Album of the Week: “Don’t Be Dumb”, A$AP Rocky (2026)

It’s a whole new year! And we’re acknowledging an album that isn’t out yet and has been worked on for years but might actually see the light of day this month!

Welcome to the 2026 portion of this season’s Power Rankings. It’s time to shake everyone out of the holiday season, and today’s a great day to do it (not just because it’s my birthday, but that’s cool too).

The New York Knicks visit Detroit as part of a first-round rematch from last spring in a game that features the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. The Los Angeles Lakers will visit San Antonio later this week. And Saturday, the Minnesota Timberwolves are in Cleveland for a matchup of two of the top shooting guards in the league.

Fine print: These Power Rankings won’t just rank every team. We’ll retain the tiers that teams will be promoted into and relegated out of. There will be five tiers each week:

• Top Contenders — Locked at five, these are the class of the league
• **In a Good Place — **Could be one team, could be seven teams
• **The Bubble — **Not to be confused with Walt Disney World. The middle of the pack
• **Not the Tier to Fear — **Not playing the worst ball in the league, but with a lot of work to do
• **Basement Floor — **Bringing up the rear

What to expect from Power Rankings:

• These are my subjective rankings. I will consider a variety of objective measures, but it’s my final call.
• These rankings are not just a review of the past week — we are projecting forward as well, so it is a balance of the two.
• These are subjective, but not biased. There are no agendas in the Power Rankings, and we strive for an inclusive meritocracy
• The one quality that these rankings possess: “Ruthless aggression.”
• Enjoy the games, and enjoy the rankings, please!

For Week 12 of *The Athletic *NBA Power Rankings, we will explore New Year’s resolutions for each team.

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Tier 1: Top Contenders

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (30-6)

**Last ranking: ** 1 **In the last week: ** W vs ATL, W vs POR, W at GS, L at PHO Offensive rating: 118.8 (fifth place) ** ****Defensive rating: ** 104.4 (first place)

2026 resolution: Get the primary starting lineup healthy and working again

The Thunder are only 1-4 with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein starting together. That’s more of a Spurs game flow problem than anything, but it also speaks to how little that group has shared the floor this season. Hartenstein has dealt with a bad calf for several weeks, which complicates things. The Thunder have only lost six games this season, but four of them have now come with the Thunder leading by more than 10 points, including Sunday at Phoenix.

2. Detroit Pistons (26-9)

**Last ranking: ** 4 **In the last week: ** W at LAL, L vs MIA, W at CLE Offensive rating: 116.7 (ninth place) ** ****Defensive rating: ** 110.6 (second place)

2026 resolution: Get Cade Cunningham some shooters

It seems like the Cade Cunningham experience always includes commentary on how he has to play through whatever deficiencies his teams have, going all the way back to Oklahoma State. Even with these Pistons playing at a high level and establishing some cushion at the top of the East, we’re talking about one of the worst shooting teams in the league. Detroit is a very good team that has an identity. But it also needs to identify some perimeter relief.

3. San Antonio Spurs (25-10)

**Last ranking: ** 2 **In the last week: ** L vs CLE, W vs NY, W at IND, L vs POR Offensive rating: 118.1 (sixth place) ** ****Defensive rating: ** 112.8 (eighth place)

2026 resolution: Get Victor Wembanyama back up to 30 minutes

As exciting as the season has been for the Spurs, it has been one full of starts and stops for their best players. Victor Wembanyama had to begin the season without De’Aaron Fox, and right when Fox got healthy, Wembanyama had to miss a month with a calf injury. Wembanyama finally returned to the starting lineup, and the Spurs suffered back-to-back losses before Wembanyama injured his knee against the Knicks. San Antonio certainly hasn’t reached anything close to final form yet.

