TITLE: ESPN Panel Keeps Thunder No. 1 as Mid-Season NBA Power Rankings Spotlight Key Questions for Every Team
SLUG: espn-midseason-nba-power-rankings-2025-26
CONTENT:
With the 2025-26 NBA campaign at its midpoint and the trade deadline two weeks away, an ESPN panel of insiders has issued new power rankings that list the Oklahoma City Thunder on top for the sixth consecutive week. The update not only orders all 30 clubs but also highlights the single most pressing question facing each franchise as the regular season turns toward April.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
Record: 36-8 | Previous rank: 1
Next games: @ MIL (Jan 21), vs. IND (Jan 23), vs. TOR (Jan 25), vs. NO (Jan 27)
Main question: Can co-star Jalen Williams, out at least two weeks with a hamstring strain after earlier wrist problems, regain form in time for the stretch run?
2. Detroit Pistons
Record: 31-10 | Previous rank: 2
Next games: @ NO (Jan 21), vs. HOU (Jan 23), vs. SAC (Jan 25), @ DEN (Jan 27)
Main question: How dominant can the league’s stingiest defense become after allowing only 99.5 points per 100 possessions in January?
3. San Antonio Spurs
Record: 30-14 | Previous rank: 3
Next games: @ UTAH (Jan 22), vs. NO (Jan 25)
Main question: Will a young roster led by Victor Wembanyama stay locked in and healthy enough to preserve its current momentum?
4. Denver Nuggets
Record: 29-15 | Previous rank: 4
Next games: @ WAS (Jan 22), @ MIL (Jan 23), @ MEM (Jan 25), vs. DET (Jan 27)
Main question: After Peyton Watson’s 21.9-point surge during Nikola Jokić’s absence, how will Denver fit him in once the three-time MVP returns—and can the club afford the 23-year-old free-to-be?
5. Boston Celtics
Record: 26-16 | Previous rank: 7
Next games: vs. IND (Jan 21), @ BKN (Jan 23), @ CHI (Jan 24), vs. POR (Jan 26)
Main question: How close to peak form will Jayson Tatum be when he rejoins a roster already on 50-win pace without him?
6. Minnesota Timberwolves
Record: 27-17 | Previous rank: 5
Next games: vs. CHI (Jan 22), vs. GS (Jan 24), vs. GS (Jan 26)
Main question: Can basketball operations chief Tim Connelly land much-needed guard help before the Feb 5 deadline?
7. Houston Rockets
Record: 26-15 | Previous rank: 9
Next games: @ PHI (Jan 22), @ DET (Jan 23), vs. MEM (Jan 26)
Main question: Will a young supporting cast supply consistent playmaking around Kevin Durant while Fred VanVleet rehabs an ACL tear?
8. New York Knicks
Record: 25-18 | Previous rank: 6
Next games: vs. BKN (Jan 21), @ PHI (Jan 24), vs. SAC (Jan 27)
Main question: Is a 2-6 skid since owner James Dolan’s Finals mandate a brief slump or the start of a longer slide?
9. Phoenix Suns
Record: 27-17 | Previous rank: 8
Next games: @ ATL (Jan 23), vs. MIA (Jan 25), vs. BKN (Jan 27)
Main question: How smoothly will head coach Jordan Ott fold Jalen Green back into a rotation riding a three-game win streak?
10. Los Angeles Lakers
Record: 26-16 | Previous rank: 13
Next games: @ LAC (Jan 22), @ DAL (Jan 24), @ CHI (Jan 26)
Main question: Can roughly $40 million in expiring contracts and a future first-rounder bring the two-way wing depth needed to chase another title?
11. Golden State Warriors
Record: 25-20 | Previous rank: 14
Next games: @ DAL (Jan 22), @ MIN (Jan 24), @ MIN (Jan 26)
Main question: After Jimmy Butler III’s ACL tear, should the front office push harder at the deadline or pivot toward a longer reset?
12. Cleveland Cavaliers
Record: 24-20 | Previous rank: 12
Next games: @ CHA (Jan 21), vs. SAC (Jan 23), @ ORL (Jan 24), vs. ORL (Jan 26)
Main question: Can an injury-hit roster, now missing Darius Garland again, muster a second-half surge to rejoin the East elite?
13. Toronto Raptors
Record: 26-19 | Previous rank: 10
Next games: @ SAC (Jan 21), @ POR (Jan 23), @ OKC (Jan 25)
Main question: Will management add offense to complement the league’s No. 5 defense and reach at least league-average efficiency?
14. Philadelphia 76ers
Record: 23-19 | Previous rank: 11
Next games: vs. HOU (Jan 22), vs. NYK (Jan 24), @ CHA (Jan 26), vs. MIL (Jan 27)
Main question: Do the Sixers invest further at the deadline or aim to slip below the luxury-tax line despite a promising first half?
15. Orlando Magic
Record: 23-19 | Previous rank: 15
Next games: vs. CHA (Jan 22), vs. CLE (Jan 24), @ CLE (Jan 26)
Main question: Can a roster that has rarely been fully healthy string together sustained winning streaks?
