NBA standings: Where every team stands after the first full week of the season

The NBA season is no longer in its infancy stages. It is over a week old, each team (except the Phoenix Suns, for some reason) has played at least four games, and the NBA Cup is going to begin group play tonight.

The time for getting your feet wet is now over. It’s time to sink or swim. With this in mind, let’s take a look at the standings from both conference to see who is doing the best job of staying above water thus far.

Eastern Conference standings as of Oct. 30

Eastern Conference playoff race

If the postseason started today, the Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Charlotte Hornets, and Cleveland Cavaliers would have the one through six spots. In the Play-In Tournament would be the Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks (the defending-champs), Washington Wizards, and Indiana Pacers.

Western Conference standings as of Oct. 30

Western Conference playoff race

For the Western Conference, the one through six seeds right now are the Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, and San Antonio Spurs. The play-in teams would be the Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, and Golden State Warriors.

Are the Memphis Grizzlies for real?

The most shocking team in the NBA right now is by far and away the undefeated Grizzlies. This was supposed to the start of a rebuild for Memphis, but here they are as one of the two teams without a loss through 10 days (along with the Rockets). But are they for real?

A quick look at their vitals show that they are fourth in offensive efficiency and sixth in defensive rating. However, regression could be in their future. The team is second in 3-point percentage. How long will that last for a team with no elite shooters? On the defensive side of the ball, they are fourth in opponent 3-point percentage. This number is even less in their control, and could flip on the Grizzlies at any given moment. I’d keep an eye at both those stats moving forward, and monitor how any changes to them could affect the team’s overall offensive and defensive standing. Still, what a great way to kick off the new era.

Championship hangover is a real thing

The same two teams made it to the NBA Cup Finals and the actual NBA Finals: the Knicks and Spurs. If the playoffs started today, the Knicks would be fighting for their postseason lives in the play-in tournament, while the Spurs are holding on by a thread at the sixth seed. It would be unwise to hit the panic button right now, but if these two teams don’t start racking up wins soon, maybe it’s time to start questioning their status as frontrunners in their respective conferences — especially with how good the Pistons, Rockets, and Grizzlies are looking.

Who should be the most worried?

Three teams with playoff aspirations heading into the season that currently sit outside of the top ten in their respective conference are the Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, and Utah Jazz. The Magic are going to be without two of their best players for a few weeks (Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs). The Jazz are missing their best defender for awhile in Jaren Jackson Jr., and are already sitting at 25th in defensive rating, despite the former Defensive Player of the Year appearing in four of their five games. How much more can they plummet on that end of the floor?

The Heat are the healthiest of those three teams, but their defense has also been underwhelming, despite all the hype around it heading into the season. They are 23rd in defensive rating, but they may be the victims of some bad luck, as the team is currently 28th in opponent 3-point percentage. If that number gets closer to average, maybe this defense will too.