2024 FTN NBA Power Rankings: Questions About Top Contenders

Welcome back to FTN Fantasy’s NBA Power Rankings!

While it wasn’t the most thrilling game, the Milwaukee Bucks secured the second annual NBA Cup Championship in Vegas on Tuesday night, defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 97-81. The game’s key storyline was OKC’s struggles from beyond the arc, shooting just 5-of-32 from 3-point range. While off nights happen, this one felt particularly concerning, given that poor shooting from deep ultimately cost the Thunder a shot at the title last season. The Bucks deserve credit for their defense, but OKC’s inability to convert on open looks was the bigger issue. The main takeaway here is that the Thunder’s 3-point shooting needs to improve if they want to contend.

In this week’s update, I’ll be highlighting the top contenders in the league while focusing on the weaknesses that could prevent them from winning an NBA title. While every team has flaws, spotting them early in the season is crucial – especially as we approach the trade deadline, where teams will look to shore up their rosters.

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.

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Key Takeaways

The Thunder Need More 3-Point Shooting

The Oklahoma City Thunder are currently the best team in the Western Conference, with our model rating them 0.9 points better than the second-place Mavericks. If they stay healthy and make no roster changes for the rest of the season, they’d be the favorites to win the West. But even the best teams have weaknesses, and for the Thunder, it’s their 3-point shooting.

Last postseason, the Mavericks exploited a flaw in OKC’s offense by sagging off Josh Giddey and forcing the Thunder’s playmakers into tough situations. In response, the Thunder traded for Alex Caruso, hoping his 3-point shooting would provide some much-needed spacing. However, Caruso, a career 37% shooter from deep, is hitting just 27% of his 3-pointers this season. As a team, the Thunder are ranked 18th in 3-point percentage. This issue reared its head in the NBA Cup Final against the Bucks, where the Thunder’s inability to hit shots from beyond the arc was evident. Heading into the playoffs, improving its 3-point shooting will be crucial for OKC’s title hopes.

Why do the Nuggets Struggle Versus Bad Teams?

The Denver Nuggets, currently ranked fifth in our model, boast the best player in the NBA in Nikola Jokic. But despite having the reigning and three-time MVP, the Nuggets continue to struggle against subpar teams. Their loss to Portland and a close win over the Pelicans (by just one possession) highlights a concerning trend: the Nuggets’ reliance on Jokic is too heavy.

In their loss to Portland, Jokic scored 34 points on just five missed shots, yet the team still fell short. Right now, the Nuggets are a one-man show. If Jokic doesn’t deliver a 40-point night, they are vulnerable to bad losses. Our player model ranks just four Nuggets players in the top 160, and Jamal Murray, the only other player in the top 50 (49th), is having his least efficient season since his rookie year.

For the Nuggets to be true contenders, more players need to step up. A potential trade target could be Zach LaVine, who might be a good fit to help shoulder the load and take some pressure off Jokic.

The Suns Better Stay Healthy, Or Else

When Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are both healthy, the Phoenix Suns are a top-10 team in the league. We had them ranked sixth going into the season and eighth last week. However, with Booker now sidelined due to injury, they’ve slipped out of the top half of the rankings, and their performance is proving our model correct.

Without Booker, the Suns lost to Detroit by eight points, and with a tough week ahead, including matchups against the Nuggets (twice), Warriors and Grizzlies, Phoenix risks falling further in the standings. If Booker’s absence lingers, the Suns will have a hard time staying in the upper echelon of the league.

Trouble Brewing in Minnesota

Timberwolves fans are not happy right now.

I’ve never hated a player on my own team before.

Then my team traded for Julius Randle

— 🇦🇺 | 🐺 (@HoodieNaz_) December 22, 2024

While the issues aren’t entirely on Julius Randle, the Timberwolves are struggling to generate consistent offensive production outside of him and Anthony Edwards. Donte DiVincenzo hasn’t lived up to expectations, and Naz Reid seems to have taken a step back this season.

The defense, while still solid overall, has shown lapses at inopportune times, particularly from Randle and others. Meanwhile, Rob Dillingham, whom the team traded up to select in the draft, hasn’t contributed as hoped.

Despite being ranked in the top 10 in our system, the Timberwolves are facing more questions than answers. Unless they can figure out their offensive and defensive issues, they could find themselves in a fight for the play-in tournament rather than a secure playoff spot.

Conference:

