There's one undefeated team left in the NBA, and it's led by a two-time MVP putting up otherworldly numbers in Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Right now, his Milwaukee Bucks look like the clear top team in the league, and Khris Middleton has yet to play a second.

The Phoenix Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers are charging, but each of those squads has one or two more concerns than the Bucks.

Still, in this week's version of the power rankings, they're among the notable movers. Of course, they're far from the only ones sliding up or down.

Based on a mix of potential to win the championship, recent performance and a healthy dose of subjectivity, here's where all 30 teams land a couple weeks into the season.

30. Houston Rockets (1-8)

Previous Rank: 25
Net Rating: -9.1

In a more traditional sense, a 1-8 record would be far from encouraging for any NBA team, but things couldn't be going much better for the Houston Rockets.

With Victor Wembanyama on the horizon, maintaining a 14 percent shot at the 2023 draft's top pick is ideal. And if you can get flashes of upside from the young players already on the roster while piling up the losses, even better.

Those have typically come from Kevin Porter Jr. (20.4 points and 5.4 assists per game) and Jalen Green (efficiency is still a problem, but his scoring average has gone from 17.3 as a rookie to 19.3 this year), but this week center Alperen Şengün got in on the act.

After sitting out two games with an illness, Şengün has averaged 17.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 blocks in his last four games. In Wednesday's loss alone, he went for 26 points and 13 boards while showing off some of the footwork that makes him so intriguing.

It's early, but Şengün has career averages of 9.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.3 steals per 75 possessions. There are only seven players in league history who match or exceed all three marks.

29. Detroit Pistons (2-7)

Previous Rank: 24
Net Rating: -9.9

The Detroit Pistons have shown signs of competitiveness (like a 14-point win over the Golden State Warriors), but they're often overwhelmed by poor performances (like the 24-point loss to the Atlanta Hawks that preceded the Warriors win).

The up-and-down nature of the season is typical for a young team, and it sort of mirrors second-year point guard Cade Cunningham's progression.

In his first four games of the season, Cunningham averaged 18.5 points and shot 38.6 percent from the field. In the next four, he was at 27.8 points with a 49.5 field-goal percentage. And finally, in Wednesday's loss to the undefeated Milwaukee Bucks, he dropped 10 points on 13 shots.

Really, the most consistent aspect of Cunningham's game (as it was for much of his rookie campaign) is below-average three-point shooting.

If he ever figures that out (a college three-point percentage of 40.0 and a career NBA free-throw percentage of 84.7 suggest he can), the wild swings in his game should level off.

28. Brooklyn Nets (2-6)

Previous Rank: 19
Net Rating: -6.7

As if the Brooklyn Nets weren't enough of a mess prior to this week, Kyrie Irving invited a new wave of criticism for promoting a film filled with antisemitic rhetoric and drawing a suspension of at least five games from the team, Ben Simmons has missed the team's last two games with a knee injury and Steve Nash was just fired after seven games.

Nash's firing comes just a few months after a public display of support from governor Joe Tsai.

In Brooklyn's first game post-Nash, it lost at home to the Chicago Bulls. In the hours following Nash's departure, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Nets were close to hiring Ime Udoka, who is currently suspended by the Boston Celtics for a violation of team rules that reportedly included him using crude language to a female subordinate as part of an improper relationship.

Amid a flood of criticism and being straight-up called an idiot by both Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley, Irving went for four points on 2-of-12 shooting.

In the unofficial dysfunction power rankings, Brooklyn would almost certainly be in first place. Here, they're spiraling toward last.

27. Charlotte Hornets (3-5)

Previous Rank: 23
Net Rating: -1.2

After an unexpectedly plucky 2-1 start, the Charlotte Hornets are settling into the form that many believed they'd take coming out of an offseason that included felony domestic violence charges for Miles Bridges (one of which he pleaded no-contest to Thursday) and an ankle injury that has prevented LaMelo Ball from making his 2022-23 debut.

