Jason Burgos
The final week of the NBA regular season has arrived, and teams around the league are looking to improve postseason seeds or lock up spots in the play-in tournament. Others are finishing off their campaigns to tank their way into a top pick in June.
As the 2025-26 regular season comes to a close, our new NBA power rankings reveal the best and worst teams heading into the 2026 NBA playoffs.
30. Washington Wizards
This has been another disappointing season for the Washington Wizards as they head into the end of the season with the East’s worst record. Yet, there is reason for hope in 2026-27 because former first-round picks Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George showed further growth this season.
Furthermore, the trade additions of Trae Young and Anthony Davis before the trade deadline add to what could be an interesting starting five — with whoever they get in the draft — next season.
29. Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers were always expected to struggle mightily this season after top star Tyrese Haliburton suffered a torn Achilles in the Finals, and they lost Myles Turner to the Bucks in free agency. Yet, there was a second-half hope for a play-in push when they traded for Ivica Zubac.
However, like the Jazz, they chose to tank despite a big addition. While it is ugly and is part of why the NBA wants to make a huge overhaul of the lottery system, the Pacers are set up to be a finals contender in 2026-27.
28. Brooklyn Nets
In June’s draft, the Brooklyn Nets had four first-round picks and chose to use them instead of packaging the quartet in trades for veteran players. That proved to be a mistake because none of those four players haven’t given reason to believe they can be a core member of a future winning team.
As the Nets head toward being in another draft lottery, the only thing that made them mildly watchable this season was Michael Porter Jr. having a career year after coming to Brooklyn in a trade last summer.
27. Sacramento Kings
On paper, the Sacramento Kings should have been a good team this season. Yet, the NBA analysts who prophesied a messy season were right. Despite the talent on the roster, the Kings were one of the worst teams in the NBA all year.
Now, management will hope that having one of the NBA’s worst records will amount to a top-three pick in June’s draft and a prospect who can finally liberate them from their losing ways.
26. Utah Jazz
While the Utah Jazz had the potential to reach the play-in earlier in the season, they became a lightning rod in the second half, emerging as one of the most blatant tanking teams after the deadline.
Despite adding Grizzlies star Jaren Jackson Jr. in a blockbuster trade, the Jazz have decided to look ahead and rest their best in the fourth quarter of games over the last couple of months so they can get more ping pong balls. The strategy is working, and they are tied for the worst record in the West.
25. Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies were always going to be different after firing Taylor Jenkins late last season and replacing him with assistant Tuomas Iisalo. However, few expected the season to be overshadowed by will they, or won’t they trade talk about Ja Morant. In the end, they didn’t and instead moved Jaren Jackson Jr.
The 2025-26 season was a mess for the Grizzlies as Morant only suited up in 20 games, and they pivoted in the second half to hoping they could find a new savior in the NBA Draft.
24. New Orleans Pelicans
It’s another season, and the New Orleans Pelicans are again a laughing stock in the Western Conference. Although Zion Williamson did suit up in 62 games — the second most of his career — it did not stop the Pels from being a bottom-10 team defensively and a mediocre offense. They are like the other bottom feeders, hoping they can find a new savior in June’s NBA Draft.
23. Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks got off to a rough start this season as Anthony Davis struggled to stay on the court, and the absence of Kyrie Irving became blatantly obvious. It was a major reason why GM Nico Harrison was fired in November.
However, while they were among the early teams to start tanking when they traded Davis to the Wizards, No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg has offered hope of a bright future. The former Duke star lived up to expectations in his rookie season and showed that Dallas may have a legitimate replacement to Luka Doncic.
22. Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks made some big changes in the summer when they moved on from future Hall of Famer Damian Lillard and signed Myles Turner to keep top star Giannis Antetokounmpo happy. It didn’t matter as the Bucks were one of the biggest disappointments in the NBA this year and won’t make the playoffs.
They head into the summer tanking for more ping pong balls and developing off-court drama between team legend Antetokounmpo and the front office that should set up a blockbuster trade in the offseason.
21. Chicago Bulls
Late last season, the Chicago Bulls offered fans hope after the trade that brought Josh Giddey to town. However, despite a solid start to the year, one of the worst defenses in the NBA (121.6 opponents’ PPG) pulled them to the back of the standings as the season played out.
With management seeing the writing on the wall, they went into tank mode in February after trading Coby White and Nikola Vucevic. Now they are just playing out the string.
