Week 1 NBA Power Rankings
Tier 1
1- MN Moose Knuckles (29700 projected pts) - [44 positional]
2- Wait ‘Til Next Year (27600 projected pts) - [34 positional]
3- Shepherd Goods Choppers (27900 projected pts) - [33 positional]
4- Sporty Strauss (29000 projected pts) - [32 positional]
Tier 2
5- Cooper Troopers (28500 projected pts) - [36 positional]
6- DTC Porkchop Express (28500 projected pts) - [32 positional]
Tier 3
7- The BamOs (28200 projected pts) - [30 positional]
8- Win’s Up Doc (28100 projected pts) - [30 positional]
9- The Pullies (26500 projected pts) - [35 positional]
10- Ornery Otters (28000 projected pts) - [27 positional]
11- Las Cabras (28000 projected pts) - [28 positional]
12- $traight Cash Homie (29000 projected pts) - [27 positional]
(Tier 1) The Moose Knuckles had a stellar draft, far better than one might have thought whilst down $8 in budget. Positionally, he managed not to have any terrible positions, while also boasting a couple outstanding position groups (SG and C). Hall is the unquestioned favorite going into the season and is hereby accursed to be a floundering disappointment. How strange it is to see a team at the top of the Power Rankings in Basketball, but so far down in Football. This incongruous dichotomy will make for a fascinating trade dynamic as the Moose Knuckles try to wrangle themselves back into contention.
Wait ‘Til Next Year is still second on the list, despite spending about $20 of NBA budget on two players who probably won’t see the court this season (Kyrie and Leonard). With deep benches, Kyle elected to go with a ‘DFS-style’ lineup consisting of players who might not be the most consistent or regular contributors game-to-game, but have opportunities to shine as Kyle manages his team every day. Embiid out for a game? Time to plug in Andre Drummond to score a top-10 center’s production. Derrick Rose ailing? Kemba’s turn to put up numbers at MSG. It’s a strategy that other teams could have taken, but they elected to focus on young players too early or players with consistency.
The Shepherd Goods Choppers follow in 3rd. It’s a team that is certainly good, that’s for sure. But there might be a few too many whiffs in the middle of the draft to feel comfortable slotting Jordan above Kyle. That being said, the Choppers might be the most complete team, positionally, in the league. Each of the 5 positions is well-represented, he just doesn’t have one dominant part of his lineup.
Rounding out Tier 1 is Sporty Strauss. This is a squad that could quickly move up to the top of the rankings, but could also bottom out to Tier 3 if his injuries and Ben Simmons situation linger. This squad came into the snake draft with only 4 players, one of them being Simmons, and he really needed to eschew ‘Hunks’ in favor of vets. It was a sound strategy and is the only reason Strauss is up in Tier 1. Even somehow, Strauss’ luck continues. He still ended up with some NICE hunks in Chris Duarte and Franz Wagner. Strauss just needs to get Siakam and Simmons on the court before it’s too late.
(Tier 2) Tier 2 is tiny. Neither of these teams deserve to be in Tier 1, but they also are a clear step above the general managers of Tier 3. It puts them in limbo. The Cooper Troopers had a very solid auction, but the snake draft left something to be desired. He still has a star or depth at every position on the board, and it’s a well-constructed roster. The DTC Porkchop Express roster, on the other side, is a bit of a mess, mainly because he decided to take a Hunk, Josh Giddey, 3rd overall in the snake draft with excellent talent on the board. It was a curios decision for Craig to even select the 3rd overall pick when he could have gotten a hunk, probably Giddey and certainly Stewart (an early steal of the draft), at the end of the first round of the snake. He could have had someone far better than aging, minutes-competing DeRozan who plays the same position as Zach LaVine who was already on McCall’s team. His draft was very hit-or-miss, but he has enough hits to keep him in playoff contention.
