-18): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (10th)
Offensive Rating: 108.8 (19th) - (18th)
Defensive Rating: 109.2 (17th) - (16th)
Net Rating: -0.4 (17th) - (19th)
Projected Win Total: 40 Wins - (39 Wins)
I believe it is almost criminal how little attention Nikola Jokic has been getting from of course the mainstream media but also NBA fans in general. The same way people want to discredit the Bucks title last year from injuries, people gave the same narrative for Jokic winning his MVP. But this season, to me, he is the most valuable player to his team. This team lost Michael Porter Jr. at the very start of the season, and Jamal Murray has yet to return from injury. Despite all of that, the Nuggets are still in solid playoff position which they would be nowhere near if the Joker was not on this team. And his defense has improved compared to year’s past.
LA Clippers (19-20): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (7th)
Offensive Rating: 105.8 (27th) - (25th)
Defensive Rating: 106.5 (4th) - (4th)
Net Rating: -0.7 (20th) - (13th)
Projected Win Total: 39 Wins - (43 Wins)
The Paul George injury could have been a season altering injury for the Clippers because he was so good for them this season when he did play, but LA has held their own in his absence as George recovers from his elbow injury. From what I’ve watched, it is really an overall team effort which makes sense because a fully healthy Clippers team is one of the best rosters in the league to me as they are so many solid guys on this team. They have five guys averaging over 10 ppg not counting PG, and Isaiah Hartenstein has been a great addition to the roster.
Minnesota Timberwolves (19-20): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (8th)
Offensive Rating: 108.0 (24th) - (21st)
Defensive Rating: 107.5 (6th) - (7th)
Net Rating: 0.5 (14th) - (11th)
Projected Win Total: 42 Wins - (44 Wins)
The Twolves have held pretty constant throughout their Covid issues including all three of their young stars - Towns, Russell, and Edwards, contracting the virus. I still feel like their offense should be better from a roster perspective, but they attempt the most 3-pointers in the leauge while ranking 22nd in team 3-point percentage. They have seen a bright spot in the roster with young guard Jaylen Nowell stepping up during their Covid issues and is still getting minutes now. The future of this roster is going to hit its real full potential if some of these role guys can hit and provide some real depth.
San Antonio Spurs (15-23): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (12th)
Offensive Rating:109.6 (16th) - (20th)
Defensive Rating: 109.5 (18th) - (12th)
Net Rating: 0.1 (15th) - (16th)
Projected Win Total: 41 Wins - (41 Wins)
The Spurs are another team I’ve enjoyed watching, and that mostly stems from their young guards who are always mentioned with the franchise. Dejounte Murray has had big games, Derrick White can get hot at times, and Keldon Johnson leads the team in 3-point percentage at 44.1%. San Antonio also leads the league in Assist to Turnover Ratio and are second in assists per game. They also had some big games from 3-point range that probably contribute to their jump in the offensive rankings.
Sacramento Kings (16-25): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (11th)
Offensive Rating: 108.9 (18th) - (14th)
Defensive Rating: 113.2 (27th) - (27th)
Net Rating: -4.3 (24th) - (25th)
Projected Win Total: 30 Wins - (34 Wins)
The Kings have remained pretty consistent after firing Luke Walton. Former Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry was named the interim head coach and has had some hilarious postgame comments after losses. Recent news came out that Sacramento is willing to trade either De’Aaron Fox or Tyrese Haliburton. If I had to choose, I would keep Haliburton. He’s younger, has shown he can run an offense, and still on his rookie contract. The question is does this mean the Kings want to do a full rebuild or they think the return for whoever will be good enough for them to be a certified play-in/playoff contender.
Portland Trail Blazers (14-24): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (9th)
Offensive Rating: 110.4 (13th) - (8th)
Defensive Rating: 115.3 (30th) - (28th)
Net Rating: -4.8 (26th) - (23rd)
Projected Win Total: 29 Wins - (37 Wins)
The Blazers have been one of the weirdest situations in the league. All of the Damian Lillard news in the preseason looked to end up being water under the bridge once the season started, but the few moves made by management and Neil Olshey, who is now fired, have done basically nothing for this team as they are currently out of the playoffs when they were the sixth seed last year. CJ McCollum has missed time from his collapsed lung, and Damian Lillard continues to have issues with his abdomen injury. Lillard currently has the lowest effective field goal percentage of his career which I am going to assume stems from his injury.
New Orleans Pelicans (14-25): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (14th)
Offensive Rating: 106.8 (25th) - (26th)
Defensive Rating: 111.5 (24th) - (30th)
Net Rating: -4.7 (25th) - (26th)
Projected Win Total: 29 Wins - (23 Wins)
The Pelicans have had a good month of December including a great come from behind win against the Cavaliers. There was a little bit of luck with some teams missing key players from Covid and what not, but a win is a win. Brandon Ingram has been incredible throughout most of this stretch and should definitely be in the All-Star conversation. Herb Jones has been incredible for a second round rookie draft pick, and he should definitely get an NBA All-Rookie selection. Josh Hart continues to be a rebounding fiend while being a complete bowling ball finishing layups in transition. Jaxson Hayes has returned to the rotation and had some great defensive possessions on switches in the Warriors win. And finally, recent addition Gary Clark has found a pretty good role on this team as a switchable defender whose main job is to post up in the corner and the perimeter for catch and shoot 3’s.
Oklahoma City Thunder (13-25): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (13th)
Offensive Rating: 100.7 (30th) - (30th)
Defensive Rating: 108.5 (14th) - (20th)
Net Rating: -7.8 (27th) - (30th)
Projected Win Total: 21 Wins - (16 Wins)
The Thunder have somehow improved their defensive ranking maybe stemming from not having many players miss due to Covid while other teams did have absences. Josh Giddey claimed the title of youngest NBA player to record a triple double which is not too surprising as his playmaking is so great for a guy his size and age. He seems to be another great piece to build around with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort, unless Dort gets traded to a contender not sure if that will actually happen. Also rookie Aaron Wiggins has shown become a recent bright spot as well - shooting 51.4% from the field and 33.3% from 3-point range.
Houston Rockets (11-29): - Standing on Dec. 3rd (15th)
Offensive Rating: 106.2 (26th) - (28th)
Defensive Rating: 114.3 (29th) - (17th)
Net Rating: -8.1 (28th) - (27th)
Projected Win Total: 21 Wins - (22 Wins)
Jalen Green has returned from his injury and has been much more efficient and overall better since his return. The Rockets held the title of longest active winstreak at one point in this NBA season as they won 7 games in a row near the start of the month. Some recent controversy around the team occurred while head coach Stephen Silas was out with Covid as Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr. had a heated argument with an assistant coach. Both of these guys have had their previous charatcter issues, and Porter Jr. did have to serve a one game suspension.
For the most part, a lot of teams did not see giant leaps in their offensive and defensive rankings except for the few I mentioned. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues as the season goes on. I will probably do another post like this during the All-Star break so be on the look out for that. Thanks for stopping by!