Charlotte has lost four of its last five. And while an egalitarian approach sounds nice in theory, today's NBA typically requires at least one player who can consistently generate offense.

For the season, Charlotte has three players with at least 100 minutes and a scoring average between 16 and 18 points. It has another four players who hit that minutes threshold and an average of at least eight points.

The problem is that the rest of the league has 50 players with 100-plus minutes and 18-plus points per game.

This is all well and good if the goal is a veiled pursuit of improved lottery odds and a shot to draft Victor Wembanyama, but if the Hornets want to compete, LaMelo can't come back soon enough.

26. Indiana Pacers (3-5)

Previous Rank: 30
Net Rating: -2.3

The Indiana Pacers can accelerate their pursuit of Victor Wembanyama at any moment by trading Buddy Hield and Myles Turner, something the latter recently (and publicly) pushed for.

And adding Wembanyama to Indiana's already established backcourt of the future would give the Pacers one of the most intriguing young cores in the league.

A couple of weeks into the season, Tyrese Haliburton is averaging 21.9 points, 9.4 assists and 2.8 threes while shooting 44.9 percent from deep. Rookie Bennedict Mathurin is coming off the bench and putting up 20.4 points and 2.6 threes while shooting 42.9 percent from three.

When both are on the floor, Indiana is plus-4.7 points per 100 possessions.

25. Orlando Magic (2-7)

Previous Rank: 29
Net Rating: -4.3

The Orlando Magic have desperately needed a full-fledged No. 1 option since Dwight Howard left in 2012.

In fact, in the 10 seasons and change since then, Orlando's 104.6 points per 100 possessions ranks dead last in the NBA.

We're only a tenth of the way into 2022-23, but it looks like the Magic may have finally filled that role.

After scoring 22 points in Orlando's win over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, Paolo Banchero has eclipsed 20 in seven of his first nine games. And his three-point shot has nowhere near clicked in.

Even without the long ball, Banchero looks like a five-year veteran as a scorer. He can bully his way to the rim, looks comfortable in the mid-range and almost never appears sped up.

Add in solid playmaking (he's averaging 3.6 assists), and it's easy to get excited about Banchero's offensive potential.

It may not lead to a play-in nod this season (though it's too early to rule it out), but Orlando finally seems to be headed in the right direction.

24. Los Angeles Lakers (2-5)

Previous Rank: 28
Net Rating: -3.5

The Los Angeles Lakers are far from out of the woods, but they may have cleared one of the biggest fallen trees this past week.

Head coach Darvin Ham finally moved Russell Westbrook to the bench, where he can play a role more in line with what he's had at previous stops, and the early returns are good.

Westbrook has only been a reserve for three games, but L.A. is 2-1 in those contests and Russ is shooting 46.2 percent from the field (compared to 28.9 as a starter).

And his willingness to let Ham make the proper lineup calls allows for moments like Matt Ryan's game-saving three Wednesday.

A Russ trade still feels like a real possibility for the Lakers, but it looks like there's a path toward effectiveness for him in L.A.

More minutes without LeBron James and Anthony Davis (and surrounded by as much shooting as possible) could salvage this.

23. San Antonio Spurs (5-3)

Previous Rank: 27
Net Rating: -5.2

This season has been packed with surprisingly good starts from a number of teams and individuals, but nothing quite measures up to what the San Antonio Spurs are doing.

They were tied with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the lowest preseason over-under at 22.5 wins, but it was a little easier to imagine OKC exceeding its mark thanks to the presence of at least one star in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

For San Antonio's ragtag bunch that includes a highest-paid player at $13.8 million (Doug McDermott), being a quarter of the way to that win total at this point is shocking. It is (or was) a roster of seventh or eighth men, but they're getting a handful of near-star turns.

Keldon Johnson is averaging 23.9 points and 3.9 threes while shooting 43.5 percent from three. Devin Vassell is adding 19.8 points and 3.3 threes. And Jakob Poeltl, who could be the prize among big men in the trade market, is providing his trademark anchor defense and 13.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 0.9 blocks.

