Every few weeks, I power rank teams based on their likelihood to win the 2023 championship, as decided by me! Last month’s edition was a success by my standards considering I didn’t lose sleep over it. But a lot has changed in the NBA landscape. A lot. Listed alongside each team is its change in rankings from the preseason edition. (NB: The gaps between teams means less in the lower ranks. After the “Good” teams, all odds are essentially zero.)

Let’s Not Talk About It

30. San Antonio Spurs (-3)

Already forgot them.

29. Houston Rockets (-)

28. Detroit Pistons (-3)

27. Orlando Magic (-4)

Weird aesthetics.

26. Charlotte Hornets (-5)

25. Oklahoma City Thunder (+3)

Giddy for Giddey.

Average-ish

24. New York Knicks (-4)

Greek Yogurt.

23. Washington Wizards (-1)

22. Chicago Bulls (-3)

Prototypically average.

21. Utah Jazz (+10)

They have a “salty” flavor to them.

20. Atlanta Hawks (-2)

19. Brooklyn Nets (-9)

18. Los Angeles Lakers (-3)

Deepest of the deepest sleepers.

17. Portland Trail Blazers (+1)

Called it I guess…

Good

16. Indiana Pacers (+10)

15. Minnesota Timberwolves (-3)

14. Miami Heat (-7)

13. Sacramento Kings (+11)

LOLOLOLOLOLOL.

12. Toronto Raptors (+1)

Pretenders

11. Memphis Grizzlies (+3)

10. Denver Nuggets (-2)

Eh.

9. New Orleans Pelicans (+7)

Wow! Cool!

8. Dallas Mavericks (+3)

Strange. Very strange…

7. Philadelphia 76ers (-1)

6. LA Clippers (-2)

They might be a contender. Kawhi. I don’t know.

Contenders

5. Cleveland Cavaliers (+6)

4. Golden State Warriors (-3)

Don’t ask.

3. Phoenix Suns (+3)

2. Milwaukee Bucks (–)

Two of arguably the three strongest DPOY candidates (Antetokounmpo, Lopez) defending the backline; and that doesn’t even begin to scrape Holiday’s defensive impact. The offense will hopefully stop lagging when All-Star Khris Middleton returns.

1. Boston Celtics (+2)

The best offensive team in the NBA designed for repetition and sustainability, poised for even greater success when all the elements of their defensive core return from injury. The clear-cut frontrunner for the 2023 NBA championship in my book.

Nice job?