NBA Power rankings at the All-Star break

The All-Star break is upon us, which gives NBA fans time to take a deep breath and assess the league’s landscape. Certain organizations aren’t exactly looking forward to going back to work after the reprieve, while others are chomping at the bit to make a postseason run. Starting from the bottom, we’ll rank all 30 NBA teams. All statistics are sourced from Basketball Reference.

Yahoo Sports and many others have wondered whether the 2023-2024 Pistons will go down as the worst NBA team of all time. Detroit lost 28 consecutive contests from October through December, which has cast a dismal vibe on the franchise. The Pistons are hoping that Jaden Ivey’s return to the starting lineup will create some hope for the future.

While the Pistons have been the NBA’s worst team bar none, the Wizards snuck by as an almost equally rancid dumpster fire. Sports Illustrated wondered back in November whether Washington was already having regrets about the Jordan Poole trade. It’s been evident that a Poole-Kyle Kuzma nucleus is not going to turn things around in the nation’s capital.

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This was always going to be a rebuilding campaign for Portland after the trade of Damian Lillard, but Blazers fans have to be a little concerned about the immediate aftermath of the blockbuster transaction. Scoot Henderson has experienced a ton of growing pains as a rookie, and Deandre Ayton doesn’t appear to be taking noticeable steps forward.

The record hasn’t been pretty, and neither has the basketball execution for large stretches of the Spurs season. Victor Wembanyama still profiles as the once-in-a-generation prospect many pegged him as, but San Antonio needs to determine what type of teammates would best complement such a unique talent.

The Grizzlies expected to be in top 10, if not top five, conversations heading into this season, but their fortunes have come crashing down. Ja Morant played in only nine games after he was suspended for the first 25 contests, and injuries have prevented Memphis from remaining competitive. The Memphis Commercial Appeal and many others wondered what the team should do now.

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One bright spot in the last month or so has been the play of rookie Brandon Miller. He’s averaged over 20 points per game on 48 percent shooting in that span, and appears to have figured out how to be more consistent at the next level. If LaMelo Ball could stay healthy for any length of time, Charlotte might have an enticing 1-2 punch on their hands.

Brooklyn is in no man’s land as it relates to the league as a whole. They have a reliable wing scorer and defender in Mikal Bridges, but a bunch of interchangeable parts elsewhere on the roster. The Nets aren’t quite good enough to qualify as a no-doubt playoff team, but aren’t inept enough to snatch a top draft pick, either.

The Raptors have made a flurry of moves in the past several months to help shape their team moving forward. It remains to be seen whether R.J. Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and Bruce Brown all figure to be part of the future, but Toronto should use the rest of the season to evaluate which direction would be best to proceed in.

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Many expected the Jazz to be sellers at the trade deadline, but it was a little surprising that Kelly Olynyk got moved instead of Jordan Clarkson. Be that as it may, Utah opened up frontcourt minutes that can be doled out to younger bigs like Taylor Hendricks or Omer Yurtseven. It’ll be interesting to see how Utah approaches the second half of the year.

DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic’s names came up frequently ahead of the trade deadline, but will all remain with Chicago for the remainder of the season. The Chicago Tribune pointed out the franchise’s desire to run it back with their core, even if it hasn’t gotten them very far in recent years. LaVine is out for the season anyway with a foot injury.

The Hawks are another team that was expected to be involved in blockbuster trades in February, but elected to stick with what they had. Atlanta’s decision to do this is perhaps more defensible than Chicago’s, considering that the talent they have still has a chance to come together to make some noise in April.

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Sports Illustrated reported on the intriguing blend of veterans and youth Houston weaved into its team, and the acquisition of Steven Adams will only help the development of the younger talent. It’s hard to predict how the Rockets will perform coming out of the break, but the team hopes to have Fred Van Vleet back when play resumes after he suffered an adductor injury.

Orlando got off to a hot start to begin the year, flirting with a top three seed in the Eastern Conference. They’ve since fallen back to the middle of the pack, but their jump has been noticed by The Athletic and other followers of the league. Their backcourt still needs some figuring out, but Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner have taken leaps this season.

It’s been a turbulent campaign for the Warriors, who find themselves teetering on the brink of contention and irrelevancy night in and night out. Golden State still relies on the championship pedigree from players who have made it to the mountain top, while trying to find the right mix of complementary players to keep them in the playoff hunt.

