2017-18 NBA Midseason Power Rankings

1.Golden State Warriors (44-14):
Houston is currently 1 game ahead of them in the lost column, but I can't in good conscience say they're a better team than Golden State right now. The Warriors continue to be the most well-rounded team in the league and it's going to take a colossal effort to keep them from winning their 3rd championship in 4 seasons.

2.Houston Rockets (44-13):
It's honestly shocking to see a Mike D'Antoni-coached team play this much defense. Offseason additions Chris Paul, P.J. Tucker and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute have given Houston a tough, consistent presence on the defensive end of the floor without sacrificing the deadly uptempo, let-it-fly-from outside offense made them so successful a year ago. If the CP3/James Harden experiment doesn't implode in the high-intensity environment of the playoffs, their two-way proficiency gives them a legitimate shot to bump the Warriors from their throne.

3.Toronto Raptors (41-16):
While it's justifiable to be apprehensive about Toronto's current top standing in the Eastern Conference considering their shaky postseason track record over the past five years, something about their current team feels different from their past iterations. The sudden emergence of their 2nd unit paired with their established corps' (Demar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry, Jonas Valuncinas) willingness to add new facets to their respective games gives them a level of versatility that they've never had in the past. It'll be interesting to see if the Raptors will be able to parlay their new playing philosophy into the lengthy playoff run that's alluded them since Dwane Casey took over as head coach in the 2011-12 season.

4.Boston Celtics (40-19):
The Celtics potential Cinderella season in the wake of Gordon Hayward's devastating ankle injury has hit some snags in recent weeks with their lockdown defense completely fading away and just about every key player on their roster going through their worst shooting slumps of the season. While their problems with rebounding and finding consistent scoring options behind Kyrie Irving are unlikely to be fixed at this juncture, the Celtics have enough resilient, high-effort players (Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Morris, Terry Rozier, Aron Baynes) on their roster to reaffirm their standing as a defensive powerhouse and subsequently return to the high level of play they displayed from early November through mid-January.

5.Cleveland Cavaliers (34-22):
The first few months of Cleveland's season was plagued by internal dysfunction, questionable effort and a weathered-looking defense that would make members of the New York Nationals hang their heads in shame. Of course, none of these potential red flags will matter now that King James got the front office to make a series of moves to acquire the new supporting cast he wanted (George Hill, Rodney Hood, Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr.) at the trade deadline. While it's too early to tell if the dominant level of play the Cavs flashed in the 2 games since they made these trades is sustainable or simply a quick bust of energy fueled by the addition of some new blood to an aging roster, it's hard to argue that the 4th straight trip to the NBA Finals that looked like an unattainable delusion at beginning of this month is now completely conceivable.

6.San Antonio Spurs (35-24):
Watching Gregg Popovich work his magic without Kawhi Leonard for much of the season has been a treat. They've had some rough performances against the league's best teams and there's no denying that they miss Leonard's 2-way dominance, but this scrappy roster led by a resurgent LaMarcus Alridge is still in contention in the hotly-contested Western Conference thanks to Pop's brilliant coaching.

7.Minnesota Timberwolves (36-25):
As expected, Jimmy Butler has helped Minnesota make the leap from promising young team on the playoff bubble to a serious contender. Butler's presence in their starting lineup has taken some weight off of budding 22-year old star Karl Anthony-Towns' shoulders and along with fellow new additions point guard Jeff Teague and power forward Taj Gibson, has helped install some veteran poise to a young corps that regularly blew late-game leads last season. Tom Thibodeau's absurd usage of his starters (average of just over 35 minutes per game) could cause some fatigue problems moving forward, but as of right now, this squad looks locked-in and ready to conquer the latter stages of the season.

8.Oklahoma City Thunder (33-26):
The building of chemistry and establishment of a consistent offensive rhythm took much longer than expected, but this revamped Oklahoma City team have looked like a potential dark horse contender since Christmas. Paul George's outside shooting and quick hands on defense, Carmelo Anthony's secondary scoring and dominant around-the-rim play from 7-foot bruiser Steven Adams have given the Thunder the supporting cast around top dog Russell Westbrook that they sorely lacked a season ago.

