Eastern Conference power rankings: How far have the Heat fallen?

Hoping to put it together soon

8. Miami Heat (Last: 5)
Record: 2-4
ORTG: 107.2 (25th); DRTG: 110.9 (16th); NET: -3.7 (21st)

The Heat lost four straight games and were a Cade Cunningham missed 3-pointer on opening night away from starting the season 0-5 before Friday night’s bounceback home win against the Wizards. The Heat are hoping for that was a get-right game ahead of Monday’s showcase against the Lakers. Tyler Herro has been scorching the court to start the season but the Heat need more from Jimmy Butler, who is averaging 17.2 points on 40.3% shooting.

9. New York Knicks (Last: 7)
Record: 2-4
ORTG: 103.9 (29th); DRTG: 103.7 (3rd); NET: 0.2 (12th)

Jalen Brunson dropped 45 points in Friday’s loss to the Bucks and is averaging a career-high 24.7 points. The problem is that his assists are down (4.3 per game) because he’s being tasked with carrying the scoring with Julius Randle averaging just 13.7 points on 27.1% shooting.

10. Toronto Raptors (Last: 9)
Record: 3-4
ORTG: 107.8 (23rd); DRTG: 107.3 (8th); NET: 0.5 (11th)

The Raptors are similar to last year – a long, athletic team that mucks things up for opposing offenses while doing very little in the way of scoring themselves. The biggest difference under new coach Darko Rajaković is that the offense runs through Scottie Barnes now. Barnes is averaging 22.6 points, 9.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists and seems to have taken a leap. There isn’t much on-court chemistry between him and Pascal Siakam, who is posting his lowest usage rate since the 2019 championship run.

11. Brooklyn Nets (Last: 14)
Record: 3-3
ORTG: 115.4 (8th); DRTG: 115.6 (24th); NET: -0.2 (13th)

Unlike the Raptors, the Nets are pretty much the inverse of what we thought they would be. They’ve managed to put together a top-10 unit offensively (in large part thanks to Cam Thomas’ blistering start, although Thomas and the Nets have cooled recently) but haven’t gotten stops on defense despite the talent and size on the roster.

Stepping in the right direction

12. Charlotte Hornets (Last: 12)
Record: 2-4
ORTG: 112.4 (11th); DRTG: 116.0 (25th); NET: -4.1 (23rd)

LaMelo Ball is healthy and getting guys involved (9.3 assists per game) and once his shooting comes around (34% this season) should be back to posting All-Star caliber numbers. Center Mark Williams looks like the real deal, averaging nearly 15 points and eight rebounds.

13. Detroit Pistons (Last: 10)
Record: 2-5
ORTG: 112.0 (12th); DRTG: 117.7 (28th); NET: -5.3 (24th)

Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren are an impressive one-two duo and the Pistons have been a fun team to watch. They’re young and still make mistakes late in games that cost them wins, but there’s a lot to like in terms of talent and roster construction.

Yikesville

14. Chicago Bulls (Last: 13)
Record: 2-5
ORTG: 106.2 (27th); DRTG: 115.0 (23rd); NET: -8.8 (29th)

15. Washington Wizards (Last: 15)
Record: 1-4
ORTG: 108.3 (20th); DRTG: 118.3 (29th); NET: -10.1 (30th)