22. Oklahoma City Thunder (4-4)

Previous Rank: 26
Net Rating: -0.2

Just over three years after they acquired him in the Paul George trade, it's pretty clear the Oklahoma City Thunder won the deal with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

After dropping 37 points on 13-of-17 shooting (without a single three-point attempt) in Thursday's loss to the Denver Nuggets, SGA is averaging 32.3 points and shooting 54.5 percent from the field. As if that wasn't enough, he's also averaging 6.3 assists.

He probably isn't going to keep this up all season, but Gilgeous-Alexander looks like one of the best guards in the league. And with him, Josh Giddey, Chet Holmgren and potentially Victor Wembanyama, OKC might have one of the best young cores.

21. Sacramento Kings (2-5)

Previous Rank: 22
Net Rating: -2.0

The Sacramento Kings entered the season surrounded by a level of optimism the organization hasn't earned in years.

On paper, the duo of Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox is intriguing. Surrounding it with the shooting Kevin Huerter, Keegan Murray and Harrison Barnes can provide was the right move.

But the early returns, at least in terms of wins and losses, look a lot like the same old Kings. Dig a little deeper, and you can find reasons to remain hopeful.

Sacramento is plus-5.3 points per 100 possessions when Fox and Sabonis are both on the floor. Add Murray to that mix, and the number climbs to plus-8.8 (though in an unreliably small sample size).

Now that coach Mike Brown is done fooling around with bringing Murray off the bench (the Kings are 2-2 when he starts), Sacramento may make a push toward play-in territory.

20. New York Knicks (3-4)

Previous Rank: 18
Net Rating: 0.0

It was a winless week for the New York Knicks, who got as close a view as you can get of Donovan Mitchell's brilliance.

In Sunday's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Knicks surrendered 38 points, 12 assists and eight threes to Mitchell. Meanwhile, the player New York was reluctant to trade for Mitchell (RJ Barrett) is averaging 17.9 points and shooting 40.7 percent from the field.

Of course, the team can still justify its hesitance to go all-in for Mitchell. The asking price was steep, and the assets the Knicks would've had to spend to get him could be used to go after another star at the deadline. Plus, there's no guarantee Mitchell would've pushed them to the contenders' tier.

Right now, it's just hard to see what Mitchell is doing for Cleveland without wondering "what if?"

19. Washington Wizards (4-4)

Previous Rank: 20
Net Rating: -0.8

It was a pretty rough week for the Washington Wizards, who lost three straight before finishing with a win over the Joel Embiid-less Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.

It wasn't all bad, though. In addition to the aforementioned victory, Washington seems to be getting Kristaps Porzingis on track.

In his first four games, KP averaged 16.8 points and 7.8 rebounds. In the last four, he's at 25.3 and 9.3.

Figuring out the shot distribution between him, Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma will be important the rest of the way.

18. Los Angeles Clippers (4-4)

Previous Rank: 13
Net Rating: -4.4

The Los Angeles Clippers have a built-in excuse for underachieving. After missing all of last season recovering from a torn ACL, Kawhi Leonard managed to log just 42 minutes in this campaign before shutting it down again.

And after he missed L.A.'s last five games, updates on his future availability have gotten murky.

The Clippers lost the first three games of this stretch without Leonard, but back-to-back tilts against the inexperienced Houston Rockets has gotten them back to .500.

Paul George took "full responsibility" for his team's underwhelming record, and then he showed up for the wins in Houston.

After averaging 19.0 points and shooting 38.8 percent from the field in his first five appearances, PG went for 31.5 points on 54.3 percent shooting in the two-game series against the Rockets.

Of course, L.A. won't get to play Houston every night. And Kawhi's status is still a concern. But this week offered a much-needed reprieve for the Clippers.

17. Minnesota Timberwolves (4-4)

Previous Rank: 12
Net Rating: +1.3

Jumbo frontcourts like the one assembled by the Minnesota Timberwolves are far from the norm, so we always knew there would be an adjustment period. But it may take a bit more time than anticipated for everyone to figure out how to play with both Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns on the floor.

