The Emirates NBA Cup takes center stage this week, with Wednesday’s doubleheader capping the quarterfinal round and setting up Saturday’s semifinals in Las Vegas.
The Orlando Magic and New York Knicks have already punched their tickets, and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs will battle to join them.
Before the NBA Cup’s final four teams are set, and before the soon-to-be 26 eliminated teams resume their regular seasons on Thursday and Friday, let’s check in on the latest Power Rankings update while also diagnosing the biggest weaknesses facing every team. Who needs to step it up on the defensive end? Who has a glaring hole on offense?
Who simply needs to get healthy? And do the defending champion Thunder have a weakness at all amid a historic 23-1 start? Our NBA insiders break down all these questions and rank the 30 teams in our weekly Power Rankings.
Note: Team rankings are based on where members of our panel (ESPN’s Anthony Slater, Dave McMenamin, Jamal Collier, Kevin Pelton, Michael C. Wright, Ohm Youngmisuk, Tim Bontemps, Tim MacMahon, Vincent Goodwill and Zach Kram) think teams belong this season.
Previous rankings: Preseason | Oct. 29 | Nov. 5 | Nov. 12 | Nov. 19 | Nov. 26 | Dec. 3
Jump to a team:
ATL | BOS | BKN | CHA | CHI | CLE
DAL | DEN | DET | GS | HOU | IND
LAC | LAL | MEM | MIA | MIL | MIN
NO | NY | OKC | ORL | PHI | PHX
POR | SAC | SA | TOR | UTAH | WAS
Biggest weakness: Maybe … 3-point shooting?
It’s difficult to ring any type of alarm for a team that became only the third in history to open the regular season 23-1. The Thunder’s league-best 104.1 defensive rating is more than six points per 100 possessions better than the Rockets’ (110.7) in the second slot. That gap is equivalent to the canyon between second and 23rd. So there’s nothing to complain about on the defensive end. Perhaps there’s a concern about an offensive overreliance on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s greatness, but he just sat his first game of the season and they beat the Jazz by 30 points. Let’s go with 3-point shooting. They made only 33.8% of their 3s in the playoffs. It nearly doomed them. But that’s been bumped to 37.4% through 24 games, seventh best in the NBA. — Anthony Slater
Biggest weakness: Health
The Nuggets just need to get whole. Denver is 10-3 with Aaron Gordon in the lineup and 4-3 without him. Gordon, who is recovering from a Grade 2 hamstring strain, will be sidelined until at least late December and likely longer. The same is true for Christian Braun, who has been out since mid-November with a sprained ankle. The issue isn’t only finding ways to win without two starters. The Nuggets have to be careful about wearing down Nikola Jokic, who is averaging 35.8 minutes per game since Braun was injured. That is only slightly below the career-high 36.7 minutes Jokic averaged last season, when the Nuggets needed to shut him down for a stretch in March because of all his bumps and bruises. — Tim MacMahon
Biggest weakness: 3-point shooting
If there was ever a knock on the Pistons’ early-season run to the East lead, it’s their shooting (19th in 3-point percentage, 28th in attempts). And it was bound to bite at some point. For a stretch after their franchise-record 13-game win streak, the Pistons squandered big leads when teams switched to a zone defense — like the Bucks did last week — and weren’t able to counter. All five Pistons losses this season have featured a 3-point percentage of 33% or worse. — Vincent Goodwill
Biggest weakness: Turnovers
Houston ranks 28th in the league in turnover percentage (16.1%), a number that can be attributed to the team’s by-committee approach to offensive facilitation after veteran point guard Fred VanVleet’s season-ending injury. The Rockets lost at Dallas by 13 points on Saturday after allowing the Mavericks to rack up 34 points off their 20 turnovers. In one particularly damaging sequence, Reed Sheppard committed three turnovers in about 60 seconds to help fuel a 14-0 Dallas run. “Dropped passes, a little bit of everything, all of the above,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said after the loss. — Michael C. Wright
Biggest weakness: Point-of-attack and paint defense
Defense will always be a cause of concern with this roster, as stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns don’t specialize on that end of the floor. New York has been better as an overall unit since Josh Hart has found his mojo, as winning eight of nine games — including Tuesday’s Cup quarterfinal in Toronto — has the Knicks feeling like the Knicks again. If Mitchell Robinson plays more minutes, that will alleviate the pressure on two-way wings OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges to make every play. — Vincent Goodwill
Biggest weakness: General defense
