NBA Power Rankings: New Year's resolutions for each team
NBA Power Rankings are selected by a panel of theScore's basketball editors.
In this edition, we're celebrating the first day of the new calendar with one New Year's resolution for each of the league's 30 teams.
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ATL | BKN | BOS | CHA | CHI | CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GSW | HOU | IND | LAC | LAL | MEM | MIA | MIL | MIN | NOP | NYK | OKC | ORL | PHI | PHX | POR | SAC | SAS | TOR | UTA | WAS
1. Oklahoma City Thunder (27-5)
Previous: 1
Focus on the future: OKC has put its NBA Cup defeat to the Bucks in the rearview mirror and is riding a 12-game winning streak. No team seems equipped to stop a potential Thunder run to the Finals.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers (29-4)
Previous: 2
Punish lazy opponents: Cleveland's been fundamentally solid but could better capitalize on second-chance points. The Cavs are tied for 20th in the league with 12.8 per game while ranking 26th in offensive rebounding percentage (26.4%).
3. New York Knicks (23-10)
Previous: 8
Let Miles McBride shine: The 24-year-old has effortlessly slotted into the Donte DiVincenzo role, scoring a career-high 9.8 points while shooting 40.2% from three. Only OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns have a better plus-minus per 100 possessions than McBride's plus-4.7.
4. Boston Celtics (24-9)
Previous: 3
More bench production: Payton Pritchard is arguably the leading Sixth Man of the Year candidate, but the Celtics need more from their bench overall. Boston's second unit is averaging 30.3 points, which ranks 25th in the Association.
5. Memphis Grizzlies (23-11)
Previous: 5
Take care of the rock: Memphis' strong two-way play shouldn't overshadow its issues with ball security. The Jazz are the only team averaging more turnovers than the Grizzlies, with Ja Morant coughing up the rock nearly four times per game.
6. Houston Rockets (21-11)
Previous: 7
Find Fred VanVleet's shooting touch: The Rockets have the league's third-lowest 3-point percentage (30.6%), largely due to VanVleet's cold season from outside. The 30-year-old has often hovered near 40% from deep but is shooting a career-low 32.5% this season.
7. Dallas Mavericks (20-13)
Previous: 4
Learn to live without Luka: Doncic will likely miss all of January with a calf strain, and Dallas needs to adjust ASAP. The Mavericks' offensive rating takes an eight-point dip without the superstar on the court this season.
8. Orlando Magic (20-14)
Previous: 9
Stay competitive: With the Magic's two best players injured, it could be easy to fall out of contention. Luckily, teammates like Jalen Suggs and Goga Bitadze have stepped up recently, a trend Orlando needs to continue.
9. Los Angeles Lakers (18-14)
Previous: 17
Maximize this season: On the heels of LeBron James' 40th birthday, it's time for the Lakers to use their draft picks and bring in another high-level player to give him and Anthony Davis one more shot at a championship.
10. Milwaukee Bucks (17-14)
Previous: 6
Unleash Andre Jackson Jr.: The second-year guard has provided some much-needed athleticism and defensive versatility since entering the Bucks' starting lineup. Doc Rivers should optimize Jackson's secondary playmaking ability, too, with Milwaukee ranking 23rd in assists.
11. Los Angeles Clippers (19-14)
Previous: 16
Make Norman Powell an All-Star: Powell is averaging a career-high 24.3 points for a Clippers squad that sits sixth in the West. He is in the 98th percentile of 3-point accuracy, knocking down 45.1% of his 8.3 attempts per game.
12. Denver Nuggets (18-13)
Previous: 11
Get Zach LaVine. Except for Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets have struggled offensively this season. The supposedly available Bulls guard's 22 points per game would make him Denver's second-leading scorer.
13. Atlanta Hawks (18-15)
Previous: 13
Surround Trae with shooters: Atlanta's offense sits in the middle of the pack despite Trae Young's strong play. Adding some 3-point snipers to the mix would open driving lanes for Young and create more assist opportunities off the drive-and-kick.
14. Minnesota Timberwolves (17-15)
Previous: 12
Start up a swear jar for Ant: Anthony Edwards has been fined multiple times already this season, most recently getting docked $100K for using profanity while celebrating a game-winner. Putting away smaller amounts to help him catch himself may be less expensive in the long run.
