NBA power rankings: Injuries shake up league, winless Miami Heat plummet

The NBA season is young – we’re one week into it, and no team has played five games yet – yet injuries have already made a massive impact.

The names are significant, from Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, to Thunder star Jalen Williams, to Magic forward Paolo Banchero, these issues are certain to impact the immediate futures of their teams. And those are just a few of them.

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But after one week of action, there are already significant risers and fallers from the power rankings once training camps opened. And no team has plummeted more than the Miami Heat, who made the massive offseason splash to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo but who have yet to win a game.

Here are the Week 1 USA TODAY Sports NBA power rankings:

1 / 50

Jokić, Shai or Wemby? Ranking the NBA’s 50 best players

1. Shai Gilgeous Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

(Alonzo Adams, Imagn Images)

1 / 50

Jokić, Shai or Wemby? Ranking the NBA’s 50 best players

1. Shai Gilgeous Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

(Alonzo Adams, Imagn Images)

2 / 50

Jokić, Shai or Wemby? Ranking the NBA’s 50 best players

2. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets

(Jesse Johnson, Imagn Images)

3 / 50

Jokić, Shai or Wemby? Ranking the NBA’s 50 best players

3. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

(Wendell Cruz, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

4 / 50

Jokić, Shai or Wemby? Ranking the NBA’s 50 best players

4. Luka Doncic, Los Angeles Lakers

(Marc Lebryk, Imagn Images)

5 / 50

Jokić, Shai or Wemby? Ranking the NBA’s 50 best players

5. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Miami Heat

(Sam Navarro, Imagn Images)

6 / 50

Jokić, Shai or Wemby? Ranking the NBA’s 50 best players

6. Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks

(Bill Streicher, Imagn Images)

7 / 50

Jokić, Shai or Wemby? Ranking the NBA’s 50 best players

7. Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers

(Ronald Martinez, Getty Images)

8 / 50

Jokić, Shai or Wemby? Ranking the NBA’s 50 best players

8. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves

(David Berding, Getty Images)

9 / 50

Jokić, Shai or Wemby? Ranking the NBA’s 50 best players

9. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

(Winslow Townson, Getty Images)

10 / 50

Jokić, Shai or Wemby? Ranking the NBA’s 50 best players

10. Cade Cunningham, Detroit…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nba-power-rankings-injuries-shake-121720223.html

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Publish date : 2026-10-28 12:17:00

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