Last week, Anthony Edwards told The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski, "The smaller we go, the better it is for me."

And after Tuesday's loss to the Phoenix Suns, head coach Chris Finch had his own concerning comments about the starting five that includes Edwards and two centers.

The answer may be limiting that group's minutes with more dramatic staggering. D'Angelo Russell benefits from playing with a good pick-and-roll big who generates gravity by cutting down the middle of the floor. He's a natural fit with Gobert.

Edwards, meanwhile, would have wider slashing lanes and better opportunities to get to the rim if he spent more time on a floor spread by KAT's shooting.

How exactly Finch can finagle the rotations to get as much dedicated time as possible for those duos remains to be seen.

16. Utah Jazz (6-3)

Previous Rank: 21
Net Rating: +3.8

For last week's power rankings, the then-4-1 Utah Jazz got a cautious (though still pretty sizable) bump from 29 to 21.

After a 2-2 week that included back-to-back wins over the Memphis Grizzlies and a tight road loss to the Dallas Mavericks, it's starting to look more and more like this solid start isn't a fluke.

The Jazz are up to a 67 percent chance to make the playoffs in FiveThirtyEight's projection system. And if they hang on to their veterans, it's not hard to imagine them pulling it off.

Lauri Markkanen has broken out with averages of 21.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists as a bona fide seven-foot wing.

And when he shares the floor with 30-year-old Jordan Clarkson (17.1 points, 5.6 assists and 3.0 threes) and 35-year-old Mike Conley (11.5 points, 7.1 assists and 2.4 threes), Utah is plus-8.2 points per 100 possessions (eighth among trios with at least as many minutes).

15. Philadelphia 76ers (4-5)

Previous Rank: 17
Net Rating: +1.1

The Philadelphia 76ers are in very unusual territory.

From the start of his career through the end of last season, they were plus-8.3 points per 100 possessions with Joel Embiid on the floor and minus-2.4 with him off. He's never had a season with a negative individual plus-minus swing.

In 2022-23, though we're still firmly in the "small-sample warning" portion of the campaign, Philly is minus-2.7 points per 100 possessions with Embiid and plus-3.2 without him.

And when you watch the Sixers play, it's not hard to see why they're winning the non-Embiid minutes.

With Tyrese Maxey entrusted to do more (he's second on the team in points per game at 24.2), Philly has another option for pushing the ball and creating on a spread floor. When he or James Harden can just sort of cook in the middle of the floor, the offense flows better.

When Embiid is on, things naturally slow down and he's often clogging the middle of the floor. Philadelphia is scoring 5.8 fewer points per 100 possessions when he's in the game.

Again, it's early. This could flip on just a few big nights for Embiid, especially with Harden now set to miss a month with a foot tendon strain, but this is something for the 76ers and their fans to keep an eye on.

14. Miami Heat (4-5)

Previous Rank: 16
Net Rating: -1.5

Entering Wednesday's matchup with the Sacramento Kings, there were some pretty alarming on-off numbers building for Tyler Herro.

The reigning Sixth Man of the Year has been starting for the Miami Heat, but there remains a pretty strong argument to bring him and his scoring punch off the bench again.

On Wednesday, though, he keyed a Miami win with a game-high 26 points, a plus-15 in the plus-minus column and a game-winning bucket.

Moving Herro to the starting five was always going to require a bit of an adjustment period, but he's undoubtedly a key cog in Miami's future. The move almost certainly would've happened at some point. Ironing out the kinks now is better than doing it later.

13. Chicago Bulls (5-4)

Previous Rank: 15
Net Rating: +2.8

The Dallas Mavericks had long been linked to Luka Dončić's countryman, Slovenian guard Goran Dragić, before he signed with the Chicago Bulls this summer.

His explanation of the decision was revealing.

Turns out, Dragic's evaluation of himself may have been more accurate than Dallas'.