(Tier 3) If Tier 2 is small, then Tier 3 must be huge. And that’s how it feels. All of these teams have glaring flaws. None of these teams stand out as better or worse than each other, but the Power Rankings are here to denote the pluses and minuses of each team.
At the top is The BamOs, who might have snuck into Tier 2 with a few more shrewd moves. Curry-Goerge-Bam is an excellent big 3, and he got value at various points in the snake draft. He reached for some players, but who didn’t? The issue is that he came into NBA with $70 in auction budget and has the thinnest roster in this league. He made up for it with a win-now strategy, but he’s playing this season out with a risky strategy.
Win’s Up Doc is next. Overspending on top players is so tempting, but it’s not going to work out for these teams, especially since Doc STILL tried to go young. He committed two cardinal sins in the draft if he wants to compete this year. (1) Overspending on Luka. (2) Reaching for ‘Hunks.’ It very well might pay off in a few years, but the Win’s Up squad is as messy as Jordan’s bathroom the morning after a Wolves season-opening win.
Ninth is a SUPRISE! The PULLIES aren’t even bottom-3! Their auction draft stunk. They overspent on all 4 of their starting players, including some old ones. But they have Ant and Ja, who could outperform their projections easily. And they got some other interesting players who should supplement their old core of Durant and LeBron. The Pullies might suck, and their draft strategy was poor. But there are worse teams.
The Ornery Otters are in trouble. While positions mean significantly less in the NBA than NFL, Korey still overdrafted the easiest position to find bodies in. He drafted four PG-only played in the auction, and it could hold him back significantly. On top of that, Cade is starting the year with an injury and could get off to a slow start. Russ looks like a mess. Like the current Lakers, it’s just a poorly-constructed roster that will hinder his chances of competing this year. But Cade-LaMelo is a great duo of Hunks.
Las Cabras have the best player in fantasy in Jokic. Beyond that, it’s grim. Shai is a solid player, but spending almost 80% of their auction on two guys is a tough way to go. They had a hard time filling out the rest of their squad, and didn’t get any value there. Their snake wasn’t horrible, but it still lacks big-time contributors. Overall, this team is piss poor beyond their top-2, and we’ll soon see how far that takes them.
And in lowly last on the initial power rankings is $traight Cash Homie. This team looked far better a few weeks ago, but the injury situation is dire. It’s okay to take an injured player or two when there is value, but Zion, Isaac and LeVert, all auction picks, are out to start the season. When they get back, it’s inevitable that Joel Embiid will go down, and Jack’s season will be in dire straits. On top of that, Jack stomach was ‘hunk-ry,’ one might say. He drafted ‘Hunks’ wherever he could, and none of them look like they’ll return value. Expect $traight Cash Homie to be the cellar of NBA for the beginning portion of the season.
2021 PG Rankings:
Win’s Up Doc: Luka Doncic, Dejounte Murray, Dennis Schroeder, TJ McConnell, Boner Hyland [PG Draft Grade: C-]
Ornery Otters: Cade Cunningham, LaMelo Ball, Russell Westbrook, Lonzo Ball, Derrick Rose [PG Draft Grade: B+]
MN Moose Knuckles: Jalen Suggs, Terry Rozier, Markelle Fultz [PG Draft Grade: A-]
The BamOs: Stephen Curry, Jrue Holiday, Jalen Brunson [PG Draft Grade: C]
Las Cabras: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, D’Angelo Russell, Cole Anthony, Seth Curry [PG Draft Grade: C]
Wait ‘Til Next Year: Trae Young, Kyle Lowry, Kemba Walker, Kyrie Irving ??? [PG Draft Grade: D+]
The Pullies: Ja Morant, Darius Garland, John Wall, Monte Morris [PG Draft Grade: C]
DTC Porkchop Express: De’Aaron Fox, Chris Paul, Facundo Campazzo [PG Draft Grade: C]
Cooper Troopers: Damian Lillard, Devonte’ Graham, Donte DiVincenzo [PG Draft Grade: D]
Shepherd Goods Choppers: Fred VanVleet, Spencer Dinwiddie, Ricky Rubio [PG Draft Grade: B-]
Sporty Strauss: Ben Simmons, Mike Conley, Reggie Jackson [PG Draft Grade: D]
$traight Cash Homie: Donovan Mitchell, Killian Hayes, Davion Mitchell [PG Draft Grade: C-]
Notes: Win’s Up Doc went with the heavy PG-C lineup construction, which can work. Doncic and Dejounte is a stellar point guard combo that tops all other teams. On the other side of the coin, Donovan Mitchell is Jack’s only good point guard. He will be starting horrible players at PG2 every single night.
