The Athletic’s NBA Power Rankings: Season highs and season lows

Welcome to The Athletic’s NBA Power Rankings. Every week, we ask all of our NBA writers to rank the teams from 1-30. Here are the collective results after 25 weeks of the 2018-19 season.

We did it, everybody. We made it through an entire regular season. As people watch Texas Tech and Virginia try to close out a college national championship Monday night, we’ll all be ready to pounce on the final two days of the NBA regular season. Over these final two days, we’ll get to see the final output of a season long campaign through playoff and lottery positioning: 16 teams will be in the postseason, and 14 teams will be trying to figure out how to get into that club next year.

Well… maybe not ALL 14 teams will try to get in next season. Some of them are on long-term rebuilding plans.

As we do this final week of Power Rankings, I wanted to look over at the starting position in the rankings for each team (we started in Week 2 of the regular season), the lows of each team, and the highs of each team. Some squads have seen significant climbs or drops or climbs and drops throughout this season. Some teams haven’t changed our initial impression of them. Some teams have completely changed how we look at them. And, of course, the Washington Wizards got about four months of failed magic acts as I protested the apathy and unbreakable cycle this franchise seemed to be in before firing Ernie Grunfeld.

I want to thank everybody who read this column throughout the season or even just checked in various weeks. Your comments and feedback — nice or not — was a lot of fun for me and everybody else at The Athletic. With all that said, here are your final Power Rankings for the 2018-19 season.

Just a reminder to the reader that weekly rankings get submitted by each writer by 3 p.m. ET on Saturdays. That means we occasionally get games on Saturday night and Sunday that make the rankings look a little off. The possible games that screwed it all up this week:

• Nets outlasted a Giannis-less Bucks team 133-128 on Saturday
• Hornets taking down the Pistons 104-91 on Saturday
• Nets also beating Indiana 108-96 for a very impressive back-to-back performance
• Magic defeated the Celtics 116-108 on Sunday
• Blazers beat the Nuggets 115-108 on Sunday
• What’s left of the Lakers knocked off the Jazz 113-109 on Sunday

The latest power rankings start now.

30. New York Knicks (Previously 30th), 16-64 (-8.8 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 28th

Lowest point in the rankings: They’ve been 30th eight times, including the past five weeks to finish out the season.

Highest point in the rankings: The Knicks hit 24th twice in the third and fourth weeks of the season.

What did we learn about them? The biggest thing we learned about the Knicks this season probably came in the form of their potential for attracting big name free agents this summer. The rumors are out there, whether you want to believe them or not. Kevin Durant bolting Golden State for the Knicks seems like a very real possibility. And the circumstantial evidence pointing toward this marriage is overwhelming, even if there is still plenty of time to change his mind about leaving or where he’d leave to.

Grabbing Durant and Kyrie Irving means all of the bumbling of the organization over the last two decades doesn’t matter at all. James Dolan hasn’t completely poisoned the well, and now that Phil Jackson is no longer in place, stars around the league can consider trying to make the Knicks matter once again. We’ll see if they’re successful enough in their pitches this summer to grab Durant and another high profile guy like Kyrie or Kemba Walker.

Outlook moving forward? I guess it’s good? It’s hard to know until we see the fallout of free agency and whether or not the loud whispers about Durant actually hold water. But if they can grab the top pick in the draft with Zion Williamson available, the Knicks can start making their way toward being fun again. If they grab big free agents including KD, they can start looking to be a contender once again for the first time in two decades.

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29. Phoenix Suns (Previously 29th), 19-62 (-8.9 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 27th

Lowest point in the rankings: The Suns dropped to 30th in the rankings five times this season, most recently in weeks 19 and 20.

Highest point in the rankings: They reached 27th four different times, but haven’t been there since Week 15.

What did we learn about them? That this organization grossly misjudged where this team was heading into the season. The Suns fired Ryan McDonough, emptying out a lot of the front office right before the season began. That is not the move of an organization that knows where it is and where it’s going. It’s fine to move out one regime for another, but they still haven’t hired that new regime. They inserted James Jones into the interim role and went an entire season of scouting and trade deadline without finding the successor. After spending money to bring in a rental of Trevor Ariza to help this team win, they quickly realized that this team still isn’t capable of putting a decent team around Devin Booker.

It was predictable to think the Suns would be a bad team this season, but the Suns lack of awareness of where they are in this building process wasn’t so predictable. Or maybe it was because it is the Suns after all.

Outlook moving forward? They’ve locked up Booker on a rookie extension, they have a year under Deandre Ayton’s belt, and potentially the top pick in the draft. Igor Koskov has a lot of work to do with coaching this team up, but his intelligence, work ethic, and development methods all point toward future success as a coach. In theory, this team should look pretty good moving forward. They have other young players worthy of praise and hope. But it’s still the Suns and they need to build up credit in order to believe in them for next season.

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28. Cleveland Cavaliers (previously 28th), 19-62 (-9.8 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 30th

Lowest point in the rankings: The Cavaliers have been last in the league nine different weeks this season. They started the first four weeks as 30th, but haven’t been there since Week 15.

Highest point in the rankings: They climbed to 27th for two weeks this season. It happened in Weeks 8 and 9.

What did we learn about them? I’m not sure many people shared this optimism, but I thought a fully healthy Cavs team this season could finish in the 35-win range. If they kept all of their veterans, Kevin Love got a chance to shine as the top guy, and everybody played in the 70-game range, I thought the Cavs could be frisky enough to stick around most of this East playoff race. So I guess I learned it was a completely stupid hope for this team. Love got injured pretty quickly and then a flurry of trades happened with the Cavs trying to get as many trade assets as possible. But even before the Love injury, this team looked horrendous.

