Marc Stein and his committee (of one) have released an updated batch of NBA Power Rankings on his substack, and fans may have been a bit surprised to see the 13-4 Denver Nuggets all the way down at number five on the list.
The Nuggets are tied for the second-best record in the Western Conference, and went into Houston last weekend and got an impressive win over the Rockets. But still, apparently it wasn’t enough for Stein, who had the team ranked below the Thunder, Rockets, Pistons, and Lakers.
Stein cited the Nuggets’ recent slew of injuries to Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon, with two of their losses coming since the injury bug hit. The team will certainly have to hold the fort, and their newfound depth will have to step up, but they still have a healthy Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray each playing some of the best basketball of their careers.
We also just saw this Denver squad without AG and Braun win in Houston against a Rockets’ team that was much closer to full strength. And yet, somehow, the Rockets are still ranked ahead of the Nuggets.
Nuggets should be 2nd in power rankings
Realistically, the Thunder are the only choice for the top spot in these rankings. They’re defending champs, they’re off to an 18-1 start, and they’re slated to get Jalen Williams back for the first time this season. They are number one with a bullet.
But after that, the Nuggets have been as impressive and dominant as anyone. The Pistons are off to a hot start, but the East is much weaker at the top, and they just lost to the shorthanded Celtics. They’ve been a nice story, but to rank them ahead of a legitimate title contender like the Nuggets is crazy.
The same could be said for the hot starts in LA and Houston. The Rockets are fun but haven’t proven anything and just lost at home to Denver. And the Lakers are the toast of the town, but they have the same record as the Nuggets, far less of a pedigree, and they got destroyed in their measuring stick game with OKC.
Overall, these rankings don’t mean much, and good old Steiny Mo has about as much credibility as anyone covering the league. But still, it feels disrespectful to see the Nuggets behind some of these teams when they’ve got the record, the pedigree, and the best player in the world playing the best basketball of his career.