NBA Power Rankings: Warriors rolling, Luka's hot, Bucks defense stinks

We're just over a week into the NBA season and already seen some huge surprises and a new power structure being established. Here's how all 30 teams stack up at this point, according to the subjective of one basketball newsletter writer.

NBA Power Rankings: Week 1

It's not necessarily surprising that the Grizzlies have struggled without Ja Morant, Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke. But they look completely lost and the hole they're in could be a lot deeper by the time Morant returns.

The Wizards have moved out of the bottom spot, only because the Grizzlies have been so terrible. Jordan Poole has been an absolute disaster and it's hard to imagine them moving out of the bottom three or four teams at any point this year.

They got a win over the Hawks on Opening Night but LaMelo Ball's shooting has been catastrophically bad and they look like one of the worst defensive teams in the league. At least Brandon Miller has been making shots?

Alperen Sengun has been terrific but we're still seeing many of the same things that plagued them last year — horrific shot selection and inefficiency from Jalen Green, shaky outside shooting from Jabari Smith Jr. and incoherent schemes and haphazard execution on defense. Turns out Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks may not have been the solution.

The Heat have lost four in a row after their opening night win and Jimmy Butler has really been struggling on the offensive end. Some of the supporting cast is playing well but it all highlights how much last season's NBA Finals run was driven by Butler being the best player on the floor for long stretches. When he's not that, the Heat might be just your average NBA team.

Scoot Henderson has looked very much look a rookie point guard, but Shaedon Sharpe, Jerami Grant and Deandre Ayton have been enough for the Blazers to pick up a pair of wins. Even with Anfernee Simons out for the next four to six weeks, this team might be good enough to stay out of the absolute basement.

Lauri Markkanen picked up right where he left off last season and John Collins already looks much better, away from Trae Young and the Hawks. But there are still have some strange quirks to sort out in their rotation and would need another solid role player or two before they're really chasing a playoff spot.

A double-digit blowout of the Bucks has the Raptors on the upswing but they've had struggles this season as well and the specter of a gear-shifting trade of Pascal Siakam or OG Anunoby looms over every run of losses.

The Bulls shut down the Pacers' previously high-powered offense and stole a win over the Raptors. They've also lost to the Mavericks, Pistons and Thunder by a combined 45 points. They're going to win some games but not nearly enough.

The Pistons are showing some serious signs of life. Ausar Thompson has been terrific, Isaiah Stewart is stepping up, Jalen Duren is a beast and Cade Cunningham is shaking off the rest and resuming the mantle of up-and-coming star. Making a run at the Play-In Tournament is not outside the realm of possibility.

R.J. Barrett has looked better but Julius Randle can't buy a bucket and the offense still looks way too dependent on Jalen Brunson's ability to create something out of nothing. It might look better if everyone is playing well at the same time but inconsistency has been an issue.

Things should, hopefully, look different when Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland are back in the lineup but Georges Niang has been not great and both Max Strus and Caris LeVert have been asked to do way too much on offense. They might not be as good as I thought preseason.

Victor Wembanyama is going through some very obvious growing pains — averaging nearly five turnovers per game and shooting under 30 percent from beyond the arc. But he's also averaging 16.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.3 blocks and the Spurs have nabbed wins over the Suns and Rockets. He's a transformational player and the process has already started.

The defense hasn't gelled yet and they're still figuring out their offensive hierarchy but you can see the bones of a very competitive team here, even if their ceiling is far below being an actual contender.

The Pacers seemingly have gotten worse in each game but they picked up wins over the Cavs and Wizards and their formula for success is clear — they might have the worst defense in the league but they'll be hoping they can win enough games but outscoring opponents with what could be the best offense in the league.

The offensive limitations of their guards are going to set a ceiling but this is a very good defensive team with a lot of depth and versatility and more than enough talent to stay in the Play-In Tournament mix.

The Timberwolves already hammered the Nuggets and the Heat, despite getting next to nothing on offense from Karl-Anthony Towns through four games. They're still seeking consistency but Anthony Edwards is making the leap and they're going to be scary.

Until at least one of Devin Booker and Bradley Beal is back in the lineup, this is definitely a middle-of-the-pack team. If they're both out for an extended period of time, they might just stay here?

I have to give the Hawks credit for their 3-2 record, but I don't love it. Trae Young is shooting 32.6 percent from the field and under 30 percent from beyond the arc. I know he puts up big numbers but his efficiency is terrible and seems to be trending downward over the past two years. I don't think the Hawks can be successful with him dominating the ball this much. (And I don't think he's willingly going to give up the ball).

I'm giving the Bucks some leeway for talent here but they've been baaaad, especially on defense (more on that below). Without a huge clutch performance from Lillard in a one-point win on Opening Night, they'd be 1-3. It's not time to panic, but they need to address their issues with some urgency before things get away from them.

