NBA power rankings ahead of opening night

30. San Antonio Spurs
29. Oklahoma City Thunder
28. Indiana Pacers
27. Charlotte Hornets
26. Utah Jazz

These five clubs are in various phases of rebuilding, which puts them in position to potentially make a "run" for highly touted international prospect Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs look like the worst team in the NBA at the season's outset, but there's plenty of ball to play. The Pacers and Jazz are likely to sell off their remaining veterans after offseason fire sales, and the Hornets will probably follow suit due to Miles Bridges' indefinite absence amid domestic violence charges and LaMelo Ball's ankle injury.

25. Orlando Magic
24. Detroit Pistons
23. Houston Rockets
22. Sacramento Kings
21. New York Knicks

The Magic, Pistons and Rockets are loaded with young talent, and while playoff contention feels like a long shot for them, they should be fun to watch if nothing else, particularly the latter two. Meanwhile, the Kings and Knicks would seemingly like to compete, but it's unclear weather they have enough talent to do so. Sacramento needs another All-Star to pair with Domantas Sabonis, while New York has a competent but unspectacular starting five, led by new guard Jalen Brunson.

20. Washington Wizards
19. Portland Trail Blazers
18. Los Angeles Lakers
17. Chicago Bulls
16. New Orleans Pelicans

All of the Wizards, Blazers, Lakers, Bulls and Pelicans have respectable rosters but also question marks surrounding their potential All-Stars. The Wizards' star combo of Kristaps Porzingis and Bradley Beal is intriguing, but health is a concern for both of them, and the supporting cast probably isn't enough to compensate. Ditto for the Lakers and LeBron James/Anthony Davis. The Bulls are without Lonzo Ball to begin the season, and thus need best-case performances from Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic and DeMar DeRozan. Meanwhile, oft-injured superstar Zion Williamson is already dealing with a sore ankle for the Pelicans after missing all of last season. If he can stay on the court, New Orleans will be a problem with a nice supporting cast featuring CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas.

15: Toronto Raptors
14. Minnesota Timberwolves
13. Cleveland Cavaliers
12. Dallas Mavericks
11. Atlanta Hawks

The Wolves could have as many as three All-Stars in the starting lineup if Anthony Edwards takes another step forward, but they appear to be severely lacking in their second unit. The Cavaliers were one of the league's most pleasant surprises last season and after acquiring Donovan Mitchell, they have one of the deepest eight- or nine-man rotations in the league. There's a chance we're underrating them here, but let's see how they look coming out of the gate. The Mavericks will go as far as perennial MVP candidate Luka Doncic takes them, but their second-best player is arguably Christian Wood, who was relegated to a bench role entering the season. The Hawks' starting five might be the among the best and most well-rounded in the league, but depth is an issue for them too.

10. Brooklyn Nets
9. Memphis Grizzlies
8. Miami Heat
7. Denver Nuggets
6. Philadelphia 76ers

The Nets' remain one of the league's biggest question marks. The All-Star trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons is formidable, but questions about their health, commitment and chemistry persist, while a second unit that looked strong on paper is already dealing with a litany of injuries. The Heat are both talented in the starting five and well-coached, which should be enough to overcome an iffy second unit. The Sixers look to be poised for a deep run with Joel Embiid and James Harden leading a strong starting five in their first full year together, but Philly may need to make improvements to the bench.