NBA Power Rankings: Which teams are best prepared to make a deep postseason run?

Gilbert McGregor

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NBA Power Rankings: Which teams are best prepared to make a deep postseason run? image

In less than a week's time, we'll be watching playoff basketball… Well, play-in basketball, with the playoffs to come shortly after.

Now that we've seen all 22 teams take the floor at least five times at the NBA restart, we're here with our final edition of NBA Power Rankings for the 2019-20 season.

At times, it's been difficult to gauge what to take away from some seeding game results. Some elite teams have prioritized rest by imposing minute restrictions while teams with more to play for have benefitted from some special performances to earn unexpected wins. Case in point: the Los Angeles Lakers (2-4), LA Clippers (3-3) and Milwaukee Bucks (2-3) enter the week with a combined record of 7-10 at the restart.

With that in mind, here are the final power rankings, weighing what we've seen at the restart so far and overall playoff readiness.

NBA Power Rankings

22. Washington Wizards

The Wizards were dealt a bad hand when Bradley Beal and Davis Bertans opted out of the restart. The focus is on the future as they were the first team to be eliminated from playoff contention.

21. Sacramento Kings

The postseason drought continues. Sacramento also had bad injury luck that was too much to overcome although the talent of De'Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield is enough to get excited over. The focus shifts to Bogdan Bogdanovic's free agency.

20. New Orleans Pelicans

Many thought that Zion Williamson and the Pelicans were set to make a run and make the playoffs interesting but they have now been eliminated from contention. At times, the effort wasn't there for them, and that's inexcusable. The future is still very very bright for a team with a core of Williamson, Jrue Holiday and Brandon Ingram.

19. Memphis Grizzlies

Rookie of the Year favourite Ja Morant is doing what he can but the absence of Tyus Jones and an injury to Jaren Jackson Jr. has Memphis hanging on for its playoff life after entering Orlando with a nice cushion. A 1-5 start will do that to you.

18. Orlando Magic

After an opening wins over Brooklyn and Sacramento, it appeared that Orlando would cruise to the East's seventh seed. An injury to Jonathan Isaac has seemed to be deflating for the team as its 0-4 since the young star went down.

Now, the Magic are set to face Giannis and the Milwaukee Bucks in the opening round.

17. Brooklyn Nets

With nearly half the roster made up of replacement players, the Brooklyn Nets have been one of the lesser talked about surprising stories from the restart. Caris LeVert and Joe Harris are both talented players and Brooklyn has the talent to make things happen from the perimeter.

Wins over Milwaukee and the LA Clippers are huge confidence boosters ahead of their postseason date with the defending champs.

16. San Antonio Spurs

Do not count the San Antonio Spurs out. Their 22-year postseason streak is on the line but Gregg Popovich and company have continued to find ways to win and remain in the picture. 

DeMar DeRozan has been the veteran leader for an interesting group that has a blend of experience and youth.

15. Phoenix Suns

You've got to give credit where it's due and the Phoenix Suns have treated every game as a must-win, beginning their time in Orlando with a 5-0 record.

They'll need some help but if they can earn a playoff spot, there's no doubt they deserve it.

14. Portland Trail Blazers

Portland has been a big beneficiary of health, getting Zach Collins and Jusuf Nurkic back in tow for the restart. With Damian Lillard leading the way and Gary Trent Jr. shooting ridiculously well, the Blazers look like a team that would've been in the middle of the West's playoff picture had they been healthy all season.

Dame Time clearly is nowhere near over.

13. Philadelphia 76ers

It's hard not to be concerned about Philadelphia. After reports surfaced of an arthroscopic scope that threatened to end All-Star Ben Simmons' season, All-Star Joel Embiid went down with an apparent ankle injury in Philly's next outing.

A lack of health could expedite a first-round exit. 

12. Dallas Mavericks

Simply put, Luka Doncic is incredible, Have you seen what he's been doing during this restart?! 