2021 SG Rankings:
MN Moose Knuckles: Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, Buddy Hield [SG Draft Grade: A-]
Cooper Troopers: James Harden, Kevin Huerter, Josh Richardson, Kent Bazemore [SG Draft Grade: B+]
$traight Cash Homie: CJ McCollum, Caris LeVert, Tyler Herro, [SG Draft Grade: A-]
Ornery Otters: Jaylen Brown, Malcolm Brogdon, Matisse Thybulle [SG Draft Grade: B]
DTC Porkchop Express: Zach LaVine, Andrew Wiggins, Josh Giddey [SG Draft Grade: C-]
The Pullies: Anthony Edwards, Jordan Clarkson, Gary Trent Jr. [SG Draft Grade: D+]
Shepherd Goods Choppers: Jalen Green, Tyrese Haliburton, Klay Thompson [SG Draft Grade: B]
Las Cabras: Collin Sexton, James Bouknight, Jamal Murray [SG Draft Grade: D]
Sporty Strauss: Derrick White, Eric Bledsoe, Victor Oladipo [SG Draft Grade: B-
The BamOs: Marcus Smart, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Duncan Robinson [SG Draft Grade: B-]
Wait ‘Til Next Year: Evan Fournier, Tim Hardaway Jr., Tyrese Maxey [SG Draft Grade: D]
Win’s Up Doc: Kevin Porter Jr., Nickel Alexander-Walker, Jordan Poole [SG Draft Grade: D-]
Notes: Get used to the Moose Knuckles near the top of this list. Their worst position was Point Guard, which is the easiest to find production. In a league full of weak Shooting Guard positions, Hall has the best by far. However, the bottom of these rankings aren’t that bad! The last 7 teams feel pretty equal with bodies available for every squad.
2021 SF Rankings:
The Pullies: Kevin Durant, OG Anunoby, Danny Green [SF Draft Grade: D+]
Wait ‘Til Next Year: Jayson Tatum, Kawhi Leonard, Terrence Ross [SF Draft Grade: B]
Sporty Strauss: Brandon Ingram, Gordon Hayward, Franz Wagner [SF Draft Grade: B]
Shepherd Goods Choppers: Jimmy Butler, Norman Powell, Joe Harris [SF Draft Grade: B-]
Cooper Troopers: Khris Middleton, Kyle Anderson, Kelly Oubre [SF Draft Grade: B]
The BamOs: Paul George, Joe Ingles, Doug McDermott [SF Draft Grade: B-]
Win’s Up Doc: Michael Porter Jr, Scottie Barnes, Dillon Brooks [SF Draft Grade: B]
MN Moose Knuckles: RJ Barrett, Isaac Okoro, Otto Porter, Cameron Johnson [SF Draft Grade: B-]
DTC Porkchop Express: DeMar DeRozan, Jaden McDaniels, Lu Dort [SF Draft Grade: C]
Las Cabras: Saddiq Bey, Harrison Barnes, Jerami Grant [SF Draft Grade: B]
Ornery Otters: Mikal Bridges, Keldon Johnson, TJ Warren [SF Draft Grade: B+]
$traight Cash Homie: Jonathan Isaac, Jonathan Kuminga, Malik Beasley [SF Draft Grade: C+]
Notes: The Pullies overspent on Durant, but they take the top spot here out of attrition. Almost every team seems to have one good SF before the position is a crapshoot. The Pullies have the best SF2 with OG. And poor Jack at the bottom. Neither Isaac nor Kuminga is playing right now, and Jack needs to find bodies anywhere he can.