9.Washington Wizards (33-24):
No good, but not great team in the league is more averse to change than Washington. This organization flat-out refuses to stray from the "play down to your level of competition" mentality or fix the depth issues that have prevented this wildly talented team from rising into the upper-echelon of the league over the past half-decade. I'd imagine Wizards fans are already thrilled about yet another Conference Semifinals exit this May.

10.Denver Nuggets (32-26):
Unless you're a purist that demands defensively-sound basketball or snuffs their nose at teams that aren't in the championship mix, Denver has been an absolute joy to watch this season. They move the ball around like crazy, jack up a ton of 3's and have a roster full of the most exciting, unheralded young talent in the league (Nikola Jokic, Gary Harris, Jamal Murray). The impending return of versatile veteran bigman Paul Millsap to the lineup should only make this unselfish, well-spaced offense even more of a pain in the ass to defend.

11.Portland Trail Blazers (31-26):
Aside from their surprising improvements on the defensive end, it's been as business as usual with Wizards West... I mean Portland. Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum are probably the best shooting backcourt outside of Golden State, their post-dominant frontcourt is a throwback to the good ol' days of the NBA and they have that pesky tendency of in turning shit performances against bad teams and playing brilliantly against the great ones. Even when you factor in the almost-universal continuity of their playing style and roster, they're in better shape than they were at this point last year and I wouldn't be remotely shocked if this slightly better standing going into the final 24 games of the season resulted in them securing a decent playoff seed.

12.Indiana Pacers (33-25):
Indiana's relatively strong first half has been a huge surprise in a season that has otherwise lacked them. Victor Oladipo's monster breakout season, strong productivity from their bench and an excellent rapport between the players on this largely-overhauled roster have helped the Pacers ease the sting of losing perennial All-Star Paul George last June.

13.Milwaukee Bucks (32-25):
It's hard to ignore that Milwaukee has been a slight disappointment thus far. While Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to be a force of nature and Khris Middleton is regularly pouring in the 20+ points per game that's asked of him as a secondary scoring option, their poor 3-point shooting and bench play has prevented them from emerging as one of the league's best teams. The effectiveness of Jabari Parker, who returned to the floor in a limited capacity on February 2nd, down the stretch could be critical in determining whether or not this team can finally take that next step in their evolution.

14.Philadelphia 76ers (30-25):
With Ben Simmons finally hitting the floor after missing all of last season with a broken foot, "The Process" is starting to come to fruition. The lack of discipline that inevitably occurs when you have roster dominated by youth has led to a fair amount of blown leads and regular foul trouble, but the overwhelming amount of playmaking ability their young stars (Joel Embiid, Simmons, Dario Saric) exude when they're all clicking makes up for the sloppy, unsound basketball they sometimes play.

15.Utah Jazz (30-28):
It took them a while to find their footing after losing go-to guy Gordon Hayward in free agency, but after ripping off 11 straight wins leading into the All-Star break, Utah looks like they're on the cusp of returning to the playoffs this season. Rookie of the Year favorite Donovan Mitchell has given this team a much-needed offensive weapon and Quin Snyder continues to do an excellent job of maximizing the production of every player on the roster. If they can maintain their current level of strong two-way play and physicality through April, this underrated team is going to be a very undesirable matchup for any of the West's top contenders.

16.Miami Heat (30-28):
Erik Spolestra's latest unsung Miami team limped into the All-Star Break losing 9 of their last 12 games. However, there's enough chemistry, defensive tenacity and outside shooting prowess on this true superstar-less team for me to believe that the Heat will bounce back and return to the playoffs after their bullshit tiebreaker-induced snub last season.

17.Los Angeles Clippers (30-26):
The sudden trade of Blake Griffin to Detroit on January 29th completely altered the trajectory of the 2017-18 Clippers. This drastic midseason move indicated that the Clippers didn't believe he could lead this team moving forward, despite giving him a max deal last summer, and immediately put a rebuild into motion. With Griffin out of the equation and their playoff hopes likely coming to an end, the final stretch of this adversity-filled season for the Clippers is going to serve as an audition for what players are going to remain on this roster long-term and answer the question of whether or not Doc Rivers is wiling to remain with a team that isn't going to contend for a championship anytime soon.

