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After three weeks of NBA basketball, it feels as though the league has been turned on its head. The Cavs continue to thrive and the Jazz have stayed hot, while the Warriors are still nursing their championship hangover and the Nets have as many problems off the court as they do on. With that said, we are still early into this season as teams continue to figure out their identities, so let’s take a look at the top teams after this past week.
1. Milwaukee Bucks (9-0)
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The Bucks have continued to stay undefeated despite Khris Middleton’s absence. Milwaukee’s stellar defense has shut down their opponents as they have all season. Giannis Antetokounmpo has not missed a beat, staying a dominant presence on both sides of the ball through another week of games. The surprise of the week for the Bucks comes from Jrue Holiday, averaging 25.3 points per game as of late, as he has quietly found himself toward the top of the list for MVP future odds. Although this is very unlikely to hold for the entirety of this season, Holiday’s recent success has played complementary to Giannis while Khris Middleton returns to health.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers (7-1)
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The Cavs have silenced many doubters after beating Boston not once, but twice this past week alone. It appears that Cleveland made the right decision in trading for Donovan Mitchell, who is off to an incredible start averaging 37.4 points and 7 assists per game. With Darius Garland returning from injury, this Cavaliers team has only gotten better. Garland played for the first time since the season opener this past week and scored an impressive 29 points backed up by 12 assists. I would advise the rest of the league to take this duo as a serious threat before Cleveland becomes a powerhouse in the East and a true competitor to Milwaukee.
3. Phoenix Suns (7-2)
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The Suns were left without DeAndre Ayton this past week, but they did not slow down. Wins over the Rockets, Timberwolves, and Pelicans prove to the rest of the West that Phoenix is not dependent on their star big man to win games. Cam Johnson was the one who stepped up this week, averaging 21 points per game while Chris Paul and Devin Booker took a back seat with some not-so-pretty performances. Phoenix’s ability to grind out wins with injured and poor-performing stars is why I continue to keep them high on my list.
4. Utah Jazz (7-3)
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Nobody saw this coming. The Utah Jazz are 7-3 to start this 2022-23 season, notching wins over quality opponents in Memphis and Denver. Ex-Cavalier Collin Sexton is finally settling into his new home in Utah and has been a big reason for the Jazz’s unexpected success early on. Somewhat surprising is the start that Lauri Markkanen has had, averaging 21 points and 9 boards. I do not expect Utah to keep this level of play throughout a long season, however, it is refreshing to see a team who lost their two superstars in Mitchell and Gobert have immediate success while rebuilding for the future.
5. Boston Celtics (6-3)
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As previously mentioned, Boston dropped two close games in overtime to Cleveland this week. Although they have not had the greatest week, the Celtics are being powered by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who have averaged 27 and 28 points respectively this past week. The glaring issue for Boston right now is their defense. What was once a league-leading unit last year has fallen off dramatically to start the season. The offense can continue to score points, but if the Celtics cannot get continuous stops they will lose very winnable games in a scoring-heavy league. I trust them to get it together on the defensive side, but if the lackluster performances continue, they will not last long on this list.
