Here’s the first edition of my NBA Power Rankings, in which the Toronto Raptors feature prominently. The best teams include some surprising new entries, likewise the bad ones. Enjoy.
I’m pleased to kick off my 2018-19 NBA Power Rankings with the Toronto Raptors off to their best start in history. We’ll publish the PRs every other Tuesday morning during the season.
The season so far has had many compelling story lines, both positive and negative. The Western Conference has been reasonably predictable, with the Golden State Warriors having one loss. Anthony Davis has led his New Orleans Pelicans to an excellent start, and the Denver Nuggets are also off on the right foot.
Those teams were expected to be contenders, but so were the Los Angeles Lakers. Their start has been choppy, though not nearly as disappointing as the results of the Houston Rockets and OKC Thunder.
In the East, the Boston Celtics didn’t get the memo about higher scores being the new normal. They still defend fiercely, but are dropping games because of a misfiring offense. Meanwhile, the Toronto Raptors took full advantage of a friendly early schedule top-heavy with home games to make a giant leap. The new-look Milwaukee Bucks look for real. Maybe “next year’s team” has finally arrived.
Here are my rankings, with “Score” referring to games played between Day One and October 28. For the first and only time, “Last Week” and “Last Rank” won’t show up. We’ll start with the worst of the worst.