Here are the top 10 NBA teams from our 10th annual League Pass Rankings. Remember: These are not power rankings, but watchability scores!
In five categories, we score teams from 1-10:
ZEITGEIST - Do real humans care about this team's welfare?
STAR/HIGHLIGHT OPPORTUNITY: Are you willing to play games at the expense or love of your loved ones in order for one player to do something extraordinary?
STYLE: Are they strategically interesting?
LEAGUE PASS MINUTIA: Announcers, jerseys, court designs.
UNINTENTIONAL COMEDY - Coaches making funny faces and passive-aggressive colleagues, frequent bloopers, sneaky irritations.
In ESPN's annual NBA League Rankings, see teams 30-11
Last season, the offense of the Phoenix Suns, which was led by the Point God himself at times, was difficult to control. All five of the starters are back for this season. It's worth watching! Mark J. Rebilas - USA TODAY Sports
Phoenix takes advantage of Chris Paul's methodical approach. Phoenix showed that there is beauty in the execution of a task well done. It was almost formalist in its elegance.
It just didn't have the "holy crap!" It just lacked the "holy crap!" factor. Phoenix ranks 26th in dunks and is an average team for transition. The algorithm is split between praising Paul's brazenness and punishing him for his hubris.
Mikal Bridges has added a pogostick midranger to his team, which could be a sign that he is more scoring. Bridges can be likened to floating in a black hole when you drive into him.
Cameron Payne puts Phoenix in chaos gear. Jae Crowder salsa danced for the Los Angeles Lakers straight out of the playoffs, demonstrating the bravado that brought Phoenix within two wins of winning the NBA title.
Deandre Ayton was a part of everything and the Suns have yet not extended him. Do we have the potential for awkward "pay me" moments with Suns governor Robert Sarver at our side? Moment in the spirit of Shaquille Ol'Neal shouting at Jerry Buss or a boozy Chandler Parsons screaming, "Max or Nothing, motherf---er!" Mark Cuban in a taxi?
Devin Booker has a bag that is endless. He scored 82 points in Games 4 and 5, scoring an array of shots that was just plain ridiculous. There were isolation fadeaways, lefty floaters, catch-and-shoot jumpers and catch-and-shoot jumping after flinging around picks.
With its stunning color gradients and desert-like landscape, the "Valley" court is back.
Eddie Johnson and Kevin Ray are a top broadcast team. We all need more Monty Williams in our lives.
It's all about one thing: Zion Williamson has played 85 games in just two seasons, making it an extraordinary fusion of speed and size. This leaves everyone wanting more.
(The algorithm knows Williamson is still recovering from foot surgery. It is wired to be hopeful.
We've seen many Zions -- Point Zion (post-up Zion), screening Zion (fast-break Zion), center Zion. He has barely touched the surface of each archetype.
Williamson cannot be stopped from the rim by any defense. He made an astonishing 81% of his shots at the basket and converted 70%. Williamson bounces off large bodies even when he's airborne. Williamson will soon break a blackboard and bring the entire damn stanchion to its knees. In the same time span that most people might only complete one jump, Williamson jumps three times to get offensive rebounds.
Williamson has the passing vision, but he is also frenetic and prone to fastballs from close range and poor kickouts. Reps can help. Williamson's pick and roll partnerships with Brandon Ingram Jonas Valanciunas, Devonte' Graham and Devonte’ Graham present problems for defenses.
You wonder if Williamson is concerned about his defense. Is his shoe made of cement? Are his feet already worn out? New Orleans won't be able to build a solid defense until they do so. It's much easier to see the franchise player giving his all.
Ingram still needs to find the right balance between defense and playmaking. Ingram's ability to find that balance is just as important to the Pels future as Williamson's health, and his desire to stay.
Jaxson Hayes and Nickeil Alexander Walker could emerge as two-way players. Alexander-Walker is an audacious, long-armed scorer, while Hayes is a vicious dunker who hoists 3s in preseason. Valanciunas grind of defenders is one the NBA's most unheralded delights.
Get the hot sauce! (If you don't appreciate Stacey King’s catchphrases, then we won't get along.
Lonzo Ball and Zach LaVine make a great match. They are the league's most willing hit-ahead passer bombing to their best open-court dunker ever since prime Vince Carter. Benny The Bull will have a hard time controlling his popcorn eating.
Team Floor-Raiser will have to balance the Ball/LaVine show and the patient stylings of Nikola Vucevic and DeMar DeRozan. This will be a constant challenge. DeRozan has demonstrated -- even in the bubble with San Antonio Spurs -- his ability to adapt to a run-and-gun pace. Chicago needed another closer; LaVine's crunch time load was too heavy even if he rose up to it. LaVine should be able to spot up for 3s and cut for dunks more often, which is good news for the Bulls and him.