18.New Orleans Pelicans (31-26):
Because the basketball gods seem intent on constantly punishing DeMarcus Cousins, Boogie went down with a torn Achilles pretty much as soon as New Orleans started to really click in late January. Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday and newly-acquired Nikola Mirotic should continue to play their assess off and give this seemingly cursed team a shot at making the playoffs, but the sad reality is that the Pelicans crippling lack of depth has become even more evident without Boogie in the picture.

19.Detroit Pistons (28-29):
It seems like its been an entirety since Detroit started 14-6 and was alongside Boston, Toronto, Washington and Cleveland at the top of the Eastern Conference standings. Since early December, they've struggled to generate an offensive rhythm to match their pretty strong defensive effort and as a result, now find themselves 1.5 games behind Miami for the #8 seed. Thankfully for the Pistons, newly-acquired star bigman Blake Griffin and the impending return of starting point guard Reggie Jackson from a grade 3 ankle sprain that's kept him out since late December gives them a pretty good of reestablishing the offensive proficiency they need to battle back into the East's playoff field.

20.Charlotte Hornets (24-33):
Charlotte honestly might be the most anonymous team in the NBA right now. They're not bad enough to be in contention for the top pick in the draft nor good enough to be taken seriously as a potential playoff team. My advice to Hornets fans would be to enjoy the high-flying theatrics of Kemba Walker while he's there because there's almost no chance that he's still on this team after next season.

21.Chicago Bulls (20-37):
Fred Hoiberg deserves a ton of credit for the job he's done with a Chicago team that's only 8 months removed from blowing up pretty much their entire roster. He's brought this largely inexperienced group back from a horrific 3-20 start by giving young players the substantial minutes they need to grow as players and establishing a strong sense of camaraderie that simply wasn't there under his veteran-lead teams in the past. It also helps that Finnish sharpshooter Lauri Markannen is far more polished than anyone expected to be as a rookie, offensive sparkplug Zach LaVine has been on a warpath (16.9 PTS in just over 25 minutes a game) since returning from an ACL injury in January that many feared would take away the explosive athleticism that defined his game and Kris Dunn has blossomed into a pretty promising young floor general after a rough rookie campaign in Minnesota last year. They clearly have long odds of reaching the playoffs this season, but the team's long-term outlook is far brighter than anyone would've expected at this point.

22.Los Angeles Lakers (23-34):
The 2017-18 Lakers season has had enough up-and-downs to fill a dozen mediocre Hollywood rise-and-fall biopics. On the tragic side, Lonzo Ball's shooting has been abysmal, Luke Walton can't figure what the hell to do with Julius Randle and controlling owner Jeanie Buss is shelling out $18 mil for Luol Deng to sit on his couch. On the plus side, Brandon Ingram has vastly improved his efficiency as a shooter in his 2nd season,  surprising rookie breakout Kyle Kuzma's bruising, strong offensive game has brought a much-needed burst of energy to their bench and above all, they were also able to get Jordan Clarkson's awful contract off their books at the trade deadline and clear the necessary cap space to potentially bring in a pair of superstars this summer. The only goal for this team for the rest of the 2017-18 is to play well enough to lure a LeBron James or Paul George here in free agency, which is definitely attainable if their young corps continues to play hard and the suddenly volatile Isaiah Thomas doesn't come in and shit over the locker room culture like he (allegedly) did in Cleveland.

23.New York Knicks (23-36):
In their 1st season without primitive bozo Phil Jackson running the personnel department, New York managed to be the same below-average, Jekyll-and-Hyde team they've been over the past several years. Every strong performance that made it seem like this team's was rebuilding was finally gaining traction was seemingly always followed by a porous one that left you completely hopeless about their future. In the wake of Kristaps Porzingis' devastating torn ACL, it'll be interesting to see how Jeff Hornacek goes about distributing playing time between their non-essential veterans (Jarret Jack, Kyle O'Quinn, Lance Thomas) and underutilized young players (Frank Ntilikina, Luke Kornet, newly-acquired Emmanuel Mudiay) for the rest of the season.

