​NBA power rankings: Where Lakers, Spurs, Celtics and others land on opening day of the season originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The start of the season is finally here, and with it comes my opening day power rankings for all 30 teams in the league. This season will be one of the more fun ones in recent memory, with the league championship totally up for grabs. We’ve had a new winner in each of the last eight years and 12 different NBA Finals teams since 2020. The Knicks are a great team, but a repeat championship is far from a guarantee. The Spurs and Thunder are the obvious candidates to usurp them out of the West. If both falter, then there are several quality teams at their heels. The East is looking even tougher, with seven teams that wouldn’t shock me if they made it to the Finals. Here’s how I see the league shaking out, along with predicted records for each team. RANKING ALL 150 NBA STARTERS: 11-150 | Top 10NBA Power Rankings1. Oklahoma City ThunderLast season: 64-18, No. 1 in the WestProjected record: 64-18The Thunder did lose some key rotation players from last year’s 64-win team in Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe, and Aaron Wiggins. They still maintained the rest of their core, including two-time reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. They’ve been a historic defense over the past two seasons, and that isn’t changing. And Jalen Williams should be much healthier this season, re-establishing himself as an All-Star. Oklahoma City has an embarrassment of riches on its roster to bolster its top-end talent in SGA, Williams, and Chet Holmgren. Cason Wallace is a capable fill-in for Dort in the starting lineup. Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain are ready for more minutes off the bench. Bennett Stirtz and Aday Mara have looked great in preseason. That depth makes them an easy pick for best record in the league. 2. San Antonio SpursLast season: 62-20, No. 2 in the WestProjected record: 61-21The Spurs’ young core is only getting better from their Finals run. Although he’s currently slated to come off the bench, Dylan Harper already appears ready to be a strong No. 2 next to Victor Wembanyama, who should be the favorite to win MVP if he stays healthy. Tobias Harris upgrades a scary starting lineup. And veteran Billy Donovan should provide a steadying hand as an assistant coach in some of the rough moments that San Antonio experienced in the most high-leverage moments last year. 3. Boston CelticsLast season: 56-26, No. 2 in the EastProjected record: 54-28The Celtics shocked the world by trading Jaylen Brown during the offseason. They shouldn’t experience much of a decline. Jayson Tatum’s return should fill the void left by Brown. Paul George is a perfect fit in Joe Mazzulla’s system, where he can capably switch on defense and shoot a high percentage from 3 on offense. Mitchell Robinson might be the most underrated addition of the offseason, both weakening the Knicks and add