Vucevic is able to trail for 3s, and toggle in half-court between post ups and ball screens depending on matchups. DeRozan also likes the midrange, so it will take them time to learn their moves and establish a hierarchy. The discovery process will be fascinating for X and O nerds.
It will be more difficult to create a solid defense. Patrick Williams is one the most important players in the league, considering how few young men were acquired via Chicago's lottery picks or the Jimmy Butler trade. Chicago also owes the Spurs as well as the Orlando Magic picks. (Coby White's future role is also uncertain.
Williams's versatility is evident in his defense. His stop-on-a dime midranger is pure silk. When Williams launches the ball so high that it drops through the air, the ball doesn't generate much more than ripples.
Derrick Jones Jr. is LaVine's only true rival in the dunking game. DeRozan is the king among high-fiving phantom teammates, whether it's between free throws when no one approaches or when attempting technical foul shots. DeRozan is supercommitted and subtle.
Hypothesis: Billy Donovan, the NBA's least funny coach, is Billy Donovan.
Prediction: Trae Young won't be as affected by the crackdown on bogus fouls as critics believe. He is too smart and too good. His habit of slowing down while driving -- which often draws contact -- can be a legitimate basketball play that is intended to either survey the defense or coax the player into a false step. Young jumping sideways is another story.
Young was the pick-and-roll king, with more pick-and roll wins than any other player. However, Atlanta's entertainment value did not suffer from its repetitiveness. The Hawks were ranked No. The Hawks were ranked No. 2 in dunks with plenty of points coming through Young's lobs at Clint Capela, John Collins and John Collins. Collins was replaced by Collins as Young's main screen-setter. Collins, however, found ways to remain involved and channeled more of her energy into dirty work.
Collins was seen dunk on Joel Embiid's forehead in Game 6 of the conference semifinals and then returning to the news conference wearing the same T-shirt after Atlanta's Game 7 victory. Young shuffling the New York Knicks crowd is colder. It is hard to appreciate a team that embraces villainy so hard.
Young is able to see and make passes with his eyes, even crosscourt slingshots using both hands that would be impossible for most men his size. Young began to get off the ball more often in last season's campaign. He made easy reads and let his support cast cook.
Kevin Huerter is fearless and has cagey playmaking abilities. De'Andre Hunter displayed a growing all-around game and should be an all-court wrecker in defense. He went chest-to-chest with Julius Randle during the playoffs. Cam Reddish wants to do more.
Bogdan Bogdan Bogdanovic is a gunman coming after your throat. We haven’t even mentioned Lou Williams and Danilo Gallinari (and their hair).
The broadcast is entertaining, and the art is beautiful. I wish that the Hawks would return the stained-glass court in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.
The Nuggets could have contested for No. 1 with Jamal Murray. After finishing second last season, the Nuggets are now at No. 1.
Although Nikola Jokic is considered the most entertaining player in the league, Murray hasn’t been able to get enough recognition for his contribution in creating the NBA’s most complex and resilient two-man game. Every star can score against the league’s top pick-and-roll defenses, drop-back schemes or switching. Murray can either drive or heave 3s.
It is in these spaces that Murray and Jokic excel. We all know Jokic, the greatest passer of big men and the most creative passer of all time in any position. But Murray adds a touch of wit to the dance. Murray is adept at evading defenses and making one more prodding dribble. This bounce draws Jokic's opponent closer to Murray, allowing for an easy drop-off.
Jokic -- Jokic is the freaking star. At least three times per game, he will leave you laughing like an idiot. These are one-handed. These are ridiculous rebound-into–outlet heaves
He uses no-look passes to pinpoint his target.
He is a groundbound tornado of twisting pivots, upfakes and turns that gets defenders jumping at ghosts in the post. Jokic volleyballs can rebound with either hand from faraway distances.
Jokic can be so distracted by the game at times -- when mismatches are so overwhelming and the images come to him so quickly -- that he will try high-wire passes to keep himself entertained.
Michael Porter Jr. is one of the league's most unreachable jumpers. He'll also expand his off-the bounce game. Aaron Gordon's defense is available to Michael Malone for a full season. Facundo Campazzo can be a menace to anyone at any time and is one of the league’s most irritating irritants.
The courts and jerseys are strong; the "Mile High", royal blue uniforms have been a nice touch.