We also learned that this is the worst defensive team in NBA history. According to Basketball-Reference, the worst defense in league history happened three different times headed into this season. The 1991 Denver Nuggets, 1993 Dallas Mavericks, and 2009 Sacramento Kings all posted a 114.7 defensive rating. This year’s Cavs blew that defensive futility out of the water. Cleveland currently has a 117.4 defensive rating. They could give up zero points over the last two games and still walk away with the worst in league history.

Outlook moving forward? As with many of these bottom-feeders, the lottery will determine a lot. Collin Sexton had a really good rookie campaign, including a very strong finish. Cedi Osman looks like he can be a pretty serviceable role player moving forward. Outside of that, the Cavs need to nail these draft picks and reacquire some of that lottery luck that helped them between LeBron James stints. Grabbing Zion Williamson puts the Cavs ahead of the rebuilding game. Even getting someone like Ja Morant or RJ Barrett would be a nice feather in their cap.

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27. Chicago Bulls (Previously 27th), 22-58 (-8.2 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 29th

Lowest point in the rankings: The Bulls dropped to 30th in the NBA just once this season. They were ranked last in the league in Week 10.

Highest point in the rankings: The Bulls have never been higher than 27th this season. They’ve been ranked 27th 15 different times, including the past 10 weeks to finish the season.

What did we learn about them? Unfortunately, we never got to see a ton of time on the court with their main rebuilding pieces, so it’s hard to know exactly what we learned from the Bulls. Chicago only saw 16 games with Wendell Carter Jr, Lauri Markkanen, and Zach LaVine playing together. The three of them never played together as a trio with Kris Dunn or Otto Porter. The injuries just never allowed that quartet or quintet’s paths to cross on the court. When the Carter-Markkanen-LaVine trio did hit the court together, the team got destroyed. They were outscored by 19.4 points per 100 possessions over 297 minutes.

At least we learned that LaVine is fully recovered from the knee injury a couple years ago. He went through a couple of lulls with his shooting accuracy this season but he’s about to finish with a career-high in scoring (23.7) and a true shooting percentage (57.4) that is dangerously close to his career best (57.6).

Outlook moving forward? It’s hard to know because of the front office. They’ve brought in some good pieces, but they’ve also ruined a lot of optimism with the fan base over the years. If you believe in the trio of Carter-Markkanen-LaVine, then you feel very good about them. If you’re waiting for that next star to find its way to Chicago, it’s hard to envision how they pull that off.

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26. Atlanta Hawks (Previously 25th), 29-52 (-5.5 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 26th

Lowest point in the rankings: The Hawks dropped to 30th once this season in Week 6.

Highest point in the rankings: The Hawks made it to 25th five different times this season. Most recently was last week.

What did we learn about them? Lloyd Pierce can coach and this young core can really play. It took them a month or two to get into the groove, but the Hawks eventually figured out how to avoid being terrible. Pierce found a rhythm with his rotations and Trae Young’s scoring caught up to his passing prowess. Once that happened and John Collins got healthy, the Hawks became a team a lot of playoff squads had to pay attention to. The trio of Young, Collins, and Kevin Huerter currently has 977 minutes together on the season and were outscored by 1.1 points per 100 possessions in those minutes. That’s extremely impressive for such a young and inexperienced trio. Just compare that to the Bulls numbers above and you can see the competitive gap between the two this season.

Outlook moving forward? The future is super bright for the Hawks. Imagine them getting the top pick and then adding Zion Williamson to the mix. Even if they don’t, the Hawks can add a high level prospect and continue the rebuild brought on by Travis Schlenk. Atlanta has a reason to be excited about the present and the future, and hopefully that can turn Hawks games into something the city wants to attend regularly.

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25. Dallas Mavericks (Previously 25th), 32-48 (-1.5 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 21st

Lowest point in the rankings: The Mavericks hit 26th last week and it was the lowest they’ve been in the rankings all season.

Highest point in the rankings: There was a surge at one point in the season in Week 9 when the Mavs got all the way up to 12th.

What did we learn about them? They are entirely comfortable giving the keys of the franchise to Luka Doncic. We pretty much knew it was headed that way before the season was going. They traded up in the draft to grab Luka, and they didn’t have anybody in his way for controlling the franchise. Even with Dennis Smith Jr. on the roster, Doncic still had freedom to do and try whatever he wanted. The Mavs tried to get very aggressive with their rebuild by moving expiring deals in order to bring Kristaps Porzingis into the fold before the deadline. Giving Doncic a sidekick/running mate like Porzingis on the court creates an exciting duo, or at least that was the tone of the conversation before the current accusations hit everybody. Now we’ll wait and see what happens with that legal process.

As for Dallas, Doncic has proven he was absolutely worth all of the pre-draft hype. He’s a star in the making. He’s an All-Star in the making. He’s an All-NBA player in the making. They just have to find ways to put players around him like they did for Dirk Nowitzki over the decades.

Outlook moving forward? Everything sort of hinges on what happens with the Porzingis legal situation. If everything is clear and it’s an extortion case plain and simple, then the Mavericks looks set up beautifully. Pairing Doncic and Porzingis makes a ton of sense stylistically, and the timeline of them growing together is huge. If much worse is coming from this Porzingis legal situation, the Mavs have a lot more questions to answer about their franchise mentality.

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24. Washington Wizards (Previously 22nd), 32-49 (-2.7 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 22nd

Lowest point in the rankings: In Week 4, the Wizards dropped to 28th in the rankings. It was their only time that low this season.

Highest point in the rankings: Washington climbed back up to 22nd four times this season, but never got higher than that. Most recently, they were 22nd last week.

What did we learn about them? No gimmicks this week. It was a fun season of telling tales of failed magic moments in history, but the Wizards made an actual move toward trying to break their cycle of apathy. Ernie Grunfeld took the fall for the Wizards not making the playoffs this season. The absence of John Wall, because injuries, wasn’t enough of an excuse for missing the playoffs in the East. Ted Leonsis is using this opportunity to put a fresh face with fresher ideas in charge of the front office. So it doesn’t really matter what the Wizards did on the court.

