WAY TOO EARLY NBA Post Apocalypse Rankings

Hi Friends!

In light of the morning LeBron James news (in case you missed it, he's a 76er), we had to post an updated NBA post free agent move madness power rankings. Bringing in my bro Vivaan (a competitive basketball player) and my Dad (a basketball coach) Siva for their rankings as well.

In the interest of time, we'll each pick our top 5 NBA teams who we believe will be in the mix for the NBA Championship in June 2027. We acknowledge this is WAAAAAAAY too early but here it goes! Note that these ranks are the teams we believe have the best shots (literally!) to win the title. Please share your top 5 in the comments!

Vivaan's Top 5

1. Minnesota Timberwolves - LaMelo Ball was a HUGE pickup this offseason and with Anthony Edwards they make up the best offensive backcourt duo in the NBA. Rudy Gobert can lockdown any big defensively, even his chess bro Wemby.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder - They may have taken our Sonics (long before I was born) but this team is stacked. Top to bottom they have amazing firepower and great balance.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers - Spida (Donovan Mitchell) and The Beard (James Harden) are electric and can't be defended. Spida drives right, Beard drives left. Just unstoppable.

4. New York Knicks - Look I was hype when MY New York Knicks won the chip! I LOVE Jalen Brunson (how can you not love the guy?) and OG Anunoby and somehow this team kept their starting five intact. Even though they gave up some depth players, this team is so strong overall and remains very much in the mix.

5. San Antonio Spurs - Even though they won the West, they need time to grow to reach their full potential. They're definitely in the mix this year but I think their reign of domination, which seems inevitable is a couple years away.

Sarang's Top 5

1. Oklahoma City Thunder - Look, Sonics 2.0, yes I said it, are THE team to beat in the NBA. SGA is the MVP x 2 and they have the best offense in the NBA with arguably the deepest bench.

2. New York Knicks - Coming off their Championship win, I'm surprised by how few stars this team lost. This is the best team in the East and very well could repeat. Mike Brown is a historically good and underrated coach and works very well with this squad. Villanova repeat incoming.

3. San Antonio Spurs - Wemby is a cheat code, an animal, and the face of the league (not to mention 2K) for the future. He's got help too with Castle, Vassell, Harper, and Champagnie. The dynasty will start very soon, maybe even now, so be ready.

4. Boston Celtics - Even though they lost Jaylen Brown, Joe Mazzulla is a wizard and Tatum will come back healthy and dominant. In spite of the injuries they played great last season and some new guys like Neemias and Baylor are sure to shine given their experience last year.

5. Miami Heat - Giannis and Bam. That's it.

Siva's Top 5

1. Philadelphia 76ers - Look y'all. #GOAT 'Bron just took a 2 year 8 mil contract to win a chip with this squad. Tyrese Maxey is a superstar. Jaylen Brown is a superstar. VJ Edgecombe is a legit attacker on the rise. If 'Bron and Joel are able to let the young stars lead and play a supplementary role and stay healthy, this team can't be stopped.

2. New York Knicks - Jalen Brunson driving left is the coolest thing I've seen in the NBA in a loooooong time. Dude is a normal sized human with a top tier bball IQ and feel for the game. KAT is one of the best bigs in the leagues and wildly underappreciated. Mike Brown is THE MAN. This team runs it back if either Bron or Joel gets hurt or lets their egos take over.

3. Miami Heat - Giannis and Bam. That's it. JK a bit more for ya. This is the best frontcourt in the league by a comfortable margin. Defensively they stop any post players in the NBA and can't be stopped on the offensive end. Tim Hardaway Jr. will be a great facilitator just like his old man, and will rock the #10 unretired jersey brilliantly.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers - Spida and The Beard. This should be a band name. That's it.

5. San Antonio Spurs - This team has the potential to be dynastic like the Wooden UCLA squads and the Auerbach Celtics. CEO RC Buford is a homie and this organization is arguably the best run group in basketball. Wemby is unreal and as soon as they realize that the right backcourt is Stephon and Dylan, this team will never lose in the West (which is the markedly worse conference now) for the next decade.

Before turning it back to the boys, I want to offer an acknowledgement that they who must not be named remain excellent though losing Dort hurts them more than they may think on Defense. Sonics for life. Still scarred from 2008.

Wow, ok then. It's me, Sarang again. Looks like we all have the Knicks and Spurs in our top five, no surprise since that was the final and neither team lost too many players, and Dad is glazing the old man team in Philly. Classic. Of course, Vivaan is glazing the youngin squad in Minny. Two of us had the Thunder, Cavs, and Heat so I suppose a consensus ranking might look like Knicks, Spurs, Thunder, Cavs, Heat.

Photo via Seattle Storm at Climate Pledge Arena, cartooned with ChatGPT

That's all for today! See y'all next time! Sarang out.