Possibly the wildest NBA offseason of all time, almost every team will look completely different this year. With no clear favorite as the Golden State Warriors dynasty is falling, it is a wide-open race led by a bunch of star duos as opposed to a super team. Here are the 2019 NBA Power Rankings.
NBA Power Rankings
30. Charlotte Hornets
After letting star player Kemba Walker leave in free agency, the Charlotte Hornets are going to struggle this season. Their starting lineup is mediocre, and have one of the thinnest benches in the league.
29. Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers will be better this season than last, but the future of this team is in bad shape. Unless Collin Sexton can step up in a big way, expect the Cavaliers to be towards the bottom.
28. Washington Wizards
Bradley Beal is the only reason the Washington Wizards can compete, but outside of him and an injured John Wall, they are going to struggle.
27. Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies let go of their franchise leader in Mike Conley but drafted a future star in Ja Morant. They will miss Conley, but this team needed to go through a rebuild.
26. Chicago Bulls
Zach Lavine and Lauri Markkenen are reliable scorers and will have the Chicago Bulls compete with some teams in the season, but the overall talent is not there yet.
25. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder is set up nicely for the future by trading Russell Westbrook and Paul George, and this is the first season of a long-term rebuild led by Chris Paul.
24. New York Knicks
The New York Knicks continually fail to bring in big names each offseason and will struggle to compete in the East. Unless RJ Barrett makes an immediate impact, Julius Randle looks like their best player and could be for a while.
23. Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are on the verge of getting out of their long rebuild, with star shooting guard Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton leading the way.
22. Miami Heat
The Miami Heat got Jimmy Butler this offseason and he single-handedly will win them some games, but the rest of the roster is lacking in talent around him.
21. Orlando Magic
Nikola Vucevic had a breakout season last year, while Mohamed Bamba, Aaron Gordon, and Markelle Fultz‘s development will be key if the Orlando Magic want to make the playoffs.
20. Minnesota Timberwolves
Outside of their super-star Karl-Anthony Towns, the Minnesota Timberwolves lack depth and inconsistency with former first overall pick Andrew Wiggins needing to step up in a big way.
19. Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons have one of the best front-courts with Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin, but outside of them the talent just is not there to make them legitimate threats.
18. Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings could be the most surprising team this season, as De’Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley lll, and Buddy Hield lead a very young but talented team.
17. Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors lost Kawhi Leonard this offseason and that makes them a borderline playoff team. Pascal Siakam will need to be even better this season and Kyle Lowry needs to be more consistent to become a threat in the East.
16. Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are young, but in a weak Eastern Conference, their pure talent alone could get them in the playoffs. Lead by Trae Young, John Collins, De’Andre Hunter, and Cam Reddish this team is on the rise.
15. Dallas Mavericks
Kristaps Porzingis is healthy after a year of being out with an injury, and he is paired with last years Rookie of the Year winner Luka Doncic. They form one of the better duos for the Dallas Mavericks in the West if Porzingis can stay healthy.
14. Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets made headlines this offseason by signing Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and Deandre Jordan. Durant will be out for the entire year, but for now, they are a talented team that has a good chance of making the playoffs.
13. San Antonio Spurs
As long as Gregg Popovich is the coach of the San Antonio Spurs, they will always have a chance. The experience of the team and coaching will help them make the playoffs for a 23rd straight season.
12. Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are one of the more talented defensive teams in the league which will win them a good amount of games, but Victor Oladipo‘s return and offense as a whole will need to improve to compete with the best teams in the East.
11. New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans traded franchise player Anthony Davis to the Lakers but got Zion Williamson in the draft to replace him. This is a very inexperienced team, but pure talent alone will have them compete.
10. Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics got Kemba Walker to replace Kyrie Irving and probably for the better. The team’s chemistry is pivotal to how their season will turn out, as the talent is there they just need to put it together if they hope to make a run at a Finals appearance.
9. Portland Trailblazers
Having one of the best back-court duos featuring Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, the Portland Trailblazers fell just short of the Finals last season, but the talent in the West got better, making it difficult to repeat their success last season.
8. Utah Jazz
One of the best teams defensively last year, the Utah Jazz got better with the additions of Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic makes them an intriguing team with a good possibility of landing a top seed in the West.
7. Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets has great depth for a team that will rely on star player Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray and is built to compete for years to come.
6. Golden State Warriors
One of the NBA’s greatest dynasty teams is starting to break up after a Finals loss last season, but they still have former MVP, Steph Curry, to lead a very good Golden State Warriors team. Klay Thompson‘s ACL injury hurts, but the addition of D’Angelo Russell will help void that gap.
5. Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers success as a team relies on the health of Joel Embiid, without him they will have a tough time getting to the Finals. A team of great size, the 76ers look to get over the hump in the playoffs after losing to the Toronto Raptors last year.
4. Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets got a huge addition by trading for Russell Westbrook and getting rid of Chris Paul. Their back-court has the chance to be an all-time great with James Harden still in the mix, as they will compete with the best teams in the West.
3. Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks were the East’s top seed last year, and with a relatively unchanged roster, they have a great chance at repeating with MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the way.
2. Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers have flipped their franchise after one year with Lebron James. They got superstar Anthony Davis in a trade along with meaningful role players. The duo of Lebron James and Anthony Davis makes them an intimidating team, but a lack of depth could potentially prevent them from winning the Finals.
1. Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers made the biggest splash of the offseason by signing Kawhi Leonard and trading for Paul George, instantly making them favorites to win it all. With a very deep bench and outstanding coaching, the Clippers look like the best team in the NBA.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