They moved off the Otto Porter money and they got out of restricted free agency for Kelly Oubre. Bradley Beal is the focus of this team next season and moving forward. Washington won’t do a teardown, although they’d love to find a way off the Wall contract in the next couple years. But they have a chance to build a real team with real promise for becoming a contender. It just might finally take a couple of years to accomplish.

Outlook moving forward? It’s still the Wizards, so I’m not sure how optimistic anybody should be. We have to wait and see who ends up in charge of the front office and personnel decisions. However, for the first time in well over a decade Wizards fans can take solace in the fact that this franchise won’t be in the same old hands anymore. Maybe those new hands won’t be the answer, but they won’t be the same issue as before.

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23. New Orleans Pelicans (Previously 23rd), 33-48 (-1.2 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 5th. I had to do a double take. 5th!

Lowest point in the rankings: The Pelicans dropped to 23rd in the rankings six different times this season. The most recent time was last week.

Highest point in the rankings: It was when they started 5th in the rankings. They quickly dropped out of the top 10 the next week to 11th and then 18th after that.

What did we learn about them? That this thing is over. Anthony Davis told management he wanted out and a feces fest ensued. Dell Demps got fired. Davis got put on a minutes restriction. Alvin Gentry got annoyed with the questions about AD. Parts of this team continued to fight, but a flawed roster with no real prospects for hope ended up fizzling out the way you’d expect them to do. As soon as Davis wanted out, the writing was on the wall for everybody involved. The Pelicans moved on from Nikola Mirotic, but definitely decided to keep Jrue Holiday around (for now). Davis will likely be moved to Boston this summer, as the Pelicans avoid giving LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers what they want.

As for the team itself, we know it’s time to hit the reset button and create a new era in the franchise’s history. Ultimately, the Pelicans hopefully learned they can’t run this as the sister franchise of the New Orleans Saints. If they want the next star venture to be successful, they have to be their own franchise. If they didn’t learn that…

Outlook moving forward? There’s no way to know how to think of this without knowing what they’ll get in return for Davis. If they can snag Jayson Tatum and a couple of assets from Boston, it’s a solid start to finding a new way to build a team. They’ll demand a high asking price and it’s safe to assume someone will have to match it in order to try to get the upper hand on re-signing Davis next summer. But either way, this is going to get bleak for a while.

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22. Memphis Grizzlies (Previously 24th), 32-48 (-2.6 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 18th

Lowest point in the rankings: Weeks 18-20, the Grizzlies dropped to 26th in the NBA.

Highest point in the rankings: In Weeks 6-8, the Grizzlies climbed into the top 10 in the NBA. The highest they reached was seventh in Week 6.

What did we learn about them? That all of the hope for “this team could be a problem to deal with if they stay healthy” always go away once this team can no longer stay healthy. We’ve seen this story with the Grizzlies a few times over the last few years. They have a spirited start to the season and then a couple of injuries cause a mass exodus from the win column. This time around, Mike Conley stayed pretty healthy. We saw just how fun and special rookie Jaren Jackson Jr. can be until injuries derailed his campaign. Eventually, Memphis moved Marc Gasol to a contender so they wouldn’t lose him for nothing this summer.

We learned the Grizzlies truly have to transition into a new wave of basketball, even if they want to keep the same identity. Use Jackson as a main building block, and dangle Conley this summer to the teams who strike out on bigger free agents.

Outlook moving forward? It should be positive for the most part. Jackson is really good and at least next season he should pair nicely with Jonas Valanciunas. Even if they don’t move Conley this summer, they’ll have a very good point guard to fall back on. Chandler Parsons becomes movable this summer, and maybe that yields some quality players to build the depth. They just have to nail the draft pick this June — assuming they get to keep their top-8 protected pick. Currently, it would be ninth.

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21. Los Angeles Lakers (Previously 21st), 37-44 (-1.5 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 15th

Lowest point in the rankings: 21st is the lowest the Lakers have ranked during this season, but they’ve been there the past five weeks to finish the season.

Highest point in the rankings: In Week 10, the Lakers got up to 8th in the NBA.

What did we learn about them? That LeBron James, sometimes, isn’t enough. This also was a much more fragile existence for the Lakers than many people anticipated, even the people who didn’t think they could make the postseason in the West. LeBron had the Lakers afloat with a 20-14 record until his groin popped on Christmas Day. Their seeding in the West at the time is a bit irrelevant because Houston, Utah, and a couple other teams hadn’t started truly rolling yet. But the Lakers were still a winning team. Things fell apart without LeBron, and the fractured locker room from the Anthony Davis trade rumors meant James had to be perfect when he returned to drag them into the playoffs.

He was far from perfect at the time. His defense was a mess and playoff mode looked more like “extra time to film ‘Space Jam 2’ mode” pretty quickly. The youth on the roster felt pretty hit or miss, and then its entire allure was decimated by injuries to finish out the year. We learned that Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka still have a lot of work to do after signing LeBron last summer.

Outlook moving forward? I guess it’s positive? A lot of things are still in flux. LeBron should be well-rested for next season. The Lakers can sign a big name free agent with their cap space. They can also use their assets to trade for another significant player, although the Brandon Ingram health scares will put a bit of a damper on that return. The team is expected to find a new coach once they fire Luke Walton. Ultimately though, LeBron needs some help and he needs to reevaluate how he tried to lead this season.

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20. Minnesota Timberwolves (Previously 19th), 36-44 (-1.4 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 19th

Lowest point in the rankings: The Timberwolves dropped to 23rd in the rankings in Weeks 10 and 11.

Highest point in the rankings: Weeks 7 and 8 saw the Wolves climb up to 15th in the rankings.