20. Golden State Warriors
Last spring, the Golden State Warriors looked like a serious dark horse to reach the Finals. However, Stephen Curry’s hamstring injury threw ice water on those aspirations. Another stunning injury derailed their championship plans again this season when Jimmy Butler suffered a season-ending ACL tear in January.
Making matters worse is that Curry has struggled to stay healthy in the second half. If not for the bottom of the West all being in tank mode, the Warriors probably wouldn’t be in the play-in next week.
19. Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers saw a dark cloud placed over their season from day one, when former head coach Chauncey Billups was implicated in a wild poker game rigging scheme. However, they have overcome the drama and should finish with a record over. 500 for the first time since 2020-21.
Maybe the biggest reason why is a career year from former Wizards lottery pick Deni Avdija. The 25-year-old leads the team in scoring (23.9 PPG) and has had one of the most unexpected breakthrough seasons in the league this year.
18. Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers were a mess over the first couple of months of the season. However, despite off-court drama, they rallied the troops and caught fire. Yet, that did not stop management from moving two of their best players — James Harden and Ivica Zubac — before the trade deadline.
Despite the weakened roster, Kawhi Leonard being healthy and playing very well has allowed the Clippers to stay competitive and reach the play-in tournament.
17. Orlando Magic
There were very high hopes for the Orlando Magic in 2025-26 after they gave up a boatload of assets to land Grizzlies veteran Desmond Bane. However, he has not made the impact on offense that they hoped for, and Franz Wagner suiting up in just 31 games has only made things worse.
One of the biggest surprises is that the Magic have gone from giving up just 105.5 PPG (No. 1 in the NBA) in 2024-25 to 115.3 this season. That is a major reason why they will be an underdog in the play-in tournament.
16. Miami Heat
The Miami Heat have underwhelmed this season despite Norman Powell having an even better season than his All-Star year for the Clippers in 2024-25. While they are second best in the NBA in points (120.8 PPG), their patented Erik Spoelstra defense has disappeared this season.
After being a top 10 defense last year, they have badly regressed in 2025-26 and are giving up almost nine points more a night. It’s why they will walk into the play-in as a serious underdog.
15. Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors punted on a playoff push last season. Hoping that year two for head coach Darko Rajakovic and the addition of Brandon Ingram could lead to a big turnaround in 2025-26. It has worked as they have a chance to win 15 more games than they did a year ago.
This season, Toronto has emerged as one of the better defensive teams in the NBA. Giving up 112.1 PPG, which is top 10 in the league. However, they are in danger of being in the play-in this month because their offense is scoring 114.4 PPG, which eighth worst in the NBA.
14. Charlotte Hornets
While LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges posted good numbers, and prospect Kon Knueppel emerged as a serious ROTY candidate, the Charlotte Hornets struggled mightily in the first half. However, since the calendar switched to January, they have gelled into one of the better teams in the NBA.
They are a solid group on offense, but their defense, giving up just 111.3 points a night (sixth best in the NBA), is why they have a serious chance of locking up a playoff spot for the first time in a decade this month.
13. Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers bounced back from a disastrous 2024-25 campaign due to the emergence of Tyrese Maxey into one of the conference’s brightest young stars and rookie VJ Edgecombe into a future All-Star. The guards are why they have a top-six record despite Joel Embiid and Paul George missing more than half of the season.
However, with the two future Hall of Famers seemingly healthy ahead of the playoffs, the Sixers are set up to be a very dangerous postseason team this month.
12. Phoenix Suns
Outside of the 76ers, the Phoenix Suns were the NBA’s biggest letdown in 2024-25. It’s why they made wholesale changes last summer, including bringing in a new coach and getting rid of Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. The changes have delivered positive results, and the team will be in the play-in this year.
The biggest difference from last season is that this group plays pretty good defense, and is giving up the seventh fewest points in the NBA (111.3 PPG). However, they got rid of a lot of offensive thump and are the fifth-worst scoring team in the league. A major reason why is that Jalen Green has not lived up to the hopes Phoenix had when they landed him in the Durant deal. He has played in just 30 games this season.
11. Atlanta Hawks
For the Atlanta Hawks, this season has been about building for the long-term. The best proof is Jalen Johnson’s emergence as a new star and the organization moving long-time face of the franchise, Trae Young, to Washington.