He's played in every game this season, is averaging 9.4 points and 3.6 assists in 17.3 minutes off the bench and is shooting a blistering 53.6 percent from three.

Chicago is plus-14.9 points per 100 possessions with Dragic on the floor and minus-3.8 with him off.

As Lonzo Ball's timetable for a return from knee surgery remains foggy, the addition of the veteran playmaker is looking like it was a crucial move.

12. Portland Trail Blazers (5-2)

Previous Rank: 14
Net Rating: +3.6

The Portland Trail Blazers have returned to earth a bit after their 4-0 start. That was to be expected with Damian Lillard missing the last two games, but he may not be carrying quite as much responsibility as you might expect.

Thanks to a revamped supporting cast, Portland still has a positive plus-minus when Lillard is off the floor, and several of the recent additions (or promotions) deserve credit.

Jerami Grant is averaging 16.7 points and shooting 38.2 percent from three. Returning him to a more natural third- or fourth-option status seems to be helping his efficiency. Josh Hart (acquired in the CJ McCollum trade last season) is averaging 8.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists as a wing. And Anfernee Simons (promoted in the wake of the aforementioned trade) has averaged 26.0 points and 5.3 threes over his last four games.

11. Atlanta Hawks (5-3)

Previous Rank: 10
Net Rating: 0.6

The Atlanta Hawks closed out a five-game road trip with a comfortable win over the New York Knicks and a glimpse of the upside Dejounte Murray can bring.

In Wednesday's victory, Murray went for 36 points, nine assists and six steals. Only 17 players in NBA history matched or exceeded all three marks in a single game. Add Murray's five threes and the list shrinks to just him.

In the same outing, Trae Young needed 22 shots to get to 17 points. In the past, nights like that may have doomed the Hawks, but this has to be a big part of why Murray was acquired.

There's far less pressure on Young to carry the offense now, and that should leave him with more fuel at the end of the season than he's had in past years.

10. New Orleans Pelicans (4-3)

Previous Rank: 7
Net Rating: +5.1

The New Orleans Pelicans lost an absolute heartbreaker to the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. With his team up three and the clock showing 1.6 seconds left in the game, rookie Dyson Daniels missed two free throws and set the stage for the Matt Ryan highlight in the Lakers section.

The loss surely stings, especially for Daniels, but it might end up being a good learning experience for a 19-year-old posting off-the-charts advanced numbers (he's tied for second among rookies in wins over replacement player, despite only logging 41 total minutes).

Daniels already looks like a solid defender and playmaker, especially for his size (6'8"), and eventually securing a more consistent role could make the Pelicans even more dangerous.

They were out for Wednesday's loss, but Brandon Ingram and Herbert Jones also add length, switchability and versatility. And though it may not be the default, those two, Daniels and Zion Williamson give New Orleans' positionless lineups a lot of potential.

9. Golden State Warriors (3-6)

Previous Rank: 3
Net Rating: -4.0

It's officially time to start worrying about the Golden State Warriors.

After an 0-4 week, they're outside the play-in picture, and the bench looks like a very real problem.

The Warriors are an eye-popping plus-24.1 points per 100 possessions when the starting five of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney are on the floor. They're minus-13.1 with all other lineup combinations.

The departures of Gary Payton II and Otto Porter Jr. were expected to hurt, but the young and potentially explosive talent of James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody was supposed to make up for it.

A couple weeks into the season, Kuminga isn't even in the rotation.

And Wiseman looks further from ready for real minutes than Kuminga. He's had some moments as the dive man in pick-and-rolls, but he's seemed lost more often than he's found on defense.

Surrounding Jordan Poole with all the not-so-ready reserves may be hurting him too. He's still had plenty of dynamic off-the-bench scoring moments, but he's not able to pilot a unit filled with below-average players (at least not yet).

Between now and the end of the season, Golden State will almost certainly figure something out. But the answer to the bench's problems might not be on the roster yet.

