The NBA season is nearly a month in giving us some context as to which teams are serious contenders and which teams will be at the bottom of the barrel throughout the year.
This is our second iteration of trying to rank the top 10 teams, with our first coming a week before the season. You can check out that article here.
As mentioned in our previous article, where we ranked the teams six through ten, injuries have been too much of a story line thus far.
Plenty of players who are the best on their respective teams are out with a litany of different injuries, and these players include:
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Victor Wembanyama
Anthony Davis
Kawhi Leonard
Trae Young
Ja Morant
Paolo Banchero
Make sure to check out the article where we ranked teams six through ten on site. Our order so far looks like this:
10. Toronto Raptors
9. Atlanta Hawks
8. Minnesota Timberwolves
7. Los Angeles Lakers
6. New York Knicks
We'll rank the top five teams in this article, starting with an explosive team from the midwest:
5. Cleveland Cavaliers (10-6) Down 2
We had the Cavs as the best team in the East and third best team overall to start the season, but they have yet to put everything together.
Their offense has been five points worse than last year every 100 possessions, and after finishing second in the NBA in three-point shooting percentage last year, it ranks 16th this year.
Injuries to Darius Garland and Max Strus have certainly played a role in the offense not clicking to what we're used to. With those two hurt, Donovan Mitchell has stepped up his game and is averaging 30.2 points per game, but outside of him, Evan Mobley, and De'Andre Hunter, the offense has come sparsely.
Cleveland may also be missing former backup point guard Ty Jerome who walked in free agency and finished third in the 6MOY race last year. Lonzo Ball has done a nice job filling in, but Jerome provided more offensive pop when relieving Mitchell and Garland.
Despite all the negativity in the analysis, Cleveland is still 10-6 and has great talent on both sides of the ball. Mitchell might be the best American player in the NBA right now, and Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are providing tremendous defense as always.
4. Detroit Pistons (13-2) NR
The Pistons have been the story of the NBA season so far, currently riding an 11-game win streak - their longest in 18 years.
Their calling card is defense, while the amazing duo of Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren provide the offense.
Detroit ranks second in defensive rating, behind OKC of course, using their multiple switchable bodies to keep ball handlers in front. If a player does attack the paint, Isaiah Stewart (2.0 blocks per game) and Jalen Duren (1.1) will be there to swat it away. Ausar Thompson is a ball-magnet, shutting down opponents or ripping the ball away with ease.
Offensively, Cunningham is flirting with a triple-double every game and Duren has been unbelievable. The young big-man averaged 11.8 points per game last year, and has jumped that average up nearly double to 20.6 points per game this year.
He's demonstrating an improved and elite touch around the basket and has even developed a jump-shot out of the post that is money. He's a beast on the offensive glass, racking up 4.5 O-rebounds per game.
Terrific shooting from Duncan Robinson and the surprising play of Daniss Jenkins have added greatly to the improved offensive production, and the Pistons have established themselves an elite team.
3. Houston Rockets (10-3) Up 3
Wow. That's all I can say when watching the Houston Rockets right now. They knocked off the Cavs in convincing fashion last night and have looked tremendous.
The combination of Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant has been magical, and it hasn't even been 15 games yet. I was lower on Houston coming into the season, doubting the early-season chemistry and where the scoring would come from outside of Durant, but so far they have proven me wrong.
Sengun has taken a massive leap this year and it was put on full display in Houston's first game of the season at OKC. He did his best Jokic impression, putting up 39 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists against the league's best defense and hasn't looked back since then.
Sengun has increased his points per game average by 4.3 points compared to last year, and he is also averaging a career-high 7.4 assists and is draining 44.7% of this three-point attempts.
Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., and Tari Eason have all also taken leaps forward in their game, and the emergence of Reed Sheppard off the bench has been game-changing.
Sheppard is averaging 12.5 points per game off the bench, shooting 47.3% from three in what is his first real NBA action.
I still have concerns about where the offense will come from when OKC swarms Durant in a potential playoff setting, but if Sengun, Thompson, Smith Jr., and Sheppard keep it up, the Rockets are contenders.
2. Denver Nuggets (11-3)
It seems pretty clear that the Nuggets and the Thunder are the two best teams in the league.
Denver upgraded their bench during the offseason, adding Tim Hardaway Jr., Jonas Valanciunas, and Bruce Brown, and the first two names have contributed massively to the early season dominance of the Nuggets.
Denver ranks second in offensive rating and fifth in defensive rating and just lost their first home game of the season to the Chicago Bulls on Monday.
Jokic has been his usual self, but the leaps made by Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon this season have made them the best starting lineup in the NBA.
Murray is averaging a career-high 22.5 points per game and looks quicker and more twitchy after coming into the season motivated and in shape. Gordon meanwhile, has completely changed his game for the better and has probably extended his career at least another three years with his improved shooting.
The former slam-dunk king is now averaging 20.3 points per game on 54/45/88 shooting splits. It has been an unbelieveable uptick in efficiency when you consider that he shot 29% from three and 65% from the free throw line in 2023-24.
There still some concerns about perimeter defense against the top guards in the league, but this team that took OKC to seven last year and looks even better this year, which makes Denver a serious contender.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder (15-1)
Is there anything that needs to be said? These guys straight up don't lose. They have 11 players that playoff-caliber good, and most of those guys are hounds defensively and snipers offensively.
You can't dribble near Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso, Lu Dort, or Jalen Williams (when he gets healthy), or else it will get ripped from you. If you do end up breaking the perimeter defense, the 7-1 Chet Holmgren and 7-0 Isaiah Hartenstein are there to support and block shots.
When they do rip the ball away (1st in NBA in steals per game), their quick guards get out in transition and score almost every time. This leads to huge runs throughout the game that can come in any instant.
I haven't even mentioned the MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but that just goes to show how many ways this team can win. He provides an efficient and unstoppable 30+ points per game, while shooters are sprayed all over the court once the defense closes in on Shai.
OKC has a true winning formula and they know exactly what they need to do. Play hounding, aggressive defense that leads to easy points, and have SGA put up his usual 30+ while a couple other players (Wiggins, Dort, Mitchell, Chet, etc.) go off every game. The Thunder are pretty much impossible to beat.
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Read teams ranked 6-10 here.
