NBA Power Rankings: Lakers, Rockets rise; Cavs fall; rotation check-ins for everyone – The Athletic

Album of the Week: “Let’s Start Here.” Lil Yachty (2023)

The brightly colored court portion of the NBA season is underway, so I guess it’s time to start being serious and say something about these teams.

Last month, I analyzed starters and depth for every team. Now that we have some regular-season games to work with, we can see how each team prefers to line up.

With that said, it is still early in the season. Teams are playing well that haven’t been hit with adversity yet. Teams are playing far below expectations that will have a chance to click within the next month or two. Two weeks is about the length of a playoff series. Rankings over the next few weeks will be volatile as we increase the sample.

What we will do today, besides the whole ranking teams thing that you look for, is look at how each team is starting games and its key reserves. Players who have yet to debut or have been ruled out for the season are not included, and I’m only listing three to five players as key reserves for each team. There are no 11-man rotations; you have to cut that off at some point.

Fine print: These Power Rankings won’t just rank every team. We’ll retain the tiers that teams will be promoted into and relegated out of. There will be five tiers each week:

• Top Contenders – Locked at five, these are the class of the league
• In a Good Place – Could be one team, could be seven teams
• The Bubble – Not to be confused with Walt Disney World. The middle of the pack
• Not the Tier to Fear – Not playing the worst ball in the league, but with a lot of work to do
• Basement Floor – Bringing up the rear

What to expect from Power Rankings:

• These are my subjective rankings. I will consider a variety of objective measures, but it’s my final call.
• These rankings are not just a review of the past week — we are projecting forward as well, so it is a balance of the two.
• These are subjective, but not biased. There are no agendas in the Power Rankings, and we strive for an inclusive meritocracy
• The one quality that these rankings possess: “Ruthless aggression.”
• Enjoy the games, and enjoy the rankings, please!

For Week 3 of The Athletic NBA Power Rankings, we will explore rotation charts for each team. Win-loss records and other statistical data are through Sunday’s action.

Tier 1: Top Contenders

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (7-0)

Last ranking: 1
In the last week: W at DAL, W vs SAC, W vs WAS, W vs NO
Offensive rating: 117.3 (seventh place)
Defensive rating: 104.2 (first place)

Starters: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace, Luguentz Dort, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein
Key reserves: Aaron Wiggins, Alex Caruso, Ajay Mitchell, Jaylin Williams, Isaiah Joe

Perhaps it would have been a concern if the Thunder had dropped more than one of their games this week. But they didn’t, as Gilgeous-Alexander and a top-ranked defense have been enough to leave the defending champions as the last undefeated team standing. And that’s with Holmgren missing time because of back woes and Jalen Williams suffering a setback in his recovery from offseason wrist surgery.

2. Houston Rockets (3-2)

Last ranking: 15
In the last week: W vs BRK, W at TOR, W at BOS
Offensive rating: 126.5 (first place)
Defensive rating: 113.5 (12th place)

Starters: Amen Thompson, Josh Okogie, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Şengün
Key reserves: Tari Eason, Steven Adams, Reed Sheppard, Clint Capela

The Rockets didn’t exactly face a murderer’s row of opponents, and they lit up the Nets, Raptors and Celtics accordingly, dropping more than 125 points on each. Houston didn’t have a three-game streak of scoring more than 125 points all of last season. Okogie is shooting 63.6 percent from the field and 60 percent from 3 to begin the season. Those are unsustainable numbers, but Houston has to ride the wave while it is high, and it has while starting Okogie in place of Week 1 starter Adams.

3. Los Angeles Lakers (5-2)

Last ranking: 6
In the last week: L vs POR, W at MIN, W at MEM, W vs MIA
Offensive rating: 117.1 (eighth place)
Defensive rating: 115.4 (17th place)

Starters: Luka Dončić, Gabe Vincent, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Deandre Ayton
Key reserves: Jake LaRavia, Jaxson Hayes, Marcus Smart, Jarred Vanderbilt, Dalton Knecht

Sunday’s win over the Miami Heat was the first time that the Lakers didn’t get a 40-point performance or a buzzer-beating game-winning field goal. They did settle for LaRavia running and cutting his way to his second 10-bucket game of the week. The Lakers are leading the Pacific Division while patiently waiting for LeBron James to make his season debut.