What did we learn about them? The Timberwolves are still the Timberwolves. What a mess of a season we saw up north. Tom Thibodeau turned a trade request into a referendum on how the organization is run. He eventually moved the malcontent off the team, brought in some valuable role players, and still couldn’t turn things in his favor. The Wolves removed him and brought in a feel-good, hometown story with Ryan Saunders taking over. But a flawed roster, an immature young core, and injuries to veterans tanked their chances of getting back to the playoffs.

As good as Karl-Anthony Towns might project to be, his stats show up empty more often than not. The team’s defense is still pathetic, and their offense looked limited even after the coaching change. Glen Taylor still needs to prove he’s an owner who is serious about creating a winning culture within his own organization, and we learned he’s still not there yet.

Outlook moving forward? In theory, it should be somewhat exciting. Towns still had an incredible season and his defense, while still inconsistent, legitimately improved. The Wolves will likely bring back Saunders to coach this team, but they’ll also hire a new front office, as they target Chauncey Billups before anybody else. From there, they have to figure out how to build a culture that matters. The Wolves have barely ever had it. They have the worst record in league history as a franchise. Unless Taylor realizes how to fix this same problem over and over, the Wolves will remain the Wolves for the near future.

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19. Charlotte Hornets (Previously 20th), 38-42 (-1.5 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 17th

Lowest point in the rankings: The Hornets fell to 21st in Week 13, but never lower than that. It lasted only one week.

Highest point in the rankings: Week 7 saw the Hornets climb to 14th, but it was the only week they ranked 14th.

What did we learn about them? This team still hasn’t put much around Kemba Walker and it might turn out to bite them in the stinger. The Hornets have missed on a bunch of draft picks and contracts given out. They’re still fighting for the playoffs, but even if they make it, they just become food for Milwaukee in the first-round. Their best case scenario is a Kemba game isn’t completely wasted. Miles Bridges might turn into something solid for them. But is that enough to keep Kemba this summer? Or will Walker decide to forego the biggest payday possible and look for something different? Even if they keep Walker, his next contract could really prevent them from putting better talent around him.

The Hornets need a culture, much like the Wolves above them. Michael Jordan has to go away from just existing as an owner and turn that legendary competitiveness into an asset for the team and their basketball operations. Otherwise, they’ll continue to just exist within the construct of the East and never really be taken seriously.

Outlook moving forward? It’s impossible to know, whether they re-sign Kemba this summer or not. Losing him gives them a chance to hit the reset, except Jordan seems opposed to tanking. Keeping him keeps an All-Star and possible All-NBA guard in tow, but his giant contract complicates adding quality players around him. The Hornets have painted themselves into a corner and I have no idea how they get out of it cleanly.

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18. Miami Heat (Previously 16th), 38-42 (-0.4 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 16th

Lowest point in the rankings: Weeks 6 and 8 had the Miami Heat finishing 24th in the rankings.

Highest point in the rankings: The Heat never got higher than 14th in the rankings, and that happened once in Week 12.

What did we learn about them? Money can’t buy you enough wins to feel confident in making the playoffs. Sure, the Miami Heat still might make the postseason, and they dealt with some pretty key injuries to their rotation throughout the season. But for the most expensive roster in the NBA, is that enough of an excuse to make the fan base feel better about things moving forward? Pat Riley needs to find ways to clear the decks for 2020, when the Heat get a chance to prove they can matter in free agency once again. Unfortunately for this current team, a big win streak a couple years ago locked them into four years of inadequacy.

Josh Richardson emerged as a nice surprise and valuable trade asset before regressing into a scapegoat in the latter stages of the season. Bam Adebayo found his way into the starting lineup and gave the Heat a boost. Justise Winslow turned into a pretty nice point forward initiator. But none of it matters without meaningful stars in their prime sprinkled into the lineup.

Outlook moving forward? I would expect much of the same for next season. Maybe trading for Jimmy Butler wouldn’t have solved everything with this team. Maybe it wouldn’t have solved anything. But now they’re left with trying to figure out how to add to the roster without adding to the long-term salary commitments. Riley has to prove he can still pitch big name players and get South Beach another set of stars to root for. Again, we’re unlikely to see him get that chance before 2020.

GIF ON THE BEAT: Thanks for everything, Dwyane Wade. It was a joy to watch your career.

17. Sacramento Kings (Previously 17th), 39-42 (-1.1 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 24th

Lowest point in the rankings: 24th was the lowest we saw from them and it happened in the first week. They only spent two different weeks in the 20s this season.

Highest point in the rankings: The Kings reached 13th in the rankings four different times this season. Most recently occurred in Weeks 17 and 18.

What did we learn about them? That we can finally take the Kings seriously again! They didn’t find their way into ending the playoff drought, but the Kings battled all season long to get the respect of opponents around the NBA. That’s something that hasn’t really existed for them in more than a decade. This Kings team was coached beautifully by Dave Joerger and the young core grew up instantly before our eyes. Buddy Hield proved to be a meaningful scorer. De’Aaron Fox proved to be a meaningful problem for opponents. Marvin Bagley III looks like a great pick by the Kings.

The Kings resiliency eventually waned a bit by now being able to truly fight for a playoff spot down the stretch, but everything else about them run positive throughout the season. This has to be the first time in a long time the fan base has validated optimism about the future.

Outlook moving forward? It will be interesting to see how they approach the offseason. In the past, they were offering big dollars to anybody, just to prove they could sign meaningful free agents. Now they have to curate that roster a little more carefully. It will head into next season with expectations and dark horse selections for a playoff berth. Things are tremendously positive, but you don’t want to end up like the Suns in 2014-15.

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16. Detroit Pistons (Previously 14th), 39-41 (-0.8 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 9th

Lowest point in the rankings: In Week 13 and Week 15, the Detroit Pistons ranked as low as 23rd.

Highest point in the rankings: 9th was their highest ranking. It only happened the once and they were never in the top 10 again.

