The opening week of the 2024–25 NBA Season is in the books, and all 30 teams have played at least two games each. That leads us to Rebanse’s first-ever weekly ranking, where we sort the teams from best to worst according to how they performed in the preceding week.
So, without further ado, we present to you the Rebanse NBA Weekly Rankings, with a familiar name atop the leaderboard:
1. Los Angeles Lakers (3-0)
Three wins over playoff teams from last season; a suddenly organized, flowing offense; a more connected, active defense, and an MVP-caliber start from Anthony Davis have Lakers fans all fired up.
2. Boston Celtics (3-0)
A trio of wins to start the season and a looming Jayson Tatum revenge tour get the Cs to no. 2 in our first weekly rankings. Kristaps Porzingis isn’t even on the roster yet.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder (2-0)
Thunder are primed for an encore with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (25.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 4.0 SPG) picking up from where he left off last season and Chet Holmgren (23 PPG, 15 PPG, 2 BPG) set to make a leap.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers (3-0)
Cavs looking good early, with three double-digit wins, a prolific offense, and Evan Mobley (20.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG) looking like an emerging All-Star.
5. Golden State Warriors (2-0)
Move over, Splash Brothers, the Splash Buddies are in! Buddy Hield has been sensational for the Warriors, who are getting contributions from everyone and from everywhere.
6. Phoenix Suns (2-1)
Mike Budenholzer has the Suns offense looking smoother and more fluid, and they would’ve easily been 3-0 if not for a major slip-up against the Lakers.
7. Atlanta Hawks (2-0)
Trae Young’s torrid start—34.0 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 11.0 APG, 2.5 SPG—has the Hawks off to a flying start this season.
8. New Orleans Pelicans (2-0)
Brandon Ingram (27.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG) playing with a chip on his shoulder and Jordan Hawkins (18.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG) proving steady off the bench has the Pelicans looking good early
9. Orlando Magic (2-1)
Magic playing hard as usual and getting big games from their franchise bigs—Paolo Banchero (24.0 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 6.0 APG) and Franz Wagner (26.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 6-for-12 3PT).
10. Minnesota Timberwolves (2-1)
Anthony Edwards (27.6 PPG) and Julius Randle (24.3 PPG) looking like a potent one-two punch for the Wolves, who have two solid wins after an opening-day loss to the Lakers.
11. Memphis Grizzlies (2-1)
Ja Morant (20.7 PPG, 7.3 APG) fixes most of the Grizzlies’ problems, but Santi Aldama (170. PPG, 5.7 RPG) has been a pleasant surprise.
12. Dallas Mavericks (1-1)
The Mavs’ own Big 3 of Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and Klay Thompson looked good in their first two games, but the defense needs to be better.
13. New York Knicks (1-1)
Bounce-back blowout of the Indiana Pacers gives the Knicks the blueprint for a successful season: lots of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.
14. Los Angeles Clippers (1-1)
A win and a loss against two playoff teams from last season is a good sign for the Kawhi Leonard-less Clippers.
15. Houston Rockets (1-2)
A break here and there and the young Rockets would’ve been 2-1 or 3-0. Fourth-year man Jalen Green (26.3 PPG) looks ready to lead.
16. Charlotte Hornets (1-2)
LaMelo Ball (31.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 7.3 APG) is back and ballin’ and the Hornets have been competitive all three games.
17. Miami Heat (1-2)
Where Jimmy Butler goes, so do the Heat, who bounced back from their season-opening loss to the Magic thanks to a Butler fourth-quarter takeover.
18. Milwaukee Bucks (1-1)
Bucks remain a work in progress after an opening-day win against the depleted Philadelphia 76ers and a double-digit loss to the Chicago Bulls.
19. San Antonio Spurs (1-1)
After a mediocre outing in the Spurs’ season opener against the Mavs, Wembanyama looked more comfortable vs. the Rockets and may be a portent of things to come.
20. Chicago Bulls (1-2)
A roller-coaster week for the young Bulls—a double-digit win sandwiched by two blowout losses—suggests potential problems with consistency.
21. Toronto Raptors (1-2)
Going 1-2 against three playoff teams from last season ought to be a win for these Raptors, who are still in flux.
22. Indiana Pacers (1-1)
Tyrese Haliburton looks nothing like the All-Star he was last year, and it is an early-season concern for the Pacers for sure.
23. Sacramento Kings (0-2)
Two down-the-wire losses to start the season—to the Wolves and Lakers—aren’t a cause for alarm yet for the talented Kings.
24. Denver Nuggets (0-2)
Russell Westbrook is –35 in 40 minutes off the bench and is a ghastly 2-for-18 from the field. Perimeter shooting shaping up to be a major problem.
25. Philadelphia 76ers (0-2)
No Joel Embiid and Paul George have the Sixers stumbling out of the gate. That’s a bad omen for the notoriously injury-riddled duo.
26. Detroit Pistons (0-2)
The close game versus the defending champs puts the downtrodden Pistons up a notch, but the season looks headed for the lottery again.
27. Utah Jazz (0-2)
Growing pains for the youthful Jazz, who are getting good numbers from their young core.
28. Portland Trailblazers (0-2)
Scoot Henderson (18.5 PPG, 5.0 APG, 51.9% shooting) starting to show flashes of brilliance is at least a reason for optimism.
29. Brooklyn Nets (0-2)
Cam Thomas has been a bright spot. Ben Simmons’ return is encouraging. Everything else appears bleak for the Nets at this point.
30. Washington Wizards (0-2)
Two games, and two blowout losses for the Wizards. Not much of a surprise here, right?
