The Best NBA Teams Right Now, Ranked
SPORT
That time of year arrives. The NBA has returned, and the season has begun. The Golden State Warriors are coming off their fourth championship in eight years, and they want to add another one to their dynasty this season. Star-studded teams like the Los Angeles Clippers, the Philadelphia Sixers, and the drama-filled Brooklyn Nets are among several franchises attempting to end a long streak of losing a championship. The reason the game is played is because some teams' hopes are more realistic than others. This season, in addition to dominant veteran teams, there are also young, up-and-coming teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers and New Orleans Pelicans to keep an eye out for.
We decided to rank the best six NBA teams right now after ranking the best 30 players at the moment. This will be a power rankings list that will be constantly updated based on performance throughout the season. We ranked the best teams in the league right now using the context of last year's results and this year's early performance in the first few weeks of play. The Suns, Cavaliers, and Grizzlies were among the teams we considered to be in the top six; however, here are the six teams we believe to be currently atop the league.
6. Utah Jazz
Coming into the season, the Utah Jazz were one of the top choices in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes. They would probably want to be in the top two to get Scoot Henderson, at the very least.So far, that hasn't been the case. The Jazz has been beating good teams, including the hot Memphis Grizzlies, in consecutive games. Utah lacks a superstar or even an All-Star to rely on, in contrast to the Blazers. The Jazz, led by Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson, have been the biggest NBA surprise. Although there is still plenty of time to re-enter their names in the Wemby sweepstakes, you have to believe Jazz fans aren't exactly thrilled about being one of the best teams in the West early on, especially for a team that just traded away the two pillars of its organization in Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.
5.Atlanta Hawks
With each game the Hawks play, there are fewer questions about whether Trae Young and Dejounte Murray could play together in the backcourt.The Atlanta duo has been electric, perfectly complementing one another. Young and Murray have scored a lot of points, Young is a great playmaker, and Murray is like a Swiss army knife.Both appear to be certain All-Stars for the Hawks.Although the supporting cast has also been solid in Atlanta, these two players are the straw that stirs the drink. If this trend continues throughout the season, they will be a nightmare for playoff contenders like the Bucks and Celtics.
4.Denver Nuggets
It's hard for a team with the reigning two-time league MVP to go unnoticed, but the Nuggets appear to be doing just that so far this season.Even though Nikola Jokic's numbers may not be as impressive as they have been the past two seasons, the tradeoff has been more consistent wins. He is still a walking triple-double threat.The Nuggets are quietly vying for first place in the Western Conference early in the season with a healthy Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., and high-level role players like Bruce Brown, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Bones Hyland, and Aaron Gordon.
3. Portland Trail Blazers
Few people anticipated that the Portland Trail Blazers would get off to such a strong start for the 2022–23 season.The Blazers have troubled a number of the top contenders in the Western Conference, including the Suns and Nuggets, with Damian Lillard's return, Jerami Grant's addition, and rising star Anfernee Simons' consistent growth.Can they keep up with this early achievement?They, along with the Utah Jazz, have already established themselves as one of the early NBA surprises.The Blazers have always been in a position to make the playoffs when Damian Lillard is healthy. However, Portland's playoff hopes were looking bleak this year because the Western Conference is so competitive one month into the season.
2. Milwaukee Bucks
When fully healthy, the Milwaukee Bucks have a good chance of being regarded as not only the best team in the NBA but also the best team in the East.The Bucks are still the best team in basketball and have not lost a game this season, even without All-Star Khris Middleton.The No. 1 team, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo. With the exception of PJ Tucker, the 2021 NBA champions continue to have the majority of their NBA Finals rotation. Even though Middleton is likely to miss a lot of time, every team will still find the Bucks to be difficult to play against every night. for as long as With 34 on the floor, the team has a chance to beat anyone, and given how well-established their core unit's camaraderie is, they should be fine without Robin.Even with Giannis and Jrue Holiday out of games, the Bucks have started well this year.The Bucks will be waiting for the return of newly signed forward Joe Ingles, who is recovering from a torn ACL suffered while playing for the Utah Jazz last season, before we see the team at full strength until January.If Ingles is anywhere near the player he last saw in Utah, he could be a sneaky pick.
1.Boston Celtics
Although the Celtics lost to the Warriors in six games last season, their prospects appeared promising.The Celtics appeared poised to be even stronger in the 2022-2023 regular season, bolstered by All-Star wings Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, as well as the additions of Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Galinari in the offseason.There were reasons to question whether the Celtics could be the same dominant team they were on the back half of last season on their way to the Finals. Galinari tore his ACL in Eurobasket play, starting center Robert Williams underwent another knee procedure, and head coach Ime Udoka was suspended for the entire season.However, their performance to begin the year has dispelled some of those concerns.The Celtics have not slowed down at all during Udoka's switch to Joe Mazulla.This season, Jayson Tatum is expected to win MVP, and Jaylen Brown has had a career year in terms of scoring.The Celtics will continue to be among the truly elite teams in the NBA if those two players continue to raise their game to new heights and if the supporting cast continues to contribute at an elite level.