4. Boston Celtics (22-12)

**Last ranking: ** 9 **In the last week: ** W at UTA, W at SAC, W at LAC Offensive rating: 122.3 (second place) ** ****Defensive rating: ** 114.5 (15th place)

2026 resolution: Full health for Jayson Tatum

When this season began, I expected the Celtics to struggle defending, be lost in the event that Jaylen Brown approached 20 missed games and have a winter teardown for salary-cap purposes. None of those things would have encouraged a Jayson Tatum return. I still don’t want to see Tatum rush back from injury, but the Celtics sure are playing like a team that deserves to see what it can do if he is healthy. And that’s led by Brown, who might be the first player ever to turn a Player of the Month snub into a 50-piece salsa lesson.

5. Houston Rockets (21-11)

**Last ranking: ** 6 **In the last week: ** W vs IND, W at BRK, L at DAL Offensive rating: 121.2 (third place) ** ****Defensive rating: ** 112.5 (sixth place)

2026 resolution: Reed Sheppard’s assertiveness

Sheppard is coming off one of his least impactful games of the season Saturday in Dallas, finishing with more fouls (four) than buckets (3-of-10 shooting) while the Rockets were outscored by 24 points in his minutes despite losing by only six points. There aren’t many ballhandling options in Houston, and even fewer of those options can confidently make shots. The Rockets are 11-4 when Sheppard scores more than 12 points this season; it’s not a requirement for Houston’s success, but it could be a part of the ceiling for this Rockets team.

Tier 2: In a Good Place

6. Denver Nuggets (23-12)

**Last ranking: ** 3 **In the last week: ** L at MIA, W at TOR, L at CLE, L at BRK Offensive rating: 123.0 (first place) ** ****Defensive rating: ** 116.9 (21st place)

2026 resolution: Jamal Murray All-Star selection (and bubble wrap)

Denver isn’t going to have Nikola Jokić for a while, which is spooky considering the fact that he’s among the most reliable stars in basketball. Cameron Johnson wasn’t able to play in a return game to Brooklyn either. But it could be worse. Denver just got both Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon back after both missed nearly two months with their own injuries. And Murray is putting up Mountain Steph Curry numbers. Jokić might not be healthy enough to be an All-Star, but this should be the year he finally has an All-Star teammate.

7. Phoenix Suns (21-14)

**Last ranking: ** 7 **In the last week: ** W at WAS, L at CLE, W vs SAC, W vs OKC Offensive rating: 114.9 (15th place) ** ****Defensive rating: ** 113.1 (ninth place)

2026 resolution: Get Devin Booker’s 3-pointer back

Booker beating the Thunder was sweet for several reasons. One, it was revenge for Booker’s team when he was out with a groin injury and the Suns lost by 49 points in Oklahoma last month. Two, Booker said the secret was out on the Thunder’s defense, and he led an 18-point comeback. But three, Booker’s game-winning 3 was his only make in four attempts, and this has been by far the worst 3-point shooting season of Booker’s career (29.7 percent). Booker’s never been a 40 percent 3-point shooter, but he consistently gets his 25 points anyway. If the statement win against the Thunder can jump-start Booker’s jumper, then the Suns have even more to look forward to in what has been a triumphant season so far.

8. New York Knicks (23-12)

**Last ranking: ** 5 **In the last week: ** W at NO, L at SA, L vs ATL, L vs PHI Offensive rating: 120.7 (fourth place) ** ****Defensive rating: ** 115.2 (16th place)

2026 resolution: Avoid giving me material

I realize that a few people who love the Knicks are coming to Power Rankings and expecting to be feted. And perhaps there has been some disappointment because of some of the shortcomings the Knicks have had. I keep trying to tell you: This is an equal opportunity space, and every team can get it. But you can send me all complaints at 510-1973, my new local Knicks hotline for the last time you couldn’t say anything about them.