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It might not have received that much attention, but the Pacers parted ways with two wing players that factored heavily into their rotation in the first half of the year. Without Bruce Brown and Buddy Hield(traded away), players like Benedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard are going to have to step up down the stretch.

Plain and simple, the 76ers’ fortunes hinge on whether Joel Embiid can return to the floor this season, and whether he can regain MVP-type form. Until those answers become clear, Philadelphia will have to hope that they can retain a top six seed in the East to avoid the play-in tournament.

The Lakers still have much of their roster that made a Western Conference Finals playoff run a year ago, but the tenor of the team feels different this year. It remains to seen whether Los Angeles will find the chemistry it needs to repeat a similar postseason performance, but the team hopes to get a boost from the perimeter. Gabe Vincent(injury) and Spencer Dinwiddie(signing) may help.

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The Cavaliers may have had one of the most impressive first halves of the NBA season. Cleveland had to play long stretches without Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, and find themselves with a top four seed in the East. The question remains whether they can step up their game when the playoffs roll around.

The Pelicans are no strangers to starting seasons well, but have faded down the stretch in prior campaigns. As questions about Zion Williamson’s conditioning continue to swirl according to CBS Sports, Brandon Ingram has quietly become the anchor of the team. He’s excelled as a scorer and playmaker.

It’s hard to know how to rank the Heat on regular season lists, considering that they seem to press a button in April that no one knew existed. Miami will use the second half of the season to get Terry Rozier acclimated to their style of play, and they’ll also hope that Tyler Herro will be available once the postseason arrives, something that was not the case a year ago.

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The Kings are going to go as far as the lethal duo of Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox will take them, but there’s a chance that could be deep into the playoffs. Their skill sets have meshed seamlessly since they were brought together in the Tyrese Haliburton trade. Sacramento would be even more scary with a consistent Keegan Murray on the perimeter.

Health is going to be the key determining factor for the Suns down the stretch. Phoenix wasn’t able to establish camaraderie in time for the postseason last year, and the regular season games after the All-Star break in 2024 are going to be crucial for them to get their plan finalized before the playoffs.

The Washington Post, Sports Illustrated and The Ringer all lauded the Knicks for their trade deadline acquisition of Bojan Bogdanovic, as well as credit them for getting O.G. Anunoby in late December. New York is extremely banged up heading into the break, so the team is looking to get key players like Anunoby and Julius Randle back for March and April.

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Many expected the Thunder to surge up the standings in 2023-2024, but this level of proficiency may have taken some by surprise. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a legitimate MVP candidate, and Chet Holmgren has been excellent in his first NBA season. Their playoff fortunes are going to be one of the most fascinating storylines this spring.

The Mavericks are going to be a difficult team to play as the seasons unfolds. They upgraded their frontcourt talent by acquiring Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington at the deadline, to pair with talented rookie Derrick Lively. If Kyrie Irving can keep things together, Dallas has a chance to be one of the scariest matchups in the West this year.

Things have not gotten off to the strongest start after Milwaukee brought in Doc Rivers to replace Adrian Griffin as head coach, but it stands to reason that they can only improve from this point and time. Everyone knows the mission in Milwaukee, and every move they make in the second half will be geared towards winning a title.

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Minnesota head coach Chris Finch deserves a lot of credit for figuring out how to deploy Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns together successfully in the frontcourt. Anthony Edwards has also entered the conversation as a top player in the league under his guidance. The Timberwolves haven’t won a playoff series with their current group, but returns have been exceedingly positive so far.

It took a couple of weeks for the Clippers to get acclimated to James Harden, and for Tyronn Lue to adjust his rotations to optimize their performance. However, Los Angeles has been one of the best teams in the league for a couple of months, and appears to have talent in all the key areas that matter.

Boston has looked dominant at times this season, as their team has coalesced into a force. The Celtics are hoping that Kristaps Porzingis can give them two healthy months in the postseason, but also added insurance by trading for Xavier Tillman as a rotational piece. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are hoping their extensive playoff experience will translate into a title this year.

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As long as Nikola Jokic plays at an other-worldly level, Denver should remain the favorites. Their starting five fits about as well as any in recent memory, and their bench production hasn’t fallen off the way some thought it might. The Nuggets are well equipped to take their opponents’ best shot night in and night out.