The Whiteboard: Thunder, Pacers and Bulls biggest risers in NBA Power Rankings

With the Knicks trade for OG Anunoby trade season is officially open and teams rising and falling in the standings over the next few weeks could have a lot to do with who is buying and who is selling a month from now. Here's how the league looks to me right now.

NBA Power Rankings:

They may not hold it for long but, for this week at least, the Thunder have claimed the top spot. They just beat the Boston Celtics. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander may be on his way to an MVP. Chet Holmgren is fast becoming a favorite for both Rookie of the Year AND Defensive Player of the Year. They play 11 of their next 14 on the road, which will tell us a lot more about how prepared they really are to carry this momentum into the playoffs.

The Celtics are still clearly an inner-circle contender and have been absolutely rolling on offense lately — averaging 125.6 points per 100 possessions over their last 15 games. They have been leapfrogged by the Thunder here but also slipped ahead of the 76ers who have looked slightly more vulnerable since our last rankings.

The 76ers are still winning and still winning big but they've dropped a few spots because of a few losses to middling Eastern Conference competition like the Bulls (twice) and Heat. Tyrese Maxey's 3-point shooting has cooled off in the past few games and it sounds like they're more likely to stand pat at the trade deadline. They're still one of the best teams in the league but they've slipped a notch from their peak.

The Bucks climbed a few spots with same formula — unstoppable offense and disturbingly porous defense. Malik Beasley is still scorching the nets and Khris Middleton has been solid but everyone else is struggling from beyond the arc, including Damian Lillard, and they're still extremely reliant on the individual dominance of Giannis Antetokounmpo. That formula worked for them once before but the defense was much better then than it is now.

Everything is working for the Clippers right now, particularly on offense. Their challenges will continue to be health, depth and defending at a high level against the elite frontcourt and big man scorers they'll have to get through on their way to a hypothetical title.

The Timberwolves still have the best record in the Western Conference but their scoring margin has shrunk over the past few weeks, to less than half of that of the Thunder. Their offense has struggled a bit and they may have to look for an additional perimeter shot creator at the trade deadline to fully regain their mojo.

Placing the Nuggets at No. 7 has very little to do with my feelings about their ability to make their way back to the NBA Finals. It's clear they know who they are and don't feel the need to mash the pedal to the floor in every regular season game just to make a statement. Nikola Jokic is still the best player in the world and they should be just fine in the postseason.

Zion Williamson is not a world-beater but he's more than enough when the supporting cast is this good. CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram are shooting lights-out right now, Trey Murphy and Herb Jones are taking the leap and the have a deep roster of veteran specialists and youthful generalists ready to fill in the gaps.

De'Aaron Fox has been absolutely sensational and Keegan Murray has shaken off his early season shooting slump. It still feels like they're a piece away from being a true contender and they don't have a lot of flexibility to make a trade without also shipping out some other piece of their rotation. But they're right there near the top of the second-tier contenders in the West.

The Pacers are showing signs of defensive improvement and continue to tinker with their rotation trying to find the right fits. Still, their elite offense with Tyrese Haliburton at the helm gives them an upside no other second-tier contender in the East can match right now.

OG Anunoby is a huge addition for the Knicks and a great fit in their starting lineup. But the Knicks sent out their best complementary shot-creators which puts even more pressure on Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle to handle the load. That hasn't exactly been a recipe for success in the playoffs and they might need to make another trade.

The Heat are playing well lately, and ahead of the Knicks and Pacers in the standings. But I still think they're too vulnerable to injury and regression to sustain that edge across the rest of the regular season. Don't count them out in the playoffs though.

Yes, the Warriors are below 0.500 and still without Draymond Green indefinitely. But they're 8-7 in their last 15 games with a positive point differential and are getting solid contributions from Jonathan Kumings, Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis. They feel like a team that's going to keep getting stronger as the season goes along.

Luka Doncic is incredible but the rest of the supporting cast is decidedly ... not. Kyrie Irving is back but I'm not sure he actually helps that much. They are basically beholden to whatever Luka Doncic can conjure out of thin air.

Dillon Brooks' 3-point shooting has regressed (surprise!) and Jalen Green has looked utterly out of sorts in a coherent team structure. But Fred VanVleet is solid, Alperen Sengun is a future star and Jabari Smith Jr. is showing flashes. They're an up-and-coming team just maybe not in the way we thought.

As Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony have cooled off from beyond the arc it underscores just how badly the Magic still need another perimeter creator and shooting threat. Their defense is terrific, and picking up a backcourt scorer at the deadline could have them surging over the rest of the season.

The Cavs are fighting hard to keep their heads above water but until Darius Garland and Evan Mobley are fully healthy we won't really know if this core is too offensively flawed to work long-term.

Zach LaVine is nearing a return and the Bulls will have to play him, either because they're trying to reintegrate him into a rotation that's suddenly working, or because they need to rehab his trade value. Either way, his return threatens to spoil the good vibes of a team that has gone 10-6 with a plus-2.2 per 100 possession point-differential in his absence.

The Lakers are 6-9 in their last 15 games, struggling for consistency at both ends of the floor. For all the work they did in the offseason, they're almost in the same position as last year — needing to consider massive changes at the trade deadline to catapult themselves back into contention.

The Suns have talent but they can't get it all healthy and on the court at the same time. Until they do, they're a cut (or two ... or three) below the best teams in the Western Conference.

The Jazz have been legitimately hot over the past two weeks and are threatening to push into the race for the Play-In Tournament. If that happens, it could complicate things for several playoff teams hoping to benefit from the Jazz selling off pieces at the trade deadline.

The Grizzlies have been good and exciting since Ja Morant's return. But, 11 games under 0.500, the rest of this season may still be more about laying the groundwork for next year.

The Raptors actually found themselves are pretty good deal for OG Anunoby and Immanuel Quickley may be the perimeter creator they've been lacking all season. The pieces are in place for the next iteration of this team but there will likely be several more changes before the trade deadline.

Mikal Bridges hasn't been able to recapture the magic of his post-trade brilliance as a primary creator from last season. There is an interesting core here but he needs help and it probably isn't coming at the trade deadline.

I've been a Hawks' skeptic for a bit and I'm feeling pretty confident in my pessimism. It doesn't really seem to matter how well Trae Young is playing, they just aren't that good. And it's not because the supporting cast isn't good. There's plenty of talent it just isn't working. I wonder why that could be?

Over his last six games, Scoot Henderson is averaging 16.2 points, 6.0 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game, shooting 45.5 percent from beyond the arc. He's still turning it over a ton and struggling a bit around the basket but he's showing signs and that's far more important than anything the Blazers will do in the standings.

Like the teams just below them in these rankings, the Spurs are on a historically bad trajectory. But at least Victor Wembanyama makes them fun to watch, even when they're losing by 20?

The Hornets have some awful seasons in franchise history, but by several measures, only the 7-59, 2011-12 season was worse. They're just not good.

I don't know what's worse — having to watch Jordan Poole shoot this team out of games every night, or knowing the Wizards are on the hook for nearly $100 million over the next three seasons for more of the same.

The Pistons finally got their third win and broke their historic losing streak. Can they get their fourth win before they get to 40 losses?

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