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NBA standings based on net rating: Lakers’ true colors shine

By Jason Reed

ORLANDO, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 28: General view of a Wilson NBA Basketball on the court during the third quarter of the game between the Orlando Magic and the Charlotte Hornets at Amway Center on October 28, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 28: General view of a Wilson NBA Basketball on the court during the third quarter of the game between the Orlando Magic and the Charlotte Hornets at Amway Center on October 28, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) /
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The NBA has returned to action since the All-Star Break and the last month-plus of the season is going to be a doozy. There are teams like the Los Angeles Lakers who are looking to quickly climb up the NBA standings while teams like the Brooklyn Nets may end up free-falling.

While win-loss records are what decide the seeding in the NBA, we can learn a lot about a team via advanced analytics. Win-loss records don’t tell the entire story and we are reminded of that in the playoffs when teams that rack up regular-season wins end up disappointing.

Perhaps the best umbrella statistic to measure the true talent of a team is net rating. The best of the best are always near the top while the pretenders will be farther down. Let’s break down how the Lakers stack up in this regard.

Updated Lakers standings after beating Mavericks on Sunday:

Before diving into the NBA standings based on net rating, it is worth updating the Western Conference standings after LA’s big win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.

Western Conference standings (as of Sunday afternoon): 

  1. Denver Nuggets, 42-19
  2. Memphis Grizzlies, 36-23
  3. Sacramento Kings, 34-25
  4. Phoenix Suns, 33-29
  5. Los Angeles Clippers, 33-29
  6. Dallas Mavericks, 32-30
  7. Minnesota Timberwolves, 31-31
  8. Utah Jazz, 31-31
  9. Golden State Warriors, 30-30
  10. New Orleans Pelicans, 30-31
  11. Los Angeles Lakers, 29-32
  12. Oklahoma City Thunder, 28-31
  13. Portland Trail Blazers, 28-31
  14. San Antonio Spurs, 14-47
  15. Houston Rockets, 13-46

The Lakers are one game back of being in the play-in, 1.5 games back of being the seventh seed and only 2.5 games back of avoiding the play-in altogether.

NBA standings based on net rating:

We will break this down into Western Conference and Eastern Conference, listing both where each team ranks in its respective conference as well as the net rating on the season.

Western Conference: 

  1. Denver Nuggets (+4.4)
  2. Memphis Grizzlies (+3.7)
  3. Sacramento Kings (+2.5)
  4. Phoenix Suns (+1.5)
  5. Oklahoma City Thunder (+1.3)
  6. New Orleans Pelicans (+1.2)
  7. Dallas Mavericks (+0.9)
  8. Utah Jazz (+0.4)
  9. Los Angeles Clippers (+0.3)
  10. Golden State Warriors (+0.1)
  11. Minnesota Timberwolves (-0.2)
  12. Portland Trail Blazers (-0.4)
  13. Los Angeles Lakers (-0.9)
  14. Houston Rockets (-8.5)
  15. San Antonio Spurs (-15.3)

Most of the Western Conference is within striking range of each other, which is the case in the standings as well. The difference between the 13th-best net rating (Lakers) and fourth-best net rating (Suns) is only 2.4. That is nothing in the grand scheme of things.

The Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs are the obvious basement dwellers as they tank for Victor Wembanyama.

Eastern Conference: 

  1. Boston Celtics (+6.1)
  2. Cleveland Cavaliers (+5.3)
  3. Philadelphia 76ers (+4.0)
  4. Milwaukee Bucks (+3.7)
  5. New York Knicks (+2.3)
  6. Toronto Raptors (+1.0)
  7. Brooklyn Nets (+1.0)
  8. Chicago Bulls (+0.4)
  9. Washington Wizards (+0.1)
  10. Atlanta Hawks (0.0)
  11. Miami Heat (-0.5)
  12. Indiana Pacers (-2.6)
  13. Orlando Magic (-2.7)
  14. Charlotte Hornets (-6.0)
  15. Detroit Pistons (-7.5)

There is a bit more of a hierarchy in the Eastern Conference, with a 2.7 difference between the fourth-best (Bucks) and sixth-best (Raptors) net ratings. The Atlanta Hawks check in right on the line of mediocrity at 0.0.

What these net ratings mean about the Lakers:

Based on these standings, this proves that the Los Angeles Lakers are right where they should be in the Western Conference. This is not a case of bad luck on the court. They have played like the 13th-best team in the West this season.

That being said, the team’s net rating has been going up since the deadline. Los Angeles is also 2-0 with the new-look roster all playing together. The Lakers have won those two games by a combined 31 points.

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This shows that the teams above the Lakers are not much better than the level they were playing at before the deadline. If LA continues to play at a high level then the team should be able to make plenty of ground in the standings.

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