24.Brooklyn Nets (19-40):
While their record might not show it, this new Brooklyn regime continues to make the best of the post Paul Pierce/KG trade asset mess they inherited. Veteran forward DeMarre Carroll has given them the reliable 3-and-D player they desperately need in their rotation and the handful of young players they've been able to acquire over the past few years (Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert, Jarret Allen) have all put forth pretty substantial contributions this season. Once D'Angelo Russell shakes the rust off after missing over 2 months with a knee injury, this feisty young Nets squad could emerge as a late-season spoiler for the East's plethora of bubble playoff teams.

25.Memphis Grizzlies (18-38):
Mike Conley's season-ending heel injury effectively ruined Memphis' bid to clinch their 8th consecutive playoff berth. In Conley's absence, the Grizzlies have showed their age and embarrassing lack of depth/reliable offensive options behind Marc Gasol by ranking near the bottom of the league in every notable metric. Barring a miraculous post All-Star break turnaround, a long-overdue rebuild looks imminent for this former pillar of consistency in the Western Conference.

26.Dallas Mavericks (18-40):
The 2nd year of Dallas' rebuild has been just as painful as the 1st. Some nice contributions from their more seasoned players (Harrison Barnes, Dwight Powell, J.J. Barea) and Rick Carlisle's solid coaching have prevented them from completely bottoming out, but they've yet to demonstrate any truly encouraging signs for the future.

27.Atlanta Hawks (18-41):
Atlanta punted on the 2017-18 season with their offseason moves, which has made this a painful but necessary rebuilding season for this organization. Despite their relative lack of talent, Mike Budenholzer has this veteran role player-heavy roster playing hard every night and rookie John Collins is an explosive athlete with a deft shooting touch that could very well end up being the 1st significant building block of this new-look Hawks team.

28.Orlando Magic (18-39):
Orlando turned a lot of heads with their 8-4 start which included impressive wins over San Antonio and Cleveland. That "surprise team of the year" bid quickly went up in flames once their offense fell back down to earth and the team has won just 10 games since then. While they have some talented players (Aaron Gordon, Evan Forunier, Nikola Vucevic) that can put together dominant performances on any given night, their lack of consistency (particularly on the defensive end of the floor), clear identity and a true superstar continues to prevent this team from taking their next step forward in the rebuilding process.

29.Sacramento Kings (18-40):
Sacramento's bizarre mix of young players and relics has yielded the poor results you'd probably expect. On the bright side, rookie De'Aaron Fox has flashed serious potential as a 2-way player and Buddy Hield, the lone piece from last year's Boogie Cousins trade that's still with the team, is starting to look like the 3-point specialist he was pegged to be when he was drafted 6th overall in 2016.

30.Phoenix Suns (18-41):
No one makes uninspired basketball look like an artform quite like the Phoenix Suns. The lack of hustle, chemistry and discipline they show on a nightly basis is borderline comical to behold. If they want to escape the hardcourt purgatory they've been since the end of the Nash/Stoudemaire/D'Antoni-era, they're going to need to bring in a new head coach this offseason that can drastically shift the culture and develop the abundance of raw young players (Dragan Bender, Marquise Chriss, Josh Jackson, Tyler Ulis) they currently have playing alongside long bright spot Devin Booker.

2017-18 NBA Power Rankings: Early Season Edition

The first month of the NBA season has been one of the wilder ones in recent memory. If you had told anyone on opening night that in 30 days time the Cavs and Thunder would be outside the top eight in their respective conferences, the Gordon Hayward-less Celtics would rip off a double-digit win streak and the Pistons, who have missed the playoffs five of the last six seasons, would have the second best record in the East, they would've questioned your sanity and/or asked if you were on drugs. Using these questionable first impressions as a backdrop, I proudly present my first batch of power rankings for the 2017-18 season.