4. Denver Nuggets (3-2)

Last ranking: 5
In the last week: W at MIN, W vs NO, L at POR
Offensive rating: 121.1 (third place)
Defensive rating: 109.6 (fourth place)

Starters: Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Cameron Johnson, Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokić
Key reserves: Tim Hardaway Jr., Peyton Watson, Bruce Brown, Jonas Valančiūnas

The Michael Porter Jr. trade was critical for the Nuggets because they needed to get a new bench with the savings. Through five games, Denver is outscoring foes by 62 points when any of its reserves are on the floor. But the five-man lineup of Murray, Braun, Johnson, Gordon and Jokić has been outscored by a point in their first 86 minutes together, with the offense scoring only 108.0 points per 100 possessions. Last year’s starters with Porter instead of Johnson outscored opponents by an average of 3.8 points per game while scoring 125.0 points per 100 possessions.

5. Golden State Warriors (4-3)

Last ranking: 4
In the last week: W vs MEM, W vs LAC, L at MIL, L at IND
Offensive rating: 114.8 (17th place)
Defensive rating: 112.7 (ninth place)

Starters: Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Jimmy Butler III, Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green
Key reserves: Moses Moody, Al Horford, Buddy Hield, Quinten Post

It looked like the Warriors had a defensive performance to hang their hat on when they held the Clippers under 80 points on the second night of a back-to-back. Then they went to Milwaukee and Indiana and got lit up by fill-in point guards Ryan Rollins and Quenton Jackson. Golden State has rotated starting lineups, electing to start Post against centers they don’t want Green to deal with while keeping Horford in the second unit.

Tier 2: In a Good Place

6. San Antonio Spurs (5-1)

Last ranking: 12
In the last week: W vs TOR, W vs MIA, L at PHO
Offensive rating: 117.0 (ninth place)
Defensive rating: 108.2 (second place)

Starters: Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie, Harrison Barnes, Victor Wembanyama
Key reserves: Dylan Harper, Luke Kornet, Jordan McLaughlin, Keldon Johnson

In case you haven’t heard by now, the San Antonio Spurs had never started 5-0 before Wembanyama declared that this team should be the one to break that barrier. They did that, then promptly got destroyed in Phoenix, a costly loss that ended with lottery rookie Harper in a walking boot. De’Aaron Fox’s fit on this team is a top curiosity, as Harper’s injury puts the spotlight on a player who has yet to make his season debut because of a bad hamstring.

7. Philadelphia 76ers (5-1)

Last ranking: 14
In the last week: W vs ORL, W at WAS, L vs BOS, W at BRK
Offensive rating: 123.0 (second place)
Defensive rating: 115.8 (19th place)

Starters: Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Kelly Oubre Jr., Dominick Barlow, Joel Embiid
Key reserves: Quentin Grimes, Trendon Watford, Jabari Walker, Adem Bona

Philadelphia was going to lose one of these coin flip games at some point, and it’s only appropriate that the Celtics paid the Sixers back after their Week 1 encounter ended with Philly winning by one. But the Sixers are starting to win games more decisively as well, and they are still keeping a spot warm for Paul George. They need George to take some of the perimeter workload, because they have three of the top four minutes gas guzzlers in the league in Maxey (league-leading 42.4 per game), Edgecombe (second at 38.9) and Oubre (fourth at 38.1 per game).

8. Chicago Bulls (5-1)

Last ranking: 13
In the last week: W vs ATL, W vs SAC, W vs NY, L at NY
Offensive rating: 118.3 (fifth place)
Defensive rating: 112.9 (11th place)

Starters: Josh Giddey, Tre Jones, Isaac Okoro, Matas Buzelis, Nikola Vučević
Key reserves: Ayo Dosunmu, Patrick Williams, Kevin Huerter, Jalen Smith

The Bulls were finally on the wrong side of some hot shooting, as New York assailed them with 20 3s. But the Knicks made 18 3s in Chicago on Halloween, and the Bulls still were able to stretch their start to 5-0. Chicago’s current starting five-man group is actually getting outscored on the season, so the Bulls could use Coby White on offense at least.

