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[JazzMan]

NBA Power Rankings
#29: Phoenix Suns

Phoenix Suns Depth Chart - 17-18
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Frank Ntilikina (R)	Tyler Ulis	Brandon Knight
SG	Devin Booker	Alec Burks	Donovan Mitchell (R)
SF	Josh Jackson (R)	T.J. Warren	Derrick Jones, Jr.
PF	Marquese Chriss	Jared Dudley
C	Dragan Bender	Alex Len	Tyson Chandler	Thomas Bryant (R)

Another young team in the Phoenix Suns. Phoenix made a big move this offseason by dealing Eric Bledsoe for the 7th overall pick and Alec Burks. While Burks at this point is a career backup guard, he should provide a scoring punch off of the bench for Phoenix, something they desperately need this season. However, the big prize was the 7th overall pick, which turned into point guard Frank Ntilikina. Ntilikina is as raw as they come, but with his size and athleticism, he has the potential to be a two-way monster in this league. Paired with him in the backcourt is the talented Devin Booker, who dropped 70 points in one game last season. Will Booker be able to take that next big step and become an All-Star this season?

Rounding out the starting lineup is Josh Jackson, the 4th overall pick in the draft, along with 2nd year big men Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender. Jackson has superstar potential, and at 6'8", he can play multiple positions for new head coach Derek Fisher. Chriss and Bender are given starting roles this season in an effort to prove themselves, and it could yield big returns in their progression. Phoenix does have a talented group of players coming off of the bench in T.J. Warren, Alex Len, Alec Burks, Tyler Ulis, Brandon Knight, and Tyson Chandler, so they're actually one of the deeper teams in the league. It's just that they lack star power, and for that, I don't see them winning many games this year.

Predictions:
Record - 23-59
MVP - Devin Booker, G
All-Stars: None

[JazzMan]

NBA Power Rankings
#28: Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers Depth Chart - 17-18
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Lonzo Ball (R)	Jordan Clarkson	Frank Jackson (R)
SG	D'Angelo Russell	Nick Young
SF	Brandon Ingram	Corey Brewer	Luol Deng	Jaron Blossomgame (R)
PF	Julius Randle	Larry Nance, Jr.	Thomas Robinson
C	Ivica Zubac	Timofey Mozgov	Tarik Black

The Los Angeles Lakers, a historically great franchise, is once again going through another year of rebuilding. However, things are looking up now that they have highly coveted rookie guard Lonzo Ball on the roster. Ball, despite his father's antics in the media, is a pretty humble and unselfish point guard, which could do wonders for this young team, who desperately need a leader. D'Angelo Russell will be making the transition to the two-guard, giving most of the playmaking duties to Ball and backup Jordan Clarkson. We'll see if this helps Russell reach the superstar potential that we all thought he had when he was drafted in 2015.

Brandon Ingram returns for his second year, and although his first season didn't go as smoothly as the Lakers would have liked, he's still a talented young forward who is just 20 years old. Julius Randle once again returns as the starting power forward, and he'll also need to develop his game to help space the floor. Ivica Zubac will get the starting nod in his second season, as the 7'1" Croatian hopes to lock down the paint for the Lakers. Luke Walton returns in his second season as head coach.

Prediction:
Record - 25-57
MVP - Lonzo Ball
All-Stars: None

[JazzMan]

NBA Power Rankings
#27: Brooklyn Nets

Brooklyn Nets Depth Chart - 17-18
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Jeremy Lin	Isaiah Whitehead
SG	Danny Green	Sean Kilpatrick	P.J. Dozier (R)
SF	Rondae Hollis-Jefferson	Caris LeVert	Evan Turner	Rodions Kurucs (R)
PF	Trevor Booker	Isaiah Hartenstein (R)	T.J. Leaf (R)
C	Brook Lopez	Bam Adebayo (R)	Andrew Nicholson

Yes, the Nets will likely once again be one of the worst teams in the NBA. And yes, the Boston Celtics one again have their first round draft pick this year, meaning that a likely low finish in the standings won't amount to a high draft pick for the troubled Nets. But Brooklyn has at least acquired quite a bit of young talent on this roster. Young guys Caris LeVert, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, and Isaiah Whitehead are joined by rookies Isaiah Hartenstein, Rodions Kurucs, P.J. Dozier, T.J. Leaf, and Bam Adebayo. They have quite the selection of young prospects in Brooklyn, and quite a few of them have high ceilings.