What did we learn about them? Despite having a killer big man combination, the rest of this team doesn’t pass the sniff test. Sure, Reggie Jackson had moments. The Wayne Ellington pickup was really good. Luke Kennard made some serious advancements as a weapon. But the late season faltering ruined a lot of momentum the team seemed to be building behind a healthy Blake Griffin. Andre Drummond having legitimate claims of being snubbed for accolades, especially when it comes to the All-Star Game. But the rest of this team just doesn’t seem to be worth much of anything for building a solid attack.

Dwane Casey did a great job at times, and there were other times in which it looked like the Pistons’ offense was entirely doomed. We know they have a great fit at the top, but they need to find a perimeter threat who can help lead this team.

Outlook moving forward? I have no idea how they accomplish any of that. They have so much money committed to Drummond and Griffin that it inhibits flexibility. Getting away from Jackson as the main point guard is key, but there is a limit on the type of talent they can bring in. They could try to trade for someone like Jrue Holiday, but that will strip them of any chance they have of stocking the cupboard with assets to build out the team. Pistons should be in the 6-8 range for the next couple years in the East, but this franchise should have the same level of optimism as Indiana. That’s just not the case.

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15. Brooklyn Nets (Previously 15th), 41-40 (-0.3 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 23rd

Lowest point in the rankings: In Week 8, the Nets ranked 25th in the NBA. It was the only week they hit that low.

Highest point in the rankings: Nets rose up to 13th in the rankings in Week 16, their only time hitting that high point.

What did we learn about them? That this Brooklyn Nets team is a playoff squad. They clinched with back-to-back wins over Milwaukee (sans Giannis) and Indiana this weekend. It means years of hard work by Sean Marks and Kenny Atkinson and his coaching staff and these developing players has paid off. After ownership expedited that horrendous trade with Boston years ago, they hit the reset button properly by bringing in influential builders in both the front office and on the sidelines to create a culture. They weren’t going to rely on some star draft pick to save the day. They didn’t have that kind of opportunity. They created their own opportunity to make this franchise look like a winner once again.

That’s exactly what they did. D’Angelo Russell might be the Most Improved Player and he became an All-Star. Joe Harris became one of the most impactful shooters in the NBA. Jarrett Allen gave them a staunch rim protector and role players stepped up left and right to give this team little boosts throughout the season. This is how you rebuild a franchise with or without picks.

Outlook moving forward? It looks incredible. The Nets have the flexibility to add a significant free agent this summer without having to ditch their core. Even if they strike out on that, they have plenty of tradable assets to make significant moves. The Nets can put a scare into a first-round opponent and set themselves up to be the Indiana of next season. What an incredible step forward for this franchise.

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14. Orlando Magic (Previously 18th), 41-40 (+0.5 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 25th

Lowest point in the rankings: The Magic started at 25th and it was the lowest they ever ranked for our writers. It happened three different weeks with Week 13 being the most recent.

Highest point in the rankings: This week’s 14th ranking is the highest they’ve fared all season long. Their second half has lifted them considerably from the start of the season.

What did we learn about them? This season was a great reminder that Steve Clifford is a great coach. He did the most without very much when he coached the Hornets. Now in his first season with Orlando, he took a group that wasn’t very good and got them to play significantly better in the second half of the season. The Magic had a solid defensive base to fall back on and that’s what Clifford relied on so often during the season. The scoring came and went, but the defense had to remain the constant.

In the process, Nikola Vucevic made the All-Star team and D.J. Augustin continued some pretty solid play. For most of the season, Terrence Ross provided them with a great scoring punch off the bench. Now they’ve snuck into the playoffs in the East and might even work their way up to a No. 6 seed if the final couple days break right. Above all else, the growth in the second half of the season is absolutely what you want to see from a group like this.

Outlook moving forward? They have some tough decisions to make this summer. What kind of contracts are Vucevic and Ross looking to command? If it’s going to take near a max for Vucevic, the Magic have to figure out if they can do that and still have some outs early in the contract, just to have some flexibility. Ross was a prolific 3-point shooter most of the season, but how much does that work out to on the open market? Orlando can’t chase hope and just blindly re-sign everybody to run it back with this group. They have an opportunity to build on a new foundation laid by Clifford.

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13. San Antonio Spurs (Previously 11th), 47-34 (+1.5 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 14th

Lowest point in the rankings: The Spurs were as low as 22nd in the NBA back in Week 8. That was when I believe I said they needed to blow it up, and then went on a crazy good run.

Highest point in the rankings: Week 3 had the Spurs 8th in the NBA. That’s the only week they’ve been that high and one of three weeks in which they reached the top 10.

What did we learn about them? In a similar but opposite vein as the Wolves are still the Wolves, we were reminded that the Spurs are still the Spurs. They missed out on a 50-win season, and they battled subpar defense throughout big stretches of the year. But they kept tweaking their approach and finding big stretches of winning outside of that subpar defense. Derrick White emerged as a real weapon for them in the absence of Dejounte Murray. DeMar DeRozan had an All-NBA level season away from Toronto, and LaMarcus Aldridge might be the guy who bumps LeBron James out of the All-NBA Third Team.

This team isn’t close to looking like a contender of the past, but they can maintain success while searching for their next title-winning star.

Outlook moving forward? The Spurs don’t have a ton of flexibility with roster spots off the bat this summer, but they do have enough flexibility to make significant changes if they want to overhaul the roster. It would likely mean taking on longer-term money in exchange for guys like Aldridge and DeRozan. But even if they don’t go that route, the Spurs have the chance at tremendous flexibility in the summer of 2020. Of course, Gregg Popovich sticking around past the next couple years could throw a huge wrench into all of that.

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12. Indiana Pacers (Previously 12th), 47-34 (+3.4 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 10th

Lowest point in the rankings: Their current position of 12th is their lowest of the season and it’s happened four times. The last two weeks of the season have put the Pacers 12th. It also happened in Weeks 7 and 16.