The algorithm may be just as enthusiastic about the bouncy bugs than Eric Collins, Charlotte’s charmingly bombastic play by-play man, about screaming about LaMelo Ball long 2, as if Ball has found the cure for coronavirus.
Last season, Charlotte finished at 33-39 with the league's seventh worst point differential. If all goes well, they will probably top out at.500. But you know what? I don't care because Ball is going play alley-oops with Miles Bridges and Bridges will detonate, and Michael Jordan is going to be smiling while wearing a hat that is funny, if you're being honest with yourself.
Weeeeeeee. We are sorry.
The Hornets are a team that moves the ball and uses superfun, centerless lineups. These groups were very small with Terry Rozier and Devonte' Graham. Charlotte compensated by playing more zone than anyone else -- a nice strategic switchup.
The NBA on ESPN, the ESPN app and the NBA on ESPN The 2021-22 NBA Season begins in October with two star-studded doubleheaders broadcast on ESPN. Wednesday, Oct. 20
Knicks at Celtics, 7:30 pm. ET
Suns Nuggets, 10:15 p.m. ET Friday, Oct. 22
Nets at the 76ers, 7:15 p.m. ET
Suns at Lakers, 10:00 p.m. ET
The Hornets are able to access larger and more dynamic small-ball teams with Graham available and Gordon Hayward Jr. and Kelly Oubre Jr. available. What about Ball, Oubre Hayward, Bridges and P.J. Washington? Rozier, a crunch-time god last season, has a 6-foot-8 wingspan.
James Borrego must make a difficult decision. Either play games centerless or use Hayward, Bridges, or Washington as the sixth man. Bridges was able to drain 40% from deep last year, even trying pull-ups and making great strides as a playmaker. I cannot wait to see what he can do, especially in defense, and if Washington has similar growth.
Oubre is always working out, pushing up, and trash talking. The uniforms with striped stripes and honeycomb court are striking and perfectly balance Charlotte's 1990s style and modern tastes.
The big question is: How polished can Ball be as a scorer in the half court?
Golden State might have been No. 1 if Klay Thompson had been there for a full season. They held the top spot for their dynastic dominance. Unfortunately, we don’t know when Thompson will be back or how rusty.
Stephen Curry and Draymond green share a love for team sports. It's the kind of unspoken bond you long for, and that you can only find in one pickup game. It's what happens when two extremely smart, highly skilled players with complementary strengths -- including the best shooter by a nontrivial margin ever -- bond for a decade. This is a rare and precious gift that we should treasure.
Curry is the league’s most prominent highlight. Curry's hot streak is unlike anything else in sports history. Curry's constant bobbing and weaving is a danger that draws panicked eyes at all times. His touch is so soft that the ball melts into the backboard, and drips down, he is one of the most inventive little guys to paint.
Curry and Green work together to elevate the two-man game. They outmaneuver defenses so quickly and with such precision, it's hard to notice what they did. You don't even notice how many decisions they made in two seconds, how many options they had, or how far ahead of everyone else.
This play, which is one of my favourite Curry-Green joints, looks so simple but was created through years of problem-solving together.
It's called the "handback" and is used to wrong-foot blitz defenses. Green told me that they don't discuss such reads anymore. They just see them and make them.
Last season, Golden State ranked third in pace and second in passes. It also ranked first in dunks. It was fun! After they settled back on the routine, they looked just like themselves: Kevon Looney was chosen over James Wiseman and Green was more involved in the center.
Juan Toscano–Anderson fit their pass-and-cut style. They are familiar with Andre Iguodala and Iguodala's returns. Every Iguodala appearance is reminiscent of 2015 and 2016, when there were murmurs from the crowd, fear spreading across the bench.
Jordan Poole is waiting for his moment. Intriguing new additions are always welcome.
After releasing postseason demons, the champs can play with renewed freedom and will be working towards the right mix offensive roles for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday.
Milwaukee's regular season is now a playoff optimization lab. The defense was the focus of last season. This season's focus is on improving a half-court offense, which was largely responsible for Milwaukee's second round defeat to the Brooklyn Nets. Antetokounmpo carries over the improvements made from the midrange, including a steadier footwork and jump hooks.
Antetokounmpo transforms into a 6-foot-11 player archetype, blending the roles of a fast-break marauder and one-on-one brute.
He is the driving force behind the league’s most destructive transition attack. He eats up large chunks of space each dribble and either drops thunder at the rim or kicks to one of Milwaukee’s spot-up shooters. Brook Lopez glides effortlessly into the lane to make 3s from behind with the comfort of an elderly man sitting in a recliner.