9. Minnesota Timberwolves (23-13)

**Last ranking: ** 8 **In the last week: ** W at CHI, L at ATL, W at MIA, W at WAS Offensive rating: 117.2 (eighth place) ** ****Defensive rating: ** 112.7 (seventh place)

2026 resolution: Find another young contributor

The Timberwolves are a sneaky old team, as Basketball-Reference has only five teams with a higher average age. None of the seven players who get more than 15 minutes per game is on a rookie deal. Even Bones Hyland is a fifth-year player. Minnesota is getting rough sophomore seasons from 2024 first-round picks Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr., Jaylen Clark hasn’t progressed as a shooter, and young bigs Leonard Miller and rookie Joan Beringer are mothballed. The Timberwolves are going to need at least one of those guys to emerge soon.

LeBron James, Luka Dončić and the Lakers are perfect in crunchtime but have 11 double-digit defeats this season. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Imagn Images)

Tier 3: The Bubble

10. Los Angeles Lakers (22-11)

**Last ranking: ** 10 **In the last week: ** L vs DET, W vs MEM, W vs MEM Offensive rating: 117.4 (seventh place) ** ****Defensive rating: ** 117.6 (24th place)

2026 resolution: Stop getting blown out

There are a lot of strength-of-schedule merchants out there (we’ll get to you all later), but when it comes to the Lakers, the reality is this: They won’t be considered a serious threat until they stop looking uncompetitive in so many games. The Lakers shouldn’t apologize for winning every coin flip game they have played so far this season. But they’ve lost 11 games this season by 10 points or more. The only teams in the league that have lost more of those games are all no higher than 12th place in their respective conferences.

11. Toronto Raptors (21-15)

**Last ranking: ** 12 **In the last week: ** W vs ORL, L vs DEN, W vs ATL Offensive rating: 114.0 (19th place) ** ****Defensive rating: ** 112.4 (fourth place)

2026 resolution: Be careful with RJ Barrett

Toronto cannot defend with all three of Barrett, Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes on the floor together. But Barrett makes the Raptors offense reach levels that were more challenging with him out. The question is, do the Raptors consider Barrett replaceable offensively for perhaps a better defensive fit? Or should the Raptors give Barrett, 2025 trade acquisition Ingram and franchise player Barnes the time they need to explore their ceiling together?

12. Miami Heat (20-16)

**Last ranking: ** 13 **In the last week: ** W vs DEN, W at DET, L vs MIN, W vs NO Offensive rating: 115.0 (14th place) ** **Defensive rating: 111.9 (third place)

2026 resolution: Keep running

It’s January, and the Heat still lead the NBA in pace. And when they exceed their average pace of 104.66 possessions, they are 13-5. Some teams need to slow down to play their best basketball. That is not the case for Miami, and their two wins to begin 2026, at Detroit and against the Pelicans, were a strong reminder for them.

13. Cleveland Cavaliers (20-17)

**Last ranking: **14 **In the last week: **W at SA, W vs PHO, W vs DEN, L vs DET **Offensive rating: **116.1 (10th place) **Defensive rating: **113.7 (12th place)

2026 resolution: No postseason excuses

The Cavaliers are going to exceed last season’s loss total as soon as this upcoming week, so they’re not measuring the success of this season by what happens this winter as long as they make the playoffs. It’s all about what happens once they get there. No injuries. No accusations of softness. Finish the season playing your best basketball with a group that is getting great play from Donovan Mitchell while he is surrounded by talent that will be hard to reconstruct after the spring.

14. Philadelphia 76ers (19-14)

**Last ranking: ** 15 **In the last week: ** W at MEM, W at DAL, W at NY Offensive rating: 114.8 (17th place) ** ****Defensive rating: ** 113.7 (13th place)

2026 resolution: Keep turnovers down

Philadelphia is 15-3 this season when it has fewer than 15 turnovers in a game. That’s a high bar for a team that isn’t even a high turnover team and has multiple ballhandlers in both the first and second units. The trio of Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and Paul George is headed in the right direction.

