2024 FTN NBA Power Rankings

Welcome to FTN Fantasy’s NBA Power Rankings!

It’s been a week of high drama in the NBA, and unfortunately, that drama has included several key injuries. Stars like Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler, Zion Williamson and Chet Holmgren are all expected to miss significant time, shaking up the landscape and influencing this week’s rankings. As a result, we’re starting to see the true contenders pull away from the pack, especially in the Eastern Conference, where only two teams are currently holding winning records. Curious to see how far your favorite team dropped due to injury? Check out our full NBA Power Rankings table.

Every Monday, we bring you an up-to-the-minute snapshot of the league with our exclusive power rankings, powered by the FTN NBA Betting Model. These rankings adjust for recent results, injuries and news, giving you a dynamic view of the NBA’s shifting landscape. We also track which teams are trending up – and which are trending down.

But this isn’t just about rankings – it’s about giving you the edge. Whether you’re betting on the NBA or simply keeping tabs on your favorite team’s performance, our rankings provide key insights to help you make smarter decisions. Curious to see how we evaluate a specific matchup? Our NBA Betting Model is constantly updated with the latest data, and we highlight the best value picks in our NBA Bet Tracker.

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Conference:

Team	Conference	Record	Current Rank	Previous	Week Diff	Preseason	Pre Diff	Notes
Boston Celtics	EAST	9-2	1	1	-	1	-	The Celtics are in a league of their own, and they're not even at full strength
Cleveland Cavaliers	EAST	11-0	2	4	+2	8	+6	It's hard to ignore an 11-0 start, but the Cavs are going to be judged by their postseason success
Sacramento Kings	WEST	6-4	3	6	+3	13	+10	The Kings continue to trend upwards in our ratings. Fox is playing at an all-NBA level, and Derozan is still lethal in the clutch
Dallas Mavericks	WEST	5-5	4	3	-1	3	-1	We're not overreacting to the Mavericks 5-5 start. They're banged up right now and have lost some close games
Minnesota Timberwolves	WEST	6-4	5	7	+2	7	+2	Rudy Gobert is the best defender in the league per our ratings, and Anthony Edwards + Randle looks like a formidable offensive duo
New York Knicks	EAST	4-5	6	10	+4	9	+3	While it's not showing up in the W-L column, this Knicks team is playing good basketball. They're 9th in net rating, and three losses are to top-8 teams
Phoenix Suns	WEST	8-2	7	5	-2	6	-1	Phoenix will take an 8-2 record, but they'd like to play in fewer close games. They also need KD to rest up, though it sounds like just a 2 week injury
Oklahoma City Thunder	WEST	8-2	8	2	-6	2	-6	The Thunder are our biggest fallers due to Chet's injury. They clearly looked worse once he went out, and will now have to deal with the fallout for 2+ months
Golden State Warriors	WEST	8-2	9	12	+3	16	+7	The model is buying into the Warriors' fast start. Steph is playing at an all-nba level, and they're also incredibly deep
Denver Nuggets	WEST	7-3	10	8	-2	5	-5	The Joker is playing 38 minutes per night, but that's what the Nuggets need right now. With Aaron Gordon hurt, they need Jamal Murray now more than ever
Milwaukee Bucks	EAST	2-8	11	9	-2	10	-1	The Bucks move down, but not was much as their record indicates. They still have Giannis, so one would expect them to start winning games
Los Angeles Lakers	WEST	6-4	12	11	-1	12	-	Anthony Davis is playing his best basketball in a Laker uniform, averging 31 PPG
Indiana Pacers	EAST	5-5	13	15	+2	18	+5	Haliburton's start is legit concerning, but the Pacers are deep enough to survive his struggles in the regular season
Houston Rockets	WEST	6-4	14	16	+2	19	+5	The Rockets continue to move up our ratings, as Sengun appears to have taken the next step forward
Orlando Magic	EAST	5-6	15	13	-2	15	-	A quick start has been wiped away with Paolo's injury. They need him to return quick, because this team doesn't have enough playmakers without him
Los Angeles Clippers	WEST	6-4	16	18	+2	11	-5	The Clippers record could look even better if they weren't blowing 4th-quarter leads. Norman Powell is trending toward his first all star game
Miami Heat	EAST	4-5	17	14	-3	20	+3	Right when the Heat were starting to stablize, Jimmy Butler goes down with an ankle injury. Even at 35 years old, he's the most important player on the Heat
Atlanta Hawks	EAST	4-7	18	19	+1	21	+3	Zaccharie Risacher is beginning to look more comfortable. His development is the most important thing for the Hawks in a transitional year for their team
Philadelphia 76ers	EAST	2-7	19	17	-2	4	-15	They were able to get a much-need win vs the Hornets on Sunday, but it's clear this team is limited with Embiid and Maxey out.
Brooklyn Nets	EAST	4-6	20	22	+2	26	+6	They've been better than expected, but the Nets are still a play-in team at best
San Antonio Spurs	WEST	4-6	21	23	+2	22	+1	Devin Vasell played well in his return, but they weren't able to beat a poor Jazz team. Unfortutenly, this team is at least a year away from legit contention
Memphis Grizzlies	WEST	7-4	22	20	-2	17	-5	To be 7-4 despite all their injuries should not be ignored. And yet, given who they have healthy right now, it makes sense our model has Memphis this low
Toronto Raptors	EAST	2-9	23	28	+5	27	+4	We still haven't seen Toronto at full health, and a 2-9 start to the season probably means this is a lost season for Toronto
New Orleans Pelicans	WEST	3-7	24	21	-3	14	-10	The Pelicans just can't catch a break. Zion is now out at least a month, and it's possible the season will be lost by the time he returns
Chicago Bulls	EAST	4-6	25	24	-1	25	-	The Bulls look as mediocre as we anticipated. A 4-6 record is about what you'd expect, and it's hard to envision things getting better
Detroit Pistons	EAST	4-7	26	25	-1	24	-2	This year's Pistons team is better than last, but it's still one of the worst teams in basketball
Utah Jazz	WEST	2-7	27	27	-	23	-4	Lauri Markenan is an elite offensive weapon, but that's all the Jazz have going for them
Charlotte Hornets	EAST	4-6	28	26	-2	28	-	Lamelo Ball is fringe all-NBA so far this season, but the Hornets are just so thin across their roster
Portland Trail Blazers	WEST	3-8	29	29	-	30	+1	Anfernee Simons is shooting below 40% this season, a troubling sign for Portland's supposed best player
Washington Wizards	EAST	2-6	30	30	-	29	-1	The Wizards have a fair share of promising young pieces, but they lack the firepower to compete on a nightly basis
	Conference

