NBA Power Rankings: Warriors locked in on top, Suns rise up to second

November 18, 2021 Sports

The Warriors have firmly entrenched themselves in the top spot of these NBA Power Rankings, but underneath them there are a lot of teams jockeying for position, trying to prove themselves contenders. The Suns are just the hottest of those right now.

Warriors (12-2, Last Week No. 1). It may be early, but Stephen Curry and the Warriors made a very public statement that they are contenders again with Tuesday’s thumping of the Nets. The Warriors are the best team in the league right now and have multiple paths to get better. Klay Thompson is still a month away from a return (if things go well), but the Warriors are reportedly going to get big man James Wiseman back in the next week or two. Wiseman showed flashes as a rookie and averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds on 51.9% shooting, but mostly was running around and looking lost and being out of position, especially on defense. The Warriors are counting on him to make a leap this season.

Suns (10-3, LW 12). game Winners of nine in a row, and while they did it against a soft stretch of the schedule it counts just the same. The Suns have the fourth-ranked defense in the league, and the second-best over the past two weeks, giving up less than a point per possession, and much of the recent run came without Deandre Ayton on the floor . So far they have tuned out the noise around team owner Robert Sarver, and the louder noise Sarver made defending himself . The schedule gets tougher for the Suns with two against the Mavericks, one against the Nuggets, then four on the road.
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Bulls (10-4, LW 7). Pundits across the basketball spectrum panned the DeMar DeRozan signing by the Bulls as an overpay, and they may regret the final year of the deal, but he has been worth every penny this season. DeRozan leads the team in scoring at 26.9 points a game and leads the NBA in rubbing salt in the wounds of Lakers fans. The big difference in DeRozan’s game is he has gone from a career 28.2% 3-point shooter to 36.7% this season. Alex Caruso, who was already closing games, has moved into the starting lineup, and he along with Lonzo Ball have the Bulls as a top-10 defense with their disruptive style.

Wizards (10-3, LW 9). The Wizards sit atop the Eastern Conference standings, but are they the best team in the East? Are they contenders? They are a playoff team, but they have work to do to convince me they are a threat to come out of the East. The defense has been good (fifth in the league), but the offense has been pedestrian — something that can improve as Bradley Beal at some point makes the jump from pretty well — 23.3 points a game but on 25% shooting from 3 — back to the All-NBA elite player we know him to be. Between now and Dec. 28 the Wizards play 16 road games to just six at home. Tough home and home with Miami this week that could be telling.