9. Milwaukee Bucks (4-2)

Last ranking: 8
In the last week: W vs NY, W vs GS, L vs SAC
Offensive rating: 120.8 (fourth place)
Defensive rating: 115.4 (18th place)

Starters: Kevin Porter Jr., AJ Green, Gary Trent Jr., Giannis Antetokounmpo, Myles Turner
Key reserves: Ryan Rollins, Kyle Kuzma, Taurean Prince, Bobby Portis, Cole Anthony

Porter was set up to be a big part of Milwaukee’s lineup around Antetokounmpo, but he sprained his ankle in the season opener and injured his right knee during return-to-play protocol. We’ll see if Porter gets his job back next month, because Rollins has been a revelation, combining efficient offensive performance with defensive playmaking (14 steals in six games). Milwaukee does need to defend better with Antetokounmpo on the floor, as the Bucks have allowed 124.2 points per 100 possessions in the 75 minutes that Rollins, Antetokounmpo, Green, Trent and Turner are on the court together.

10. Portland Trail Blazers (4-2)

Last ranking: 17
In the last week: W at LAL, W at UTA, W vs DEN
Offensive rating: 115.4 (13th place)
Defensive rating: 110.1 (fifth place)

Starters: Jrue Holiday, Shaedon Sharpe, Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara, Donovan Clingan
Key reserves: Jerami Grant, Kris Murray, Blake Wesley, Robert Williams III, Matisse Thybulle

Chauncey Billups is on leave, but this is the fourth year out of five that his team came out of training camp to have a respectable start to a season. Portland was 10-8 in 2021, 10-4 in 2022 and 3-3 in 2023. This season’s 4-2 start has some more teeth to it, especially with how tight the rotation is and with how veterans in new roles (Holiday as a trade acquisition, Grant as a reserve, even Damian Lillard as an inactive player but active presence) have contributed to Portland’s competitiveness under Tiago Splitter.

Jrue Holiday celebrates a 3-pointer against the Jazz. (Rob Gray / Imagn Images)

11. Detroit Pistons (4-2)

Last ranking: 10
In the last week: L vs CLE, W vs ORL, W vs DAL (Mexico)
Offensive rating: 114.3 (18th place)
Defensive rating: 111.3 (seventh place)

Starters: Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren
Key reserves: Ronald Holland II, Isaiah Stewart, Caris LeVert, Javonte Green

When Cunningham had his career high 18 assists last year in a win against Robinson and the Miami Heat, he had four turnovers in that game. Now, Robinson is starting with Cunningham, and the Pistons got a win in Mexico City against the Mavericks with Cunningham dropping 18 more dimes, with only one turnover. Jaden Ivey’s injury means that Detroit still has another major piece to incorporate, but the fact that Cunningham has a 28:1 assist-turnover ratio in his last two games suggests that he’s starting to click with the group he is out there with.

12. Cleveland Cavaliers (4-3)

Last ranking: 3
In the last week: W at DET, L at BOS, L vs TOR, W vs ATL
Offensive rating: 111.3 (26th place)
Defensive rating: 111.0 (sixth place)

Starters: Donovan Mitchell, Sam Merrill, De’Andre Hunter, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen
Key reserves: Jaylon Tyson, Dean Wade, Lonzo Ball, Larry Nance Jr., Craig Porter Jr.

Last year’s top-ranked offense is off to a difficult start this season, as Mitchell has to do entirely too much while Darius Garland (toe) gets healthy. Mitchell is a special player who is capable of outscoring an entire team by himself from 3, as the Hawks learned. But he has a hard job right now, especially with Cleveland also dealing with injuries to Allen (off-hand finger fracture) and Max Strus.

Tier 3: The Bubble

13. Miami Heat (3-3)

Last ranking: 7
In the last week: W vs CHA, L at SA, L at LAL
Offensive rating: 116.4 (10th place)
Defensive rating: 108.9 (third place)

Starters: Davion Mitchell, Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins, Bam Adebayo, Kel’el Ware
Key reserves: Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic, Dru Smith, Simone Fontecchio, Pelle Larsson

I asked Erik Spoelstra about defending at a high level while being the league’s fastest team. Spoelstra’s response: “You know who my boss is, right?” That was a great moment, but the concerns of Miami playing as fast as it was (especially without All-Star Tyler Herro) showed up while the Heat gave up 130 points to the Lakers on the front end of a back-to-back.

14. LA Clippers (3-2)

Last ranking: 11
In the last week: L at GS, W vs NO
Offensive rating: 115.1 (16th place)
Defensive rating: 115.9 (20th place)

Starters: James Harden, Bradley Beal, Kawhi Leonard, Derrick Jones Jr., Ivica Zubac
Key reserves: Kris Dunn, John Collins, Nicolas Batum, Brook Lopez, Chris Paul

A Leonard buzzer-beater ensured the Clippers would end Week 2 with a winning record, but their schedule was supposed to give them a 5-0 start. Instead, they have played two games that would have been worse than any game they played last year and have three wins that they shouldn’t apologize for. This is a big week for Beal, as the Clippers host the man he replaced Monday (Norman Powell with the Miami Heat) before they visit Beal’s former team in Phoenix on Thursday as part of a home-and-home series.

