Here at the ICT Zone our rankings are molded after Ric Flair's famous quote, "to be the man, you gotta beat the man." The week's ranking are based solely on the week's results so if a lower ranked team defeats a higher ranked team, the two teams automatically swap rankings.
Two surprising teams have emerged in the top five of this week's rankings: The Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks. Both teams are succeeding largely due to the talent of their young players. Lauri Markkanen has elevated himself into the top-10 of the league's power forwards with averages of 26 PPG and 12.2 RPG. Meanwhile, John Collins and Trae Young are showing themselves to be one of the brightest young tandems in the NBA, which has the Hawks emerging as a potential playoff team for next year. These two young teams have a long way to go before they are contending with the league's elite, but at least they have foundational pieces that they can build around for years to come.
Perhaps the most shocking story of these rankings is the Golden State Warriors occupying the 29th spot. After looking unstoppable immediately following DeMarcus Cousins' season debut, the juggernaut has slowed down a bit recently, with a 2-3 record over their past 5 games. The Warriors are still the overwhelming favorites to win the NBA championship this year, but expect the playoffs to be a little rockier for them this year than it has been in years past.
Here are the current NBA Power Rankings, as determined by Ric Flair's legendary quote, "To be the man, you gotta beat the man":
1. Milwaukee Bucks +5
(47-14)
2. San Antonio Spurs +8
(34-29)
3. Atlanta Hawks +11
(21-41)
4. Chicago Bulls +20
(17-45)
5. Portland Trail Blazers
(38-23)
6. Toronto Raptors +2
(45-17)
7. Dallas Mavericks +13
(27-34)
8. New York Knicks +21
(13-48)
9. Denver Nuggets
(42-18)
10. Orlando Magic -6
(28-34)
11. Houston Rockets +6
(36-25)
12. Philadelphia 76ers +7
(39-22)
13. Washington Wizards +3
(25-36)
14. Detroit Pistons -7
(29-31)
15. Los Angeles Lakers +6
(30-3)
16. Brooklyn Nets +9
(32-31)
17. Memphis Grizzlies +13
(24-39)
18. Sacramento Kings -7
(31-30)
19. Phoenix Suns +8
(12-50)
20. Utah Jazz +6
(34-26)
21. Miami Heat -6
(27-33)
22. Oklahoma City Thunder -20
(38-22)
23. Los Angeles Clippers
(34-29)
24. Boston Celtics -23
(37-25)
25. Charlotte Hornets -12
(28-33)
26. Indiana Pacers -14
(40-22)
27. Cleveland Cavaliers +1
(14-47)
28. Minnesota Timberwolves -25
(29-32)
29. Golden State Warriors -11
(43-18)
30. New Orleans Pelicans -8
(27-36)
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