Though the Lakers’ anemic 26th ranking in 3-pointers made (and 17th ranking in 3-point percentage) remains a recurring soft spot for the team, the Lakers are sixth in overall offensive rating. The real issue? Their defense. In particular, the transition defense has been too porous to start the season. Opposing teams are averaging 24.3 points per game in transition against Los Angeles (18th in the league) and shooting 55% in transition (17th). L.A. is also 27th in 3-point defense, allowing opponents to shoot 38.2% from the outside — another trend that needs to change for the Lakers to be elite. — Dave McMenamin
Biggest weakness: Getting to the line
This Boston roster has always featured a heavy dose of 3-pointers combined with one of the lower free throw rates in the league. But that disparity has only grown after offseason departures and the injury to Jayson Tatum, who attempted the third most free throws in the league last season. The Celtics, last in the NBA in free throw attempts per game this season, could struggle to maintain their No. 2 offensive rating if that trend lasts through an entire 82-game season. — Tim Bontemps
Biggest weakness: 3-point defense
Victor Wembanyama‘s absence likely factors into this, but the Spurs are tied with Washington for 27th in opponent 3-point field goal percentage (38.3). Wembanyama’s 8-foot wingspan and ability to cover ground in a hurry provided San Antonio’s defenders the luxury of knowing he could erase most shots at the rim. In the first 12 games with Wembanyama in the fold, opponents took 42.3% of their shots from 3-point range. Since Wembanyama has been sidelined, that number has diminished (36.9%) as teams found easier paths to the rim. With the Spurs defending more drives, it appears their 3-point defense has slipped. — Wright
Biggest weakness: Defense without Gobert
Rudy Gobert may not quite be the dominant force he once was, but he’s still a very good defensive player — and the Timberwolves don’t have a lot of success at that end of the court when he’s not involved. When Gobert plays, Minnesota has a 108.6 defensive rating — better than any team but the league-leading Thunder. But when he’s off the court, Minnesota falls to a 118.3 defensive rating, which would slot right between the Charlotte Hornets (24th) and LA Clippers (25th). That has to improve if Minnesota wants to make another trip to the West finals. — Bontemps
Biggest weakness: Remaining whole
Orlando’s biggest task becomes maintaining its rhythm with Franz Wagner sidelined by a left ankle sprain — an MRI on Monday revealed no structural damage — and with Paolo Banchero coming back into the fold after missing time with a groin strain. (The Magic went 7-3 in Banchero’s absence.) Still, the Magic could be without Wagner, their steadiest player so far this season, for two to four weeks. Desmond Bane picked up plenty of the slack with 37 points in Orlando’s Cup quarterfinal win. — Ohm Youngmisuk
Biggest weakness: Offensive consistency
The Heat’s offense has slowed down. After scoring at least 120 points in 13 of 21 games, the Heat have failed to reach that mark in four straight games — all losses. Miami will have to figure out how to continue its free-flowing, up-tempo offense when fully healthy with Tyler Herro back in the mix after being eliminated from the NBA Cup on Tuesday. — Youngmisuk
Biggest weakness: Free throw differential
Toronto is a bottom-10 team in both free throws attempted and allowed, which equated to the Raptors spotting their opponents an extra two to three points per game. Toronto is one of just five teams that doesn’t have a single player averaging five free throw attempts per game, along with the below-.500 Wizards, Hornets, Mavericks and Kings. In Tuesday’s Cup quarterfinal loss, the Knicks shot 10 more free throws than the Raptors. — Zach Kram
Biggest weakness: A slumping offense (by their standards)
Last season’s No. 1 offense blitzed through the East with 68 wins. This season, the drop-off has been noticeable despite Cleveland still ranking 10th in offensive efficiency. Saturday’s loss to Golden State was the Cavs’ worst offensive showing of 2025-26, and it showcased plenty of the issues plaguing them. The Cavs were held under 100 points for the second time — that happened just once last season — and shot 24% from 3-point range with just eight fast-break points and with All-Star guard Darius Garland shooting 6-of-15 from the floor. To fully regain their contender status, the Cavs need more production from Garland, better transition offense and more 3s to fall. — Jamal Collier
Biggest weakness: Ball distribution
The Suns are an undisputable early-season success story, hovering near the top 10 in the league in defensive and offensive efficiency under first-year coach Jordan Ott, but Phoenix can improve by sharpening its ball distribution. The Suns rank 22nd in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.62-to-1), a telling stat that highlights both Phoenix’s need for better ball protection and an offense that could be a tad too reliant on isolation play and free throws. — McMenamin
Biggest weakness: Offensive efficiency
