The Best NBA Teams Right Now, Ranked

It’s that time of year. The NBA is back and the season is in full swing. The Golden State Warriors are fresh off their fourth title in eight seasons and are looking to add on to the dynasty with another one this season.  There are several franchises who are trying to break a long ringless drought including star-studded teams like the Los Angeles Clippers, the Philadelphia Sixers, and the drama-filled Brooklyn Nets. While some team’s hopes are more realistic than others, that’s why the game is played. While there are dominant veteran teams, there are also young up-and-coming teams to watch out for this season as  well like the New Orleans Pelicans and the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

After ranking the best 30 players in the NBA right now,  we decided to rank the best six teams in the NBA currently. This will be a power rankings list that will be continuously updated throughout the season based on performance. With the first week of action underway, we used last year’s results in addition to this year’s projections to rank the best current teams in the league. While there were several teams we considered to the make the top six off the bat like the Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets, and Miami Heat, here are the six teams we felt stand atop the league right now.

6. Memphis Grizzlies

Now this final spot was essentially a toss-up and is subject to change as soon as the next couple weeks. There’s a strong argument for a few teams to take here including the Miami Heat, the Phoenix Suns or a healthy Denver Nuggets despite their defense looking awful in their season opener. For now, we’ll stick with the team that had the second best record in the Western Conference last season. Even without Jaren Jackson Jr., you have to believe the Grizzlies will continue to win games at a high rate. Taylor Jenkins’ squad was able to win plenty of games without Ja Morant last season so there’s no reason to believe they can’t win without JJJ in the lineup for a significant amount of time. We’ll see how guys like Brandon Clarke, Jon Kochar,  and Santi Aldama make up for Jackson’s production. If they find themselves at the top of the West again, Ja Morant would certainly have to be in the MVP race. 

5. Philadelphia 76ers

The Sixers have proven to be one of the most consistent teams in the NBA over the last four seasons, consistently reaching the playoffs behind the dominance of Joel Embiid. This season, they could field a legitimate contender with James Harden returning to good health and being in shape, combined with the rapid ascension of Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris to form a formidable scoring quartet. The Sixers fate ultimately will be decided by how reliable their top two stars are when the calendar turns to April. Can Joel Embiid finally stay healthy for an entire postseason, and can Harden prove reliable the deeper this team goes into the playoffs? The

4. Milwaukee Bucks

When the Milwaukee Bucks are fully healthy, they have a strong case to be considered not only the best team in the East but the best team in the NBA. Led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, the No. 1 player on our rankings list, the 2021 NBA champions still have the majority of their NBA Finals rotation with the exception of PJ Tucker. Although Khris Middleton is expected to miss a significant amount of time, the Bucks are still going to be a difficult opponent for every team every single night. As long as No. 34 is on the floor, the team has a chance to beat anyone and couple that with the built-up camaraderie among the core unit, they should be fine without their Robin. We may not see the team at full strength until January as the Bucks will await the return of newly-signed forward Joe Ingles, who is recovering from a torn ACL suffered with the Utah Jazz last season. Ingles could prove to be a sneaky pickup if he’s anywhere near the player he last was in Utah. 

3. Los Angeles Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers might be the deepest team in the association. With a plethora of wings including the returns of stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the Clippers not only bring depth but serious versatility. The elephant in the room is the question of will this team be able to stay healthy a full season or at least healthy enough to have everyone ready and available for the playoffs. Besides center, the Clippers are pretty much two-deep, sometimes three-deep, at every position. The NBA is wings’ league and Clippers have stacked up that position like no other team in the league. Ty Lue, regarded as one of the best coaches in the league, has been able to work with the talent that has been on the floor the past few seasons but we’re waiting to see his ability to lead a healthy Clippers. Los Angeles will always be a Laker town but this could be the year the Clippers breakthrough and put themselves on the grandest stage in June. 

2. Boston Celtics

The Celtics fell short of an NBA title last season, losing in six games to the Warriors, but things appeared bright for their future. Flanked by All-Star wings Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, as well as adding Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Galinari in the offseason, the Celtics looked poised to be even stronger during the 2022-2023 regular season. After Galinari tore his ACL in Eurobasket play, starting center Robert Williams underwent another knee procedure, and head coach Ime Udoka being suspended for the entire season, there is reason to question whether the Celtics could be the same dominant team they were on the back half of last season on their way to the Finals. But opening night silenced some of those worries with a big win over a talented 76ers team, a game in which Tatum and Brown both combined for 70 points. If those two continue to raise their game to new heights, and the supporting cast continues to defend at an elite level, the Celtics will remain amongst the truly elite teams in the NBA.

1. Golden State Warriors

Coming into a season with a bullseye on your back as the reigning champions is always going to provide external pressure. Add in an unprecedented team scuffle between two of your franchise pillars and there is an added layer of intrigue, but if opening night is any indicator, the Warriors should be just fine. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Jordan Poole are still in the fold, flanked by an amazing cast of support with Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney, James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody. The Warriors managed to win 53 games a year ago and the title with Curry, Thompson and Green each missing significant portions of the regular season. There is no reason to expect anything less again this season.

BY KAMERON HAY, ZION OLOJEDE