After an intriguing offseason, the NBA is back for the 2022-23 campaign.
This year, there are some notable star players in new places, such as Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Dejounte Murray, Christian Wood and Jalen Brunson -- and at least a couple who remained in place despite their best efforts, like Kevin Durant and DeAndre Ayton.
But will any of it make a difference when regular-season action tips off on Oct. 18?
Perhaps not surprisingly, most of the teams widely projected to be the cream of the crop this season are largely returning their cores from recent years.
Read on to see how we ranked all 30 NBA teams in this season's debut power rankings:
30-26: The race for Victor Wembanyama
USA Today
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 clear-cut 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.
25-21: No man's land
USA Today
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 not clear they have enough talent to do so. Sacramento needs another All-Star to pair with Domantas Sabonis, while the Knicks have a competent but unspectacular starting five, led by Brunson.
20-16: Play-in hopefuls
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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 with 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.
15-11: Bottom half of the draw
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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 the second unit. The Cavaliers were one of the league's most pleasant surprises last season, and, after acquiring 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.
10-6: Fringe contenders
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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.
5-1: In it to win it
USA Today
5. Phoenix Suns
4. Boston Celtics
3. Los Angeles Clippers
2. Milwaukee Bucks
1. Golden State Warriors
The Suns are essentially the same team they've been the past few years, with a shiny starting lineup and a suspect bench. The Celtics meanwhile are trying to repeat as Eastern Conference champs without coach Ime Udoka and, initially, big man Robert Williams III. But the roster is otherwise intact, and combo guard Malcolm Brogdon was a savvy pickup. The Clippers are running it back with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, who is back after missing all of last season. The duo will have to do the heavy lifting, but the Clips are loaded with one of the deeper rosters in the league. The Bucks should once again be a regular-season powerhouse behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, but until trusty wing Khris Middleton is back, the reigning champion Warriors are a relatively easy pick for the top spot. The Dubs are returning all the key players from their title run, and might actually be naturally improved if young contributors like Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga and James Wiseman take steps forward. Age and injury history is a concern for Golden State's starters, but they appear to have the depth to weather any relatively short-term absences for injury and rest.
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