The NBA season is a little more than two weeks old, and everything we thought we knew going into the 2025-26 campaign is already being blown to pieces. It’s only fair that we update our power rankings from the preseason version published just before the season tipped off.
No one would have predicted the Chicago Bulls would be off to a 6-1 start without arguably their best player in Coby White a few weeks ago. There was reason to believe Victor Wembanyama was about to level up this season in his third year in the NBA, but I don’t think anyone expected him to be a top-3 MVP candidate already. From the Houston Rockets’ shockingly good offense to the Orlando Magic’s uninspiring start, the earliest portion of the season has already changed many preconceived notions from the preseason.
Here’s our updated power rankings, with one reason for optimism and pessimism for every team.
Reason for hope: Brooklyn is actually going to maximize its lottery odds this year after winning a few too many games last season. Rookie guard Egor Demin’s three-point shot also looks significantly better than it did at BYU.
Reason for dread: This roster absolutely sucks, and there’s nothing resembling a long-term franchise player here. The Nets should be in much better shape after having five first-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft, but none of them have been that inspiring, with Demin’s lack of athleticism showing up in his two-point attempts (only four total in six games) so far. Brooklyn also doesn’t control its 2027 first-round pick, so they really need lottery luck this year.
Reason for hope: Alex Sarr’s two-point field goal percentage has gone up from 45 percent as a rookie to 56 percent this season. Kyshawn George’s improvement as a jumbo ball handler and knockdown shooter is even more striking. Washington really might be one top-3 pick in the 2026 draft away from building something really exciting.
Reason for dread: The Wizards have won fewer than 20 games the last two years, and this year is probably going extend the streak to three. It sucks throwing away seasons just to hope for some lottery luck, even if you’re ethically tanking like Washington. Maybe the NBA needs to radically rethink the lottery and give equal chances to every team that doesn’t win a first round playoff series so teams aren’t incentivized to lose on purpose.
Reason for hope: Jeremiah Fears has been impressive so far for a player who just turned 19 years old, and he’s already playing with more physicality than he ever showed in college. New Orleans’ other rookie, Derik Queen, is flashing his high-level driving and playmaking skills, and looks better than expected defensively.
Reason for dread: This might be the most cursed/hopeless/irrelevant franchise in American professional sports, and they just can’t get out of their own way. New Orleans should have had two chances at top-3 picks in a loaded 2026 draft, but they traded their unprotected first rounder for Queen, and gave back the Pacers’ unprotected first-rounder the day before Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles. Basketball in New Orleans should be on life support. Give this organization to Seattle already.
Reason for hope: Tyrese Haliburton will be back next season, and the Pacers are going to be so bad without him this year that they might land a top pick in a loaded 2026 draft.
Reason for dread: What a bummer this season is. The Pacers were so inspiring in their run to the 2025 NBA Finals, and now the entire team has been decimated by injuries. I’ll never stop thinking about that Game 7.
Reason for hope: It hasn’t been a great start for Cooper Flagg, but these ball handling reps are going to pay off long-term I think. It’s easy to forget that he’s the youngest player in the NBA this season. Still only 18! The Mavs are probably going to add another premium prospect next to him with their 2026 draft pick, because this team stinks right now.
Reason for dread: As I wrote when they won the lottery, the Mavs need to fully align on Flagg’s timeline. That means trading Anthony Davis for a haul of picks and young players ASAP. His value declines every day they wait, and this team is already out some future picks for trying to build around Luka Doncic. It’s still Fire Nico all day every day.
Reason for hope: LaMelo Ball has looked really good, and just needs to get over his ongoing ankle injury issues. Rookie No. 4 overall pick Kon Knueppel is also balling, and seemingly fits into any future lineup construction this team will build.
Reason for dread: Will LaMelo ever stay healthy? Is Tidjane Salaün one of the biggest draft busts in recent NBA history? Seems like a ‘no’ to the first one, and a ‘yes’ to the second right now.
Reason for hope: Zach LaVine’s scoring numbers are absurd right now: 27.4 points per game on 66.4 percent true shooting. Rookies Nique Clifford and Dylan Cardwell also look like long-term pieces Sacramento can build with.
