NBA Power Rankings: Who holds the top spot on NBA Opening Night?

The Thunder have an MVP candidate (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander). They have a Rookie of the Year candidate (Chet Holmgren). They have a Most Improved Player candidate (Jalen Williams). And they have an almost embarrassing wealth of flexible, versatile depth — Lu Dort, Jaylin Williams, Josh Giddey, Vasilije Micic, Aaron Wiggins and more. This is the year they take the leap.

The Knicks didn't really improve this offseason outside of adding Donte DiVincenzo but they also get another year to gel and build off their momentum from last season. They're outside the tier of the top teams in the East, but they're probably the best team in Tier 2.

The Knicks hammered the Cavs in the playoffs but I think the Cavs are a Tier 1 Eastern Conference team, thanks to Evan Mobley's developing defense and they shooting depth they added. The Cavaliers looked like a contender in the first half of last season and this year I think they can sustain it across the entire regular season.

On paper, the Lakers are miles ahead of where they were at the beginning of last season and arguably very improved from where they finished the year. But they still have championship hopes that rest completely on LeBron James in Year 21 and Anthony Davis staying healthy all the way through. I think that puts them behind the top four teams in the West.

I'm optimistic about Chris Paul and I'm optimistic about Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody taking the leap. I could wind up looking like an idiot on both accounts and they could also be completely disrupted by an extended injury absence for two or three players. But I think the Warriors are a clear contender and much better than last season.

Last season was not a mirage for the Kings, they proved it in the playoffs by taking the Warriors to seven games in the first round. They've added some additional depth, all incredibly well-fitting pieces, and could have the growth of Keegan Murray as a driver for improvement. The Kings are just good.

The Celtics might have the best starting five in the entire league but there are high-level questions — can Kristaps Porzingis stay healthy? How much does Al Horford have left? Can Jaylen Brown go left? Is the bench good enough? Do these guys really want to play together?

The Suns have done as good a job as they could have hoped in building depth around their three-headed monster of perimeter scorers. That depth should be more than enough to carry them to one of the best regular season records in the league. The postseason is where it will really be tested.

The Nuggets need their gambles on youthful depth to pay off and it wouldn't be surprising if they are slightly less consistent in the regular season as players like Peyton Watson, Christian Braun, Julian Strawther and Zeke Nnaji take on larger roles. But even if they sacrifice some regular season wins, they'll be just as dangerous in the playoffs.

The Bucks are decidedly thing but they have the best starting rotation in the league. Even if Khris Middleton doesn't get back to what he was they have the formula for the best defense in the league and an absolutely unstoppable engine in the Giannis Antetokounmpo-Damian Lillard pick-and-roll. For me, they begin the season in pole position as the team to beat.