NBA Power Rankings Update: How the West Got Weird
Teams Ranked 20th to 11th
One of the league's sexiest teams heading into the season took a precipitous drop in nERD-age, that team being the Minnesota Timberwolves.
| Rank | Team | 2017-18 nERD | 2017-18 record | Last Update | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Atlanta Hawks | 43.9 | 1-2 | 21 | +1 |
| 19 | New Orleans Pelicans | 44.0 | 1-2 | 18 | -1 |
| 18 | Denver Nuggets | 44.7 | 1-1 | 19 | +1 |
| 17 | Detroit Pistons | 48.2 | 2-1 | 16 | -1 |
| 16 | Milwaukee Bucks | 49.8 | 2-1 | 14 | -2 |
| 15 | Memphis Grizzlies | 50.0 | 2-0 | 17 | +2 |
| 14 | Miami Heat | 52.5 | 2-1 | 13 | +1 |
| T-12 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 54.2 | 2-1 | 9 | -3 |
| T-12 | Charlotte Hornets | 54.2 | 1-1 | 10 | -2 |
| 11 | Utah Jazz | 55.3 | 2-1 | 11 | Even |
The Expected
The middle is the middle is the middle. Miami, Memphis, Milwaukee, and Detroit are all average teams with average nERD scores, and two wins won't do much to move the nERD needle this early in the season.
It could be argued that the Bucks have the best chance to make some nERD noise quicker than their surrounding competition thanks to their legit MVP candidate, Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Grecian Freakazoid is averaging 38.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.7 steals, and a block. Not quite Wilt Chamberlain numbers but still super-scary.
The Unexpected
Like the Sixers, Minnesota came into the season with huge expectations. Unlike the Sixers, their iffy nERD start probably has more to do with chemistry than age. It'll take a bit of time for newbies Jimmy Butler, Jeff Teague, and Taj Gibson to meld with incumbents Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, and Gorgui Dieng, but knowing head coach Tom Thibodeau's win-or-die-trying paradigm, they'll be back in the nERD top-10 in three, two...