Key Takeaways

The Eastern Conference is Currently a Two-Team Race

Right now, the Eastern Conference has just two teams above .500 – the Cavs and the Celtics. Outside of the top two, the next-best teams – according to our model – are the Knicks and Bucks, both of which are currently sitting below .500. While it’s still early in the season to draw any major conclusions, the early signs suggest that the No. 3 seed in the East is far more up for grabs than the No. 1 and No. 2 spots.

Don’t Give Up if Your Team is Off to a Slow Start

Every fan hopes their team gets off to a strong start, but it’s important to keep in mind just how early we are in the season. Three of our top-11 teams are currently at or below .500. Our power rankings aim to be more predictive than reactive, and a 10-game sample isn’t enough to make sweeping judgments. So, even though teams like the Mavericks, Knicks and Bucks may have more losses than their fans would like to see, we still expect them to be right in the playoff race when it matters.

The Cavaliers Are LEGIT!

Coming into the season, our model ranked Cleveland as the eighth-best team in the league, slightly higher than where the betting market had them. But we may have undersold the Cavs – since then, they’ve surged to #2 following an 11-0 start. Not only are they winning, but they’ve been dominating with a balanced attack that’s been tough for other teams to handle.

Injuries Are a Killer

The Thunder were our No. 2-ranked team heading into the season, and they started strong – until Chet Holmgren went down last night. Chet is expected to miss 8-10 weeks, which drops Oklahoma City to #8 in our rankings. At this point, the Thunder will need Isaiah Hartenstein to get healthy fast if they want to keep pace.

Unfortunately, injuries are hitting teams all over the league, and it shows in our rankings. The Suns (Kevin Durant), Nuggets (Aaron Gordon), Magic (Paolo Banchero), Heat (Jimmy Butler), 76ers (Tyrese Maxey), Grizzlies (pretty much everyone?) and Pelicans (Zion, and… also everyone?) have all been affected. At this point in the season, any team that’s managed to stay healthy is counting its blessings.

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