Way Too Early 2018-2019 NBA Power Rankings

12. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

ESPN Projected Record: 45-37

538 Projected Record: 52-30

My Projected Record: 46-36

Players To Watch: Derrick Rose, PG; Andrew Wiggins, SF

There’s just no way to predict the West’s top 8, but here I am going out on a limb, saying that the Timberwolves would miss the playoffs (again) after not making the playoffs for 14 seasons before the last. The Timberwolves were so good last year that I might be underrating them a bit – they went 36-25, holding third place in the West before Jimmy Butler went down with a meniscus tear. They proceeded to play at a mediocre clip the rest of the way, going 11-10, before going down in 5 against the Rockets in the first round. With another year of improvement for Karl-Anthony Towns, Wiggins, and with improved continuity, the Timberwolves should be better, but they wouldn’t be. They have a razor-thin bench (hard-capping themselves to sign Anthony Tolliver was… interesting), and with Thibs’ well-documented reputation for running his players into the ground (Towns, Wiggins, and Taj Gibson ranked in the Top 15 in Total Minutes played) and for not playing rookies a lot, if at all, the Wolves are going to run out of gas before the season is all said and done.

11. SAN ANTONIO SPURS

ESPN Projected Record: 44-38

538 Projected Record: 40-42

My Projected Record: 48-34

Players To Watch: DeMar DeRozan, SG; Dejounte Murray, PG; Lonnie Walker, PG/SG

LaMarcus Aldridge did a hell of a job carrying the Spurs throughout last season’s turmoil, and with Pop still at the helm, there’s no doubt that the Spurs will continue to make the playoffs. There are legitimate spacing issues to be concerned about, and the frontcourt is going to be one of, if not the, slowest in the league. However, with Pop’s track record of being the best in bringing out the best in just about everyone and ensuring that their execution is better than that of their opponent, the Spurs are sure to weather the unusual storm the franchise has been through. The loss of Kawhi stings a lot – they were beating up on the Warriors in the 2017 Western Conference Finals before the unfortunate injury that caused the whole fiasco happened. The downgrade from Kawhi to DeRozan is steep, but seeing as to how the Spurs won 47 games with a patchwork roster last season and with All-NBA Second Team member DeRozan essentially replacing a Kawhi that played for 9 unimpressive games, the Spurs should not miss the playoffs, even in the tightly contested West.

10. DENVER NUGGETS

ESPN Projected Record: 47-35

538 Projected Record: 48-34

My Projected Record: 49-33

Players To Watch: Nikola Jokic, C; Isaiah Thomas, PG; Paul Millsap, PF

After two seasons of nearly sneaking into the playoffs, this is the year that the Nuggets finally make it. Jokic played extremely well in the final 15 games of the season as the Nuggets were making their playoff push, averaging 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game on 50/45/87 shooting splits. He is definitely worth a max deal, but it’s important that if you have an extremely flawed, yet still amazing, superstar, you surround him with perfect complementary pieces and it looks like the Nuggets have done quite well, surrounding him with off-ball monsters Gary Harris and Jamal Murray, a slashing guard to relieve some playmaking pressure (Will Barton), and a defensive-minded two-way frontcourt mate (Millsap). They have a wildcard in IT, and if he’s even at 50% of his 2016-17 self, the Nuggets have themselves a steal and a potential Sixth Man of the Year candidate. They also have a bench that goes 11 deep, and with Jokic leading the way and Millsap hopefully being healthier this upcoming season, the Nuggets are a team on the rise and it’d be a tragedy if they miss out yet again on the postseason.

9. NEW ORLEANS PELICANS

ESPN Projected Record: 45-37

538 Projected Record: 46-36

My Projected Record: 49-33

Players To Watch: Anthony Davis, PF/C; Julius Randle, PF/C; Jrue Holiday, PG/SG

The Pelicans played better once Cousins went down with an unfortunate Achilles injury, however, Cousins raised the ceiling of that Pelicans team. A healthy Boogie could have been helpful against the Warriors. But with him gone, their floor improved just because of how defined their identity was without him. They ranked #1 in pace, and they play at such a breakneck speed that it’s impossible to keep up especially if The Brow and Holiday are on fire similar to what we saw during the Playoffs. Losing Rajon Rondo was arguably a bigger blow than losing Boogie, but maybe that’s just me. Randle can provide most of what Boogie gives but he’s a worse shooter, although he’s also less demanding of the ball, not to mention that he has better mobility. With AD playing the 5 (something that he wasn’t as willing to do before due to his wispy body, but with small-ball 5 at the forefront of the pace-and-space revolution, he’s been more suited to play the 5 especially with the mismatch problems he presents), he’s seen better spacing and better lanes to finish at the rim, and with the emergence of Holiday and Nikola Mirotic, the Pelicans are going to be surprisingly better than last season.

8. UTAH JAZZ

ESPN Projected Record: 49-33

538 Projected Record: 54-28

My Projected Record: 50-32

Players To Watch: Donovan Mitchell, SG; Ricky Rubio, PG; Joe Ingles, SF

Have you ever heard or seen someone say that “A rookie beat the Thunder in the First Round! Cry Thunder fans!”? Don’t they know just how disrespectful that was to the Jazz team? Yes, Mitchell carved up the Thunder defense, especially Corey Brewer and Melo’s “defense”, but without the heavy interior presence of both Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors, the underrated feistiness of Ingles, the wing toughness of Royce O’Neale and Jae Crowder, and especially the pesky two-way playmaking Rubio, the Jazz wouldn’t have been able to beat the Thunder. The Jazz were just so good, especially during the second half of the season. Teams wouldn’t be able to penetrate inside just because of how intimidating Gobert is, and the Jazz just have this unabashed confidence in how they play that their team’s sum is greater than those of their parts. They will not let up and they will be in your grill for 48 minutes a night for every game, and the Jazz would continue to be better, especially if they add another offensive creator that would lessen the burden on Mitchell.

7. PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

ESPN Projected Record: 53-29

538 Projected Record: 52-30

My Projected Record: 52-30

Players To Watch: Markelle Fultz, PG; Ben Simmons, PG; Joel Embiid, C

The 76ers are one of those teams that really haven’t sunk in yet as a true contender, especially after years of intentional losing, but here we are, living in a blessed timeline where The Process has succeeded. But here’s where the league is wrong about Sam Hinkie and the Process – they didn’t just suck and draft all the good prospects – they made great trades. How about nabbing Dario Saric and an additional first round pick for Elfrid Payton, or signing Robert Covington while he was still an unknown in the league? How about being the pioneers for the salary dump trades we usually see nowadays, utilizing their cap space to absorb contracts from the Kings to acquire more draft assets? It’s great that the Process has materialized in the way that it has because it promotes smart front-office management – why aim for the middle, overpay average free agents and, in turn, have good free agents sign for cheap? (Looking at you, Boogie.) The 76ers are a product of careful construction, and now, the 76ers have a chance to be true threats to win the championship, especially if Fultz proves trainer Drew Hanlen correct and he shoots the light out this upcoming season.