8. Memphis Grizzlies (5-3)

Previous Rank: 5
Net Rating: -3.3

An early blowout at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks and back-to-back losses to the Utah Jazz have mucked up the Memphis Grizzlies' early-season net rating, but there are plenty of signs that they're ready to successfully follow up last year's breakout.

The most obvious is the continued ascension of Ja Morant, who's averaging 31.4 points and 6.4 assists per game while maintaining a top-10 spot in Basketball Reference's MVP Tracker, which is "based on a model built using previous voting results. Players must have played in at least 70 percent of the leaguewide average for team games to qualify."

But the most important may be Desmond Bane's improved play (we already knew Ja would play like an MVP candidate).

After averaging 18.2 points and 3.0 threes in 2021-22, Bane has upped those marks to 24.9 and 4.3 this season. He's shooting an absurd 46.9 percent from deep.

When he's on the floor, Memphis is plus-8.2 points per 100 possessions (compared to a dismal minus-17.1 without him).

All those point to at least "top-five shooting guard" arguments. That, in turn, puts Memphis in the running for best backcourt in the league.

7. Dallas Mavericks (4-3)

Previous Rank: 8
Net Rating: +7.3

The Dallas Mavericks' net rating may be a bit of a mirage. With only seven games on the books, a 41-point win like the one Dallas had over the Memphis Grizzlies can really skew things. In the other six outings, their total point differential is just six.

And the generally average performance may be the result of early-season lineup folly.

When soon-to-be-35-year-old JaVale McGee signed with the Mavs this summer, he indicated that coach Jason Kidd told him he'd be the starting 5. The team already had both Christian Wood and Dwight Powell, both of whom are younger and exceeded McGee's 2021-22 box plus/minus.

It's early, but Dallas is minus-25 when Luka Dončić is sharing the floor with McGee, plus-18 when the star is with Wood and plus-43 in just 40 minutes with Powell.

With 9.0 assists, 8.9 rebounds and a league-leading 36.1 points per game, Luka is off to an absurd start. There's no reason to burn his first few minutes of each half with a 5 who doesn't elevate him.

6. Toronto Raptors (5-3)

Previous Rank: 11
Net Rating: +8.0

It's time to start talking about Pascal Siakam's superstar turn.

After registering a triple-double in a blowout win over the San Antonio Spurs, he is averaging 25.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game.

Of course, there's plenty of time for Siakam's numbers to slide. And monster numbers from Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and others might prevent Siakam from joining this season's MVP conversation.

But this hot start is establishing Siakam as an obvious member of the league's elite.

5. Denver Nuggets (5-3)

Previous Rank: 6
Net Rating: -0.8

It seems like Nikola Jokic has yet to move past third gear this season (especially as a rim protector), but he already has three triple-doubles, enough to slide past Wilt Chamberlain on the career leaderboard for centers.

In Thursday's road win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, he went for 15 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds (which moved him to seventh all time in "triple-dozens"). But again, he mostly seemed to be coasting through much of the game.

The reason for his current foot-off-the-gas style probably isn't apathy, though.

We always should've expected a little bit of an adjustment period. Jokic carried a massive load in 2020-21 and 2021-22, and now has at least two high (or relatively high) usage players to re-learn how to play with. Picking up the tendencies of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown will take some time too.

We've gotten occasional glimpses of how everything can look, but it's not consistently there yet.

4. Boston Celtics (4-3)

Previous Rank: 2
Net Rating: +1.9

Including an overtime loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday, the Boston Celtics have dropped three of their last four (including two games against Cleveland).

And though it's early, it may be fair to worry a little about the perimeter defense.

In the first loss of this stretch, the Celtics surrendered 22 points on 10 shots to Ayo Dosunmu. In the first Cavs loss, Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert combined for 82 points. In the most recent tilt, Mitchell and Darius Garland got to 54.

For a team with Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart, those numbers are a bit of a surprise (as is a below-average defense overall).

