After a week hiatus, Sixers Wire has returned with the power rankings. Much has happened around the association as there have been firings in New Orleans and Dallas and there has been a lot of movement in the latest rankings.
It’s time to size up the league. The Philadelphia 76ers have been solid, but have slid bit. Are they on the same level as the Detroit Pistons? The New York Knicks? Or the Cleveland Cavaliers? Have the Orlando Magic and the Atlanta Hawks figured it out? There are questions to answer.
Out West, the Oklahoma City Thunder continue to reign supreme while teams like the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Houston Rockets look to make their move to dethrone the defending champs.
Here are the power rankings three weeks into the 2025-26 season:
30. Washington Wizards (1-13)
Previous ranking: 29
The Wizards are a mess. They are dead last in defensive rating, have lost 12 in a row, and they have not been able to execute in crunch time. The presence of CJ McCollum and Khris Middleton was supposed to help in those instances, but the Wizards have been lifeless on the floor.
Previous ranking: 30
The Nets are out of the power rankings basement! They beat the aforementioned Wizards on the road, so that allowed them to move up a spot. If there is one real criticism of coach Jordi Fernandez right now, it’s that he isn’t playing the team’s rookies enough. Brooklyn’s season will be judged based on how those youngsters develop so the Nets need them to get court time.
Previous ranking: 27
What is this franchise? The Pelicans have put on a clinic of how not to run things as they do not have a first-round pick in June due to the trade that Joe Dumars made and then fired coach Willie Green amid this miserable start. Losers of seven in a row, there isn’t much hope for this organization at the moment.
27. Sacramento Kings (3-12)
Previous ranking: 23
The Kings look lifeless at times. One has to give coach Doug Christie credit for trying, but this Sacramento team doesn’t have much going for it. One has to believe the Kings will be active at the deadline looking to offload some of the veterans on the roster and try to stock up some younger pieces.
Previous ranking: 28
The Pacers have been hit with NBA reality. One win away from a championship in the previous season, the losses of Tyrese Haliburton to injury and Myles Turner to free agency plus injuries to other key players just killed any chances Indiana had at competing this season. Life in the NBA can be so cruel.
25. Dallas Mavericks (4-12)
Previous ranking: 25
Well, at least they finally moved on from Nico Harrison. The Mavericks needed a reset following that disastrous Luka Doncic trade (seriously. Who willingly trades Luka Doncic?). Now, Dallas needs to move on quickly and pick a new direction as things begin to get really dire around the Mavs.
24. Charlotte Hornets (4-11)
Previous ranking: 21
Every time one thinks the Hornets are finally making progress, they have a loss that reminds you that they’re still just the Hornets. That loss came in Indiana on Wednesday in a contest they shouldn’t have lost. If Charlotte wants to take steps forward, it has to win games against teams like the struggling Pacers to make a run at least the play-in.
23. Memphis Grizzlies (4-11)
Previous ranking: 26
Another team in disarray, the Grizzlies might as well embrace the tank. They have not been able to find any type of consistency with Ja Morant being in and out of the lineup and they have lost a slew of close games. One positive has been the play of rookie Cedric Coward who looks like he is going to be a real player in this league.
22. Los Angeles Clippers (4-10)
Previous ranking: 19
The Clippers have a lot of talent. Seriously, they do, but they are aging and dealing with injuries. James Harden has been terrific as he has thrown LA on his back at times, but then there’s the absence of Bradley Beal, who will miss the rest of the season, and Kawhi Leonard is dealing with his usual assortment of issues.
Previous ranking: 24
One has to give the Jazz this: they are always going to play hard. A lot of credit deserves to go to coach Will Hardy who has this team ready to play and prepared for whatever matchup they have in front of them. Lauri Markkanen has been fantastic while Jusuf Nurkic has been solid, and Keyonte George and Ace Bailey continue to grow.
20. Portland Trail Blazers (6-9)
Previous ranking: 12
The Blazers are still in the play-in race here in the early part of the season sitting at the No. 9 seed in the West, but they have lost four in a row and are struggling to find consistency. The play of Deni Avdija has been awesome to see and second-year big man Donovan Clingan has taken steps forward, but Portland needs to close out games.
19. Golden State Warriors (9-8)
Previous ranking: 13
The Warriors have done a lot of complaining about the schedule, but that won’t fix their offensive attack. Golden State ranks 23rd in the league in offensive rating while putting a lot of pressure on Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler to create offense. The Dubs need to get it together before they fall too far out of the top 6 race in the competitive West.
18. Milwaukee Bucks (8-7)
Previous ranking: 11
The Bucks will certainly miss Giannis Antetokounmpo for a week or two, but coach Doc Rivers loves coaching short-handed squads. Rivers-coached teams always seem to find a way to win games without their main pieces—see what he did in Philadelphia without Joel Embiid. So, there is a chance Milwaukee will be able to stay afloat for the time being.
17. Orlando Magic (8-7)
Previous ranking: 20
The Magic figure to be much better than their record. There is a lot of toughness and talent on this roster as they continue to move forward. They have some big games coming up in the week as they play host to a struggling Clippers team before they head to the City of Brotherly Love to take on the Sixers.
16. Boston Celtics (8-7)
Previous ranking: 18
Another team that’s probably better than their record, the new-look Celtics are still looking to figure it out. With that being said, this is probably who this iteration of the Cs are. They are a .500 basketball team that is looking to just get through until superstar Jayson Tatum can return from his Achilles injury.