15. New York Knicks (3-3)

Last ranking: 2
In the last week: L at MIL, L at CHI, W vs CHI
Offensive rating: 116.2 (11th place)
Defensive rating: 115.3 (16th place)

Starters: Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mitchell Robinson
Key reserves: Miles McBride, Josh Hart, Landry Shamet, Guerschon Yabusele, Jordan Clarkson

The preferred starting lineup under Mike Brown has only played 12 minutes together. Those 12 minutes have been encouraging, as New York has outscored opponents 37-26 in that time. But New York hasn’t looked special to begin the season, and it appears that Josh Hart’s hand issues will affect his offense (31.0 percent field goals, 14.3 percent 3s) indefinitely.

16. Minnesota Timberwolves (3-3)

Last ranking: 9
In the last week: L vs DEN, L vs LAL, W at CHA
Offensive rating: 115.3 (14th place)
Defensive rating: 116.9 (23rd place)

Starters: Donte DiVincenzo, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert
Key reserves: Mike Conley, Naz Reid, Terrence Shannon Jr., Jaylen Clark, Bones Hyland

Minnesota made the decision in January to start DiVincenzo and bring Conley off the bench. That arrangement lasted six games before DiVicenzo injured his toe, and Conley retained the starting job for the rest of the season. Now, Conley and DiVincenzo are starting together while Edwards recovers from a hamstring injury; fortunately for Minnesota, Randle is off to a tremendous offensive start.

17. Boston Celtics (3-4)

Last ranking: 26
In the last week: W at NO, W vs CLE, W at PHI, L vs HOU
Offensive rating: 115.2 (15th place)
Defensive rating: 114.2 (13th place)

Starters: Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Jaylen Brown, Josh Minott, Neemias Queta
Key reserves: Anfernee Simons, Sam Hauser, Hugo Gonzalez, Luka Garza

Boston has settled on Minott as a starting power forward up front with Brown and Queta, and that five-man starting lineup has outscored foes 114-102 in 47 minutes together. The same lineup, but with Hauser instead of Minott, has outscored foes by 26 points in 29 minutes. The problem is that in every other five-man lineup Boston has put on the floor, the Celtics have been outscored by 29 points.

18. Orlando Magic (3-4)

Last ranking: 22
In the last week: L at PHI, L at DET, W at CHA, W at WAS
Offensive rating: 113.0 (22nd place)
Defensive rating: 112.7 (10th place)

Starters: Jalen Suggs, Desmond Bane, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr.
Key reserves: Anthony Black, Goga Bitadze, Tristan da Silva, Tyus Jones

The 56 minutes that the Orlando starters have played together have been encouraging. The Magic are outscoring opponents by 29 points in that time, shooting 54.2 percent from the field and have made 14 of 36 3s (38.9 percent). It’s all of the other lineups that have been an issue, as Orlando shoots only 32.4 percent from 3 in all other five-man groups while getting outscored by 25 points. Bane still hasn’t found his shot, as he is still wallowing at 25.8 percent from 3 through seven games.

19. Charlotte Hornets (3-4)

Last ranking: 18
In the last week: L at MIA, L vs ORL, L vs MIN, W vs UTA
Offensive rating: 117.7 (sixth place)
Defensive rating: 117.2 (25th place)

Starters: LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Miles Bridges, Ryan Kalkbrenner
Key reserves: Collin Sexton, Moussa Diabate, Sion James, Tidjane Salaun, Tre Mann

It took a visit from the Jazz for the Hornets to get a win this week, and that win came with LaMelo Ball missing time because of injury. Kon Knueppel was freed offensively as the ball found him more often for an early career-high 24 points. Charlotte is still waiting on reinforcements Josh Green and Grant Williams, though those two are going to be limited when it comes to Charlotte trying to be a tougher defense.