However, Brooklyn has gotten some vets into town, as well. Jeremy Lin once again will hold down the point guard spot, and he really made a difference last season when he returned from injury. Brook Lopez is one of the most underrated and underappreciated players in the game. Trevor Booker is a legitimate starting four and a nasty glass cleaner with a lot of athleticism. And Danny Green, who they acquired from the Spurs, will look to get his form back playing for a new team. This team has some talent, and I wouldn't be surprised if they play better than everybody expects.

Predictions:
Record - 31-51
MVP - Brook Lopez
All-Stars: None

[JazzMan]

NBA Power Rankings
#26: Orlando Magic

Orlando Magic Depth Chart - 17-18
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Elfrid Payton	Darren Collison	D.J. Augustin	Marcus Keene (R)
SG	Evan Fournier	Mario Hezonja	Rasual Butler
SF	Jayson Tatum (R)	Terrence Ross	Semi Ojeleye (R)
PF	Aaron Gordon	Kyle Kuzma (R)
C	Nikola Vucevic	Bismack Biyombo	Stephen Zimmerman

In Frank Vogel's second year as head coach of the Orlando Magic, they once again bring to the start of the season a roster without a true #1 scoring option. Nikola Vucevic is a good, but not great, scorer in the low-post, and he's best suited as a 2nd or 3rd option in the offense. Evan Fournier, though he's a lights-out shooter, can't create shots for himself as efficiently as other scoring wings in the league, and like Vucevic, he's best suited as that 2nd or 3rd option. That's where rookie forward Jayson Tatum comes in. The Duke product is a very talented scoring on the wings, and at age 20, the Magic seem to be throwing him right into the fire.

Elfrid Payton is still in town, but he has a little bit of competition in veteran guards Darren Collison and D.J. Augustin. Could Vogel eventually bench Payton in favor of one of the veteran guards if he doesn't take that next step offensively? It's a huge year for Aaron Gordon, heading into a contract year. At just 22 years old, he's still very young, but he needs to show signs of improvement on the offensive end toward becoming a star.

Predictions:
Record - 31-51
MVP - Jayson Tatum
All-Stars - None

[JazzMan]

NBA Power Rankings
#25: Detroit Pistons

Detroit Pistons Depth Chart - 17-18
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Reggie Jackson	Ish Smith	Devin Harris
SG	Kentavious Caldwell-Pope	Justin Holiday
SF	Marcus Morris	Tobias Harris	Stanley Johnson	Jarrod Uthoff
PF	Lauri Markkanen (R)	Jon Leuer
C	Andre Drummond	Aron Baynes	Boban Marjanovic	Henry Ellenson

Detroit has a lot of talented players, but they just don't seem to mesh very well together. At least not yet, anyway. Andre Drummond has yet to take that big leap towards becoming a top 5 center in the league. He's still not a reliable go-to-option on offense, and his defense still needs work. Reggie Jackson came back from injury last season and suddenly the team chemistry went to hell and the team fell off. Would Stan Van Gundy be better off just starting Ish Smith at point guard instead of Jackson?

Detroit brought back Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and while he's a very good 3-and-D player, he's not a go-to-guy on offense, which is what the Pistons sorely need. Maybe that guy will come in the form of Lauri Markkanen, the 7-footer from Arizona. Markkanen's face-up game is perfect next to Drummond, and it will be interesting to see if he receives the bulk of the touches from the bigs. I don't expect this Detroit team to make the postseason this year, but they should at least be in the conversation once again.