2021 PF Rankings:
Sporty Strauss: Giannis Antetekounmpo, Pascal Siakam, Draymond Green [PF Draft Grade: B-]
Wait ‘Til Next Year: Anthony Davis, Jaren Jackson Jr, Royce O’Neal [PF Draft Grade: C-]
DTC Porkchop Express: Domantas Sabonis, PJ Washington, De’Andre Hunter [PF Draft Grade: C-]
The Pullies: LeBron James, Patrick Williams, Bojan Bogdanovic [PF Draft Grade: B]
Cooper Troopers: Evan Mobley, Christian Wood, Darius Bazley [PF Draft Grade: B]
Shepherd Goods Choppers: Tobias Harris, Robert Williams, Isaiah Roby, Marvin Bagley [PF Draft Grade: C-]
MN Moose Knuckles: Julius Randle, Alejsej Pokusevski, Bobby Portis [SF Draft Grade: B]
$traight Cash Homie: Zion Williamson, Robert Covington, Rui Hachimura [PF Draft Grade: D]
Win’s Up Doc: Kristaps Porzingis, Brandon Clarke, Daniel Gafford [PF Draft Grade: C]
Ornery Otters: John Collins, Aaron Gordon, Precious Achiuwa [PF Draft Grade: B]
The BamOs: Miles Bridges, Kyle Kuzma, Carmelo Anthony [PF Draft Grade: D]
Las Cabras: Chris Boucher, Lauri Markkanen, Marcus Morris [PF Draft Grade: F]
Notes: Bigs rule this league, and there’s a trend with the top teams having good Power Forward. At PF, Sporty Strauss’ dominance will be felt when Pascal Siakam returns from injury. And the rest of the teams ranked in the top half of the league are in the top-7 here.
2021 C Rankings:
Las Cabras: Nikola Jokic, Steven Adams, Brook Lopez [C Draft Grade: C-]
MN Moose Knuckles: Rudy Gobert, Richaun Holmes, Wendell Carter [C Draft Grade: A-]
$traight Cash Homie: Joel Embiid, Myles Turner, Jaxson Hayes [C Draft Grade: C+]
The BamOs: Bam Adebayo, Jusuf Nurkic, Daniel Theis [C Draft Grade: C+]
Shepherd Goods Choppers: Karl-Anthony Towns, Kelly Olynyk, Moses Brown [C Draft Grade: B]
Win’s Up Doc: Jonas Valanciunas, Jarrett Allen, Derrick Favors [C Draft Grade: C+]
Cooper Troopers: Nikola Vucevic, Alperen Sengun, Onyeka Okongwu [C Draft Grade: C]
DTC Porkchop Express: Clint Capela, Jakob Poeltl, Al Horford [C Draft Grade: B]
Sporty Strauss: Deandre Ayton, Khem Birch, Dwight Howard [C Draft Grade: C+]
Wait ‘Til Next Year: Isaiah Stewart, James Wiseman, Andre Drummond [C Draft Grade: B]
Ornery Otters: Mitchell Robinson, Ivaca Zubac, Hassan Whiteside [C Draft Grade: C]
The Pullies: Montrezl Harrell, Thaddeus Young, Enes Kanter [SF Draft Grade: B]
Notes: Las Cabras sold out for the top guy in the league and still found depth at Center. But Center depth is modestly easy to come by with half of the league having a good #2 Center with this scoring system. And this position group is the main one holding The Pullies back. If they had found two options at center, they’d be a top-half team.