2024 FTN NBA Power Rankings: Does Defense Win Championships?

Welcome back to FTN Fantasy’s NBA Power Rankings!

The NBA has seen scoring explode in recent seasons, but this year, defense is taking the spotlight. The Orlando Magic (15-7), Houston Rockets (15-6) and Oklahoma City Thunder (15-5) have established themselves as the league’s top three defensive squads according to the FTN NBA Betting Model. These young teams may lack playoff experience, but they’re proving that defense can still dominate the regular season. While the Thunder have high expectations, the Rockets and Magic are not expected to go deep into the playoffs this year. Will that change by the time the playoffs start?

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Conference:

Team	Conference	Record	Current Rank	Previous	Week Diff	Preseason	Pre Diff	Notes
Boston Celtics	EAST	16-4	1	1	-	1	-	Cleveland ended Boston's 7-game winning streak, but there's no reason to fear for them. Porzingis returned, so Boston's advantage over the rest of our league in the model has risen
Oklahoma City Thunder	WEST	15-5	2	3	+1	2	-	Getting iHart back has been a huge boost for OKC. Hartenstein has been a beast on the boards, and his passing has been an excelent complement to SGA and Jalen Williams
Dallas Mavericks	WEST	13-8	3	18	+15	3	-	After a slow start, Dallas has won 4 straight and 8 of their last 9. They are getting healthy, and that shows up in our rankings
Cleveland Cavaliers	EAST	18-3	4	2	-2	8	+4	Strange week for Cleveland, who lost twice to Atlanta but then beat Boston. While they may have dropped 2 spots in the rankings this week, they are still the clear 2nd best team in the east
Denver Nuggets	EAST	10-8	5	8	+3	5	-	The Nuggets are finally healthy, but it's been an inconsistent couple of weeks for them. They got blow out by the Knicks and then lost a close game to the Clippers last night. But when you have Jokic you have a chance
New York Knicks	EAST	12-8	6	4	-2	9	+3	Despite a disapointing loss in Dallas, New York is likely satisfied going 3-2 on their road trip before dominating the Pelicans last night. Mikal Bridges finally showed up last night, and that is the key if New York is going to challenge Boston or Cleveland
Orlando Magic	WEST	15-7	7	11	+4	15	+8	No team is playing better defense than the Orlando Magic are. They were supposed to fall off when Paolo got hurt, but Franz Wagner has done enough on ofense for this team to continue rising.
Phoenix Suns	WEST	11-8	8	17	+9	6	-2	The suns got healthy this week, and they are back in the top 10 of the power rankings. It is disapointing that Devin Booker wasn't able to win more without KD and Beal, but if this team is healthy then they're a contender in the west
Minnesota Timberwolves	EAST	9-10	9	6	-3	7	-2	We don't want to overract to their slow start because of their talent, but Minnesota is not having the start they wanted to have. They need more out of Donte and Julius especially
Milwaukee Bucks	WEST	10-9	10	9	-1	10	-	The Bucks are clearly past their early struggles, as they've now won 6 straight and 8 of their last 9. The only reason they don't move up our rankings more is we didn't overract to their start initially
Houston Rockets	EAST	15-6	11	10	-1	19	+8	I expect some angry Rockets fans with this ranking, but if you look at our team ratings, 8-10 are pretty much tied. A 3-0 week that included a close win over OKC has the Rockets riding high
Philadelphia 76ers	WEST	4-14	12	16	+4	4	-8	This feels too high for Philly, but we have them healthy in these ratings. If things don't turn aroudn quickly, expect the 76ers to fall next week
Sacramento Kings	WEST	9-12	13	5	-8	13	-	The model has been high on the Kings all seaosn, but they're finally starting to fall with their recent stretch. Fox, Sabonis, Derozan, and Monk are all playing well, but the sum of their parts is not leading to positive results
Golden State Warriors	WEST	12-7	14	7	-7	16	+2	Another team falling fast in the west. They have lost 4 straight games, and it may be time to start playing their starters more minutes
Memphis Grizzlies	WEST	14-7	15	14	-1	17	+2	The Grizzlies have won 6 straight and are playing some of the best basketball in the league. Their rating is low because they're playing a 12-man rotation, and we're having trouble accounting for that.
Miami Heat	EAST	9-9	16	12	-4	20	+4	The Heat have settled in as an average team, which is what was expected this season. Can they make one of their runs in the playoffs? Maybe, but they're not a title contender at this time
Los Angeles Lakers	WEST	12-8	17	13	-4	12	-5	After a strong start to the season, they're now just 2-4 in their last 6 as their lack of depth is starting to show. They are probably asking too much of Dalton Knecht at this point in his career
Los Angeles Clippers	WEST	13-9	18	15	-3	11	-7	The Clippers take a slight dip because other teams are getting healthier, but it's still hard not to be impressed by their start. When Kawhi went out, nobody expected the Clippers to compete this season, but they're now 4 games over .500 in a tough western conference
Atlanta Hawks	EAST	10-11	19	20	+1	21	+2	The Hawks have two wins against the Cavs, a win against the Celtics, and two losses against the Wizards. I'm not sure what to make of this team, and you shouldn't be either
San Antonio Spurs	WEST	11-9	20	21	+1	22	+2	The Spurs continue racking up impressive wins, as they now have won 5 of their last 6 games. Victor Wembanyama capped an impressive week with a 34-point triple double in a 2 point win over the Kings
Indiana Pacers	EAST	9-12	21	19	-2	18	-3	The Pacers followed their first 3-game win streak up with a blowout loss to Detroit at home. The Pacers need much more out of Tyrese Haliburton
Toronto Raptors	EAST	6-15	22	24	+2	27	+5	The Raptors get a slight bump up with Scottie Barnes returning. Still, this team does not have enough talent to make the playoffs
New Orleans Pelicans	WEST	4-17	23	22	-1	14	-9	This may be too nice to the Pelicans. They've lost 8 straight, and 15 of their last 16. We may never see what a healthy Pelicans look like
Detroit Pistons	EAST	9-13	24	27	+3	24	-	I think Pistons fans are satisfied with a 9-13 record. They're no longer the embaressment they were last year, but they're no better than slightly below average
Chicago Bulls	EAST	8-13	25	25	-	25	-	The Bulls' offense is actually pretty average, but they have a bottom-3 defense in our model at this point
Brooklyn Nets	EAST	9-12	26	23	-3	26	-	The Nets are playing solid offense, but the sum of their parts is better than their talent, as Dennis Schroader isn't really a number 1 option.
Charlotte Hornets	EAST	6-14	27	26	-1	28	+1	It's disapointing to see Lamelo go down, who was showing he's the player we want him to be. But they just don't have enough talented healthy bodies to compete most nights
Utah Jazz	WEST	4-16	28	28	-	23	-5	Surprised to see them above Portland
Portland Trail Blazers	WEST	8-13	29	29	-	30	+1	I would've put them at 28, but clearly this team is devoid of talent
Washington Wizards	EAST	2-16	30	30	-	29	-1	It's starting to look like this could be an all-time awful team
	Conference