Of course, Boston's dominance on that end didn't kick in till around January last season, and the team is adjusting to a new head coach. There's plenty of time to get back on track.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers (6-1)

Previous Rank: 9
Net Rating: +9.9

Before Wednesday's win over the Boston Celtics, an eye injury in the first game of the season had kept Darius Garland out for all but a few minutes. Now, we finally have an idea of how the Cleveland Cavaliers might play when both he and Donovan Mitchell are available.

The duo shared the floor for 33 minutes Wednesday, which means Garland and Mitchell got nine and 11 minutes, respectively, to run the show without the other on the floor.

In other words, in a 53-minute overtime game, Cleveland had at least one of its All-Star playmakers on the floor for the duration.

And surrounding that with the defense of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, or the shot-making of Kevin Love and Dean Wade looks like a recipe for an awful lot of success.

2. Phoenix Suns (6-1)

Previous Rank: 4
Net Rating: +11.9

After an undefeated week, it's starting to feel like the Phoenix Suns are right back on track toward being a regular-season juggernaut for the second year in a row. And one of the key sources of offseason drama has dissipated.

The front office has yet to grant Jae Crowder's trade request, but his presence in the lineup is far from missed (at least so far).

His replacement, Cameron Johnson, is averaging 14.9 points and shooting 44.0 percent from three (Crowder's career mark from deep is 34.6). Having Johnson and Mikal Bridges on the floor at the same time gives Phoenix one of the league's best three-and-D forward combos.

When those two are on the floor with Devin Booker and Chris Paul, Phoenix is an eye-popping plus-26.4 points per 100 possessions.

1. Milwaukee Bucks (7-0)

Previous Rank: 1
Net Rating: +11.2

Everyone's talking about Giannis Antetokounmpo. And rightfully so. He's averaging 33.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.1 steals per game while running away with early MVP projections.

But the Milwaukee Bucks aren't undefeated solely because of him.

With Khris Middleton still out because of wrist surgery, Jrue Holiday has more than risen to the occasion and his shot at No. 2 status.

He's averaging 20.1 points and team highs in assists (7.6) and threes (2.6), while shooting 38.3 percent from deep and providing his typically excellent perimeter defense.

Stat of the Week

There are a whopping 24 teams averaging at least 110 points per game this season. No one is below 100.

If that total holds, it'd be the most teams to eclipse 110 points per game in a single year. It would also be the same as the total number of teams to average at least that many points in all seasons from 1992-93 through 2017-18 (a period we might call the NBA's dead-ball era).

Of course, the oft-discussed increase in three-point volume has a lot to do with the uptick in scoring, but other factors are in play.

Pace is up from last season. That's a pretty obvious way to boost scoring. Shooters are better too. The average three-point percentage in 2022-23 is 35.5. Twenty years ago, it was 34.9. Thirty years ago it was 33.6.

As explained by Thinking Basketball's Ben Taylor, rule changes (like leniency with travels and carry calls) have helped too.

Whatever the reasons, teams, players and fans are the beneficiaries of the high-octane, viewer-friendly version of basketball we're seeing so far this season.

Chasing History

With Westbrook's recent move to L.A.'s bench, he's jumped to the third-shortest odds in the league for Sixth Man of the Year (unsurprisingly behind Jordan Poole and Christian Wood) at plus-1200 (bet $100 to win $1,200) in FanDuel's Sportsbook.

If this role and his production within it hold, that might not be a bad bet. In his three games as a reserve, Russ is averaging 16.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists.

Of course, that's a big "if," since a Westbrook trade could move him back into a starting lineup. Even if he stays with the Lakers, the move doesn't feel final. A sub-.500 finish for L.A., which is very much in play, might eliminate him from contention too.

At the very least, though, it's something to keep an eye on. And it could bring historic implications.

Right now, Bill Walton and James Harden are the only players in league history to secure both an MVP and a Sixth Man of the Year nod. Westbrook, the 2016-17 MVP, has a chance to join those two.

Stats via NBA.com, Basketball Reference and Cleaning the Glass unless otherwise noted.