1.Golden State Warriors (11-3)
2.Boston Celtics (13-2)
3.Houston Rockets (11-4)
4.Washington Wizards (9-5)
5.Detroit Pistons (10-4)
6.Toronto Raptors (9-5)
7.San Antonio Spurs (9-6)
8.Minnesota Timberwolves (9-5)
9.Cleveland Cavaliers (8-7)
10.Milwaukee Bucks (8-6)
11.Denver Nuggets (8-6)
12.Philadelphia 76ers (8-6)
13.New Orleans Pelicans (8-6)
14.Portland Trail Blazers (8-6)
15.Memphis Grizzlies (7-7)
16.Oklahoma City Thunder (7-7)
17.Orlando Magic (8-7)
18.New York Knicks (8-6)
19.Miami Heat (6-8)
20.Los Angeles Clippers (5-8)
21.Indiana Pacers (7-8)
22.Utah Jazz (6-9)
23.Charlotte Hornets (5-8)
24.Los Angeles Lakers (6-9)
25.Brooklyn Nets (5-9)'
26.Phoenix Suns (5-10)
27.Atlanta Hawks (3-12)
28.Dallas Mavericks (2-13)
29.Sacramento Kings (3-11)
30.Chicago Bulls (2-10)

2016-17 NBA Mid-Season Power Rankings

We're officially 3 months into the 2016-17 NBA season, which means it's an ideal time to take a look back at how all 30 teams fared over the first half of the season. Here's how I believe the league hierarchy stacks up heading into the final 2 and a half months of the season.   

(Note: All records and conference standings are as of Wednesday January 25th)

1.Golden State Warriors (39-7) (1st in Western Conference):
The NBA's newest "superteam" have lived up to expectations so far with Kevin Durant making an already loaded Warriors squad even more unstoppable. It would be a shock if they didn't at least make an appearance in the Finals this year.
Projected Finish: 1st in Western Conference


2.San Antonio Spurs (36-9) (2nd in Western Conference):
The biggest threat to the Warriors title hopes is once again Gregg Popovich's squad. Anchored by Kawhi Leonard's increasingly potent 2-way game and LaMarcus Alridge's offensive versatility, the Spurs continue to be a lethal, deep team that is capable of embarrassing their opponents on any given night.
Projected Finish: 2nd in Western Conference

3.Cleveland Cavaliers (30-13) (1st in Eastern Conference):
Aside from their current 3-6 skid which spawned one of the best public diva outbursts from Lebron James to-date, the Cavs have been every bit as dominant as they were during last year's title run. Given the weaknesses their closest competition in the Eastern Conference (Raptors, Celtics, Wizards) have with rebounding and reliable frontcourt scoring options, it's hard to envision a scenario where Lebron, Kyrie and co. don't return to the Finals for the 3rd straight season.
Projected Finish: 1st in Eastern Conference

4.Houston Rockets (34-15) (3rd in Western Conference):
New coach Mike D'Antoni and his uptempo style of offense that lets James Harden run the point is exactly what the Rockets needed to get back on track after a tumultuous 2015-16 campaign. The Rockets are playing their most impressive basketball of the Harden-era by far and barring a collapse, should continue to be one of the most explosive teams in the league down the stretch.
Projected Finish: 4th in Western Conference 

5.Toronto Raptors (28-18) (2nd in Eastern Conference):
For whatever reason, people keep underestimating the Raptors. They may not have the depth or defensive prowess to be a legitimate threat to win a championship, but their explosive backcourt pairing of Kyle Lowry and Demar DeRozan-who is in the middle of a career season-is still more than enough to make them one of the league's premier teams.
Projected Finish: 2nd in Eastern Conference


6.Boston Celtics (27-18) (3rd in Eastern Conference):
While the chemistry and defensive issues that have emerged from the slew of injuries they've endured throughout the season has prevented them from living up to their preseason expectations, the Celtics have settled into a nice groove over the past month thanks to the nightly offensive fireworks from Isaiah Thomas and the improved ball movement that has emerged from bringing in versatile forward/center Al Horford in free agency. If this team can get fully healthy and firm up its rotation, they have a real shot of challenging the Raptors for the 2 seed in the East.
Projected Finish: 3rd in Eastern Conference 

