Four weeks of the NBA season have flown by and this week brought around the most shifting in regards to contenders for the NBA Finals. Let’s dive into what the landscape of the NBA looks like almost a quarter of the way through!
*as of the morning of November 17th
NBA Contenders Through Week Four
Eastern Conference
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs have the number one-rated offense, and the number six-rated defense, and are incredibly healthy at this point. Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell have also been working well together by trading off who is the leading scorer in every other game. The question is, compared to last year, was coaching the real issue? Kenny Atkinson took over as the new coach this year and he has yet to lose. It’ll be curious to see if the Cavs can keep up even half of their undefeated pace as the season progresses.
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are still rolling and would be first in the Eastern Conference if it wasn’t for the undefeated Cavaliers. Their offense is the second in the league, behind Cleveland, and the ninth-rated defense. They are starting to deal with injuries with Jrue Holiday‘s knee, Jaylen Brown‘s hip, and Kristaps Porzingis still out with his foot. Old habits are starting to pop up for the Celtics as well with their defense showing susceptibility at times and playing down to their opponent. This is shown in their loss to a Trae Young-less Hawks and on the verge of being eliminated from the Emirates NBA Cup Knockout Stage.
Fringe
Orlando Magic
Wow, they made a quick return after a quick fall. The biggest obstacle the Magic are facing is they only have one road win all season and their quick resurgence has been due to beating bad teams. While they have the second-rated defense in the league, they are suffering behind the twenty-sixth-rated offense.
New York Knicks
The Knicks are starting to play better, but still have the twenty-first-rated defense. While it may get better once Precious Achiuwa and Mitchell Robinson return, but not sure if it’ll be enough. They are already starting to deal with injuries as well and a Tom Thibodeau-coached team is usually derailed by injuries. Just look at how their playoff run ended last year and now they’re dealing with the same issue this early.
Western Conference
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder are still an incredibly deep team with probably the best team chemistry in the league. Pair that with the best-rated defense and you’re going to get a very good team. Their offense is very efficient being rated number twelve in the league, but their offensive identity is still in question. An efficient offense is great, but what happens when they hit a streak of inefficiency or injuries? What does their offense look like? Speaking of injuries…the Thunder are already dealing with that with Alex Caruso being day-to-day and Chet Holmgren, Jaylin Williams, and Isaiah Hartenstein all continuing to miss weeks.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors are looking a lot like the first team that won a championship in 2015. They are the fourth-rated offense and defense and Stephen Curry is still Stephen Curry. Age hasn’t affected him one bit. Their team is DEEP though with them playing a 13-man rotation for some games. The biggest question is how much can you rely on that depth the closer you get to the playoffs and in the playoffs. As the season goes on and once the playoffs start, the bench gets shorter. Can those guys continue to contribute at the same level when relied upon with more minutes?
Fringe
Houston Rockets
The Rockets are looking young, fun, and competitive. A lot of this credit goes to Ime Udoka who we all knew was a great coach. They have the third-rated defense, which is on par with an Udoka-coached team, but the fifteenth-rated offense. Their biggest hurdle is going to be keeping their offense effective and efficient for a team that can really fall into a “throw it up” shooting team.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers have finally made their way to the fringes of the contender list after a five-game win streak that saw LeBron James netting four triple-doubles in a row. Their offense is the fifth-rated offense in the league, but their defense is the twenty-fifth. That defense will have to do better and there will always be questions as to their third option until someone solidifies themselves as that consistent option or if they trade for someone.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns have started off great with some wins against some great teams, but if you look deeper at the team there are concerns. They have the sixteenth-rated offense and fifteenth-rated defense. Add in injuries to Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal and a very lackluster bench and it’s going to be difficult for the Suns to tread water as potential contenders as the season goes on.
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets have responded to their slow start by fighting back to a 7-4 record. Their offense is the sixth-rated and has surely helped this, but their nineteenth-rated defense is very lackluster. Add in injuries to Aaron Gordon that will keep him out for a couple of weeks now their depth comes into question as well.
Main Image: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
