NBA Power Rankings 1.0: Celtics steady, Karl-Anthony Towns trade propels Knicks
By Jack Simone
20. Houston Rockets
Like the Spurs, the Houston Rockets have a chance to soar up the NBA power rankings if they prove their talent. Reed Sheppard was a great pick, and their internal development could be huge next year.
Adding Steven Adams will help their big-man depth, and they have quality young players at every position. It’ll be tough to make the Play-In in a crowded Western Conference, but Houston has a chance.
19. Miami Heat
Unless Alec Burks is viewed as a game-changer, the Miami Heat made zero impact moves this summer. Jimmy Butler being healthy is the biggest change, and as important as that is, it doesn’t raise the ceiling of the team Miami walked in with last season.
As the rest of the NBA is pushing forward, it feels as though the Heat are standing still. They’ve made it work before, but the roster is fairly underwhelming compared to the teams around them.
18. LA Clippers
Losing Paul George is massive. From the looks of it, the LA Clippers are going to depend on Kawhi Leonard’s health and James Harden playing like the Houston Rockets version of himself, and neither of those things seems guaranteed.
There are still quality depth pieces up and down the roster—Norman Powell, Ivica Zubac, Terence Mann, etc—but in a stacked West, the Clippers could be in a rough spot.
17. Memphis Grizzlies
This is too low for the Memphis Grizzlies. Admittedly so. But it’s impossible to know how they will respond to one of the most injury-plagued seasons in NBA history, so they have to start here.
It’s very possible that, in a month’s time, the Grizzlies will be a Top 10 team in the NBA, but there is too much talent for them to jump up the rankings without proving their talent again.