Suns Continue Climb in Latest NBA Power Rankings

The NBA season is officially one month in.

It has delivered on the promise of being the most parity-filled season in recent memory, with half of the league having over a .500 record so far.

With only ten spots available in this power ranking, a handful of teams playing good basketball will be snubbed from this edition of power rankings - but as shown in past versions, the top ten can shift quite dramatically.

This week's top ten - plus one honorable mention as usual:

HM: Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers have rebounded nicely from a rough start.

The LeBron James-led squad still sits in the play-in picture as the seven seed, but have won four of their last five.

D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves picking up after slow starts have contributed to the Lakers showing more consistency - but there is still some trepidation there centered around the offense lacking a true proven number-three option.

10. Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks have struggled recently and still have one of the worst defenses in the NBA.

However, one win against the Lakers + some Luka Doncic heroics keep the Mavs hanging on by a thread in the power rankings.

Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dereck Lively remain surprisingly consistent contributors to a Dallas squad that has too often relied on Luka to carry.

9. Sacramento Kings

Sacramento has played much better basketball since star point guard De'Aaron Fox returned from injury.

Sacramento dropped consecutive games against the New Orleans Pelicans, but those two losses are the only blemishes for Sacramento as of late.

Another thing to note- the Kings' defense appears to be much improved compared to last season.

8. Denver Nuggets

Denver likely won't be this low much longer - with the anticipated return of Jamal Murray coming shortly.

Unfortunately this version of the Nuggets must be judged by how they are currently performing relative to other squads, and the truth is the team has gone 5-5 without their star guard.

Denver has become too reliant on Nikola Jokic during this stretch - while he is the best player in the world, it would be nice to see star role players Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon bring more consistent production to the table.

7. Philadelphia 76ers

The Sixers slide a little this week simply due to other teams having stronger showings in the last week.

The Sixers still look the part of a contender, and rising star Tyrese Maxey looks like a good bet to be a first-time all star this season.

Philly also awaits the return of key contributor Kelly Oubre Jr.

6. Phoenix Suns

The Suns have now won seven consecutive games after a 4-6 start, tying the longest win streak the team had in the first season of the Chris Paul era in 2020-21.

Devin Booker and Kevin Durant have clearly been the stars of the show, but several Suns' role players have performed far above their pay grade early on.

Phoenix still awaits the return of Bradley Beal to complete the big three- a healthy star trio surrounded by quality depth at every position is a scary proposition for the rest of the league to deal with.

5. Orlando Magic

The Magic are likely not going to maintain this hot streak, and they are almost certainly not better than some teams that trail them, but they own a seven-game win streak themselves.

Spearheaded by a stingy defense and balanced scoring attack, the Magic have become yet another pleasant surprise of this NBA season.

A dominant 113-96 win over the Boston Celtics is likely the single most impressive win for any team in the league this season.

While Orlando may not remain the two-seed in the East all season, it certainly appears as if the franchise has made the climb out of a testy rebuild and are poised to make the postseason for the first time since the NBA bubble in 2020.

4. Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder are legitimate, and it can't be stated enough.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is having an MVP caliber season, Chet Holmgren has become the favorite to win NBA rookie of the year, and Jalen Williams has appeared to take a jump in year two despite missing recent games due to a hip injury.

Oklahoma City is going to be a playoff team in 2024, which would've been seen as an afterthought as little as a year ago.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves continue to look more and more like a true contender out West.

The Wolves sit in first in the west behind another Anthony Edwards leap, Karl Anthony-Towns looking more like his old self, and Rudy Gobert returning to dominant rim protector status.

Minnesota looks to be a team that could be in the market for another star at the trade deadline- it will be interesting to see that play out.

2. Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks struggled to put away both the Washington Wizards and Portland Trail Blazers in an interesting week.

Despite the struggles to win, the team boasts a 12-3 record with Damian Lillard in the lineup. Brook Lopez also looks to be returning into form.

While the Bucks aren't necessarily dominant so far, they look to be churning out wins they need to get, and they could take off at any time, much like the Suns.

1. Boston Celtics

The Celtics have had a handful of flat performances this season, but they still remain the most consistent and dominant team in basketball a month in.

Boston's depth and collective shooting effort remain possible concerns, but they hold the best point differential in the NBA.

Expect Boston to top this list until further notice, barring poor health luck or a cold stretch.