Predictions:
Record - 34-48
MVP - Andre Drummond
All-Stars - None

[JazzMan]

NBA Power Rankings
#24: Chicago Bulls

Chicago Bulls Depth Chart - 17-18
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Markelle Fultz (R)	Jerian Grant	Cameron Payne
SG	Dwyane Wade	Paul Zipser	Kirk Hinrich
SF	Jae Crowder	Denzel Valentine	Metta World Peace
PF	Nikola Mirotic	Bobby Portis	Joffrey Lauvergne
C	Robin Lopez	Cristiano Felicio	Ike Anigbogu (R)

The Chicago Bulls actually look decent on paper; you've got Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade, new addition Jae Crowder, stiff big man Robin Lopez, shooter Nikola Mirotic, and 1st overall pick Markelle Fultz. However, I don't see this team making the playoffs after dealing Jimmy Butler to the Boston Celtics in order to acquire Fultz and Crowder. Fultz, in my opinion, will win rookie of the year honors by a landslide. But with Wade and Lopez aging, Mirotic's game slumping, and Crowder in a new system, I think the Bulls will struggle this season.

They sacked Fred Hoiberg and brought in Spurs assistant Ime Udoka. This will be Udoka's first test as an NBA head coach, and he'll have to manage the personality of Dwyane Wade while also developing his young talent. The Chicago bench might be one of the worst in the league.

Predictions:
Record - 34-48
MVP - Markelle Fultz
All-Stars - None

[JazzMan]

NBA Power Rankings
#23: Dallas Mavericks

Dallas Mavericks Depth Chart - 17-18
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Seth Curry	Yogi Ferrell	J.J. Barea	London Perrantes (R)
SG	Jonathan Isaac (R)	Wesley Matthews	DeAndre Liggins	Tyler Dorsey (R)
SF	Harrison Barnes	Dorian Finney-Smith
PF	Dirk Nowitzki	Dwight Powell
C	Nerlens Noel	Salah Mejri

In what could possibly be Dirk Nowitzki's last season in the NBA, it appears that the Dallas Mavericks will fall short of the Playoffs once again. Nowitzki, now in his 20th season, is one of the greatest players of all-time, but he'll have to spend his possibly final season on a young, rebuilding team. Harrison Barnes became a legit scoring option last year, and he'll look to build off of it and improve towards becoming an All-Star talent in the West. Nerlens Noel is in town for at least one more season, thanks to the qualifying offer that Dallas gave him in the offseason before he hit restricted free agency.

Seth Curry will look to improve off of an impressive season, and he'll have the reigns of the offense as the starting point guard. Rookie Jonathan Isaac, a staggering 6'10", will reportedly start at shooting guard for the Mavs, and the 9th overall pick could make a huge difference on the wings with his shooting and defensive ability.

Predictions:
Record - 35-47
MVP - Harrison Barnes
All-Stars: Harrison Barnes

[JazzMan]

NBA Power Rankings
#22: New York Knicks

New York Knicks Depth Chart - 17-18
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Dennis Smith, Jr. (R)	Michael Carter-Williams	Monte Morris (R)
SG	Andre Iguodala	Courtney Lee	Ron Baker
SF	Carmelo Anthony	Mindaugas Kuzminskas	Lance Thomas
PF	Kristaps Porzingis	Ivan Rabb (R)
C	Kyle O'Quinn	Willy Hernangomez	Joakim Noah	Marshall Plumlee

Another year for the Knicks looks to be spent in mediocrity, as they lost Derrick Rose, their starting point guard last season. With the signing of Joakim Noah being a huge bust, the Knicks are in a bit of a jam, as they have some young talent in Kristaps Porzingis and Dennis Smith Jr., but some aging stars in Carmelo Anthony and Andre Iguodala, who they just signed to a 3-year deal.

Carmelo Anthony still has a no-trade clause in his contract, which means that it is increasingly difficult to move his $26.24M salary. Iguodala adds a defensive star to the Knicks on the wings, something they've lacked for years now. But at age 33, how much gas does the 2-time NBA champion have left in the tank? The Knicks are hoping that Porzingis can take that next step and take the reigns of the offense this season, but it will be hard to accomplish with Carmelo still in town.

Predictions:
Record - 36-46
MVP - Carmelo Anthony
All-Stars - Carmelo Anthony