Here is a list of the nine least-efficient offenses in the NBA, starting from the worst: Wizards, Mavericks, Pacers, Kings, Pelicans, Grizzlies, Bulls, Nets and then Warriors. The Jazz, Blazers, Clippers and Hornets are the next four above Golden State. So the Warriors are the only team in the bottom 13 with a record above .500. They are surviving on the defensive end but must find some better efficiency and sustainability with and without Stephen Curry on the floor to become a fringe playoff threat. The Warriors have the fifth-worst turnover percentage in the league, shoot a midtier percentage from deep (36.4%) and get the second-fewest points per game (22.1) off drives. That’s not a winning formula. — Slater
Biggest weakness: Interior size (with and without Embiid)
Let’s set aside the obvious question of how regularly, and effectively, Joel Embiid will be able to play. Even when that isn’t accounted for, this is still a perimeter-oriented, guard-heavy roster. That style has plenty of benefits for Philadelphia, but also a fair share of issues at both ends. That lack of size showed up in a significant way defensively in Sunday’s loss to the Lakers, when LeBron James repeatedly muscled his way inside en route to his best game of the season. — Bontemps
Biggest weakness: Paint presence
One of coach Quin Snyder’s biggest concerns is his team’s rebounding and interior defense without a ton of size. A healthy Kristaps Porzingis goes a long way for the Hawks’ rim protection, but the big man recently missed four consecutive games because of illness and is often held out of a game in back-to-backs. Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu have been the best rebounders on the team, but the Hawks have to figure out how to battle more size inside. Dyson Daniels has helped with 6.2 rebounds per game, but Johnson will have to keep carrying the rebound load at 10.5 per game. — Youngmisuk
Biggest weakness: Rotational adjustments
Ja Morant has played in just 12 games. But before Morant suffered his calf strain, it was clear he and the coaching staff weren’t on the same page regarding some of coach Tuomas Iisalo’s philosophies. Iisalo’s approach employs short rotations, which some players believe negatively affects their ability to fall into a rhythm. After dropping 11 of its first 15 games, Memphis has won seven of its past nine, and it appears the Grizzlies are starting to find a comfort level. The return of Zach Edey after a 13-game absence has helped. — Wright
Biggest weakness: Shot creation
A lack of shot creation has been the Mavericks’ most glaring issue, but there has been drastic improvement since undrafted rookie Ryan Nembhard‘s insertion into the starting lineup. Nembhard, who led the nation in assists as a Gonzaga senior last season, has averaged 14.8 points, 6.8 assists and only 1.3 turnovers in six games as a starter. Dallas has gone 4-2 in that span, scoring 120.6 points per 100 possessions while climbing out of last place in the seasonlong offensive efficiency rankings. At 5-foot-11, Nembhard has some defensive deficiencies that create doubt about whether he can be a long-term starter, but the Mavericks project his floor as at least a high-quality backup. — MacMahon
Biggest weakness: 3-point shooting
The Blazers are shooting a league-low 33% beyond the arc, and what’s more troubling is they haven’t really been unlucky in that regard. Weighted by attempts this season, Portland’s players are 32% career 3-point shooters. The return of Jrue Holiday (36.5% this season) should help — the Blazers have gone 3-9 since Holiday’s calf strain after starting the season 6-6 with him. But Portland has defaulted heavily toward defense with its role players on the perimeter and would be wise to add a shooting specialist to unclog the court. — Kevin Pelton
Biggest weakness: The non-Giannis minutes
This season, more than ever, everything about the Bucks offense runs through Giannis Antetokounmpo. The team’s offensive rating goes from 126.3 with him on the floor, which would be the best in the NBA, to 109.0 without him on the court, which would be among the worst in the league. While Antetokounmpo is sidelined with a calf strain over the next few weeks, the Bucks hope they can discover a way to generate consistent offense to stop falling apart whenever their star can’t carry them. — Collier
Biggest weakness: Offense in general
Just about everything is going wrong during a seven-game losing streak that has erased any good vibes brought by the Bulls’ fast start and has sent them free-falling in the standings. The Bulls were always going to be challenged defensively considering their personnel, but their offense was supposed to be fast, built on ball movement and featuring several capable playmakers. Instead, the Bulls have the league’s No. 24 offensive rating and, since Nov. 24, its worst. Chicago has become more iso heavy, turnover prone and inefficient, which has reopened questions about the direction of the roster. — Collier
Biggest weakness: Defense