Highest point in the rankings: Weeks 13 and 14 put the Pacers 5th in the rankings.

What did we learn about them? This is the most resilient team in the NBA. Everybody expected the Pacers to fold on the season when Victor Oladipo went down with the season-ending injury. Instead, they’ve managed to maintain, had spurts of being an absolute bother to their opponents, and maintained a defensive mindset most teams yearn to adopt. Now, they’re unlikely to have the firepower to pull off a first-round upset against these better East contenders, but nobody wants to play them. Myles Turner will be worthy of All-Defense, whether he makes it or not. Domantas Sabonis is one of the most improved players and one of the best bench players.

Nate McMillan has been arguably the Coach of the Year, but some understandable struggles in the second half of the season probably prevent him from winning the award. The Pacers know how to take a punch.

Outlook moving forward? As long as Oladipo gets healthy, this should be pretty optimistic. I’d be curious to see if they explore a trade for Mike Conley or Jrue Holiday to pair with Oladipo. That dynamic backcourt would be tough for most teams to handle, as they continue to lock up the perimeter. The Pacers are unlikely to woo a big free agent, but they have the flexibility to make a big trade. I’m not sure if it can be enough to enter the fray with the top 4 in the East, but they’ll be looking to kick that door off its hinges.

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11. Oklahoma City Thunder (Previously 13th), 47-33 (+3.3 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 20th

Lowest point in the rankings: Their awful start to the season also secured their lowest ranking of 20th. It only happened in the first week we had the rankings.

Highest point in the rankings: The Thunder reached 4th in the rankings back in Week 6, their only time that highly ranked this season.

What did we learn about them? That we still have no idea what to expect from this team. In the first half of the season, this was the best defensive team in the NBA. Paul George was trying to kick down the door to his first MVP award. Russell Westbrook wasn’t shooting well, but he was deferring perfectly to let PG13 shine. The bench was giving them really good production with Dennis Schroder as their answer at backup point guard. Things were going swimmingly and at times, maybe hints of giving Golden State a little trouble in the playoffs seemed possible. Then the second half of the season came and all of this seemed to go out the window.

George fell off a cliff, likely due to a shoulder injury. Or maybe it was just the typical second half swoon for him. The defense didn’t just stop being elite. It’s pretty much just average at best over the last couple months. The Thunder aren’t deadly enough offensively to make up for it on a nightly basis, and they just have to hope their opponent makes more mistakes than they do. The Thunder continue to be a conundrum.

Outlook moving forward? You tell me. Maybe they’re dangerous and pull off an upset of Denver or Houston or Portland in the first-round. Maybe they get swept out of the playoffs by the higher seed and we start figuring out if Westbrook and George will exist together long-term. Either way, this Thunder continues answering questions about them by bringing even more questions into the fold. They’re basically just any outfit The Riddler wears in a Batman movie.

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10. Los Angeles Clippers (Previously 10th), 47-34 (+1.0 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 13th

Lowest point in the rankings: The Clippers have been in the top half of the league every week this season. 15th was their lowest point, and it only happened in Week 17.

Highest point in the rankings: In Week 7, the Clippers made it all the way to 4th in the rankings. They never found 4th again during the season.

What did we learn about them? This season was a nice reminder of what Doc Rivers can do with a group of role players. Early on, the Clippers overachieved and actually lead the West for a decent amount of time. It was a surprise to even this organization, and it might have made their goals for the season a little murky. All of a sudden, they had to aim higher. Then they traded away Tobias Harris before the deadline, and everybody assumed the tank was coming. Instead, the Clippers surged behind veterans and rookies. The Clippers became one of the best stories of the season, and have an assumed upper hand in wooing Kawhi Leonard, if he leaves Toronto.

We learned that the Clippers are run like a real organization now. This isn’t the Donald Sterling days of old. Steve Ballmer has hired the right people and empowered them to surge ahead. None of this Clippers malaise seems to exist much anymore, except for the awful logo.

Outlook moving forward? The Clippers are in a great position. They might get to the second-round of the postseason, which would be icing on the cake. From there, they can focus their efforts on convincing Kawhi to join them in Los Angeles. They also have enough assets in the trade chest to go find a star running mate next to Leonard this summer. The Clippers look sustainably competent for once.

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9. Boston Celtics (Previously 9th), 48-33 (+4.2 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 6th

Lowest point in the rankings: In Week 6, the Celtics were their lowest of the season — 12th. It’s the only time they’ve been that low and just the second time they’ve been outside of the top 10.

Highest point in the rankings: The Celtics reached fifth on the season twice in the rankings. The first time happened in Week 3 and the second time happened in Week 9.

What did we learn about them? I have no earthly idea. Are they really good? Are they really bad? Will the shine in the postseason? Will they flame out in spectacular fashion? The Celtics have remained an enigma all season long. They’ve been waiting for Gordon Hayward to get up to speed and he seems to finally have arrived at the right time. But then the rest of their offense is mediocre far too often and the defense doesn’t quite carry them enough, despite usually being very good. The Celtics have been teasing us all season long, just trying to see if we’ll blindly buy into the talent on the roster.

You tell me what this team taught us. That maybe all of the Brad Stevens praise a year ago was too much hyperbole? Even if that’s the case, what do we do with them going into this postseason?

Outlook moving forward? The ceiling is still the roof for them. Boston is the frontrunner for the Anthony Davis sweepstakes this summer. They might end up in The Finals this season. They might get upset by Indiana in the first round. Either way, the summer is when they have a chance to bolster the roster even further, assuming Kyrie Irving doesn’t leave in free agency. I think the Celtics will be fine regardless, but we could see some major changes.