Reason for dread: This team is full of veterans and still stinks. There’s no foundational young pieces on this roster, and it feels like a full teardown is inevitable.
Reason for hope: It’s wild how great Devin Booker has been this year despite facing so much attention from opposing defenses. He is a true franchise player, and not many teams can say they have one of those.
Reason for dread: This team’s defense is an absolute disaster, and they get nothing easy inside the arc or at the foul line offensively. It’s hard to see Phoenix building a contender around Booker while he’s still in his prime given their bleak salary cap and draft pick situation.
Reason for hope: Keyonte George is leveling up at a fantastic rate, Lauri Markkanen should bring back a haul if he’s traded, and Will Hardy continues to prove he’s one of the league’s best young coaches.
Reason for dread: Walker Kessler’s season-ending injury is such a bummer. Cody Williams’ lack of production as a top-10 pick in his second season puts him in the Tidjane Salaün zone. Are they winning too much to maximize their lottery odds again?
Reason for hope: Rookie wing Cedric Coward looks fantastic. He has rare/elite physical tools for a wing, and he’s showing he’s already a plus player from day one. Memphis’ front office is always so good in the draft, and this is another big hit.
Reason for dread: The Ja Morant situation keeps getting worse and worse, and at this point everyone is waiting for him to be traded. Memphis also just can’t catch a break with injuries this season, or ever.
Reason for hope: This feels like a gap year, and it could absolutely end with Boston adding another elite talent in the draft. Neemias Queta looks better than advertised defensively, and Josh Minott really might be a breakout player.
Reason for dread: Is it really worth it for Jayson Tatum to return to a roster this limited? Can Boston really tell him no?
Reason for hope: It can’t get any worse, right?
Reason for dread: This is the NBA’s biggest disappointment. I picked the Magic to win the East, and they look more like a lottery team so far. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner just don’t make each other better, Desmond Bane is struggling mightily after being acquired for four first-round picks, and head coach Jamahl Mosley already needs to be fired.
Reason for hope: Kawhi Leonard is actually healthy this year, and he’s knocking down shots all over the floor while flashing glimpses of his former elite defensive ability. James Harden is also on fire as a shooter this year and sure seems to be aging gracefully.
Reason for dread: It feels like this team is in danger of falling out of the playoff picture in the West this year. They just don’t play with any thump offensively, rarely getting to the rim and almost always setting for jumpers. Bradley Beal looks like a disaster (shocker), and Ty Lue still has a lot of work to do to figure out his rotations.
Reason for hope: Jalen Johnson is scoring more efficiently than ever, and looks poised to become Atlanta’s franchise player. The Nickeil Alexander-Walker signing is also aging well in the early going. They also have the Pelicans’ unprotected first-round pick!
Reason for dread: I expected the Hawks to be a fringe Eastern Conference contender this season, and they don’t look anything close to one yet. The offense just doesn’t generate enough threes, Trae Young is already out with a scary strained MCL, and Zaccharie Risacher has been underwhelming as a No. 1 overall pick in year two.
Reason for hope: This offense has been shockingly effective so far given their purported lack of shooting and spacing. Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, and R.J. Barrett are all averaging 20+ points per game on above league-average scoring efficiency. Collin Murray-Boyles almost has as many made threes as a rookie as he did in his entire college career. Read my big pre-draft CMB feature here.
Reason for dread: Immanuel Quickley is struggling badly, and has a huge contract on the books long-term. This team really needs a real point guard.
15. Portland Trail Blazers
Reason for hope: The Blazers have established an identity as a physical defensive team that takes a lot of threes and crashes the offensive glass to stay afloat on the other end of the floor. I thought Jrue Holiday looked washed last season with the Celtics, but he’s been fantastic for Portland so far.
Reason for dread: Shaedon Sharpe still takes too many bad shots, Donovan Clingan is often getting pulled so Portland can go small, and Scoot Henderson still hasn’t played. This team can maybe get the No. 8 seed in the West, but where’s their long-term upside?
