NBA Power Rankings: Where all 30 teams stack up in the new year - ESPN

Some teams across the NBA are looking to ring in the new year with continued success, while others are hoping to re-up resolutions for 2025.

After slow starts, the Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets are looking to leave 2024 behind and hop into a second-half surge to contend for the playoff picture.

Other teams, such as the Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, are hoping to continue their dominant starts, having declared early command of their respective conferences.

But watch out — there might be good early tidings for the surging New York Knicks and Houston Rockets, who are coming off solid December campaigns.

Here is where all 30 teams stack up in the first power rankings of 2025!

Note: Team rankings are based on where members of our panel (ESPN's Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Michael Wright, Tim MacMahon, Dave McMenamin, Ohm Youngmisuk, Chris Herring and Kevin Pelton) think teams belong this season.

Previous rankings: Preseason | Oct. 30 | Nov. 5 | Nov. 13 | Nov. 20 | Nov. 27 | Dec. 4 | Dec. 11 | Dec. 18 | Dec. 25

Jump to a team:
ATL | BOS | BKN | CHA | CHI | CLE
DAL | DEN | DET | GS | HOU | IND
LAC | LAL | MEM | MIA | MIL | MIN
NO | NY | OKC | ORL | PHI | PHX
POR | SAC | SA | TOR | UTAH | WAS

1. Cleveland Cavaliers

2024-25 record: 29-4

Previous ranking: 1

Next games: @ DAL (Jan. 3), vs. CHA (Jan. 5)

One of the best benches in the league just got a little deeper. Cleveland, which ranks No. 7 in the NBA in bench scoring with 38.5 points per game, recently welcomed back Max Strus to the rotation after the reserve wing missed the first 27 games of the season with an ankle injury. Strus' production was meager in his first four games — just 4.8 points on 30.4% shooting and