NBA Power Rankings: Post All-Star break standings
With the second half of the 2020-21 NBA season about to tip off, let's take stock of where each team stands.For strength of schedule rankings: 1st = Easiest. 30th = Most Difficult.
Record: 7-29 (Last Five: 0-5)
O Rating: 105.0 (28th)
Summary: Amid a nine-game losing streak, the Timberwolves are not only on pace for 17 wins, but also don’t own their first-round pick unless it falls in the top three. Did we mention D’Angelo Russell’s return remains weeks away? And they were the first team to fire their head coach this season?
First-Half MVP: Malik Beasley was the team's most productive and available mainstay before incurring a 12-game suspension he's currently serving. Looking ahead: Karl-Anthony Towns, who missed extended time in the first half, averaged 5 assists in Chris Finch’s first five games as head coach. Maybe something there.
Remaining Strength of Schedule Rating (via Basketball Reference): 0.52 (26th)
Record: 11-23 (Last Five: 0-5)
O Rating: 105.7 (27th)
Summary: The Timberwolves’ active, nine-game schneid is second only to this fellow Western Conference basement-dweller. The Rockets have dropped 13 straight since an ankle injury befell Christian Wood. Perhaps with health, they can refind their early-season scrappiness, but matters are bleak right now.
First-Half MVP: John Wall flirted with returning to pre-injury form early in the season, but the correlation between Wood's injury and the team's collapse makes him the pick. In 17 appearances, Wood averaged 22 points and 10.2 rebounds, shooting 55.8 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from 3 -- blowing even his breakout 2019-20 season out of the water with increased opportunity.
Remaining Strength of Schedule Rating: 1.33 (30th)
Record: 10-26 (Last Five: 1-4)
O Rating: 108.4 (24th)
Summary: Blake Griffin’s recent buyout snips the final thread connecting the Pistons to its wilderness-wandering past few seasons. They’re now in full-fledged rebuild mode -- and have found some gems. But count them out of Eastern Conference playoff contention this season.
First-Half MVP: With Wood missing time, Jerami Grant is the runaway pick for Most Improved with career-best averages of 23.4 points (almost double last season’s 12.0), 5.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists in an expanded role.
Remaining Strength of Schedule Rating: -0.76 (3rd)
Record: 13-23 (Last Five: 0-5)
O Rating: 105.7 (26th)
Even a 13-23 record feels respectable given the Magic’s rotten injury luck this season. Without Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz for the remainder of the season, and Cole Anthony until some time after the break, Nikola Vučević’s career year is all that’s holding them together.
First-Half MVP: Vučević’s second All-Star nod was well-earned. He, Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokić are on pace to join Karl-Anthony Towns as the only players in NBA history 6-foot-11 or taller to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds while clearing 40 percent from 3-point range (minimum: 20 attempts).
Remaining Strength of Schedule Rating: 0.99 (29th)
Record: 14-22 (Last Five: 4-1)
O Rating: 104.8 (29th)
Summary: Signs of life! The Cavaliers followed up an injury-spurred 10-game losing streak by winning four of five entering the All-Star break. Still, a surprisingly hot start -- especially defensively -- has all but extinguished, with trade rumors swirling around multiple veteran players.
First-Half MVP: Collin Sexton is as exciting a young bucket-getter as exists in the league and could very well be a star in the making. Averaging 24.1 points on efficient shooting splits, his steady improvements continue.
Remaining Strength of Schedule Rating: -0.30 (12th)
Record: 14-22 (Last Five: 2-3)
O Rating: 113.5 (9th)
Summary: A nine-game losing streak in February dug the Kings a hole they may not overcome in the Western Conference playoff hunt. De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Halibuton are keepers, but questions remain up and down the roster and coaching staff. That defensive rating would be the worst in NBA history by a healthy margin.
First-Half MVP: Fox continues to make meaningful steps as the first season of his maximum rookie extension approaches, especially as a shooter. Though 34.2 percent from distance doesn’t leap off the screen, it comes on a career-high 5.3 attempts per game, and he flashed some comfort pulling off the dribble early in the season.
Remaining Strength of Schedule Rating: -0.41 (7th)
Record: 15-21 (Last Five: 2-3)
O Rating: 104.2 (30th)
Summary: Loading the draft asset treasure chest last offseason hasn’t stopped this Thunder group from hanging around on a near-nightly basis under first-year coach Mark Daigneault.
First-Half MVP: That the Thunder are kicking off that rebuild with as special a centerpiece as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is cause for optimism. Already one of the craftiest guards in the league, he is again posting career marks across the board and has added a reliable 3-point shot (41.2 percent overall, 40.2 percent on pull-ups) to his arsenal.
Remaining Strength of Schedule Rating: 0.01 (19th)
Record: 14-20 (Last Five: 3-2)
O Rating: 109.7 (21st)
Summary: If you counted the Wizards out after their 5-15 start: Think again. Washington won eight of 11 games entering the All-Star break -- including victories over the Celtics, Blazers, Nuggets (x2), Lakers and Clippers -- and begin the second half just two games out of the eighth seed. Injuries and shoddy defense aside, they’re making their run.
First-Half MVP: How about the league’s leading scorer in Bradley Beal? He started the All-Star game for a reason.
Remaining Strength of Schedule Rating: 0.10 (21st)
Record: 15-21 (Last Five: 1-4)
O Rating: 115.6 (6th)
Summary: Zion Williamson has fully arrived, but their second-to-last-rated defense has prevented the Pelicans from making the leap many expected.
First-Half MVP: Williamson is leading the NBA in paint scoring (19.3 points per game), shooting 65.3 at the rim (on a league-leading 13.4 attempts per game) and has bumped his assists average to 3.4 per game with expanded facilitating duties.
Remaining Strength of Schedule Rating: -0.37 (t-10th)
Record: 16-20 (Last Five: 3-2)
O Rating: 112.7 (11th)
Summary: The second team to fire its coach on the season -- Lloyd Pierce, after a 14-20 start -- the Hawks won two straight under interim lead Nate McMillan entering the break. Following an active offseason, injuries to De’Andre Hunter, Bogdan Bogdanović and Danillo Gallinari (among others) have been a key culprit of their underachievement so far.
First-Half MVP: While Trae Young’s scoring has dipped from a breakout second season, the Hawks remain 10 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor vs. off. He's their offensive heartbeat.
Remaining Strength of Schedule Rating: -0.39 (8th)