Previous ranking: 3
The last time we ranked the Bulls, they were sitting at 6-1 and the top of the East. Well, they’ve come back down to earth and they look like the team we all expected when the season began. Chicago isn’t terrible, but it isn’t great either. With that being said, the Bulls are stuck in the middle which is a place no team wants to be in the league.
14. Philadelphia 76ers (8-6)
Previous ranking: 10
The Sixers have shown flashes of being contenders, but there have also been flashes of head-scratching moments. This team will continue to rely on their guards and hope Paul George and Joel Embiid can return on a consistent basis. Until then, Tyrese Maxey will step up and lead the way for a scrappy team on both ends.
Previous ranking: 15
The Heat have been solid defensively, but they can’t find consistent scoring as they have relied on go-to scorers by committee. Norman Powell has been a big help in that area, but they need Tyler Herro to return from injury and give them a big boost in that scoring department to ultimately find consistency on the floor.
Previous ranking: 22
The Suns deserve a lot of credit. They have been able to play offense at a high level as coach Jordan Ott has led this team to No. 5 in the league in offensive rating and Phoenix is No. 15 on the other end of the floor. The Suns are doing this without key piece Jalen Green who went down with an injury so Devin Booker has had to carry the scoring load—which he is perfectly capable of doing.
11. Atlanta Hawks (9-6)
Previous ranking: 17
The Hawks have been able to surge with Trae Young sidelined as they have been able to come up with a top 10 defense ranking No. 7 in the league in defensive rating. There is a lot to like about this group led by Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker while big man Onyeka Okongwu has take big steps forward in his offensive game as a legitimate 3-point threat.
10. Cleveland Cavaliers (10-6)
Previous ranking: 9
The Cavs are still terrific. Make no mistake that when this team is healthy and in rhythm, there aren’t many teams that can slow them down. With that being said, Cleveland has had to fight through injuries and adversity in the early part of the season and it has held them back a bit in terms of the standings.
9. Minnesota Timberwolves (10-5)
Previous ranking: 14
The Timberwolves have been terrific offensively ranking No. 4 in the league in offensive rating while pairing that with the No. 11 ranked defense in the league. Julius Randle, in particular, has been highly efficient on the offensive end while Anthony Edwards continues to be lethal all over the floor.
Previous ranking: 7
San Antonio is currently No. 9 in offensive rating and No. 3 in defensive rating. Of course, that is due to the presence of Victor Wembanyama who will miss some time with a calf injury. Therefore, the Spurs will have to find a way to stay afloat without their superstar big man, but the presence of De’Aaron Fox will certainly help in that area.
7. New York Knicks (9-5)
Previous ranking: 8
The Knicks finally picked up a road win in Dallas on Wednesday as they welcomed Jalen Brunson back from injury. New York has received strong play from Landry Shamet off its bench along with Mikal Bridges who continues to be consistent as ever on a nightly basis for this team. New York will hope to continue to grow its depth and supporting cast around the star duo of Karl-Anthony Towns and Brunson.
6. Toronto Raptors (10-5)
Previous ranking: 16
The Raptors have made the quartet of Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Brandon Ingram, and Scottie Barnes work on both ends. Throw in reliable center Jakob Poeltl and Toronto boasts one of the stronger starting units in the league. The Raptors have also developed their younger players enough to form a good supporting cast and give coach Darko Rajakovic some options to turn to.
5. Los Angeles Lakers (11-4)
Previous ranking: 2
The Lakers welcomed LeBron James back to the floor in Tuesday’s win over the Jazz to begin his 23rd season in the league. The goal now for coach JJ Redick and Co. is to continue growing the pairing of James and Luka Doncic while also making sure Austin Reaves gets his touches within the offense. Deandre Ayton has had some good moments for the Lakers as well as they look to become contenders.
4. Houston Rockets (10-3)
Previous ranking: 5
The Rockets have shaken off their slow start to quickly shoot their way up the ladder in the West as the No. 3 seed. The duo of Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun is something to behold as they are the perfect duo of shooting and playmaking and they make others around them better. The Rockets certainly need a point guard to organize things, but they are still in a terrific spot at the moment.
3. Denver Nuggets (11-3)
Previous ranking: 4
The Nuggets are cooking on both ends as they are No. 2 in offense and No. 5 in defense. Nikola Jokic is still the best player in the world averaging a robust triple-double while shooting 64.1% from the floor and 40% from deep. Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon have been reliable which makes up for the fact that Cam Johnson is struggling to begin his Denver tenure.
2. Detroit Pistons (13-2)
Previous ranking: 6
The Pistons are rolling. They have won 11 in a row for the first time since 2008—the last time they made the Eastern Conference finals—and they have done so despite missing key pieces. Detroit kept the winning streak going despite missing Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Tobias Harris, and Ausar Thompson for some of the streak, and Jaden Ivey for all of it. The play of two-way guard Daniss Jenkins has been a huge boost.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder (15-1)
Previous ranking: 1
The Thunder are the class of the league. The defending champs have the best defense in the league while also ranking No. 6 in offense. The play of MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to be off the charts and the scary part of all of this is they are running through teams while All-Star Jalen Williams remains sidelined with his injury