15. Golden State Warriors (19-17)

**Last ranking: ** 16 **In the last week: ** W at BRK, W at CHA, L vs OKC, W vs UTA Offensive rating: 113.9 (20th place) ** ****Defensive rating: ** 112.4 (5th place)

2026 resolution: Keep Draymond Green’s turnovers down

As important as Green is to what the Warriors have done over the years, his erratic play stands out for the wrong reasons. Green has more fouls than buckets this season, makes only 42.9 percent of his field goals and isn’t feared as a shooter despite taking more 3s than ever. His turnovers are a 10-year high despite averaging his fewest assists in that span as well. But the Warriors are 8-2 when Green has no more than two turnovers in a game this season. Green has to start (and be handcuffed to Stephen Curry), so if that’s the case, he has to stop putting his team at a disadvantage.

16. Orlando Magic (20-16)

**Last ranking: ** 11 **In the last week: ** L at TOR, W at IND, L at CHI, W vs IND Offensive rating: 115.0 (13th place) ** ****Defensive rating: ** 113.7 (11th place)

2026 resolution: Get the homegrown big three extended run

The Magic have only won five out of the 11 games that Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs have played together this season. That is despite the fact that the Magic outscore their foes by 16.7 points per 100 possessions when those three have shared the floor in 136 minutes. The sample size and win total are too small, and it’s because all three of those players have struggled with injury at various times. Orlando has exciting developments in terms of Desmond Bane fitting in and Anthony Black breaking out, but the young core needs to show some durability.

Tier 4: Not the Tier to Fear

17. Chicago Bulls (17-18)

**Last ranking: ** 19 **In the last week: ** L vs MIN, W vs NO, W vs ORL, L vs CHA Offensive rating: 113.5 (22nd place) ** ****Defensive rating: ** 117.2 (23rd place)

2026 resolution: Survive the Play-In Tournament

Look, the Bulls are going to be in the Play-In. It’s what they do. All we ask is that Chicago actually make the playoffs if it’s going to do this again. The Bulls are so perfectly mid that asking them to tank out doesn’t feel right either. Resolutions should be about being better, so perhaps the Bulls can get themselves a seven-game series in three months. They have certainly shown that they can beat the teams that they’ll likely need to face. Except Miami. We don’t need to see the Bulls deal with Miami in the Play-In again.

18. Atlanta Hawks (17-20)

**Last ranking: ** 20 **In the last week: ** L at OKC, W vs MIN, W at NY, L at TOR Offensive rating: 114.6 (18th place) ** ****Defensive rating: ** 115.5 (17th place)

2026 resolution: Find a new home for Trae Young

Young has played in 10 games this season. The Hawks won two of them, both in October, and one of those wins was when Young was injured in the first half at Brooklyn. His December return was not successful at all, and the Hawks snapped their losing streak with Young nursing a quad injury. This is headed for an unceremonious split, and it’s going to take Atlanta to figure it out since Young has a player option this summer. It’s to the point where Young playing for Atlanta is a threat to the Hawks.

19. Memphis Grizzlies (15-20)

**Last ranking: ** 17 **In the last week: ** L vs PHI, L at LAL, L at LAL Offensive rating: 113.1 (23rd place) ** ****Defensive rating: ** 114.3 (14th place)

2026 resolution: A purpose for Ja Morant

The Grizzlies are probably stuck with Morant, who alternates between bad defense, bad shooting and not being able to go because of injury this season. Morant felt out of place in a Grizzlies offense that didn’t run pick-and-rolls, but he’s not a special threat out of ball screens now like he was three seasons ago. Memphis has to be concerned about trying to win games, but it would be good if it could also find a way to get Morant to look like a star again.