Reason for hope: The Heat remade their offense by eliminating ball screens and pushing the pace to league-best heights. As it’s happened, the defense has been excellent. That’s the “Hardest working. Best conditioned. Most professional …” team around for ya. Also, Jaime Jaquez Jr. looks excellent in his third season after a sophomore slump. Bam Adebayo’s offense looks better than it did last year, too. Tyler Herro hasn’t even played a game yet!
Reason for dread: There aren’t many, but I’ll admit that I thought Kel’el Ware would look better in his second season than he has so far.
13. Minnesota Timberwolves
Reason for hope: The Wolves are shooting the hell out of the ball so far (58 percent effective field goal percentage, No. 3 in the NBA). Julius Randle has been a monster offensively with 67.8 percent true shooting entering Wednesday night, and Anthony Edwards is truly growing into one of the league’s best three-point shooters.
Reason for dread: This defense just hasn’t been as good as it should be. The small ball looks with Randle and Naz Reid can’t stop anyone. This franchise also traded a highly valuable future first-round pick to take Rob Dillingham in the top-10, and he can’t even crack the rotation in his second season. Free Dilly!
Reason for hope: The Pistons own the paint to begin the year, posting the largest difference between points scored and points surrendered in the lane. Jalen Duren, Ron Holland, and Ausar Thompson are all taking a step forward, and the defense has been really effective so far.
Reason for dread: Cade Cunningham one of the few NBA stars struggling with his scoring efficiency so far, and he still turns the ball over too much. Is Cade good enough to be The Guy on a team that can actually contend in the East? I’ve been a big fan dating back to his high school days, but he still has a lot to clean up in his game.
Reason for hope: Tyrese Maxey is playing at an All-NBA level and looks like one of the best guards in the league. VJ Edgecombe has been really great as a rookie in a connective role, and Kelly Oubre continues to exceed expectations. This offense is cooking, and for once it’s not reliant on Joel Embiid.
Reason for dread: Embiid and Paul George still take up a ton of cap space and don’t produce much. George hasn’t played yet, and still has two years left on his deal after this one. Philly’s rebounding is really poor, and they badly need better play out of their forwards.
10. Golden State Warriors
Reason for hope: Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler still feels like a winning combination, and they’ll be even better as 16-game players than 82-game players … if they can stay healthy and fresh. Jonathan Kuminga has looked excellent so far, and has finally earned Steve Kerr’s trust.
Reason for dread: This team is so old that it feels almost impossible that it can survive an 82-game season and then go through four grueling playoff rounds to win another championship. The offense also really needs to cut down on the turnovers.
Reason for hope: It’s Josh Giddey’s world right now, mate. The Bulls suddenly look vindicated in their Alex Caruso-for-Giddey trade, and the point guard’s All-Star play is breathing new life into this breakneck offense. The Bulls have great depth, an elite head coach, and are proving they are more than the sum of their parts. Giddey (23 years old), Matas Buzelis (21 years old), Noa Essengue (18 years old) suddenly looks like a nice young core. Coby White hasn’t even played a game yet. Ayo Dosunmu looks like a Sixth Man of the Year candidate.
Reason for dread: The Bulls have been unsustainably great in the clutch all year. This team is shooting the cover off the ball right now (40.2 percent from three, No. 2 in the NBA) despite not really having great shooting talent. Opponents are still ice cold from three-point range, and that will likely catch up with them eventually. The biggest hole for Chicago right now is a total lack of rim protection defensively.
Reason for hope: Milwaukee is an elite shooting team all over the floor, leading the NBA in effective field goal percentage entering Wednesday night. Giannis Antetokounmpo has been dominant on the offensive end by averaging more than 32 points per game on 70 percent true shooting. The Bucks have put the ball in Giannis’ hands and surrounded him with shooting, and right now players like A.J. Green and Taurean Prince can’t miss, while Gary Trent Jr. continues to be a consistent performer. If Ryan Rollins can sustain his early season breakout and Kyle Kuzma keeps buying into his defense-first role, the Bucks could contend in the East.
Reason for dread: The Bucks’ defense has been pretty lackluster, and even Giannis — a former Defensive Player of the Year — looks disinterested on that end. Milwaukee doesn’t have much physicality outside of Antetokounmpo, and it especially shows up on the glass. Given the lack of talent on this roster, it feels like the Bucks have a small margin for error.
