Updated Friday Jan. 22

2021 Composite NBA Power Rankings

Calculated by aggregating computer generated power rankings from around the web and determining each team’s average ranking.

RankingsSoSWinsPlayoffsChamps
TEAM AVERAGE
RANKINGAVG		 1-WEEK
MOVE		 SOS
PLAYED
RANK		 WINS LOSSES MAKE
PLAYOFFSMAKE
PLAY-
OFFS		 WIN
FINALS
1
LakersLAL12-4
1.6 ↑ 1 4 52.8 19.2 >99% 35%
2
ClippersLAC11-4
2.4 ↑ 1 12 49.2 22.8 99% 11%
3
BucksMIL9-6
2.6 ↓ 2 30 48.7 23.3 >99% 17%
4
JazzUTAH11-4
5.2 ↑ 1 19 46.7 25.3 95% 5%
5
CelticsBOS8-5
7.2 ↑ 1 28 42.6 29.4 92% 4%
6
MavericksDAL7-7
7.4 ↓ 2 3 42.4 29.6 86% 3%
7
76ersPHI10-5
8.0 ↑ 1 26 44.5 27.5 97% 5%
8
NetsBKN9-7
8.0 ↓ 1 21 44.9 27.1 97% 10%
9
NuggetsDEN7-7
9.2 ↑ 2 9 41.6 30.4 84% 4%
10
SunsPHX8-5
10.6 - 1 41.6 30.4 80% 1%
11
PacersIND8-6
11.8 ↓ 2 27 38.2 33.8 77% 1%
12
RaptorsTOR5-9
12.6 ↑ 2 29 37.2 34.8 75% 1%
13
SpursSA8-7
14.0 ↑ 3 17 36.0 36.0 49% <1%
14
HeatMIA6-7
14.0 ↓ 2 20 37.0 35.0 74% <1%
15
Trail BlazersPOR8-6
15.6 ↓ 2 13 37.4 34.6 58% <1%
16
GrizzliesMEM7-6
16.2 ↑ 3 2 34.4 37.6 36% <1%
17
HawksATL7-7
16.4 ↑ 1 14 35.0 37.0 60% <1%
18
PelicansNO5-9
18.4 ↓ 1 10 33.5 38.5 35% <1%
19
RocketsHOU4-9
18.8 ↓ 4 16 31.4 40.6 22% <1%
20
WarriorsGS8-7
19.4 ↑ 1 24 34.9 37.1 42% <1%
21
HornetsCHA6-8
22.4 ↑ 1 18 29.7 42.3 24% <1%
22
MagicORL7-8
22.4 ↓ 2 25 31.0 41.0 34% <1%
23
ThunderOKC6-7
23.2 - 15 27.0 45.0 7% <1%
24
KnicksNY8-8
23.4 ↑ 4 6 29.9 42.1 23% <1%
25
WizardsWSH3-8
23.6 ↓ 1 23 27.5 44.5 18% <1%
26
BullsCHI6-8
23.6 - 11 28.4 43.6 18% <1%
27
CavaliersCLE7-7
26.0 ↑ 2 8 25.7 46.3 8% <1%
28
KingsSAC5-10
26.2 ↓ 3 7 25.6 46.4 5% <1%
29
PistonsDET3-11
26.8 ↑ 1 22 22.1 49.9 6% <1%
30
TimberwolvesMIN3-10
28.0 ↓ 3 5 23.4 48.6 2% <1%

How We Calculate: Our NBA Power Rankings are calculated by aggregating computer rankings from around the web and determining each team’s average ranking. Up or down movement within our rankings versus the previous week is provided for each team. Some of these sites also project teams’ future success. We collect this info and calculate each team’s average win/loss projection, playoff odds and NBA Finals odds.

Our heat chart below shows how each of the five sites we pull from ranks all 30 teams. We pull from FiveThirtyEight (538), numberFire (nF), Massey Ratings (MY), Team Rankings (TR) and ESPN.