Will 2026 be the year we get a decision on, or from, Giannis Antetokounmpo? Lachlan Cunningham / Getty Images

20. Milwaukee Bucks (16-20)

**Last ranking: ** 18 **In the last week: ** W at CHA, L vs WAS, W vs CHA, W at SAC Offensive rating: 113.6 (21st place) ** ****Defensive rating: ** 115.7 (18th place)

2026 resolution: A resolution on Giannis Antetokounmpo

It would just be nice to not discuss Antetokounmpo’s future at some point. Some players should be allowed to spin their wheels in the abyss, so if that’s what Antetokounmpo wants to do, then let him. And if that’s not what Antetokounmpo wants to do, then he should let the Bucks know that too. Antetokounmpo hasn’t played more than six consecutive games all season, so his energy should be directed toward staying on the floor and being the generational talent that he is for a team that desperately needs his presence to get out of the East’s bottom five.

21. LA Clippers (12-22)

**Last ranking: ** 23 **In the last week: ** W vs SAC, W vs UTA, L vs BOS Offensive rating: 115.5 (11th place) ** ****Defensive rating: ** 117.8 (25th place)

2026 resolution: Get to 42 wins

The Clippers did well to double their win total in a two-week span, but as usual, they suffered a catastrophic loss to reset their reality. They didn’t just lose to the Celtics amid a sea of green at Intuit Dome. They allowed a second 50-point performance at home, got blown out and lost one of their better players to another multi-week injury (Derrick Jones Jr. again). The Clippers are going to need a few more of those undefeated weeks, and they’re going to have to leave the Pacific Time Zone with a short-handed roster to do it.

22. Portland Trail Blazers (16-20)

**Last ranking: ** 25 **In the last week: ** W vs DAL, L at OKC, W at NO, W at SA Offensive rating: 113.0 (24th place) ** ****Defensive rating: ** 116.2 (19th place)

2026 resolution: A return to health of the point guards

It’s been a really unfortunate season for the Trail Blazers as far as their point guard situation. Jrue Holiday got off to a great 12-game start, but his calf has kept him out for more than seven weeks. Damian Lillard is rehabbing his Achilles. Scoot Henderson hasn’t debuted yet. Even Blake Wesley broke his foot. If there’s been a silver lining, it’s that all of the injuries to the small guards allows Portland to let Deni Avdija cook. The only players in the NBA averaging at least 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists are Nikola Jokić, Luka Dončić and Avdija.

23. Dallas Mavericks (13-23)

**Last ranking: ** 26 **In the last week: ** L at POR, L vs PHI, W vs HOU Offensive rating: 109.4 (28th place) ** ****Defensive rating: ** 113.1 (10th place)

2026 resolution: Maximize Cooper Flagg

Head coach Jason Kidd said that Cooper Flagg has to touch, rub and hold the rookie wall. I’m surprised Kidd didn’t say that Flagg will need to ride the snake to get through the rookie wall as well. Certainly, he’ll be headed for that method with Flagg starting at point guard once again, though Dallas was able to survive a rough Flagg scoring game against the Rockets and get its first win in five games.

24. Charlotte Hornets (12-23)

**Last ranking: ** 24 **In the last week: ** L vs MIL, L vs GS, L at MIL, W at CHI Offensive rating: 115.3 (12th place) ** ****Defensive rating: ** 117.8 (26th place)

2026 resolution: Feature Kon Knueppel

Only 17 rookies before this season have made 100 3s and hit those 3s at a 40 percent clip or better. Only four of those 17 rookies in league history made more than 2.0 3s per game: Stephen Curry (2.1, 43.7 percent), Landry Shamet (2.1, 42.2 percent), Tyrese Haliburton (2.1, 40.9 percent) and Keegan Murray (2.6, 41.1 percent). Knueppel is at 3.6 3s per game while hitting 42.8 percent. He’s also shooting the same free-throw percentage (88.5 percent) that Curry did as a rookie. Charlotte has a special shooter, and LaMelo Ball should be getting Knueppel more shots than Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges.