With Johnson now officially leading the way and their young core continuing to improve, Atlanta has been one of the better teams in the East in the second half. Moving all the way up to the fifth seed in the conference and set up to be a problem for whoever they play in Round 1.
10. Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves entered the new season as one of the West’s elites after back-to-back trips to the Western Conference Finals. However, one of the best defensive units in the NBA has regressed this season. A year ago, they were giving up 109.3 a night. This year, they are up to 114.1 points against.
It is a major reason why they head into the final week of the campaign fighting to avoid a play-in game next week.
9. Cleveland Cavaliers
Last year, the Cleveland Cavaliers were the East’s best team during the regular season. However, for much of this season, Cleveland regressed from their previous place in the conference. However, following their deadline trade for James Harden, the Cavs are a bit of a dark horse in the conference.
While they have a middle-of-the-road defensive team, the group posting 119.3 points a night can’t be underestimated in a seven-game series.
8. Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets were one of the best stories in the NBA last season, as they evolved into an elite team in the West with strong defense and the emergence of Alperen Sengun. They assumed adding future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant would create a force that rivals the Thunder. While the Rockets have been good, they aren’t spreading fear among their rivals.
Although they are giving up just 109.9 points a night — fourth best in the NBA — the absence of Fred VanVleet has led to an offense near the bottom 10 in the game (114.8 PPG).
7. Los Angeles Lakers
There were big expectations for the Los Angeles Lakers this season. They got a full training camp with young superstar Luka Doncic, and head coach JJ Redick impressed during his rookie year. Plus, they still have one of the greatest players of all time, LeBron James, still playing at a high level.
While it took some time and some frustrating months, LA has played well over the last 30 days and has looked like one of the NBA’s best. Unfortunately, an onset of injuries to some of their key players, including to Doncic, has created concern about their chances of going far in the playoffs.
6. New York Knicks
After coming up short in the East finals last year, the New York Knicks took the bold step of firing head coach Tom Thibodeau and replacing him with veteran coach Mike Brown. Yet, the move has not delivered far different results than previous seasons.
The team will win over 50 games for a third straight year, but despite a top 10 offense and top five defense statistically, Jalen Brunson and his Knicks have many detractors because of how inconsistent they are against the elite teams in the league.
5. Denver Nuggets
When you have, arguably, the best player on the planet, Nikola Kokic, the Denver Nuggets will always be a very competitive squad. While they made a coaching change late last season, they still own the best offense in the NBA (121.4 PPG) heading into the postseason.
A key reason why is the reemergence of Jamal Murray. The one-time All-Star is having a career year and looks a lot like the star sidekick he was during their title run in 2023. If they can just play defense when it matters, Denver will be a problem in the playoffs.
4. Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons have gone from a feel-good story last season to one of the best teams in the NBA in 2025-26. Led by Cade Cunningham and their young core, the Pistons have a real chance to reach the NBA Finals due to a defense that is giving up just 109.6 PPG — third best in the NBA.
However, Detroit will only go as far as MVP candidate Cunningham takes them. However, being 100% for the playoffs after suffering a collapsed lung last month creates a huge question mark for their finals hopes.
3. Boston Celtics
Jayson Tatum’s season-ending injury a year ago seemingly set the Boston Celtics up for a season well-below their usual expectations. However, Jaylen Brown and the best defense in the NBA (107.1 PPG) have the Celtics in striking range of the best record in the East as we near the playoffs.
Yet, what makes them a growing favorite to get to the finals this year is Tatum returning to the floor quicker than expected and looking pretty close to his All-NBA self already.
2. San Antonio Spurs
There has been no better story in the NBA this season than Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs. Despite being just a couple of years removed from a second straight 22-win season, the team will win over 60-games and is a serious threat to the Thunder in the West.
Furthermore, the 22-year-old phenom is a serious MVP candidate because of the force he is on both sides of the court. The Frenchman, their young and talented core, and a top-five defense have them the closest they’ve been to a title in a decade.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder were the cream of the crop in the NBA last season en route to the franchise winning its first championship a year ago. Not much has changed for reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the team in 2025-26 as they head into the playoffs with a top-five offense and the No. 2 defense in the league (107.5 PPG).
The biggest difference in 2025-26 was that elite B-side Jalen Williams only played in 31 games this season. However, they still had the best record in the NBA all year despite his injury woes and are close to fully healthy for the playoffs. That’s a scary proposition.