7.Los Angeles Clippers (30-17) (4th in Western Conference):
Relatively major injuries to Chris Paul and Blake Griffin have prevented this Clippers team from truly thriving in the first half of the season. They've looked excellent in the games they've had CP3 and Griffin together on the floor (they've smoked the Spurs in both of their meetings so far this season) and if they can somehow manage to get healthy in time for the playoffs, they have the talent and depth to potentially make it to their 1st Western Conference Finals in franchise history.
Projected Finish: 3rd in Western Conference 

8.Utah Jazz (29-18) (5th in Western Conference):
The Jazz have quietly been one of the most consistently productive team in the NBA this season. Their deliberate offensive pace makes them kind of a snore to watch at times, but they're a talented, deep veteran team that's formidable on both ends of the floor.
Projected Finish: 5th in Western Conference


9.Washington Wizards (25-20) (5th in Eastern Conference):
The Wizards shook off whatever the hell was plaguing them at the start of the season (they were 6-12 on December 3rd) and have arguably been the hottest team in the Eastern Conference since the middle of December (they are currently on a 14-game home winning streak and have only lost 7 games since December 12th). The inconsistency of their starting forwards (Markeef Morris and Otto Porter) and weakness of their bench makes them liable to put up the occasional catastrophic dud (see their 123-96 loss to the Bucks on December 23rd), but if John Wall and Bradley Beal continue to pop off the way that they have recently, they're going to be a team that no one wants to face come playoff time.
Projected Finish: 4th in Eastern Conference
    
10.Atlanta Hawks (27-19) (4th in Eastern Conference): 
Despite the doomsday predictions many people forcasted once they signed noted team killer Dwight Howard to replace notoriously stoic leader Al Horford in free agency and traded longtime starting point guard Jeff Teague to the Pacers for practically nothing, the Hawks haven't dropped off in the slightest from a season ago. Dennis Schroder has done a nice job adjusting to full-time starting point guard duties, Tim Hardaway Jr. has evolved into the offensive spark player their bench has long lacked and 31-year old Paul Millsap continues to be one of the NBA's most complete, criminally underrated players. I fully expect the Hawks to end up with a pretty high seed in the playoffs for the 4th time in the last 6 years.
Projected Finish: 5th in Eastern Conference
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11.Oklahoma City Thunder (27-19) (6th in Western Conference):
The unreal, cyborg-like play of Russell Westbrook has helped elevate an otherwise average team into a playoff spot in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. The Thunder are more than likely going to get eviscerated by the talent-loaded pool of teams in the West come playoff time, but for now, it's a distinct pleasure to watch Westbrook go berzerk just about every night.
Projected Finish: 7th in Western Conference

12.Memphis Grizzlies (27-20) (7th in Western Conference): 
Like the Jazz, the Grizzlies are a team that flies under-the-radar because they don't have a true superstar and play a brand of basketball that isn't very flashy or exciting to watch. Injuries to floor general Mike Conley and free-agent pickup Chandler Parsons have put them through some rough patches offensively, but their strong defense led by Marc Gasol and the ageless Tony Allen has proven to be enough to keep them in the thick of the playoff hunt.
Projected Finish: 6th in Western Conference

13.Charlotte Hornets (23-23) (tied for 6th in Eastern Conference):
The Charlotte Hornets are another mid-tier Eastern Conference team that has played exactly up to expectations thus far in 2016-17. Nicolas Batum has proven to be well worth the near-max contract the team gave him in the offseason and Kemba Walker has brought his game to the next level with career-highs in scoring (23 PPG), 3 point percentage (41.1%) and field goal percentage (45.7%). Despite their recent struggles (they're 4-7 in January and have lost their last 7 road games), I expect the Hornets to be a near-lock to secure a playoff spot.
Projected Finish: 6th in Eastern Conference

  
14.Indiana Pacers (22-22) (tied for 6th in Eastern Conference):
Different year, same above-average Pacers team. Jeff Teague has solved their issues at point guard and 2nd-year player Myles Turner has made pretty significant progress on both ends of the floor, but their horrific play away from Bankers Life Fieldhouse (they are an abysmal 6-16 on the road) and rebounding woes have prevented them from gaining any ground in the East.
Projected Finish: 8th in Eastern Conference
 