25. Brooklyn Nets (11-22)

**Last ranking: ** 22 **In the last week: ** L vs GS, L vs HOU, L at WAS, W vs DEN Offensive rating: 112.3 (25th place) ** ****Defensive rating: ** 116.7 (20th place)

2026 resolution: Meaningful basketball

Check back in a month or so to see if the Nets are going to get to actually play themselves into Play-In territory. They’re not that many games off, and Michael Porter Jr. just had a successful #RevengeGame against a Nuggets team that didn’t have Nikola Jokić but still had enough of Porter’s former teammates to where it meant something. Remarkably, the Nets are basically in the same spot now as they were a year ago despite all of the efforts made to strip down Jordi Fernandez’s roster.

Tier 5: Basement Floor

26. Utah Jazz (12-22)

**Last ranking: ** 21 **In the last week: ** L vs BOS, L at LAC, L at GS Offensive rating: 114.8 (16th place) ** ****Defensive rating: ** 121.6 (30th place)

2026 resolution: Finding a defense

Utah started its rebuild in 2022 by trading multi-Defensive Player of the Year award recipient Rudy Gobert. The Jazz have since ranked 23rd, 30th, 30th and 30th again in defensive efficiency. If you hate defense and enjoy points, go watch a Jazz game. They’re the only team in the league that scores (119.7) — and allows (126.7) — more than 119 points per game.

27. Washington Wizards (9-25)

**Last ranking: ** 29 **In the last week: ** L vs PHO, W at MIL, W vs BRK, L vs MIN Offensive rating: 110.4 (27th place) ** ****Defensive rating: ** 121.3 (29th place)

2026 resolution: Get a veteran point guard to finish the season

CJ McCollum is going to help some team in the spring. He can still get it done in the areas of the floor that small guards need to get buckets from when games get tight — ask the Bucks about that. But even if Washington doesn’t find a home for McCollum, it could use a point guard who won’t demand playing time but can help with the development of the young Wizards such as Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Bilal Coulibaly, Bub Carrington and Tre Johnson.

28. New Orleans Pelicans (8-29)

**Last ranking: ** 28 **In the last week: ** L vs NY, L at CHI, L vs POR, L at MIA Offensive rating: 111.9 (26th place) ** ****Defensive rating: ** 119.5 (27th place)

2026 resolution: Sell high on Zion Williamson

The Pelicans are back to getting hammered on the floor, with their five-game win streak undone by a six-game losing streak. But Williamson is back to starting and crushing defenses, averaging 27.7 points on 61.9 percent field goals and 10 free-throw attempts per game during the losing streak. His activity has been high, averaging 3.0 offensive rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks during the streak as well. New Orleans needs some assets to offset what it gave away to draft Derik Queen, and there’s no point in waiting for Williamson’s games played streak to be jeopardized. Get what you can get for Williamson, and don’t wait until the deadline to do it.

29. Indiana Pacers (6-30)

**Last ranking: ** 30 **In the last week: ** L at HOU, L vs ORL, L vs SA, L at ORL Offensive rating: 108.3 (29th place) ** ****Defensive rating: ** 117.2 (22nd place)

2026 resolution: Get ready for 2026-27

The calendar year just began, but Indiana is surely thinking about fast-forwarding to next season. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done to get there. It’s not just about getting Tyrese Haliburton’s Achilles healthy. Indiana has to take a hard look at the players it has and what is needed to support Haliburton and Pascal Siakam. The Pacers’ reliable role players are not healthy enough, and the young players who play the most have had thoroughly discouraging seasons.

30. Sacramento Kings (8-28)

**Last ranking: ** 27 **In the last week: ** L at LAC, L vs BOS, L at PHO, L vs MIL Offensive rating: 108.3 (30th place) ** ****Defensive rating: ** 119.8 (28th place)

2026 resolution: Free the vets

There was a gripe about how the Kings should be given more grace because their schedule has been so difficult. And then they lost to the Clippers by 40 points. The schedule you played is going to look hard if you lose the games. And no team has looked more overmatched this season than Sacramento.