15. Golden State Warriors (16-16)
Previous: 15
Get rid of the mid: Stephen Curry aptly called the Warriors "mid" (i.e. extremely average) after they fell back to .500 on Monday. That should point them toward an offensive overhaul in 2025 since they're also the NBA's fourth-worst team from mid-range (37.9%).
16. Miami Heat (16-14)
Previous: 10
Move on from Jimmy Butler: Even though Pat Riley said the team won't trade Butler, the Heat might still need to grant his reported wishes in order to reset the team's outlook with new players or future draft picks.
17. San Antonio Spurs (17-16)
Previous: 18
Add a second star: Victor Wembanyama is clearly the NBA's next superstar, but in order to reach the mountaintop, he needs a star running mate. A player like De'Aaron Fox would fit nicely and make the Spurs contenders.
18. Indiana Pacers (16-18)
Previous: 20
Play fast again: Indiana was second in both pace and offensive rating last season but plummeted to seventh and 10th in those respective stats this campaign. It's time to bring back the fun, run-and-gun Pacers who got easy buckets in transition.
19. Philadelphia 76ers (13-17)
Previous: 25
Crash the glass: Joel Embiid's frequent absences don't excuse his teammates' poor efforts on the glass. The 76ers rank 29th in overall boards and 30th in defensive rebounds.
20. Phoenix Suns (15-17)
Previous: 14
Upgrade at center: A more defensive-minded big man would fit better alongside the offensive trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. Flipping Jusuf Nurkic for a paint protector would help balance the roster.
21. Detroit Pistons (14-18)
Previous: 22
Take more risks: The Pistons score 15.2% of their points on the fast break - the league's fourth-highest percentage - but they average a second-worst 6.9 steals. They should leverage their strength in transition by cheating slightly for more cookies in 2025.
22. Chicago Bulls (15-18)
Previous: 21
Get some assets: The Bulls should embrace the rebuild and move some of their veterans. If traded, Zach LaVine, Lonzo Ball, and Nikola Vucevic could all bring back some assets, helping boost Chicago's draft odds in the process.
23. Portland Trail Blazers (11-21)
Previous: 24
Find the next leader: Chauncey Billups doesn't seem to be the head coach who will lead the franchise into its next era of competitive basketball. Portland's gone 92-186 in his three-plus seasons.
24. Brooklyn Nets (12-20)
Previous: 23
Enter tank mode: The Nets are hanging around in the play-in tourney mix, but they obviously don't have the talent to compete for real. Brooklyn can expedite its descent by moving some veteran pieces ahead of the trade deadline.
25. Sacramento Kings (14-19)
Previous: 19
Free De'Aaron Fox: The 27-year-old guard is having an outstanding season for the Kings, averaging 26.5 points and 6.3 assists on 48.4% shooting. After firing head coach Mike Brown, it's clear the franchise is directionless; free Fox before his prime runs out.
26. Utah Jazz (7-24)
Previous: 28
Tighten up defensively: The Jazz own the league's worst defensive rating (119.8), giving up the third-most points to opponents. Despite Walker Kessler ranking second in blocks per game (2.8), Will Hardy's squad has trouble getting stops.
27. Charlotte Hornets (7-25)
Previous: 26
Learn an obscure language: Look, the Hornets are 7-25, have lost eight straight, and can't stay healthy. Imagine how unstoppable they could be next season when opponents can't understand them communicating in fluent Esperanto or High Valyrian.
28. Washington Wizards (5-25)
Previous: 30
Play the youngsters: The Wizards are in full rebuild mode. They need to ship out aging pieces like Kyle Kuzma, Malcolm Brogdon, and Jonas Valanciunas to open up more opportunities for their young players.
29. Toronto Raptors (7-25)
Previous: 27
Sell high: RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl are averaging career highs in points and Chris Boucher is having his best season since 2020-21. These numbers may never be duplicated, so Toronto should seek the most value possible in return.
30. New Orleans Pelicans (5-28)
Previous: 29
Learn to shoot: The Pelicans have the second-worst offense in the Association thanks to a league-low 50.3 effective field-goal percentage. Their putrid shooting has nothing to do with bombing threes, either: New Orleans attempts 33.7 triples a game, the fourth-fewest in the NBA.