*All team records and player stats are accurate as of December 18, 2017*

The 2017-18 NBA season has been one of the most interesting ones in the last 10 years. Fans didn’t come into this year with the expectation that it would surpass the 2016-17 NBA season. Last season was unlike anything we had seen before.

Russell Westbrook became the second player in history to average a triple-double. James Harden and Coach Mike D’Antoni won 55 games and a playoff series with a Houston Rockets team that broke the record for most three-point attempts in a single season. Coach Gregg Popovich and the Spurs extended their streak of 50+ win seasons to 18, getting to the Western Conference Finals, but would get swept by the Golden State Warriors.

With that being said, here are the top 15 teams in the league (in my opinion):

15. New York Knicks: The Knicks are decent this year. It’s surprising considering some of the players under contract. Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. have made for an interesting Knicks season so far. I can’t rank them any higher because their defense is about the same as their offense. Vanguard freshman Nathan Gonzalez says: “Porzingis should win Most Improved Player this year. He’s one of the best young players in the league and he’s the main reason they’ve won games.” It’s hard to disagree with that.

14. Philadelphia 76ers: Ben Simmons is really good. The 21-year-old rookie from LSU has shown that he’s one of the best young players in the NBA even without much of a jump shot. Joel Embiid is averaging 24 points and 11 rebounds. Robert Covington is quickly becoming one of the best two-way players in the league. If there are no serious injuries, this trio should be good for a long time.

13. Oklahoma City Thunder: The Thunder can’t be ranked any higher than 13th due to their dreadful start of the season, but it’s starting to look up for them, and I’m hoping that they’re finally starting to turn it around. They’ve won four of their last five games, but they’re still under .500 (meaning that their record isn’t 50/50). Hopefully, this is a step in the right direction, and they finish top five in the NBA like analysts and fans alike projected them to.

12. Denver Nuggets: The Nuggets probably shouldn’t be this high up in the power rankings. Nikola Jokic and Paul Millsap, their two best players, haven’t played much together. Jokic missed seven games with an ankle injury, and Millsap has been out since November 19th with a wrist injury. When those two play together, Denver is a well-functioning offensive and defensive team. When Jokic plays by himself, the Nuggets have a significantly worse defensive rating. This team should be better once Millsap comes back, and then they’ll have a legitimate chance at a top five seed in the Western Conference.

11. Portland Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard has struggled more often than he’s succeeded this year, but it looks like it’s starting to change. The Trail Blazers are on a three game winning streak, and they’re playing some of the best defense they’ve played in a while. They’ll likely compete for a fifth or sixth seed in the West playoffs, but don’t expect an upset victory.

10. New Orleans Pelicans: Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins are putting up historic numbers across the board, and oddly, they’re only 15-15. The majority of their team outside of that duo and Rajon Rondo have been pretty bad so far this year. Jrue Holiday has been playing the way that earned him an All-Star selection in 2013. He’s been averaging 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists in their last 10, but those numbers haven’t gotten them as many wins as it should.

9. Washington Wizards: In the two weeks John Wall missed, the Wizards went 3-3 and Bradley Beal scored 51 against the Blazers. Once Wall begins to get into his rhythm again, the Wizards should have a potential to snag a top seed in the East. Wall and Co. think they can beat Cleveland, but if they meet in the playoffs, LeBron James and Co. will have something to say about that.

8. Detroit Pistons: The Pistons have been struggling recently, only going 3-7 in their last 10. Their defense and offense are 14th and 15th in the league. The positive is that Andre Drummond has been continuing his evolution (into a modern center), averaging 4.1 assists in the last 10 games. Overall, the Pistons have been bad. Coach Stan Van Gundy has been ripping into his players after each loss. The Detroit News recorded and released the post-game press conference. Van Gundy: “Mindless basketball, absolutely no chemistry or energy out there,” he said after their 103-84 loss to the Nuggets. “I’ve coached over 850 regular season games, plus playoffs. That’s one of the worst I’ve ever had.” Yikes.

7. Indiana Pacers: Other than Kristaps Porzingis, Victor Oladipo is another candidate for Most Improved Player. After a year with Russell Westbrook that saw Westbrook make history en route to an MVP and Oladipo take a background role, he’s been given more opportunity. Oladipo is averaging 24 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. The Pacers are 17-13. It looks like they might be the ones who won the Paul George trade.

6. Toronto Raptors: The Raptors might be a regular season team. They’ve done well in the last two regular seasons, winning 50 games back-to-back. They made the Eastern Conference Finals in 2016, but lost in six games to the eventual NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers. Last season, they contested the most embarrassing playoff rematch in a long time, getting swept by the Cavs. The Raptors are 20-8, on pace to win 50 games, and will likely have a shot at the Eastern Conference Finals for the second time in three years.

5. San Antonio Spurs: Kawhi Leonard is finally back, but he’s on a minutes restriction. On the year so far, the Spurs are 20-10, and it’s likely they’ll win 50 games for the 19th year in a row. There isn’t much to say about this team other than Gregg Popovich is the best coach in the league, and Kawhi Leonard is easily a top-10 player.

4. Boston Celtics: Brad Stevens is the frontrunner for Coach of the Year. The Celtics are 25-7, and Kyrie is (arguably) in the discussion for MVP. He’s been one of the best players in the clutch, and Boston likely wouldn’t have won 16 in a row without him, especially with the Gordon Hayward injury at the beginning of the year. You should expect them to give Cleveland a scare in the ECF.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers: Even in his 15th season, LeBron James is (arguably) still the best player in the league. Depending on who you ask, he’s been playing the best basketball of his career. Through the last 10 games, the Cavs are 8-2 and LeBron is averaging 28 points, 9 rebounds and 11 assists. He’s 33.

2. Golden State Warriors: The Warriors are proving they don’t need Stephen Curry to win. Through their last 10 games, Golden State is 9-1. Curry has missed the last 5 of those 10 games, and they’ve continued to win. Kevin Durant has been carrying them. In the last 5 games, Durant is averaging 25, 10, and 7. They’ll be fine, and they’re heavy favorites to repeat as champions.

1. Houston Rockets: “Chris Paul should win MVP. They haven’t lost a game with him yet,” Elijah Bynoe, a sophomore at HSMSE told me. CP3 is certainly valuable to the Rockets, as they’re 14-0 in games he’s played in. However, the MVP will likely be going to his teammate, James Harden. Harden is scoring and passing at a high level, averaging 32 points and 9 assists. He’s also no longer a defensive liability. Harden has been MVP runner-up two years in a row. You wouldn’t be wrong if you said he should’ve won in 2015 and/or 2017. The Rockets are 25-4 on the year and are showing no signs of slowing down.