RANKED: Every NBA Playoff Team From Best to Worst

The NBA playoffs are finally here, and 20 teams enter with one goal — to win the NBA Championship. Some enter as clear favorites, while others will need a few things to fall in their favor to make a deep postseason run. Let’s look at each remaining team and power rank them from best to worst entering the NBA Playoffs:

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder will bring their No. 1 ranked defense and likely MVP winner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to the playoffs. While they have plenty of depth to lean upon, OKC’s playoff fate may ultimately come down to how Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren perform. Last year, the Mavericks defeated the Thunder in six games in the Western Conference Semifinals. Gilgeous-Alexander has a great series (32.2 PPG), but Williams and Holmgren were mostly held in-check. If the Thunder can get stable performances from their second and third best player, they’ll be tough to beat.

2. Boston Celtics

The Celtics cruised to the finish line during the regular season. All of their focus is on repeating as champions. Health could potentially play a factor in their chances of doing so. Jaylen Brown, last year’s Finals MVP, missed Boston’s final three games with an injury. He’s expected to be ready for their opening series, but knee discomfort are always tricky. When fully healthy, the Celtics still arguably have the best starting lineup in basketball — Brown, Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porzingis.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavs limped to the finish line, finishing 8-8 in the regular season. They had won 20 of 21 before that stretch. First-year coach Kenny Atkinson has created an offensive machine in Cleveland. They’ve had two separate 15-game winning streaks this year. Donovan Mitchell is an All-NBA player, Darius Garland was named an All-Star, Evan Mobley is one of the top candidates for Defensive Player of the Year, and Ty Jerome is the potential Sixth Man of the Year. Having home-court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs could be the key to the Cavaliers making a run to the NBA Finals.

4. Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers capped off their first 50-win season since the 2020 title year. It hasn’t been the smoothest process, but Luka Doncic has started to look more like himself recently. Nobody wants to face Doncic and LeBron James in a playoff setting. Not to mention, Austin Reaves has been playing at an All-Star level. If Rui Hachimura, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Gabe Vincent are hitting their shots, opponents won’t have a chance of stopping this offense. Even if they’re trailing in a series, the Lakers have the No. 1 (James, 33.5 PPG) and No. 2 (Doncic, 33.4) highest-scoring players ever in elimination games.

5. Los Angeles Clippers

Look out for the Clippers. The Clippers played extremely well to end the regular season, going 18-3 to close the year. Over the last 15 games, they had the No. 1 ranked offense and No. 1 ranked defense. Kawhi Leonard is one of the most accomplished playoff performers in the field, and has looked dominant as of late. James Harden poured in 39 points in their regular season finale versus the Warriors, and averaged 25.4 PPG and 9.1 APG over the last two months. A defensive-minded team led by two future Hall of Famers is a threat to make it out of a rugged Western Conference.

6. Denver Nuggets

Jamal Murray’s health will be the key for Denver making a run. When he’s on, Murray forms a masterful offensive duo alongside Nikola Jokic. Murray is a fearless scorer and underrated playmaker. If he’s slowed down by the hamstring injury that kept him out for six games in April, the Nuggets could be a first-round exit. Jokic is unstoppable, but Denver doesn’t have enough around the three-time MVP if Murray struggles. The Clippers present a unique matchup. They have plenty of defenders to throw at a potentially-compromised Murray, and LA center Ivica Zubac has been one of the best in the league at guarding Jokic.

7. Golden State Warriors

The first play-in team to appear on the rankings. The Warriors stumbled to end the regular season, dropping a much-needed game to the Clippers and another to the lowly Spurs. Still, no top team in the Western Conference wants to face off against Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler. This will be an important postseason for head coach Steve Kerr. Golden State has been using their depth and running a massive rotation all season long. Will Kerr shrink the rotation for the playoffs? If the Warriors bow out early, don’t be surprised if Kerr finds himself on the hot seat. We’ve already seen two coaches who recently won championships get fired this year (Phoenix’s Mike Budenholzer and Denver’s Mike Malone).

8. Houston Rockets

The Rockets are tough, athletic, and difficult to play against. Head coach Ime Udoka has established an identity for this young club. Everything changed when Amen Thompson was inserted into the starting lineup. The 22-year-old Thompson is already perhaps the best perimeter defender in the league. If he can slow down the opponent’s No. 1 option, the young Rockets can surprise some people. Houston’s offense can get stagnant at times, which is why it’s so important for their top-two scorers — Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun — to perform at a high-level.

9. Minnesota Timberwolves

After a rocky start to the year, the Timberwolves found themselves over the second-half of the season. They enter the playoffs having won 17 of their last 21 games. It’s not an overly deep team. Head coach Chris Finch is unlikely to expand his rotation beyond the eight regulars. It remains to be seen how big of a role Julius Randle will have offensively, or if he’ll be relegated to a reserve role in favor of a Naz Reid-Rudy Gobert frontcourt. Anthony Edwards led the league in three-pointers made, and will need to be in attack-mode against the star-studded Lakers.

