NBA 2018-19: Eastern Conference Power Rankings (Week 2)

In an Eastern Conference free of LeBron James' vice-like grip over the top of the Association for the first time in 12 seasons, pandemonium reigns at the apex. There was no clear-cut favourite to start the season off, and the first 2 weeks of action have served only to magnify the same quandary that sportswriters like me face in defining which team is for real and which team isn't.

At the same time, some factors helping us out here are obvious: the Pistons are back to earth after back-to-back losses to the Celtics - at home and then on the road. The Raptors lost their first game of the season at the hands of the Bucks when both teams rested their starting MVP-caliber small forwards, but they put away the Sixers today like breakfast on a leisurely day. So, who reigns atop our power rankings? Read on to find out!

#5 Philadelphia 76ers

A rough start to the season was nothing unexpected for the Sixers, given their dedication to getting Markelle Fultz off to a real start in his professional career following possibly the weirdest rookie campaign for a #1 overall pick in the storied history of the NBA.

Fultz has replaced JJ Redick at the starting shooting guard position with limited success, but he seems to be able to play better with the ball in his hands with Simmons off the floor in the limited sample space we've seen.

A humbling loss to the Raptors at the Scotiabank Arena today was primarily the result of 2-time Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi putting the clamps on Simmons, who coughed up the ball a career-high 10 times.

All said and done, it is likely to take the Sixers a couple of months to steer clear of the .500 record they currently hug with Fultz in the starting lineup. For what it's worth, I'd say this bet is worth the risk.

#4 Indiana Pacers

There are a number of Eastern Conference teams that rely on a bonafide two-way stud, but no team is more reliant on its star than the Indiana Pacers are on Victor Oladipo. His on/off splits from last season paint a dreary picture - they were 0-6 in games they played without Victor in the lineup, and their net rating without him on the floor had a swing of nearly 13 points per 100 possessions.

He's putting up virtually identical numbers to last season, and the Pacers are off to virtually the same start as they had: 4-3 in the first 2 weeks. Myles Turner, who signed a 4-year, $80 million extension recently, has had to split minutes with rapidly improving 3rd year player Domantas Sabonis, and it has made the Pacers' frontcourt that much more potent this year as the son of Hall of Famer Arvydas has now expanded his range up to the 3-point line.

#3 Boston Celtics

Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

The C's have seen off a rather rocky start to the season, which saw them lose to the Raptors and the Magic in their first 4 games, to now get to a 5-2 record and 3rd place in the Conference standings. The turnaround was engineered by their clutch W over the Thunder at the Chesapeake Energy Arena, and they've since secured back-to-back wins over the Pistons.

Over the course of the aforementioned action, they've managed to nurse Hayward and Kyrie back to nearly their best form, and the whole team is benefiting as a result. Irving ditched his afro for a buzz cut, and promptly put up his first 30-point game of the season in a clutch win at the TD Garden today.

It'll be interesting to see them work their way up the standings this season.

#2 Milwaukee Bucks

Giannis guarded by Magic's Jonathan Isaac

Despite them being the only unbeaten team in the Association, we cannot crown the Bucks with the #1 spot yet. But that doesn't mean I can't wax lyrical about their virtues this season, of which there are many.

For one, the impact of Mike Budenholzer is clearest on the defensive side of things. The Bucks are no longer bleeding corner 3s like they did last season. Playing Brook Lopez as the starter has helped Giannis' rebounding numbers immensely, on account of the UCLA big man's excellent boxing out. The Bucks are also attempting more 3-pointers than ever, and knocking them down at a more-than-passable rate right now.

They legitimately look a spooky threat to emerge from the Conference if Giannis continues to play like this and their bench continues to impress as it has thus far.

#1 Toronto Raptors

The Raptors are off to a blistering start

It was staring us right in the face, but most basketball fans refused to let rationale take over in place of the pessimism that surrounded the Kawhi trade to Toronto. The Raptors added a 2-time Defensive Player of the Year and an All-Defensive team contender in place of a sophomore and their worst starting defender after winning 59 games and the #1 seed last season, but we still placed the Celtics above them in the preseason odds.

The Wing Stop, as Spurs fans loved to call Danny Green and Kawhi when the duo was still in Texas, has raised the profile of the Raptors to a whole other level. They have their best squad in franchise history, and their 7-1 start in the first 2 weeks is not a fluke - not even close. Kawhi is still nursing himself back to his explosive 2016-17 best, but he's still taking over games in Miami-LeBronesque ways - there's no other way to put his two-way excellence on a pedestal.

The rest of the squad has gotten off to a rude start, and one can expect the Raptors to run away with the #1 seed unless the Celtics improve drastically.