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8. Utah Jazz (Previously 8th), 49-31 (+5.1 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 8th

Lowest point in the rankings: The Jazz were dealing with a brutal schedule early on, and it helped them fall all the way to 19th during Week 6.

Highest point in the rankings: Their current position of eighth is the highest they’ve been. They started out in eighth, and have been there three times total this season. The other two times have been the final two weeks of the rankings.

What did we learn about them? They didn’t do well with expectations and a bad schedule, but once things slowed down a little bit, this was back to a similar team to what they showed us last season. The Utah Jazz are still arguably the best defensive team in the NBA. When they can get some consistent shooting from their role players, this team is overwhelming. When they can get a monster scoring night from Donovan Mitchell, they can be pretty overwhelming. This team has the makeup of needing one more consistent scoring threat in order to crack the elite of the Western Conference.

The one thing we did learn about their offense, though, is that they can’t get that consistent shooting. Their ups and downs with accuracy plagued them all season. This team could have won 55-plus games if they just managed to not be awful shooting the ball from deep on so many nights. It’s something they need to improve immediately for the playoffs.

Outlook moving forward? Things are still extremely bright in Utah. Mitchell is still only scratching the surface of what he can be, and Rudy Gobert might be in the middle of a lot of consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards. The Jazz have a lot of cap flexibility to add players via trades. Unfortunately, they can’t seem to get Dante Exum healthy and consistent, but it’s really their only misfire with the roster right now. Everything else has the Jazz knocking on the door of being elite.

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7. Portland Trail Blazers (Previously 7th), 51-29 (+4.1 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 7th

Lowest point in the rankings: In Week 9, the Portland Trail Blazers fell to 13th in the rankings — the lowest they saw this season.

Highest point in the rankings: Portland never made it higher than fourth in the rankings. It happened once this season and it occurred all the way back in Week 4.

What did we learn about them? I honestly don’t know if we learned much of anything. It feels like the same type of Blazers team we’ve been used to. They’re an elite offense with Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum at the helm. They performed as a middle-of-the-road defense for much of the year. We go into the postseason wondering if that offense can show up and overcome shortcomings of the defense. It has a little bit in the past, but we also have the debacle against New Orleans from last year fresh in our minds.

The thing that hurts the most about trying to see if they can be better in the postseason is losing Jusuf Nurkic to that gruesome injury. It’s crazy to think if that game ends in regulation or the first overtime, that injury never happens. The Blazers can be pretty resilient when dealing with injuries, but this is asking too much to overcome inside. Nurkic was having a great year.

Outlook moving forward? Can I just put the shrug emoji here? I feel like I’ve seen this movie a lot before, but I’m also wondering if there’s a different ending this time. As long as Dame and CJ show up big time in the playoffs, you can kind of live with the result, regardless of what it is. They just can’t get destroyed.

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6. Philadelphia 76ers (Previously 6th), 50-30 (+2.7 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 11th

Lowest point in the rankings: That first week of rankings when the 76ers? It was their lowest of the season and the only time they hit that low.

Highest point in the rankings: In Week 20, the Sixers made their way up to No. 5. It was the only week they hit fifth this season.

What did we learn about them? That this team under Elton Brand’s front office direction is ready to swing for the fences. They pulled off two major trades during the season, first for Jimmy Butler and then secondly for Tobias Harris. This was designed to give them an overwhelming starting lineup that they can stagger throughout the rotation to keep their depth from becoming an issue. Joel Embiid has gotten even better. Ben Simmons still won’t shoot, but his defense is pretty spectacular. JJ Redick is still one of the most dangerous shooters in the game. Harris can fit in nicely with any role, and Butler can still be their hero at the end of games.

The issue plaguing this team is they just haven’t had a lot of opportunities to iron things out with practice. So much of their learning comes on the fly with this group. The firepower is there to win the East, but we have no idea if the chemistry and team understanding will allow it.

Outlook moving forward? Moving forward, Embiid and Simmons still hold up the franchise on the court. If they had to pick between Harris and Butler long-term, they’d likely throw the resources toward Harris. Butler may end up being an expensive luxury to them that they extend and then deal before the repeater tax penalties take over. But we won’t know the future of this team until we see how this looks in the playoffs. An early exit will lead to some chaos in Philly. A deep run will validate every move made.

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5. Denver Nuggets (Previously 4th), 53-27 (+4.2 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 4th

Lowest point in the rankings: Back in Week 6, the Denver Nuggets fell to No. 6 in the rankings. They haven’t been that low again.

Highest point in the rankings: Week 10 was the peak for the Nuggets in the rankings all season. They were the 2nd team that week, only behind Toronto.

What did we learn about them? They really want to be in the group of elite teams. The Nuggets took an agonizing loser leaves town Game 82 last season and turned it into motivation for this year. Instead of knocking on the door of the No. 8 seed and hoping someone would let them in, Denver decided to fight for the No. 1 seed for much of the season. They’ll settle somewhere in the 2 or 3-seed by the end of the season, but that’s not a bad step forward for this team. The defense has been inconsistent, but it’s a better effort than what we saw a year ago. The offense looks pretty elite, and Nikola Jokic may have played himself into a top 5 finish in MVP voting.

However, we’ve seen them measure themselves against Golden State a couple of times and it looked bad for them. The same has happened in most of the matchups against Houston. Denver is on the cusp of truly mattering in the West playoff picture. But they’re also on the verge of being overwhelmed by the playoff pressure and needing another lesson to learn. How they handle the playoffs and expectations as a top seed will be fascinating.

Outlook moving forward? Everything looks extremely positive for them. Even if they flame out early in the postseason, they still have a lot of good young players who have acquired some very necessary experience this season. If they don’t flame out, the Nuggets then put the rest of the West on notice that none of this is a fluke. And they should have some flexibility moving forward to try to make one more big move for this roster construction.