He'll be making his playoff debut alongside Kristaps Porzingis, which will be fun to watch regardless of who the Mavs draw. 

11. Utah Jazz

The Jazz are just a little difficult to figure out. Losing Bojan Bogdanovic for the season was a huge blow for this team, as he makes them much more well-rounded on the offensive end. As its constructed, Utah is very limited and might have a difficult time getting out of the first round.

10. Indiana Pacers

TJ Warren

​Last week: win vs. WAS, win vs. ORL, loss vs. PHX, win vs. LAL

This week:  vs. MIA, vs. HOU, vs. MIA

Having the hottest player at the restart propels this Pacers team into the Top 10.

What else can be said about T.J. Warren? He's led this Indiana team to a 4-1 record through five games with averages of 34.8 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 60.5% from the field and 55.6% from deep, making up for the absence of All-Star Domantas Sabonis by carrying the offensive load.

While Warren isn't showing any signs of slowing down, the Pacers also have a talented backcourt duo in Malcolm Brogdon and Victor Oladipo, who is still easing himself back in.

If Warren stays hot and the guards get more comfortable, this will be a fun team to watch in the playoffs.

9. Oklahoma City Thunder

paul

​Last week:  loss vs. DEN, win vs. LAL, loss vs. MEM, win vs. WAS

This week:  vs. PHX, vs. MIA, vs. LAC

In his 15th season, Chris Paul is still finding ways to dictate and dominate games. 

CP3 is also in the perfect position to pass the torch to 22-year-old Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is preparing for his second year in the postseason after earning valuable experience as a Clipper last year.

Danilo Gallinari and Dennis Schroeder also have plenty of playoff experience, meaning this Thunder team will be ready for the moment. 

OKC can finish anywhere between third and sixth in the West and will make for an intriguing opponent for whoever it matches up with.

8. Miami Heat

Adebayo

​Last week:  loss vs. TOR, win vs. BOS, loss vs. MIL, loss vs. PHX

This week:  vs. IND, vs. OKC, vs. IND

The Heat have faced some adversity in the form of an injury to All-Star Jimmy Butler and Rookie of the Year finalist Kendrick Nunn leaving the NBA campus to tend to a personal matter.

The absence of key players has presented opportunities for Miami to showcase its depth and the "next man up" mentality.

Rookie Tyler Herro has shown great poise and confidence, Goran Dragic has looked deserving of more Sixth Man of the Year credit than he earned and, of course, All-Star Bam Adebayo is living up to the billing, also earning consideration as a Most Improved Player finalist.

This team is physical and sticks to its principles; it'll be a tough postseason matchup for any team.

7. Denver Nuggets

porter jr

​Last week:  win vs. OKC, win vs. SAS, loss vs. POR, win vs. UTA

This week:  vs. LAL, vs. LAC, vs. TOR

Denver might be one of the most intriguing teams in Orlando purely from a talent perspective.

Nikola Jokic is a one-of-a-kind talent and at this point, has solidified himself as the league’s best centre but the story is breakout rookie Michael Porter Jr., who is showing exactly why he was projected to be a top-three pick before sliding in the 2018 draft.

It’s a tall ask for a first-year player, but if Porter can perform well enough to alternate being the second option with Jamal Murray, the Nuggets are a sneaky team to make a deep run.

Speaking of Murray, he posted a smooth stat line of 23 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in his Orlando debut, an overtime win over the Utah Jazz. 

6. Houston Rockets

Harden

​Last week:  loss vs. POR, win vs. LAL, win vs. SAC

This week:  vs. SAS, vs. IND, vs. PHI

Houston has taken ownership of its small-ball identity and looks to be hitting its stride at the right time.

The Rockets are going to force teams to adjust in the postseason, seemingly accepting the fact that although they’ll have a tough time on the boards and defending traditional bigs, their penchant for 3-point shooting is the ultimate difference-maker.