Tier 4: Not the Tier to Fear

20. Toronto Raptors (3-4)

Last ranking: 20
In the last week: L at SA, L vs HOU, W at CLE, W vs MEM
Offensive rating: 115.8 (12th place)
Defensive rating: 117.1 (24th place)

Starters: Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl
Key reserves: Jamal Shead, Collin Murray-Boyles, Gradey Dick, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Ochai Agbaji

Only two Toronto five-man lineups have played more than 10 minutes together; the starters listed as well as rookie Murray-Boyles in place of Poeltl with the rest of the starters. Those two lineups have been outscored by 47 points in 90 minutes. All other Raptors lineups have outscored opponents by 39 points, but Toronto’s best players have not quieted any chatter about fitting in together.

Do Brandon Ingram and the rest of Toronto’s starters make sense together? (David Richard / Imagn Images)

21. Atlanta Hawks (3-4)

Last ranking: 21
In the last week: L at CHI, W at BRK, W at IND, L at CLE
Offensive rating: 111.9 (25th place)
Defensive rating: 114.9 (15th place)

Starters: Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, Jalen Johnson, Kristaps Porziņģis
Key reserves: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Onyeka Okongwu, Luke Kennard, Mouhamed Gueye, Vit Krejčí

The silver lining to Young’s MCL injury is that it puts the ball in Johnson’s hands even more than it already was while giving Nickeil Alexander-Walker the playing time of a starter. The downside is that Atlanta simply isn’t deep, and when the Hawks can’t make shots, it gets messy. And it looks like it’ll be messy for the next month.

22. Memphis Grizzlies (3-4)

Last ranking: 16
In the last week: L at GS, W at PHO, L vs LAL, L at TOR
Offensive rating: 112.4 (24th place)
Defensive rating: 116.8 (22nd place)

Starters: Ja Morant, Jaylen Wells, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jaren Jackson Jr., Jock Landale
Key reserves: Vince Williams Jr., Cedric Coward, Cam Spencer, Santi Aldama, Javon Small

As if dealing with Morant’s durability concerns isn’t enough, the Grizzlies were moved to suspend Morant for the Toronto trip. This was despite the fact that Memphis has a brutal injury situation at center (Zach Edey, Brandon Clarke) and reserve guard (Ty Jerome, Scotty Pippen Jr.) that leaves the rotation in a severe state of flux entering November. Whatever the issue is between Morant and the coaching staff, the Grizzlies aren’t good enough to compete without Morant available and playing well.

23. Phoenix Suns (3-4)

Last ranking: 25
In the last week: L at UTA, L vs MEM, W vs UTA, W vs SA
Offensive rating: 113.7 (20th place)
Defensive rating: 116.1 (21st place)

Starters: Devin Booker, Grayson Allen, Dillon Brooks, Ryan Dunn, Mark Williams
Key reserves: Royce O’Neale, Oso Ighodaro, Collin Gillespie, Nick Richards

A tough start to the week for the Suns as they lost in overtime at Utah and in the final minute against the Grizzlies. But then the Suns exacted revenge on the Jazz before an eye-opening beatdown of the Spurs. Booker is off to a tremendous start, scoring at least 28 points in six of seven games while the Suns wait for Jalen Green (hamstring) to make his Suns debut.

24. Sacramento Kings (2-4)

Last ranking: 23
In the last week: L at OKC, L at CHI, W at MIL
Offensive rating: 113.9 (19th place)
Defensive rating: 117.7 (27th place)

Starters: Dennis Schröder, Russell Westbrook, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis
Key reserves: Malik Monk, Nique Clifford, Keon Ellis, Drew Eubanks

Last month, after the Kings signed Westbrook, head coach Doug Christie said that he wants “Russ to be Russ” but also noted that Westbrook “plays multiple positions.” That has been the case so far in Sacramento, as he has played with and without Schröder while helping the Kings account for Keegan Murray’s injury recovery. The Westbrook lineup with the rest of the starters was a mess before a big win in Milwaukee that saw Westbrook facilitate offense, get offensive rebounds, run the break and even guard Giannis and Myles Turner.

25. Utah Jazz (2-4)

Last ranking: 19
In the last week: W vs PHO, L vs POR, L at PHO, L at CHA
Offensive rating: 113.4 (21st place)
Defensive rating: 117.4 (26th place)

Starters: Keyonte George, Svi Mykhailiuk, Taylor Hendricks, Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler
Key reserves: Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Filipowski, Ace Bailey, Jusuf Nurkić, Brice Sensabaugh

Markkanen dropped 51 points in an overtime win against the Suns, and it made you wonder what kind of things he could lead a surprising Utah team toward this season. But then the Jazz couldn’t complete a comeback against the Trail Blazers, Kessler started missing games because of a shoulder injury, and the Jazz ended the week with a losing record and a bench that looks like a mess. Bailey is having a rough start to his career, as he has only made 27.5 percent of his field goal attempts and is shooting 13.3 percent from 3.