15.Chicago Bulls (23-24) (8th in Eastern Conference):
The Bulls 2016-17 campaign has been a wild ride full of triumph, internal dysfunction and some of the most extreme erratic play I've ever seen in the NBA. Jimmy Butler continues to prove anyone that doubted his ability to be a number 1 wrong with his sensational play on both ends of the floor, Dwyane Wade splits his time between looking like an ageless superstar and a hobbled old man that should be playing in weekend rec leagues at the YMCA, Rajon Rondo has already managed to get yanked from the starting lineup and create several internal shitstorms, and Robin Lopez still looks like the human version of Animal from The Muppets. I'm already getting my popcorn ready for the next chapter of this roller coaster season.
Projected Finish: 10th in Eastern Conference
   
16.Milwaukee Bucks (21-24) (9th in Eastern Conference):
Despite the rise of Giannis Antetokounmpo to true superstar status and a handful of huge wins against top-end teams (November 29th against the Cavaliers, January 9th against the Spurs, January 23rd against the Rockets), the Bucks just haven't been able to play consistently strong basketball. That being said, the Bucks are still well in striking in distance of the playoffs and their talented young corps (Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker, Malcolm Brogdon) has more than enough upside to propel them to a playoff berth.
Projected Finish: 9th in Eastern Conference
 

17.Detroit Pistons (21-25) (10th in Eastern Conference):
The Pistons have arguably been the biggest disappointment in the Eastern Conference this season. They've looked really flat for several prolonged stretches over the past couple of months and have largely failed to build off the promise they showed last season. Of all the bubble teams in the East, the Pistons have the best chance of righting the ship in the 2nd half of the season, but they're going to need to sure up their offense and get more contributions from their bench in order to do so.
Projected Finish: 7th in Eastern Conference

18.Denver Nuggets (19-25) (8th in Western Conference):
Led by the stellar play of 2nd-year power forward Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets have found some success of late and separated themselves from a lot of the other below-average teams fighting for the honor of getting crushed by the Warriors or Spurs in the 1st round of the playoffs. I still think that they're too raw and inconsistent to make the playoffs, but the flashes of true excellence they've displayed this season has me really encouraged for their prospects moving forward.
Projected Finish: 9th in Western Conference

19.Portland Trail Blazers (20-27) (9th in Western Conference):
The 2016-17 Portland Trail Blazers are proving just how much of a fluke their excellent 2015-16 season was. This team simply doesn't enough have enough frontcourt scoring options or defensive talent to back up their outstanding guard tandem of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum and compete with the NBA's elite teams. Despite their early-season struggles, their veteran pedigree gives them a good shot of squeaking into the playoffs due to the shakiness and youth of the other teams (Nuggets, Kings, Pelicans, Timberwolves) fighting for the 8 seed in the west.
Projected Finish: 8th in Western Conference
 
20.New York Knicks (20-27) (11th in Eastern Conference):
The flashes of promise the Knicks have shown at various points of the season have been overshadowed by a slew of spectacular late-game collapses and their continued internal dysfunction (thanks Carmelo, Derrick Rose and Phil Jackson!). If that doesn't describe the Knicks organization in a nutshell, I don't know what does.
Projected Finish: 12th in Western Conference
  
21.Philadelphia 76ers (17-27) (12th in Eastern Conference):
The process appears to be finally paying off in Philadelphia. Rookies Dario Saric and Joel Embiid along with 3rd-year low-post scorer/rim-protector Nerlens Noel have drastically changed the way this team plays on both ends of the floor and finally brought some hope to this long-suffering franchise. If Ben Simmons can return after the All-Star Break and quickly click with his teammates, the 76ers might be able to pull off a dark horse playoff run.
Projected Finish: 11th in Western Conference

22.Sacramento Kings (18-27) (10th in Western Conference):
The presence of a great coach in Dave Joerger has done basically nothing to fix the ailments that have plagued the Kings for the duration of this decade. DeMarcus Cousins still has way too much weight on his shoulders, the veteran castoffs they picked up in free agency (Arron Afflalo, Matt Barnes, Ty Lawson) are making minimal contributions and losing Rudy Gay for the rest of the season with a torn Achilles is devastating to their offensive productivity.
Projected Finish: 11th in Western Conference