Reason for hope: There’s a ton of talent on the Knicks’ roster with some early signs that Mike Brown might eventually start getting the most out of it. The Knicks are elite on the glass on both ends of the floor, with Karl-Anthony Towns in particular fighting harder than ever as a rebounder. New York’s offense is generating a ton of corner threes, and those will start falling more regularly eventually. This team may not run away with the East in the regular season as expected, but it’s possible they’re ironing out things now that will make them better in the playoffs.
Reason for dread: Jalen Brunson’s usage rate is at a career-high right now after Brown vowed to get him off the ball more. Brunson’s scoring efficiency is middling so far this season, and the Knicks need to figure out how to lighten his load. It still feels like this team doesn’t totally know how to use Towns, and his defensive questions will persist into the playoffs. There’s a ton of pressure on the Knicks to win the East this year, and they just don’t look that convincing so far.
Reason for hope: Cleveland’s defense has been excellent so far, and its even defending well in minutes with Evan Mobley off the floor. Jaylon Tyson is growing into a dependable contributor in his second season, and Sam Merrill is turning into a true gem. Just imagine how good this team is going to be once they are healthy.
Reason for dread: The offense just doesn’t look as dynamic this year, though a large part of that could be due to injuries. It feels like Cleveland is settling for jump shots too often so far, and they don’t have much force going to the rim yet. The Cavs need to figure out how to score in the paint again.
Reason for hope: Victor Wembanyama has been elite, Stephon Castle is leveling up in year two, and the improved depth of this team is really paying off. Signing Luke Kornet has kept the defense afloat even when Wembanyama is resting. This team is getting to the free throw line so much more often than last year, and the outside shooting concerns haven’t really hit yet. It’s wild that the Spurs are already this impressive before De’Aaron Fox plays a game.
Reason for dread: The injuries are already piling up, including rookie stud Dylan Harper, who is now out for weeks with a calf strain. Did the Suns figure out a way to stop Wemby that every team can copy? I’m still concerned with the lack of shooting around Wembanyama even if it hasn’t been a major issue yet.
Reason for hope: Luka Doncic is unstoppable, Austin Reaves looks like one of basketball’s best sidekicks, and the support cast is playing their roles well. JJ Redick continues to impress as a head coach.
Reason for dread: The Lakers are soft on the glass on both ends of the floor, and it’s hard to win that way in the playoffs. LeBron James is still out with sciatica, and it’s hard to say what his level of buy-in is right now, or how explosive he’ll be physically when he returns.
Reason for hope: Houston’s offense is so much better than last year for a couple different reasons. The Rockets don’t take many threes, but they have the highest three-point percentage in the league right now. More importantly, this team is absolutely dominating the glass and getting to the free throw line at will. Kevin Durant has been really good so far, and it feels like Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson could explode at any moment.
Reason for dread: The Rockets really need another ball handler after Fred VanVleet’s injury. Reed Sheppard has had his moments, but he’s not a high-level handler against pressure. The offense needs to generate more threes and stop turning the ball over so much, and it’s hard to do that without a true lead guard. Will there be a trade for one?
Reason for hope: The Nuggets are super efficient on both ends of the floor right now. Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon are both off to a great start, and it’s taking some pressure off Nikola Jokic early in the season. The depth really does look improved, and even a young holdover like Peyton Watson is getting more efficient. This team just feels built for the playoffs.
Reason for dread: Is anyone else worried about Cameron Johnson yet? After an amazing season in Brooklyn last year, Johnson just hasn’t been as productive as Denver hoped after trading a premium future first-round pick for him. He just doesn’t look very sure of himself yet, and his usually reliable jumper has been ice cold. He needs to wake up soon.
Reason for hope: This is easily the best team in the league and Jalen Williams hasn’t even played a game yet. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander feels likely to win his second straight MVP, Chet Holmgren’s offense is taking a leap, and the supporting cast around them feels even better this year with Ajay Mitchell’s breakout.
Reason for dread: I can’t think of one.