10. Indiana Pacers

Flying in under-the-radar in the Eastern Conference, the Pacers are a team not to be taken lightly. They’ve become known for their up-and-down style led by playmaking PG Tyrese Haliburton. However, they’ve ramped it up defensively in recent weeks. Indiana boasts the No. 6 ranked offense over the last 15 games. The Pacers went 5-2 against the top-two teams in the conference — Cleveland and Boston. They match up with the No. 5 seed Bucks in a rematch of last year’s first-round battle. Indiana got the better of them, and could take advantage once again of an undermanned Milwaukee squad.

11. New York Knicks

It’s tough to hold the Knicks’ late-season woes against them. They’re an entirely different team when Jalen Brunson is available and healthy. Brunson played four games down the stretch after missing almost all of March. While he’ll be ready for the playoffs, it’s already a bad sign for a Knicks team that rarely uses its bench. All five Knicks starters rank in the top-20 in minutes per game. It’s been a struggle all year against the top teams in the league. New York is 0-10 against the teams with the three best records in the NBA — Cleveland, Boston, and Oklahoma City.

12. Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee ended its season on an eight-game winning streak, and locked in the No. 5 spot in the Eastern Conference. Their chances of making a deep playoff run rides on the availability of Damian Lillard. Lillard has been out since Mar. 18 while dealing with blood clots. The team has played well without him recently, but are unlikely to topple the top teams in the Eastern Conference without their No. 2 option.

13. Detroit Pistons

The Pistons are back in the playoffs thanks to a strong defense, good three-point shooting, and Cade Cunningham. The former No. 1 overall pick will get his first crack at the postseason. With his size, vision, and shot-making ability, Cunningham’s skillset should translate favorably in a playoff setting. The Pistons have surrounded their star point guard with rugged defenders and knockdown shooters. If Malik Beasley, Tobias Harris, or Tim Hardaway Jr. can catch fire, the Pistons have a chance to play spoiler in New York.

14. Memphis Grizzlies

The end of Memphis’ season was an unbridled disaster. Head coach Taylor Jenkins was fired, and Memphis finished the season 13-18 over their last 31 games. Ja Morant has played better of late, but the Grizzlies do not look like a team ready to make a run in a stacked Western Conference. To make matters worse, standout rookie Jaylen Wells — who started 74 games this year — is likely out for the remainder of the season with a concussion. The Grizzlies have plenty of talent on their roster, but all signs are pointing to an early postseason exit.

15. Orlando Magic

It’s all about the defensive side of the ball for Orlando. The Magic are the No. 1 ranked defense over the last 25 games. And, they’ve been able to do that without arguably their best defender in Jalen Suggs (who is out for the year). The question for Orlando is: Can Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner score enough for the defense to matter? The Magic lean on their two young stars to generate everything offensively. Both are shaky outside shooters, and opponents will key in on that factor.

16. Chicago Bulls

The Bulls surprised some people late in the season. They finished out the year 17-8 with some impressive wins. Chicago went on the road and defeated Orlando, Miami, Sacramento, Denver, and the Los Angeles Lakers during that stretch to end the year. Josh Giddey has been better than the team ever could have imagined, and rookie Matas Buzelis improved steadily throughout the year. Add in proven offensive performers like Coby White and Nikola Vucevic, and the Bulls could be a difficult matchup for a top team in the Eastern Conference.

17. Sacramento Kings

The Kings fired their coach, traded away their star player, and still nearly managed to finish .500. While they don’t pose much of a threat in the West, their veteran-laden team is almost more suited for a playoff setting. An offense led by Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach Lavine can attack defenses from multiple levels. When the game slows down, Sabonis and DeRozan can exploit mismatches with post-ups. The issue is, the Kings aren’t going to be able to slow any offense down. Sacramento ranked 26th in defense rating over the final 20 games.

18. Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks own the identity of their star player, Trae Young. They try to turn every game into a track meet. Over the last 20 games, the Hawks ranked 5th in pace and offensive rating. Young led the league in assists, Dyson Daniels led in steals, and rookie Zaccharie Risacher can do a little bit of everything. It’s been tough-sledding the playoffs for Atlanta since the 2021 run to the Eastern Conference Finals, but Young is a player who has never shied away from the moment.

19. Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks were riddled by injuries all year, but have gotten healthier in recent weeks. However, Kyrie Irving being out is a major blow. Irving was the engine offensively. Without him, it’s a struggle to manufacture good scoring opportunities. Even with one of the league’s best big man rotations, Dallas won’t be able to score consistently against good defenses.

20. Miami Heat

What will Miami look like in the playoffs without Jimmy Butler? The enigmatic star was dealt midseason after leading the Heat to two NBA Finals’ appearances. Now led by Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, the Heat will try to make another deep postseason run out of the play-in tournament. Andrew Wiggins has played well since being acquired, and forms a solid perimeter defensive duo alongside former lottery pick Davion Mitchell. Erik Spoelstra is the best coach in basketball and gives Miami an edge in any potential matchup.