I'm dropping the Kings a bit because of their record but I think they'll be just fine. The Warriors needed a last-second jumper from Klay Thompson to beat them, and that was without De'Aaron Fox. The Kings have the firepower and I expect they'll be in the top 10 all season long.

We've seen the best-case scenario for the Clippers so far but Harden could be a chaos agent, injuries are always lurking and I'm not sure how long they can count on Russell Westbrook to be this efficient. Let's say I'm cautiously pessimistic.

I might still be overrating the Thunder considering how young and inexperienced they are. But, damn, if Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace haven't been every bit as good as advertised. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the five best players in the league and this team is just going to get better.

Zion Williamson has been a force of nature and we're seeing what the Pelicans can look like at their best. Enjoy it while it lasts!

The supporting cast has still been a bit all over the place and things are clearly changing for LeBron James. But they have the pieces to put it all together.

They didn't get what they wanted for James Harden, but they did get a lot of depth and at least the situation is finally resolved. Between that and Tyrese Maxey's torrid start, things are looking up in Philly.

Luka Doncic has been absolutely incredible but the Mavs are also hammering teams in the minutes Luka's on the bench, thanks to the up-tempo shift we talked about in The Whiteboard on Tuesday. It's not clear how long Luka and the supporting cast will be able to keep this up, but right now, everything is working.

The Warriors have had their issues and Chris Paul has been surprisingly shaky off the bench. But they're winning and most importantly, they appear to have recaptured the swagger, confidence and joy that carried them through their peak moments the past few years.

Kristaps Porzingis has given them everything they could have hoped so far, Jayson Tatum has been playing like an MVP candidate and even with their bench struggling they're clearly the best team in the Eastern Conference so far.

Denver's loss to the Timberwolves was an eyesore but otherwise, it's been a seamless transition, working in their new, young bench and replicating the thorough dominance that carried them to the title last season.

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The Bucks are having big defensive problems

The consistent strength of the Milwaukee Bucks in the Giannis Antetokounmpo era has been defense. Over the past five years, they've led the league in defensive efficiency twice and finished outside the top 10 just once. But they've been an absolute disaster at that end to start this season.

After four games, they've allowed 119.0 points per 100 possessions, 29th in the league and a mark 8.9 points per 100 possessions worse than last season. Obviously, swapping Damian Lillard in for Jrue Holiday is part of the issues but they led the league in defensive efficiency twice, from 2018 to 2020 before Holiday arrived and it's far from the only problem.

Lillard isn't the only vulnerability at the point of attack, Malik Beasley has been a disaster, and opponents have been incredibly successful in getting into the teeth of the defense. So far, opponents are averaging 46.0 drives per game, shooting 56.3 percent and recording an assist on 11.4 percent of their drives. If those numbers were the averages of a single offense the last two numbers would rank fifth and sixth in the league.

Teams are hitting wide-open 3-pointers at a probably unsustainable rate against Milwaukee but they're giving up a ton of those shots and there are clearly problems with scheme, personnel AND execution.

READ MORE:

• On a tough night in Toronto, Bucks showed defensive cracks that need fixing by Eric Nehm, for The Athletic
• Milwaukee Bucks’ growing pains on full display in beatdown loss to Raptors by Dalton Sell, for Behind the Buck Pass
• Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks' horrible defense vs. Raptors sparks major fan concerns
  by Jack Winter, for Clutch Points

Recommended Reading:

1. It's Luka Time: "If the Mavs continue to win games, it's going to be impossible to keep Doncic out of the conversation. He's a one-man wrecking crew, capable of absurd highlights that serve as fuel to the fire in a narrative-driven awards race. Doncic will continue to dance his way to explosive stat lines, and maybe his first MVP award." NBA MVP Power Rankings Week 2: Luka magic takes the stage

2. Trae Young still looks bored without the ball: "It’s year six now, and there are still a bunch of possessions where Young stands 40 feet from the basket when he doesn’t have the ball. It’s a predictable waste of gravity and intelligence that allows his defender to take a mental break. Hawks coach Quin Snyder knows how effective Young is running a high pick-and-roll. The front office has surrounded him with pieces that make sense in that system. But Snyder also knows how much harder it’ll be to guard the Hawks if/when Young sets an off-ball screen or keeps moving off a couple of picks after he gives the ball up." Nine Thoughts From the First Week of the NBA Season

3. Bet on Chet: "The way Holmgren is able to stay vertical, avoid fouling, block the shot, and keep the ball in play is special, special stuff. Especially considering his relative lack of strength on his skinny frame. He’s not really getting pushed around or shoved under the rim. It’s really cool to see." Three Things I Noticed on League Pass: Chet Holmgren is Already a Special Defender