Once again, the Jazz are a historically horrible defensive team. Utah set the unfortunate record of having the highest defensive rating ever in 2023-24, when the Jazz allowed 119.6 points per 100 possessions. That improved only slightly last season, dipping slightly to a still-league-worst 119.4. Well, the Jazz are giving up 120.8 points per 100 possessions this season. The only good news is that Utah has company in its defensive misery: The Wizards are even worse (123.8) and a few teams are almost as bad. Jazz shot blocker Walker Kessler (shoulder surgery) is out for the season and headed toward what could be contentious restricted free agency negotiations. Recent lottery picks Taylor Hendricks and Cody Williams, who projected as potential defensive stoppers, haven’t earned regular rotation roles as well. — MacMahon
Biggest weakness: Forcing turnovers
The Hornets are all extremes on defense, ranking in the top five in two of the four factors (defensive rebounding and in keeping opponents off the free throw line, where they are No. 1) but in the bottom five in effective field goal percentage allowed and in forcing turnovers. The good news is opponents won’t likely keep shooting a league-high 39% from 3-point range given the tendency for that stat to regress, but Charlotte’s inability to turn teams over is less likely to correct itself. The Hornets are forcing turnovers at the fourth-lowest rate, and only the Wizards are generating fewer steals per 100 possessions. — Pelton
Biggest weakness: Transition defense
The Clippers are 17th in the league with 14.6 turnovers per game, fueling their rank (27th) in fast-break points allowed per game (17.5). The reason this deficiency is particularly disappointing for the Clippers is because it’s not an issue that sneaked up on them. Assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy even made T-shirts for the players to wear during training camp, reminding them to “Get the f— back,” with the profanity broken down to four tenets of their transition defense philosophy. — McMenamin
Biggest weakness: Offensive rating
Their defensive trouble is all too predictable. The Kings lack rim protection and requisite length on the wing, so they don’t have the personnel to compete on that end. Zach LaVine openly admitted that recently. But LaVine is an explosive scorer. He had 42 points in a win over Miami last week. DeMar DeRozan is one of the greatest midrange operators in recent memory. Domantas Sabonis, Malik Monk, Russell Westbrook, Dennis Schroder and Keegan Murray are all unique talents. It’s a strange mix, but the presumption was they had enough there to at least score at a league average or better rate. But through 24 games, the Kings have the fourth-worst offensive rating (109.0) in the NBA, better than only the Wizards, Mavericks and Pacers. — Slater
Biggest weakness: 3-point shooting
The Pacers rank 29th with a 33.2% mark from distance, though they’ve shot much better of late, as the team has gone 4-2 in its past six games. The problem has been with the role players, as Indiana’s most important offensive players (Pascal Siakam, Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith) are a combined 38.1% on 3s, while the rest of the team hits at 29.7%. That’s a bullish sign for next season, at least, when Indiana will rely on those key players and a healthy Tyrese Haliburton to return to contention. — Kram
Biggest weakness: A second scoring option
Finding more offense next to Michael Porter Jr. has been an issue all season for Brooklyn, and especially since Cam Thomas has been sidelined with a hamstring injury suffered early last month. It seems the Nets found timely contributions in winning three of four games, their best stretch of the season. Ziaire Williams one night, Day’Ron Sharpe the next, plus Noah Clowney making strides in his overall game. Porter, meanwhile, has averaged more than 34 points in his past three games on amazing efficiency. — Goodwill
Biggest weakness: The possession battles
Washington averages 89.6 shots per game, while its opponents average 95.3. That deficit is the largest for any team, and it’s because the Wizards struggle to get the ball back on defense: They rank 29th in forcing turnovers and 30th in defensive rebound rate. The Wizards are on pace to set an NBA record for worst single-season defensive rating, and that inability to control opponent shot attempts is a large reason. — Kram
Biggest weakness: Interior defense
Opponents are shooting 61% inside the arc against the Pelicans, not only the worst in the NBA this season but the highest mark in league history. No team had allowed more than 60% 2-point shooting beyond the first 10 games before this season, when the Kings also pulled off the feat before improving. Monday’s loss to San Antonio was just the fourth time the Pelicans have held an opponent below 55% on 2s, but the Spurs’ red-hot 3-point shooting (17-of-36, 47%) prevented New Orleans from taking advantage of Derik Queen‘s 33-point triple-double. — Pelton