16. Miami Heat
Record: 23-21 | Previous rank: 17
Next games: @ POR (Jan 22), @ UTAH (Jan 24), @ PHX (Jan 25)
Main question: Will greater consistency—and Tyler Herro’s health—propel Miami up the Eastern standings?
17. Portland Trail Blazers
Record: 22-22 | Previous rank: 18
Next games: vs. MIA (Jan 22), vs. TOR (Jan 23), @ BOS (Jan 26), @ WAS (Jan 27)
Main question: With stars finally healthy, can Portland clinch its first postseason berth since 2021?
18. LA Clippers
Record: 19-24 | Previous rank: 19
Next games: vs. LAL (Jan 22), vs. BKN (Jan 25), @ UTAH (Jan 27)
Main question: Riding a 13-3 run, how long can the Clippers sustain their revival—and will added depth arrive as injured wings heal?
19. Memphis Grizzlies
Record: 18-23 | Previous rank: 22
Next games: vs. ATL (Jan 21), vs. NO (Jan 23), vs. DEN (Jan 25), @ HOU (Jan 26)
Main question: Will Ja Morant, who says he wants to stay, remain with the team through the deadline and fuel a play-in chase?
20. Chicago Bulls
Record: 21-22 | Previous rank: 21
Next games: @ MIN (Jan 22), vs. BOS (Jan 24), vs. LAL (Jan 26)
Main question: After four straight years stuck near .500, will the front office finally choose a new direction?
21. Atlanta Hawks
Record: 20-25 | Previous rank: 16
Next games: @ MEM (Jan 21), vs. PHX (Jan 23), vs. IND (Jan 26)
Main question: Can Atlanta, 29th in offensive efficiency since Dec 22, generate enough scoring to cling to a playoff spot?
22. Charlotte Hornets
Record: 16-27 | Previous rank: 23
Next games: vs. CLE (Jan 21), @ ORL (Jan 22), vs. WAS (Jan 24), vs. PHI (Jan 26)
Main question: How will management accelerate a rebuild that now features rookie standout Kon Knueppel and a resurgent LaMelo Ball?
23. Milwaukee Bucks
Record: 18-24 | Previous rank: 20
Next games: vs. OKC (Jan 21), vs. DEN (Jan 23), vs. DAL (Jan 25), @ PHI (Jan 27)
Main question: Can the front office swing a major trade to satisfy Giannis Antetokounmpo and jump-start an underachieving season?
24. Dallas Mavericks
Record: 18-26 | Previous rank: 24
Next games: vs. GS (Jan 22), vs. LAL (Jan 24), @ MIL (Jan 25)
Main question: Will Anthony Davis, out six weeks with a left-hand ligament injury and subject of trade talks, suit up again this year?
25. Utah Jazz
Record: 15-29 | Previous rank: 25
Next games: vs. SA (Jan 22), vs. MIA (Jan 24), vs. LAC (Jan 27)
Main question: After likely keeping their top-eight-protected pick, when will Utah pivot from asset collection to a win-now approach?
26. Brooklyn Nets
Record: 12-29 | Previous rank: 26
Next games: @ NYK (Jan 21), vs. BOS (Jan 23), @ LAC (Jan 25), @ PHX (Jan 27)
Main question: Does a career-best season by Michael Porter Jr. prompt a deadline deal or convince Brooklyn to hold firm?
27. Sacramento Kings
Record: 12-32 | Previous rank: 27
Next games: vs. TOR (Jan 21), @ CLE (Jan 23), @ DET (Jan 25), @ NYK (Jan 27)
Main question: Now back from a meniscus tear, will Domantas Sabonis remain a King past Feb 5 despite a $42.3 million salary?
28. New Orleans Pelicans
Record: 10-35 | Previous rank: 30
Next games: vs. DET (Jan 21), @ MEM (Jan 23), @ SA (Jan 25), @ OKC (Jan 27)
Main question: With playoff hopes gone, how much developmental run will rookies Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen receive alongside Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III?
29. Indiana Pacers
Record: 10-34 | Previous rank: 28
Next games: @ BOS (Jan 21), @ OKC (Jan 23), @ ATL (Jan 26)
Main question: Will lottery luck reward an injury-ravaged season the way it once did for the 1997 Spurs?
30. Washington Wizards
Record: 10-32 | Previous rank: 29
Next games: vs. DEN (Jan 22), @ CHA (Jan 24), vs. POR (Jan 27)
Main question: How many minutes will newcomer Trae Young log while recovering from injury as Washington focuses on long-term chemistry?
The panel—Anthony Slater, Dave McMenamin, Jamal Collier, Kevin Pelton, Michael C. Wright, Bobby Marks, Tim Bontemps, Tim MacMahon, Vincent Goodwill and Zach Kram—based its rankings solely on current performance and projections for the rest of the regular season.
Source: ESPN
