2024 FTN NBA Power Rankings: The Bucks Are Back! Jokić's Best Season Yet?

Welcome back to FTN Fantasy’s NBA Power Rankings!

Believe it or not, we’re already nearing the quarter-mark of the NBA season. With teams having played around 17 games, we’re beginning to see meaningful trends and draw solid conclusions. Some teams, like the Bucks, worked through early-season challenges and are now thriving, while others, like the 76ers, are still struggling to find their footing.

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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FTN NBA Power Rankings

Key Takeaways

The Bucks are Back!

When the Bucks started 2-8, panic swept through Milwaukee. The Giannis-Dame pairing faced heavy scrutiny, and Doc Rivers seemed one step closer to returning to ESPN broadcasts. But since that rough start, everything has changed. Giannis has reclaimed his dominance, taking over games as only he can. Dame has embraced a facilitating role, recording 10+ assists in three of his last four outings. The bench, previously a glaring weakness, is now contributing meaningfully – Gary Trent Jr., in particular, has stepped up. With Khris Middleton expected back later this week, the Bucks’ upward trajectory looks poised to continue.

Nikola Jokić is at the Top of his Game

Claiming that Nikola Jokić is better than ever is no small statement for a player with three MVPs in four seasons. Yet, that’s exactly what’s happening. According to FTN’s model, Jokić is adding over 1.5 more points of value than any other player in the league. He’s averaging a jaw-dropping 30.3 points, 13.9 rebounds and 11.3 assists per game, all while shooting with insane efficiency – 56% from three, no less. He ranks second in scoring, first in rebounds, second in assists and leads all players in three-point shooting among those with at least 400 minutes played. Simply put, no player is more essential to his team than Jokić, whose brilliance keeps the Nuggets ranked eighth in our model almost single-handedly.

The 76ers are Headed Toward Complete Failure

At 3-13, the 76ers are spiraling, and it’s hard to see a clear path forward. Joel Embiid has struggled in his limited appearances, playing just four games so far. Paul George looks like a shell of his former self. And while rookie Jared McCain has shown promise, he’s still prone to inconsistency – like his 20% shooting night yesterday. If the Sixers can get healthy and reset mentally, their talent could make them dangerous. But with every loss, the likelihood of this season being a write-off grows.

Is the Western Conference That Good, or is the Eastern Conference That Bad?

For over two decades, the Western Conference has generally outperformed the East. This season, the disparity feels more pronounced than ever. The West holds a dominant 44-25 record in inter-conference matchups, a gap that continues to widen. Interestingly, the East boasts the league’s two highest-rated teams – the Celtics and Cavaliers – but its bottom tier is dragging the conference down. Eight of the 12 lowest-ranked teams in our model are Eastern Conference squads, a figure that jumps to nine when ignoring injuries. As a result, the Eastern Conference playoffs might feature multiple sub-.500 teams, while some strong Western Conference contenders could miss the cut entirely.

Check out some more interesting NBA Information on ftnfantasy.com

Conference:

Team	Conference	Record	Current Rank	Previous	Week Diff	Preseason	Pre Diff	Notes
Boston Celtics	EAST	14-3	1	1	-	1	-	They defeated the Cavs to show their still the best team in the league. It's scary considering the Celtics aren't even at full strength
Cleveland Cavaliers	EAST	17-1	2	2	-	8	+6	There is no shame in losing to Boston, especially in Boton when they covered the spread. You need to take these Cavs seriously
Oklahoma City Thunder	WEST	12-4	3	4	+1	2	-1	Back at 3rd with the return of Hartenstein. They have separated themselves from the rest of the west in this week's rankings
New York Knicks	EAST	9-7	4	7	+3	9	+5	Outside of a disapointing road loss to Utah, this Knicks team is starting to gel. When they're operating well, their starting lineup is as good as any in the league
Sacramento Kings	WEST	8-9	5	8	+3	13	+8	Finally at full strength, these Kings should start to win some more games. They are way better than their 8-9 record indicates
Minnesota Timberwolves	WEST	8-8	6	6	-	7	+1	On paper, this team should compete in the west, but are there chemistry issues? Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle need to figure out how to coexist for the Wolves to reach their potential
Golden State Warriors	WEST	12-4	7	5	-2	16	+9	Despite the 2-2 week, the Warriors remain high in our rankings. The Warriors probably need to make another move to compete with OKC in the west
Denver Nuggets	WEST	9-6	8	10	+2	5	-3	The Nuggets are a one-man show right now. Our model rates each player based on how many points they're worth, and Jokic is more than 1.5 points more valuable than anyone else in the league right now.
Milwaukee Bucks	EAST	8-9	9	15	+6	10	+1	The Bucks appear to be back. Following a 4-0 week, they're now expected to get Kris Middleton back. At full strength, the Bucks are still a threat.
Houston Rockets	WEST	12-6	10	14	+4	19	+9	The Rockets continue to rise up our rankings. Despite a bad loss to Portland, they are now 12-6 and have one of the toughest defenses in the league
Orlando Magic	EAST	11-7	11	9	-2	15	+4	Speaking of defense, no team is defending better than Orlando. Despite Paolo's absense, Franz Wagner has led this team to an 11-7 start, and it feels completely legit
Miami Heat	EAST	7-7	12	13	+1	20	+8	At this point, we know who the Heat are. They're not contenders, but they're a difficult matchup for anyone on any given night
Los Angeles Lakers	WEST	10-6	13	12	-1	12	-1	Before the season, the Lakers absolutely would've accepted a 10-6 record after 16 games. But coming off a blowout loss to Denver, they will need to right the ship quickly in a tough western conference
Memphis Grizzlies	WEST	10-7	14	20	+6	17	+3	While our model still isn't as high on Memphis as others, they have reached the top half of the league as they start to get healthy
Los Angeles Clippers	WEST	11-7	15	18	+3	11	-4	The Clippers continue to impress without Kawhi, as an 11-7 record in the western conference is no joke.
Philadelphia 76ers	EAST	3-13	16	11	-5	4	-12	At the time of these rankings, we have Paul George as the only injured Sixer of note. It's time to reevaluate things for Philly - they are in real trouble of missing the playoffs entirely
Phoenix Suns	WEST	9-7	17	16	-1	6	-11	This team clearly isn't the same without Kevin Durant. As long as they remain above .500 until he returns, the Suns will be fine
Dallas Mavericks	WEST	9-8	18	3	-15	3	-15	It is striking how much one Luka injury can hur thte Mavs ranking. While they've gone 2-1 without him so far, Dallas needs a healthy and effective Luka to compete for a title
Indiana Pacers	EAST	7-10	19	17	-2	18	-1	Another disapointing team, the Pacers look to have regressed since last year. Our model was low on Indiana coming into the season, and they've since fallen a couple more sopts.
Atlanta Hawks	EAST	7-10	20	19	-1	21	+1	The Hawks had an impressive win @ Sacramento, but then had a disapointing blowout loss to the Bulls. This is an average team on a good day
San Antonio Spurs	WEST	9-8	21	21	-	22	+1	Following a 3-0 week, the Spus are now 9-8 and have real momentum for both this season and the future. CP3 has brought much-needed leadership and stability to this young roster
New Orleans Pelicans	WEST	4-13	22	24	+2	14	-8	Despite starting to get healthy, we still aren't high on New Orleans. Zion is their most impactful player, and it's not clear when he will return to the court
Brooklyn Nets	EAST	7-10	23	22	-1	26	+3	The Nets continue to be a feisty offensive team, but this is a rebuidling year for them. They're probaby better off losing to get a better draft pick, because this team won't make noise in the playoffs.
Toronto Raptors	EAST	4-13	24	28	+4	27	+3	This is the healthiest the Raptors have been all season, with everyone except Quickley and Bruce Brown back in the lineup. They move up 4 spots with the return of Scottie Barnes, but this team is still outside the playoff picture
Chicago Bulls	EAST	7-11	25	25	-	25	-	The Bulls are playing historically bad defense, allowing 123.9 points per game
Charlotte Hornets	EAST	6-10	26	26	-	28	+2	The duo of Lamelo Ball and Brandon Miller looks like a legit building block. Unfortuneatly, the rest of the rest has much to be desired
Detroit Pistons	EAST	7-11	27	23	-4	24	-3	The Pistons fall to 27 with Cade Cunningham injured. It's a good opportunity for Jadey Ivey to continue developing, but don't expect many wins until Cade returns
Utah Jazz	WEST	4-12	28	27	-1	23	-5	They ended their losing streak with a shocking win over the Knicks, but this team simply doesn't have enough talent to compete on most nights
Portland Trail Blazers	WEST	7-10	29	29	-	30	+1	Their 7-10 record is a bit deceptive, as their -7.6 point differential is the 5th worst in the league
Washington Wizards	EAST	2-13	30	30	-	29	-1	At least this team is fun to watch, because they're not very good.
	Conference