23.New Orleans Pelicans (18-28) (11th in Western Conference):
The Pelicans really need to get some help for Anthony Davis. Davis is in the midst of a career year (28.1 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game) and yet the Pelicans are still sitting 10 games below .500. Without a supporting cast that can aid Davis on a regular basis, the Pelicans will be DOA for the foreseeable future.
Projected Finish: 12th in Western Conference


24.Minnesota Timberwolves (17-28) (12th in Western Conference):
Despite possessing some of the most coveted young talent in the NBA (Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Zach LeVine) and bringing in a coach in Tom Thibodeau that has enjoyed a pretty sizable amount of success throughout his career, the Timberwolves just haven't been able to put the pieces together in 2016-17. Their combination of young players making silly mistakes and poor outside shooting (35%, 21st in the league) has put them on the losing end of a number of close games this season. While I still strongly believe this team is going to be scary good in the next 2-3 years, I don't expect them to put together a particularly impressive stretch run this season.
Projected Finish: 10th in Western Conference

25.Orlando Magic (18-29) (13th in Eastern Conference):
The Magic led by future Hall-of-Famers such as Evan Fournier, Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton have once again just managed to be kind of there over the first 47 games of the season. They're neither inept enough to pick up a high-lottery pick or competent enough to be taken seriously as a playoff contender, and that ever-present state of anonymity seems to suit them nicely as an organization.
Projected Finish: 13th in Eastern Conference


26.Miami Heat (16-30) (14th in Eastern Conference):
The post-Wade Heat have pretty much been the young, identity-challenged team people around the league expected them to be. Veteran holdovers Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside have thrived with more opportunities to the touch the ball, but the young players outside of Tyler Johnson and Josh Richardson haven't showed any real promise in extended playing time. At least they have the bizarre potential rise of Dion Waiters as a clutch player to help them through this painful rebuilding season.
Projected Finish: 14th in Eastern Conference
 
27.Dallas Mavericks (16-29) (13th in Western Conference):
Age has finally caught up with the Mavericks as they appear to be on track to miss the playoffs for only the 2nd time in the last 17 years. The odd mix of over-the-hill guys (J.J. Barea, Deron Williams, Dirk Nowitzki) and below-average young players (Justin Anderson, Seth Curry, Dwight Powell) has resulted in the worst on-court product the Mavs have had since the early 90's.
Projected Finish: 13th in Western Conference


28.Phoenix Suns (15-30) (14th in Western Conference):
The Suns are doing about as well as you would expect a raw, largely talent-deprived team in the Western Conference to be doing at this point of the season. Amidst all of the growing pains and lopsided losses that come with the rebuilding process, Devin Booker is beginning to look like the prolific scorer/outside shooter they drafted him to be and Eric Bledsoe has looked strong since returning from the torn meniscus that prematurely ended his 2015-16 season. The next few seasons aren't likely to be pretty, but there are glimmers of hope on the horizon for this long-suffering organization.
Projected Finish: 14th in Western Conference


29.Los Angeles Lakers (16-33) (15th in Western Conference):
Remember when the Lakers started the season 7-5 and people were talking about them as a playoff team? That was fun. The Lakers have pissed away any good fortune they had in mid-November with their collection of overpriced veterans (Timofey Mozgov, Luol Deng, Jose Calderon) they brought in to try and speed up the rebuilding process stinking up the floor on a nightly basis and a sorry-ass defense that could get lit up by most middle school teams. If it wasn't for their occasional flourishes of offensive fireworks courtesy of Jordan Clarkson, D'Angelo Russell and the always-entertaining Nick Young, this team would be completely unwatchable.
Projected Finish: 15th in Western Conference

30.Brooklyn Nets (9-36) (15th in Eastern Conference):
The Nets have been the basketball equivalent of watching Gigli this season and they deserve sympathy from every single NBA fan. I'm pretty firmly convinced that a lot of D-league teams could take out this woefully untalented team on most nights. Early congrats to the Celtics for securing the number 1 pick in the 2017 Draft. 
Projected Finish: 15th in Eastern Conference