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4. Houston Rockets (Previously 5th), 53-28 (+4.8 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 12th

Lowest point in the rankings: Things looked a little dire for the Rockets back in Week 3 when the team ranked 21st in the NBA. They spent three different weeks in the 20s.

Highest point in the rankings: Twice this season the Rockets reached No. 4 in the rankings. That’s their current position to finish out the year, and the other time happened in Week 22.

What did we learn about them? That James Harden might be a superhero. It took him a while to play himself into the shape he needed to be in to save the Rockets’ season. As soon as he found that shape, he ignited the rest of the NBA in a historic way. While the Rockets have rebounded defensively throughout the season, this looks very little like the team we saw challenging Golden State a year ago. This also looks like a completely different Harden than we saw a year ago, and he won the damn MVP award that season!

The Rockets are more resilient than their Game 7 performance would lead you to believe. Harden has dragged them through most of this season, and they’ve been trying to round into a complementary form over the last two months.

Outlook moving forward? That Chris Paul contract is going to keep getting worse and worse, but right now it looks like the Rockets can squeeze at least another quality year out of him. He obviously has to stay healthy, but he may be perfectly rested and ready to assume some of the control from Harden. The Rockets have to find some rest for Harden, even in these playoffs. Otherwise, he might burn out late in a series once again. But the Rockets look as dangerous as anybody not named the Warriors in the West.

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3. Toronto Raptors (Previously 3rd), 57-24 (+5.6 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 2nd

Lowest point in the rankings: Back in Week 16, the Raptors ranked 4th in the NBA. It was the only time this season they were ranked that low.

Highest point in the rankings: Raptors hit the top spot in the league for five consecutive weeks from Week 6 through Week 10.

What did we learn about them? They have a lot more firepower this time around than what we saw from the Kyle Lowry-DeMar DeRozan pairing. That isn’t even just because of the addition of Kawhi Leonard, although they’ve been catering to him as much as humanly possible. The thirst for re-signing him is wandering through a desert while eating a packet of Saltines levels of real. Adding Danny Green and Marc Gasol ended up being gigantic additions to making this team look like more of a playoff threat. And, of course, the development and emergence of Pascal Siakam has given them plenty of opportunities to adhere to Leonard wanted to rest for load management without the team suffering in the record.

We still don’t know if the Raptors can be any better in the postseason than they’ve been in the past, but things look a lot more promising than they ever have. Nick Nurse did a phenomenal job in his first season managing this group.

Outlook moving forward? It’s hard to say because losing Kawhi this summer probably means you’re losing Green and Gasol, as well. All three of them can be free agents. If that happens, the Raptors still have some very valuable pieces, but they fall way behind the elite East teams. As for the playoffs, Kawhi should be perfectly rested this season after taking all of those games off. He should be ready to lead them, having everybody fall in line behind his stardom. But they still need to get through a brutal second-round matchup against Philadelphia in order to be four wins away from their first Finals appearance.

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2. Golden State Warriors (Previously 2nd), 56-24 (+6.6 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 1st

Lowest point in the rankings: The Golden State Warriors actually got down to 4th in four different weeks this season. Those four weeks happened in a row from Week 10 through Week 13.

Highest point in the rankings: The Warriors have ranked 1st in the NBA 11 different times. The last time they were ranked tops in the league happened in Week 23.

What did we learn about them? That there is an end to all of this. Or, at least, we think an end is coming to all of this. When Kevin Durant and Draymond Green fought early in the season, some real life stuff came out of it. The tiniest of whispers about Durant possibly leaving the Warriors this coming summer started finding their way into a megaphone. The Warriors missed Steph Curry and Draymond for a few games. All of a sudden, the Warriors looked pretty vulnerable. Even when DeMarcus Cousins came into the picture halfway through the season, the focus of vulnerability centered on the defense.

Even with all of this stuff sort of going against the Warriors being locks for the championship, it still feels like the Warriors are locks for the championship. When Curry and Klay Thompson have it going, the Warriors feel unbeatable. KD has played some of his best basketball over the past few months and seems coiled for the playoffs. Draymond looks relatively healthy and has focused on being a great playmaker on both ends. Maybe we didn’t learn anything about the Warriors from a hoops standpoint, but it feels like we learned about the way this all ends.

Outlook moving forward? They still look on track to win the title, and then they deal with the summer. Even if Durant leaves, re-signing Thompson gives them Curry, Klay, and Draymond to fall back on. They won’t be locks, but they still may be in the driver’s seat. Either way, this summer for the Warriors sets the tone for the rest of the NBA.

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1. Milwaukee Bucks (Previously 1st), 60-21 (+8.8 net rating)

Where did they start the season? 3rd

Lowest point in the rankings: Seven times throughout the season, the Bucks have ranked no lower than 3rd. The last time they were that “low” was Week 14.

Highest point in the rankings: This team has ranked 1st eight different weeks, including the final two weeks of the season.

What did we learn about them? At least in the regular season, this team is for real. The brilliant crafting of this roster over the last couple years needed an elite coach. Mike Budenholzer provided them with the perfect system on both ends of the floor to execute. Pretty much wire-to-wire, the Bucks were the best and most dominant team in the NBA. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the superstar we all hoped he’d become, although he still has some trials to go through in the postseason. Khris Middleton became an All-Star and Eric Bledsoe went from a disaster last postseason to a player they extended moving forward.

Milwaukee put everybody on notice in the regular season that they’re the wrecking ball headed their way on both ends of the floor. Whether that translates to the playoffs remains to be seen, but the Bucks have to love where their franchise is.

Outlook moving forward? In theory, their style of play should be perfect for this postseason run. They cut down the size of the court on defense with their length, and can even curb the scoring of great perimeter scorers (see: Harden, James). They also do a great job of spreading the floor with outside shooting to give Giannis the room to operate and dunk on everybody. But they haven’t done it under the brighter lights of the postseason. They should be good to go with the playoffs, but they need to exorcise those demons.

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