Team	Conference	Record	Current Rank	Previous	Week Diff	Preseason	Pre Diff	Notes
Boston Celtics	EAST	22-6	1	1	-	1	-	Even in a week where they went 1-1, it'll take a lot more to move Boston off of the top spot. After losing to Chicago early in the week, Tatum refused to let that happen again in their rematch, going for a 43-point triple double
Oklahoma City Thunder	WEST	22-5	2	2	-	2	-	The Thunder certainly didn't have the result in the Cup Final that they hoped for, but they are still the clear second best team in our ratings. The game did expose a potential flaw in their lack of 3-point shooting
Cleveland Cavaliers	EAST	25-4	3	4	+1	8	+5	While advanced metrics have the Cavs slightly behind Boston and OKC, the Cavs still have the best record in the NBA, and should be thrilled about where they're at a 3rd of the way into the season
Dallas Mavericks	WEST	18-10	4	3	-1	3	-1	We expect Luka to return at some point this week, so we're leaving him in for our ratings. When healthy, this team is deep enough to be a contender
New York Knicks	EAST	18-10	5	5	-	9	+4	The Knicks went into Minnesota and absolutely embaressed Julius Randle and the Wolves, causing Wolves fans on social media to turn on Julius
Denver Nuggets	WEST	15-11	6	6	-	5	-1	The Nuggets continue to have head-scratching losses, like their Thursday loss to Portland, but when you have Nikola Jokic, you can win on any night against any team
Milwaukee Bucks	EAST	15-12	7	10	+3	10	+3	We are miles past the Bucks' slow start, and winning the Midseason Cup was the proof in the pudding
Minnesota Timberwolves	WEST	14-13	8	9	+1	7	-1	The Timberwolves may be the 8th-ranked team in our ratings, but they have some serious questions to answer. Where is the offense going to come from when Edwards or Randle isn't hot? There seems to be a chemistry issue here
Memphis Grizzlies	WEST	20-9	9	11	+2	17	+8	The Grizzlies are finally getting respect in these ratings, up 8 spots from their preseason ranking and up 2 spots from last week. This team is extremely deep, and Ja is the engine that makes it run
Sacramento Kings	WEST	13-17	10	7	-3	13	+3	Just when things started to turn around for the Kings, coming off of a 3-game win streak, the Kings go 0-4, capped off by a blowout loss to Indiana.
Philadelphia 76ers	EAST	9-17	11	12	+1	4	-7	The 76ers do appear to be moving in the right direction, gong 6-3 in their last 9 games. But I just want to point out that Embiid played friday vs Charlotte and then sat on Saturday against the Cavs, which isn't surprising anymore but is certainly disapointing.
Houston Rockets	WEST	19-9	12	13	+1	19	+7	The Rockets are one of the bigger risers in these ratings, up from 19 to start the season. And yet, Rockets fans are sure to be upset by this rating, as their 19-9 start indicates they're a threat in the west
Miami Heat	EAST	13-13	13	15	+2	20	+7	The Heat are stuck in the middle right now, which is not where NBA teams want to be. It's hard to pinpoint the right landing spot for Jimmy Butler, but it makes sense that the Heat want to blow it up
Los Angeles Clippers	WEST	16-13	14	17	+3	11	-3	Norman Powell is likely heading toward his first all-star appearance. He's averaging 23.9 PPG and is doing it on insane efficiency as the #1 option as the Clippers are 3 games over .500
Golden State Warriors	WEST	15-12	15	14	-1	16	+1	The Warriors snapped their losing streak with a nice win over the Timbewolves, and Curry showed he's still got it.
Phoenix Suns	WEST	14-13	16	8	-8	6	-10	The biggest fallers this week, as Devin Booker is out and the Suns look lost without him. When healthy, this team can content, but if one of Booker or KD is out, then they have no shot
Los Angeles Lakers	WEST	16-12	17	20	+3	12	-5	Last week I was ready to count them out, but now they're on a 3-game win streak and Lebron and AD look healthy again
Orlando Magic	EAST	18-12	18	16	-2	15	-3	The Magic somehow are treading water despite missing their 2 best players. With Paolo potentially returning soon, this season is far from lost for Orlando
Atlanta Hawks	EAST	14-15	19	18	-1	21	+2	I want to believe in this Atlanta team, but last week showed why I'm unable to do so. The talent is there, but they need to be more consistant
Indiana Pacers	EAST	14-15	20	21	+1	18	-2	The Pacers are just 1 game under .500 after winning 4 of 5, and Tyrese Haliburton is beginning to look like himself again. While they're not a title contender, they're at least showing that they can make the playoffs again
San Antonio Spurs	WEST	15-13	21	19	-2	22	+1	When Wemby and CP3 are both on the floor together, the Spurs are good enough to make the playoffs. We have to see what the rest of the season looks like, especially in the tough western conference, but I'm holding out hope that we see playoff-Wemby
Chicago Bulls	EAST	13-16	22	24	+2	25	+3	In classic Chicago Bulls fashion, they somehow beat the Celtics this week, in Boston. They aren't good enough to make a run, but they aren't bad enough to tank, so look for Zach Lavine to get moved
Detroit Pistons	EAST	12-17	23	25	+2	24	+1	This Detroit team can be fun on some nights when Cade is playing, but they're still a couple of pieces away from true contention
Brooklyn Nets	EAST	11-17	24	23	-1	26	+2	The Nets made their rebuilding plans obvious when they traded Dennis Schroder, but it's given Cam Johnson a chance to show what he looks like as a #1 option
New Orleans Pelicans	WEST	5-25	25	22	-3	14	-11	While injuires are the main issue for New Orleans this year, they have enough talent healthy now that they should be wninning more games. It is pretty pathetic right now
Charlotte Hornets	EAST	7-21	26	28	+2	28	+2	Of all the really really awful teams in the league, Charlotte is probably the best because they have Lamelo
Toronto Raptors	EAST	7-22	27	27	-	27	-	Is Immanuel Quickley ever coming back? I'd love to see what this team looks like with IQ + RJ + Scottie, but I'm not sure we are going to get that chance this year
Utah Jazz	WEST	7-20	28	26	-2	23	-5	The Jazz are probably better than the Trailblazers, but not by much. Lauri is a good player, but if he's your first option, you have no chance
Portland Trail Blazers	WEST	9-19	29	29	-	30	+1	Do you want to know how they beat Denver this week? Don't ask me, I have no idea
Washington Wizards	EAST	4-22	30	30	-	29	-1	Gross
	Conference