Donte DiVincenzo is known for his sprightly rebounding and canny, pass-and-cut playmaking. Pat Connaughton, a superathlete. Thanasis Antetokounmpo, a bumper car that plays his own mix of basketball and rugby, is Thanasis. It doesn't matter what it is, it's hard to miss it. Keep an eye out for Jordan Nwora.
Holiday's decision to place someone in jail is frightening.
Marques Johnson is a great analyst. Steve Novak is also a fantastic analyst. It's great to see Lisa Byington take on the play-by-play duties.
This court is one of the most prestigious in the NBA.
It could be that the anticipation is outpacing reality. Russell Westbrook fitting in might be more fascinating than watching the Lakers do it.
The Westbrook fit, however, is the most important on-court question in this league. It will be the variable that determines whether the Lakers can rip through the West and overthrow the East juggernauts. Each possession will give clues. What does Westbrook do when LeBron James is the ball? Are they cutting? Are his picks for James being made? He can he use his rebounding to help L.A.'s transition defense. James will we ever see him forgetting that cameras are always on his, and looking at Westbrook as he misses his 13th consecutive jumper.
We will see how Anthony Davis plays center and how the Lakers score points with Westbrook and James on the floor. These lineups will be able to inhale offensive rebound.
Westbrook will set the pace for a team which blitzed every transition player two seasons ago.
Freight train James is still present every game. James will sometimes see an opponent, whom he considers too low to him. James then sighs and sends that person to the weight room. Backpedaling defenders are still ineffective when James accelerates into the bowling ball left-right spin. They bounce off and James extends his right arm sideways for an impromptu hammer dunk.
The passing will always be there - the crosscourt lasers, always released with the wrong direction of the defenders, landing in the shooting pocket.
Twenty years later, James Anthony and Carmelo Anthony finally became friends. This entire cast is like a reunion with your favorite TV show cast 10 years ago. Ah, Rajon Rondo, how do you look now?
Howard elbows people in their faces and pretends to be shocked at the technical foul. It's fun to heat check Malik Monk. Talen Horton Tucker's surgery is a bummer. However, he still looms as an important two-way wing.
The Lakers boast the league's most beautiful court and sleek jerseys. One complaint: I don’t like the black stripe that runs down their purple uniforms.
The algorithm was broken by Kyrie Irving. My garage housed a supercomputer to compile these rankings. It exploded on Tuesday when the Nets announced that they would banish Irving until he is vaccinated.
The algorithm is split. It divides the algorithm. Does it penalize the Nets for their fiasco? Or does it deduct entertainment points for missing one of the NBA's greatest showmen, coming off a 50/40/90 scorcher which was likely the best season of his professional career?
Should it assume Irving will be back, and that the NBA's irritating franchise soap opera forces another unbearable but irresistible drama onto the world?
It is safest to assume that we are in a simulation. Irving's resignation is the second-safest assumption. These rankings were topped by the Nets before Tuesday's announcement. We decided to leave them there.
It doesn't matter if you can ignore the noise, which is getting harder with the moral and public-health issues behind this latest Nets theater. But it's worth the jaw-dropping experience of watching them perform.
James Harden, along with two other stars, abandoned the thudding isolations to become more of a point-guard -- looking for passes earlier in the shot clock. Kevin Durant is a connector and finisher who has always been happy to take possession of the ball.
Irving's best qualities were revealed when he was paired with two stars. He is an off-ball scoring threat who takes over the offense whenever it is convenient. Irving was a wild 54% pull-up 2s player, and Brooklyn loved his solo performance.
Irving began to flash into open spaces, which led to beautiful sequences and quick-hitting touch passes. This is the kind of basketball you wouldn't expect from a top-heavy squad. Because they have so many spaces to move around, great shooters help the Nets push this style.
They can also win ugly. Harden may be the best off-the-bounce isolationist player of all time. Durant reminded everyone, during a magnificent playoff run, that he might be the greatest player of all time -- and one among the dozen best ever. They are a scoring powerhouse even without Irving.
There are many characters in the supporting cast. Blake Griffin still can dunk! Who knew? You have to be thrilled to see LaMarcus Aldridge enter his office on the left block after last season's health scare. Bruce Brown invented a new position, the rover. James Johnson plays a similar screen and dive style. Jevon Carter defends every inch of the court like his career depends on it. Patty Mills is never still; he will sprint to get more open 3s than he ever imagined.
The Nets stand out visually with their minimalist black-and-white jerseys, as well as the unique (in the NBA), gray court work. The broadcast is among the best in the league.
You can see that I am not happy with the Nets' performance as League Pass champions.
The real games start in five days.
