Final NBA Reg Season Power Ranking

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25417014-final-nba-power-rankings-after-regular-seasons-epic-finish

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (64-18)

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Previous Rank: 2

Net Rating: 11.1

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished this campaign with averages of 31.1 points and 6.6 assists, an effective field-goal percentage of 59.7 and an NBA-best (by over 100 points) plus-minus of plus-788.

And he did all of that with Jalen Williams only appearing in 33 games and Jay Mitchell, Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso all missing over 20.

His second MVP is just an announcement away. And if he follows that up with another championship and Finals MVP, we're going to start pushing him pretty high up the legacy ladder.

Whether fans realize it or not, we're witnessing all-time stuff from SGA.

2. San Antonio Spurs (62-20)

Previous Rank: 1

Net Rating: 8.4

The San Antonio Spurs dropped two games to the Denver Nuggets in the closing week and change of the season, but Victor Wembanyama sat the second one.

And even with those hiccups, they went 30-4 over the last two and a half months of the season.

With that kind of momentum and their 4-1 record against the Oklahoma City Thunder this season, it's more than fair to consider this team a title contender.

That they got here by Wemby's third season should be terrifying for the rest of the NBA.

3. Boston Celtics (56-26)

Previous Rank: 3

Net Rating: 8.3

The Boston Celtics were supposed to have a gap year. Jayson Tatum would spend it recovering from his torn Achilles. And unloading Kristaps Porziņģis, Al Horford and Jrue Holiday would help them reset their luxury tax.

But Joe Mazzulla, Jaylen Brown and a rock-solid supporting cast had other ideas.

With another high-volume three-point shooting campaign on offense, and thanks in large part to a Derrick White-led defense, Boston already looked like a title contender before Tatum's earlier-than-expected return.

And now that he's back and looking pretty close to his old self, it's almost hard to imagine any other team emerging from the East.

4. Denver Nuggets (54-28)

Previous Rank: 8

Net Rating: 5.2

No team is entering the postseason with quite as much momentum as the Denver Nuggets.

By beating the Victor Wembanyama-less San Antonio Spurs on Sunday (in a game missing most of Denver's regulars, including Jokić in the second half), the Nuggets extended their season-ending streak to 12. And they picked up a bunch of rest in the last two games.

Heading into the first round, Denver will be confident, fresh and led by the first player in NBA history to lead the league in both rebounds and assists per game in a season.

5. Detroit Pistons (60-22)

Previous Rank: 4

Net Rating: 8.4

It's worth reflecting on just how remarkable the last few seasons have been for Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons.

In 2023-24, they went 14-68. It was the worst record in the league and one of the 14 worst single-season winning percentages in league history. A year later, they more than tripled that win total. And this season, they got to 60 wins and finished first in the East.

Cunningham and Jalen Duren were on all three of those teams.

Regardless of what happens in the postseason, this is an organizational turnaround the likes of which we've never really seen before.

10. Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33)

Previous Rank: 12

Net Rating: 3.1

Consistency has been a problem for the Minnesota Timberwolves for most of this season. They finished 9-10 over their last 19 games and have a right-around-the-middle-of-the-league offensive rating.

But the standings shook out pretty well for the T'Wolves, who will face a familiar foe in the Denver Nuggets in the first round.

Since Denver knocked them out of the first round in 2022-23, Minnesota is 11-8 against the Nuggets (when you include the playoffs). The Wolves knocked the '23 champs out in '24.

For years now, their length and aggression on defense has caused serious problems for Denver. With the exception of the injury-plagued Los Angeles Lakers, this was probably the best draw Minnesota could've hoped for.

15. Los Angeles Lakers (53-29)

Previous Rank: 7

Net Rating: 1.5

Losing Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves to injuries in the closing weeks of this season was a full-fledged disaster for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Without them, the team is almost certainly a first-round out.

But their absences also present an opportunity for LeBron James to pull off one of the greatest feats of his storied career.

At 41 years old, could the all-time great really author a first-round upset and buy enough time for Reaves and Luka to get back onto the floor?

Some numbers suggest he can.

This season, when Dončić and Reaves were off the floor, LeBron averaged 30.7 points and 10.9 assists per 75 possessions, while posting an above-average true shooting percentage and positive plus-minus.

20. Golden State Warriors (37-45)

Previous Rank: 20

Net Rating: -0.5

This Golden State Warriors team felt like it was on the fringe of the fringe of the title contenders' tier before Jimmy Butler went down with a torn ACL.

The moment that injury happened, this campaign was effectively over.

Hope was rekindled to a degree, when it looked like there was an outside chance of landing Giannis Antetokounmpo, but that obviously never happened.

So, one of the last near-prime seasons of Stephen Curry will have happened for naught. And as he enters his age-38 campaign in 2026-27, Golden State may soon have to start prioritizing the post-Curry era.

25. Memphis Grizzlies (25-57)

Previous Rank: 22

Net Rating: -6.0

Last offseason's trade of Desmond Bane suggested the Memphis Grizzlies might've at least been willing to entertain a rebuild.

After a slow start and more injuries to Ja Morant, they ripped the band-aid off, traded Jaren Jackson Jr. and tanked like this was the last year to possibly tank (and it may well be, if Adam Silver gets his way!).

Memphis had a whopping 33 different players appear in games this season. Eighteen of them played fewer than 500 minutes.

The organization turned into a revolving door of NBA hopefuls on two-way and 10-day contracts.

And if it results in the Grizzlies coming back next season with a top pick from this draft, Cedric Coward and Zach Edey as the core of their team, great. That's a core Memphis can potentially build around.

30. Washington Wizards (17-65)

Previous Rank: 30

Net Rating: -11.8

The job is done. At least for now.

For the third straight season, the Washington Wizards have reached the finish line with one of the three worst records in the NBA.

Two years ago, that led to the second overall pick (and Alex Sarr). Last year, their reward was dropping to sixth in the draft.

The need to move up doesn't feel quite as extreme this time around. Washington should be more competitive in 2026-27, with Trae Young and Anthony Davis presumably healthy.

But if the Wizards could add any of Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson to that duo, the future would obviously be much brighter.