SITES PULLED FROM
TEAM 538 numberFirenF MASSEY
RATINGSMY		 ESPN TEAM
RANKINGSTR		 AVERAGEAVG
LakersLAL 1 1 1 4 1 1.6
ClippersLAC 2 3 2 2 3 2.4
BucksMIL 4 2 4 1 2 2.6
JazzUTAH 6 4 3 9 4 5.2
CelticsBOS 5 12 6 3 10 7.2
MavericksDAL 7 6 11 6 7 7.4
76ersPHI 9 7 5 11 8 8.0
NetsBKN 3 5 8 19 5 8.0
NuggetsDEN 8 8 14 10 6 9.2
SunsPHX 10 10 7 17 9 10.6
PacersIND 15 9 12 12 11 11.8
RaptorsTOR 11 14 21 5 12 12.6
SpursSA 16 13 10 14 17 14.0
HeatMIA 12 21 17 7 13 14.0
Trail BlazersPOR 18 15 15 15 15 15.6
GrizzliesMEM 17 16 9 21 18 16.2
HawksATL 14 11 16 27 14 16.4
PelicansNO 13 19 23 18 19 18.4
RocketsHOU 19 20 26 8 21 18.8
WarriorsGS 20 22 13 26 16 19.4
HornetsCHA 23 18 19 29 23 22.4
MagicORL 21 25 25 16 25 22.4
ThunderOKC 22 27 24 13 30 23.2
KnicksNY 24 23 18 28 24 23.4
WizardsWSH 29 17 27 25 20 23.6
BullsCHI 26 26 20 24 22 23.6
CavaliersCLE 27 24 22 30 27 26.0
KingsSAC 25 28 29 20 29 26.2
PistonsDET 28 29 28 23 26 26.8
TimberwolvesMIN 30 30 30 22 28 28.0

Standard deviation is a statistical tool used to measure the variance within a set of numbers. In the table below, we use standard deviation to determine which teams are ranked the most and least consistently. A low number indicates that a team is ranked consistently across the five sites we pull from. A high number indicates an inconsistently ranked team.

SITES PULLED FROM
TEAM 538 numberFirenF MASSEY
RATINGSMY		 ESPN TEAM
RANKINGSTR		 STAN DEVSTDEV
ClippersLAC 2 3 2 2 3 0.548
LakersLAL 1 1 1 4 1 1.342
Trail BlazersPOR 18 15 15 15 15 1.342
BucksMIL 4 2 4 1 2 1.342
MavericksDAL 7 6 11 6 7 2.074
PacersIND 15 9 12 12 11 2.168
76ersPHI 9 7 5 11 8 2.236
JazzUTAH 6 4 3 9 4 2.387
PistonsDET 28 29 28 23 26 2.387
BullsCHI 26 26 20 24 22 2.608
SpursSA 16 13 10 14 17 2.739
NuggetsDEN 8 8 14 10 6 3.033
CavaliersCLE 27 24 22 30 27 3.082
TimberwolvesMIN 30 30 30 22 28 3.464
KnicksNY 24 23 18 28 24 3.578
PelicansNO 13 19 23 18 19 3.578
CelticsBOS 5 12 6 3 10 3.701
SunsPHX 10 10 7 17 9 3.782
KingsSAC 25 28 29 20 29 3.834
MagicORL 21 25 25 16 25 3.975
HornetsCHA 23 18 19 29 23 4.336
GrizzliesMEM 17 16 9 21 18 4.438
WizardsWSH 29 17 27 25 20 4.980
WarriorsGS 20 22 13 26 16 5.079
HeatMIA 12 21 17 7 13 5.292
RaptorsTOR 11 14 21 5 12 5.771
HawksATL 14 11 16 27 14 6.189
NetsBKN 3 5 8 19 5 6.403
ThunderOKC 22 27 24 13 30 6.458
RocketsHOU 19 20 26 8 21 6.611