2023 Opening Week Power Rankings

First things first: WELCOME to the 2023-24 NBA Season! This season has huge upside and suspense looming on a variety of different levels! Finally getting to see Wemby and Chet play, Lillard getting his trade wish granted (well sort of at least), and so much more! Which players will shine in their new roles? Which teams take the next step toward a championship? How many more records can LeBron break? We’re about to dive into all these things, both from a real-world standpoint and from a fantasy basketball standpoint.

Power Rankings

It’s EARLY so let’s just focus on the teams that actually matter. Some brutal honesty: nobody cares where teams like the Washington Wizards or Minnesota Timberwolves are ranked; none of those teams can win a title no matter what KAT says in his interviews.

- Honorable Mentions: Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks

- Memphis will be without superstar Ja Morant for 25 games and only added Marcus Smart and Derrick Rose, while the Knicks lone free agent add was Donte Divincenzo. Both teams were playoff teams last year, with the Knicks dominating their first round series, but they were a big move away from moving up a tier and neither made that path-altering move.

- #10: Cleveland Cavaliers

- The additions of Max Strus and Emoni Bates in free agency and the NBA Draft give the Cavs one of the deepest teams in the East. They proved they can win regular season games the last two seasons; can superstar Donovan Mitchell and co. bring them beyond the first round in the playoffs?

- #9: Miami Heat

- With Damian Lillard headed to Milwaukee, and Boston making huge moves in their offseason reboot, it’s very easy to say that Miami fell stagnant in the offseason. Outside of their core, there isn’t much to be excited about with this roster. To rank them outside the top 10 after making the NBA finals seems a little too cruel, so they will start the year at 9. I expect them to fall as the year progresses.

- #8: Sacramento Kings

- The Kings felt like the “fluke” team of 2022/23, but the left-handed pair of DeAaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis carried them to the 3 seed. As much as I like their core, it feels like their roster fell behind during the offseason, similarly to Miami. I think the playoffs are once again possible, but a big move is necessary in order to light the beam later in June.

- #7: Los Angeles Lakers

- This ranking is more on Anthony Davis’s shoulders than LeBron’s. Their roster could easily be the deepest of LeBron’s storied career, but will they mesh together? Can they stay healthy? In a perfect world, this roster can win the West and compete for a championship. Lets see how many different starting lineups they use between opening night and Christmas before jumping to conclusions.

- #6: Golden State Warriors

- With how balanced the Western Conference has become, and with the Bay’s dynasty era firmly behind them, this is as high as I can rank the Warriors. #6 even feels like a bit of a stretch, but a healthy Steph is as dominant as any player of this era on offense. Will Kerr start to incorporate the youth movement with Moody and Kuminga? Probably not. The most interesting piece of their puzzle becomes Chris Paul; this is definitely his last chance at a ring. It will be his best chance to win one with experienced winners.

- #5: Philadelphia 76ers

- They are only ranked this high strictly on talent. Reigning MVP Joel Embiid will always carry this team to successful win totals in the regular season, but can Harden actually buy into The Process? Tyrese Maxey is good enough to be the #2, but they can be scary with him as the #3. Can Nick Nurse end the postseason skid with a more modern style of play? More importantly, can they keep up with added starpower in Milwaukee and Boston? If Harden gets traded, Philly becomes a lower-tier playoff seed.

- #4: Milwaukee Bucks

- Back to back disappointing playoff runs resulted in the acquisition of Damian Lillard, but this team is going to take a massive step backward defensively. They will score in bunches and dominate plenty of games, but can Giannis and Dame coexist? The bench unit needs to contribute more behind Bobby Portis after the departure of Grayson Allen as well. Milwaukee is probably the most talented team in the East, but they are top heavy, not the deepest.

- #3: Denver Nuggets

- Am I crazy for having the defending champions at #3?! When you look at the rosters in both Phoenix and Boston, probably not. Denver’s core is still intact, as their only major loss was Bruce Brown, but the league closed the gap on them. Jokic can singlehandedly carry this team to the West Semis again, but we will need more Vintage Murray playoff games to see a repeat.

- #2: Phoenix Suns

- Is it possible to have too much starpower? The Suns will find out soon, as the three-headed monster of Booker, Durant, and Beal looks to help them get back to the NBA Finals. All three are ball-dominant players, so seeing how they play off of each other is something most basketball fans are looking forward to. Nurkic is a huge fit upgrade over Ayton, and a bench unit of Grayson Allen, Eric Gordon, Bol Bol, and others makes this team scary regardless of who is on the floor. If the script plays out properly, the Suns can expect to be playing meaningful June basketball for at least a few years.

- #1: Boston Celtics

- As a Knick fan, this ranking pains me. Unfortunately, it is undeniable how much better the C’s got this summer. A closing lineup of Jrue, Jaylen, Tatum, KP, and Horford gives me 2015 Warriors feels. Small ball, good defenders, dominant scorers, that 5 has it all. The bench has sneaky talent as well, and Joe Mazzulla is out to prove that his debut coaching season was not a fluke. I don’t think it would surprise anyone if the Celtics got to the Finals; let’s just not let Jimmy Butler decide Tatum’s fate again, right?

Fantasy Basketball Player Power Rankings: Per Position

Instead of boring you with a traditional list, I decided to make this a little easier to see; this gives the big fantasy gurus an easy way to understand where players fit, and where they agree and disagree with my rankings. There are definitely some surprises, but there is very little bias here (no Brunson, LeBron at #3 SF, etc). This was designed with the hopes of helping managers draft efficiently in fantasy, as well as to create some heated debate!

Opening Week Rankings

There will definitely be some movers on this grid, based on injuries, level of play, etc. Remember that the chart is based on accruable fantasy points. For example, Alperen Sengun is not the 7th-best Center in basketball, but in my opinion he has the 7th-highest FPPG ceiling of all Centers heading into the season. Some interesting things to pay attention to:

Good luck to all the superfans of the NBA this season! Be on the lookout for MVP ladders, playoff and trade deadline predictions, updated Fantasy Basketball player power rankings, and more!