Key Takeaways

Isaiah Hartenstein the Key to Playoff Success?

Isaiah Hartenstein has been playing outstanding basketball since returning from injury. He’s recorded at least 10 rebounds, 11 points and 3 assists in every game during this stretch, elevating the Thunder’s defense to another level. Hartenstein has a unique ability to unify a team, as the Thunder have gone 4-1 since his return. When Chet Holmgren re-enters the lineup, Oklahoma City will boast a defensive frontcourt that no team will enjoy facing.

Are We Too Low on Memphis?

Despite a slew of injuries, the Memphis Grizzlies are off to a strong 14-7 start and have become one of the hottest teams in the league. Ja Morant is performing at an All-NBA level, although his per-game stats appear modest due to averaging just 27.4 minutes. Impressively, no Grizzlies player is logging 30+ minutes per game, with Jaren Jackson Jr. leading the team at 28.4 MPG. Memphis has consistently deployed a deep 12-man rotation, relying on its bench more than most teams.

This depth may slightly hinder their ranking in our model, as players with lower-caliber metrics are seeing significant minutes compared to teams like the Knicks, who lean heavily on their starting five. That said, Memphis’s depth is also a key reason for its early success, and it may be time to take the Grizzlies more seriously in our rankings.

The Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets Need more Love

Two of the NBA’s youngest teams, the Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets, are racking up wins thanks to their relentless defense. Orlando leads our defensive rating metric, while Houston ranks third. These aren’t squads casual fans consider contenders, and many might not even recognize all their starters, but it’s time to take notice.

For the Magic, Franz Wagner is emerging as not just an all star but potentially an All-NBA talent. His strong play is making critics of his recent contract extension look shortsighted. Meanwhile, the Rockets’ blend of youth and veteran leadership is paying off. Alperen Şengün and Jalen Green headline the young core, while Dillon Brooks and Fred VanVleet provide a steadying veteran presence. Though Houston began the season as a Western Conference sleeper, few expected the Rockets to hold the second-best record this late into the year.

What is going on in Sacramento?

The model has been bullish on the Sacramento Kings all season, at one point ranking them as high as fifth just a week ago. However, their recent slide – going 1-6 in their last seven games – has finally caused their ranking to plummet. The concerning part? There are no clear signs of positive regression.

While De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan and Malik Monk have all performed well individually, their collective efforts aren’t translating to wins. If this trend continues, Fox might even emerge as a trade candidate, given the Kings don’t have him under long-term contract.

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