Tier 5: Basement Floor

26. Dallas Mavericks (2-4)

Last ranking: 28
In the last week: L vs OKC, W vs IND, L vs DET (Mexico)
Offensive rating: 104.2 (30th place)
Defensive rating: 112.0 (eighth place)

Starters: Cooper Flagg, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II
Key reserves: Max Christie, Naji Marshall, D’Angelo Russell, Daniel Gafford

The Mavericks continued to be promoted as a good team because they made the 2024 NBA Finals, acquired Davis, drafted Flagg and are waiting on Kyrie Irving to return later in the season. The fact that Dallas was shaky for most of the 2023-24 season and all of the 2024-25 season was mostly glossed over. The start to this season has made the Mavericks’ shakiness a little clearer, with Flagg looking like a rookie (37.3 percent field goals, 3.0 assists per game as starting point guard), Davis and Lively already missing games because of injury and Thompson looking like he needs to be benched more than he already has been.

27. Indiana Pacers (1-5)

Last ranking: 29
In the last week: L at DAL, L vs ATL, W vs GS
Offensive rating: 106.0 (29th place)
Defensive rating: 114.8 (14th place)

Starters: Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Isaiah Jackson
Key reserves: Jarace Walker, Obi Toppin, Ben Sheppard, Jay Huff, Quenton Jackson

An offense that was already going to have to figure it out without Tyrese Haliburton and with one of the worst center situations in the league lost Nembhard, Mathurin and Toppin within a week to indefinite injury. Backup point guard T.J. McConnell has yet to debut this season because of a hamstring injury as well. It took Nesmith breaking out to get the Pacers on the board in the win column; Nesmith had as many two-point field goals (five) and free throws (six) against the Warriors as he had in the first five games of the season combined.

28. Washington Wizards (1-5)

Last ranking: 27
In the last week: L vs PHI, L at OKC, L vs ORL
Offensive rating: 106.4 (28th place)
Defensive rating: 119.6 (28th place)

Starters: CJ McCollum, Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George, Khris Middleton, Alex Sarr
Key reserves: Bub Carrington, Cam Whitmore, Tre Johnson, Marvin Bagley III, Corey Kispert

Coulibaly’s return from injury sent Carrington to the bench, which is at least partially a nod to how well George has played as the primary playmaker. McCollum is the small guard and nominal point guard, but this offense runs through George, who leads the team in scoring and assists while shooting 55.4 percent from the field and 54.5 percent from 3. Unfortunately for Washington’s offense, McCollum still takes the most shots on the team and is only averaging 14.2 points on 37.2 percent shooting.

29. Brooklyn Nets (0-6)

Last ranking: 30
In the last week: L at HOU, L vs ATL, L vs PHI
Offensive rating: 112.9 (23rd place)
Defensive rating: 128.6 (30th place)

Starters: Tyrese Martin, Cam Thomas, Terance Mann, Michael Porter Jr., Nic Claxton
Key reserves: Egor Demin, Noah Clowney, Ziaire Williams, Day’Ron Sharpe

Brooklyn was starting Ben Saraf at point guard to begin the season, but it stopped that by the end of the weekend. It’s not like the offense was much better with Martin running it, as Martin was scoreless on six shots. The Nets have been the NBA’s worst defense through two weeks, so it hasn’t really mattered who is the point guard; Brooklyn has allowed more than 125 points four times already.

30. New Orleans Pelicans (0-6)

Last ranking: 24
In the last week: L vs BOS, L at DEN, L at LAC, L at OKC
Offensive rating: 106.8 (27th place)
Defensive rating: 124.2 (29th place)

Starters: Jeremiah Fears, Herbert Jones, Trey Murphy III, Zion Williamson, Yves Missi
Key reserves: Jordan Poole, Derik Queen, Saddiq Bey, Kevon Looney, Jose Alvarado

The Pelicans didn’t lay down and quit when they visited the Clippers, as they erased a 17-point third-quarter deficit and were a Leonard buzzer-beater away from overtime. But then they went back to getting shellacked by 30 in a visit to Oklahoma City, where the Thunder were short-handed. Willie Green’s team has given up at least 120 points in each game to begin this season, and the vibes are funkier than Zatarain’s seasoning.