Thanksgiving is the official beginning of the holiday season, though it’s never been one of my favorite holidays, mainly because I am never where I am supposed to be. But in the hustle and bustle that marks the time when we unleash Mariah Carey upon all of the elevators, I did find something I am grateful for, and that is the NBA Cup. I’ve really grown excited by these Tuesday and Friday nights in November. Teams are competing, and not blatantly exercising organizational priorities. In a culture where we’re waiting for the next “trades we want to see” piece to drop, I like that NBA Cup games take place just after the glorified feel-out games that mark the opening weeks of the season and wrap up just before all of those new contracts become tradeable. In essence, the NBA Cup is your “offseason paper championship,” given that the rosters you see now are the ones we spent from the NBA Draft to media day discussing. So, yes, I am grateful. With that said, let’s get on to the NBA Power Rankings and what these 30 teams are grateful for as the normalcy of November comes to a close. These NBA Power Rankings are going to be vital for understanding the direction of the season so far!
Week 5 NBA Power Rankings: Thanksgiving Edition
A reminder: These Power Rankings won’t just rank every team. We will retain the tiers that teams will be promoted into and relegated out of. There will be five tiers every week:
- Top Contenders – Locked at five, these are the class of the league
- In a Good Place – Could be one team, could be seven teams
- The Bubble – Not to be confused with Walt Disney World. The middle of the pack
- Not the Tier to Fear – Not playing the worst ball in the league, but with a lot of work to do
- Basement Floor – Bringing up the rear
Top Contenders
This week’s Top Contenders are unchanged.
In a Good Place
Teams like the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers continue to look like solid squads. The Dallas Mavericks are finally starting to show some real promise.
The Bubble
The majority of the teams remain comfortably in the middle of the pack, with some showing signs of improvement and others still struggling to find their footing.
Not the Tier to Fear
A few teams in this tier are showing some flashes of offensive and defensive brilliance. However, consistency remains a key challenge for them.
Basement Floor
A few teams are exhibiting consistent struggles, which might necessitate a change in strategy or personnel in the upcoming weeks.
Win/loss records and statistics are through Monday’s games. Check back next week for more of my insightful NBA Power Rankings. Let me know in the comments what you think! Share this article with your friends!
