NBA Power Rankings: Will the Lakers ever win again?

With one full week of NBA action under our belt, here’s how we’re ranking each of the 30 NBA teams. Obviously, we got everything wrong last week but, don’t worry, this edition is perfect.

Oof. I thought the Cavaliers might have been a dark horse to chase a playoff spot in the East but the defense has been an abject disaster and Kevin Love (shooting 30.4 percent from the field and 26.3 percent on 3s) hasn’t been enough to prop up the offense without LeBron.

Turns out, Jabari Parker and Zach LaVine maybe be unplayable (together, but also maybe just in general?). The Bulls are surrendering 124.0 points per 100 possessions when those two are on the floor which, spoiler alert, is a lot of points.

The Nets have shown some signs of life, making over 40 percent of their 3s in their last two games and with Caris LeVert looking ready to emerge as a star. They’re also getting outscored by an average of 7.1 points per 100 possessions and their lone win came courtesy of a LeVert layup with one second left, over the Knicks.

Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton are showing some nice chemistry, Josh Jackson and T.J. Warren are magically raining 3s and Isaiah Canaan has been providing steady point guard minutes. Making the playoffs may still be a longshot for the Suns but they appear to be leaping out of the tank race.

The Knicks actually have a positive point differential, thanks to a rout of the Hawks on Opening Night and a pair of close losses to the Nets and Celtics. However, the hot starts of Enes Kanter and Tim Hardaway Jr. may be unsustainable and the team will be without Kevin Knox for the next week as he nurses a sprained ankle. I’d like to see them prove it for another week before I get too excited.

I am not, however, too shy to be excited about the Atlanta Hawks. Yes, they were pounded by the Knicks and Grizzlies. Yes, their lone win is over the struggling Cavaliers. Yes, their defense has looked catastrophically bad. But they’ve got Trae Young, baby, and he’s the human equivalent of lightning in a bottle.

Three games do not a season make, but the Kings have been surprisingly frisky. De’Aaron Fox has looked like a completely different player and Willie Cauley-Stein and Buddy Hield have been remarkably solid. If those three players can keep this up the Kings could be rising out of the morass at the bottom of the West.

An Opening Night win over the Heat was a nice surprise and a win of the Celtics, even though they’re struggling, is impressive as well. A one-point loss to the 76ers could be seen as a moral victory. The 32-point drubbing to the Hornets that came between them was not so nice. The Magic can compete, but they can also completely collapse.

Things could not have gone worse to open the season for the Thunder. As expected the offense was ugly without Russell Westbrook, but even with him back for a 120-point game against the Kings they’re still last in the league in offensive efficiency. Oh, and the defense has been terrible too.

It’s been an abysmal start for the Lakers. Other than his jumper, LeBron has looked strong but the defense has been a disaster and shooting looks like it will continue to be a concern. Josh Hart and Lonzo Ball are shooting well but Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Lance Stephenson and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are a combined 8-of-40 on 3-pointers.

The Wizards have been playing everyone close, but have only come away with one win — an overtime squeaker over the Trail Blazers. There are a lot of rough edges to be sanded down but the potential for a playoff team is still there.

The Heat have looked thoroughly average to begin the season, just missing the break-even point between their offensive and defensive efficiencies. The absence of Wayne Ellington has really hurt their offense with Goran Dragic and Josh Richardson struggling to hit from the outside.

DeAndre Jordan has been doing his job and both Luka Doncic and Dennis Smith Jr. have looked spectacular at times, albeit with some less than exciting shooting numbers. However, with Harrison Barnes and Dirk Nowitzki out, their lack of top-tier depth has been obvious. And even when those two come back, it may continue to be a problem.

The Grizzlies mantra this summer was that they just needed to stay healthy. Two games in and key reserve JaMychal Green is out more than a month with a broken jaw. After that huge loss to on Opening Night to the Indiana Pacers they’ve bounced back and beaten the Hawks and Jazz. They’re definitely on the upswing.

The Spurs just keep eking out wins and have already taken two games from teams they may be battling for one of the last few playoffs spots in the Western Conference. They’re doing it, as expected, attempting nearly six more mid-range jumpers per game than any other team in the league.