Of course, the MVP duo of James Harden and Russell Westbrook lead the way but PJ Tucker and Robert Covington are huge catalysts that allow this team to play the way it does. They’ll get Eric Gordon back from injury just in time to re-incorporate him into the rotation, making him the final piece to their small-ball puzzle.

Houston is very capable of making a deep run.

5. Boston Celtics

Tatum

​Last week:  loss vs. MIA, win vs. BKN, win vs. TOR, win vs. ORL

This week:  vs. MEM, vs. WAS

With Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward, who seems to be finding his stride, the Celtics have just about as much talent as anyone else.

They put that on full display with a dominant performance over the Toronto Raptors last week.

Boston has locked up the East's No. 3 seed, so it's hard to call this team a "sleeper," but a deep run is definitely in the cards if things fall into place for this squad.

4. Los Angeles Lakers

LeBron James Anthony Davis

​Last week:  win vs. UTA, loss vs. OKC, loss vs. HOU, loss vs. IND

This week:  vs. DEN, vs. SAC

After beating a shorthanded Clippers team to open the restart, the Lakers… haven’t looked like themselves.

It’s not time to sound the alarm, but a few of L.A.’s flaws could become a cause for concern. After LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who will the Lakers be able to consistently rely on? That is the pressing question for a team with title aspirations.

While LeBron and AD will step their game up for the playoffs, will Kyle Kuzma step up to be the third guy in his first postseason? Will Danny Green find his shooting stroke consistently? Will Dion Waiters give a much-needed jolt off the bench? How will they guard the prolific wings on other teams?

The questions are piling up for the Lakers, but we’ve seen teams clinch the No. 1 seed and coast before. Time will tell if that’s the case here.

3. Toronto Raptors

#Raptors

​Last week:  win vs. MIA, win vs. ORL, loss vs. BOS, win vs. MEM

This week:  vs. MIL, vs. PHI, vs. DEN

When the inevitable bad game happens in the NBA, the true measure of a team is how it bounces back.

Toronto had an awful showing against the Boston Celtics, which was more of an aberration than anything. Outside of that loss, the defending champs have looked more than solid in Orlando, earning wins over the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies.

The Raptors do it by committee and we’ve already seen big games from Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby while All-Star Pascal Siakam had a solid showing against Memphis. Once they begin to click on all cylinders at the same time, the Raptors will be able to tap into another gear.

2. LA Clippers

kawhi-leonard-lou-williams-080620-nbae-gettyimages

​Last week:  loss vs. PHX, win vs. DAL, win vs. POR, loss vs. BKN

This week:  vs. DEN, vs. OKC

If it wasn’t for being on the wrong end of two game-winners, the Clippers could very well find themselves with just one loss at the restart.

Despite its 3-3 record, does any team have a scarier ceiling than LA? Especially when you consider the fact that Sixth Man of the Year finalist Montrezl Harrell has yet to suit up in Orlando. We all know what Kawhi Leonard is capable of doing once he’s in playoff mode and with Paul George looking the healthiest he’s been in years, the star power is impossible to ignore.

The Clippers are deep and everyone knows how to excel in their roles. It’s gonna be hard to beat them four times in seven games.

1. Milwaukee Bucks

bucks-nbae-gettyimages

Last week:  loss vs. BKN, win vs MIA, loss vs. DAL

This week:  vs. TOR, vs. WAS, vs. MEM

It's hard to pick and choose what to take from these seeding games because for each team, the stakes vary.

The Bucks were at their peak form this past week with a win over the Miami Heat in which Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton combined for 66 points to fuel a comeback from 23 down, closing the game on a 19-5 run to clinch the East's top seed.

That's the Bucks team you should expect to see in the postseason.

It's hard to put much stock in their losses because ultimately, they're 40 games above-.500 for a reason, clinching the league's top record for the second straight season.

The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its clubs.

Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.