NBA Defense Team Rankings: Heat Flexing Muscles Till the End
Does Defense Matter to The NBA, What About Team Rankings?
Regular Season Juggernauts Fell Flat in the Playoffs
The NBA has long owned the motto “defense wins championships” but in an era where offense reigns supreme it seems we may be seeing a changing of the tide. Let’s take a look at the NBA Defense Team Rankings to see how all 30 teams ranked defensively and what it meant for their season aspirations.
The Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat are competing in this years NBA Finals and neither team finished in the top 8 in Defensive Rating in the NBA regular season. In fact, the Nuggets ranked 15th in Defensive Rating and still managed to reach the Finals having lost just three games on their path to winning the Western Conference.
Of the bottom tier teams in Defensive Rating, three of those still made it to the NBA Playoffs with the LA Clippers, New York Knicks, Sacramento Kings and Atlanta Hawks all featuring in the postseason despite their horror defense.
So, just how much does defense matter in the modern NBA?
Can Defense Win You Games?
As the NBA evolves into an offensive driven league the value of defense has naturally started to waiver.
The top-five teams in NBA Defense Team Rankings this season were the Cleveland Cavaliers, Memphis Grizzlies, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls.
Only one of those teams made it past the first-round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs – the Celtics. The Cavaliers, Grizzlies and Bucks were all first-round exits despite all three being market favorites to win their respective series according to the NBA odds.
The Bulls didn’t even make it into the playoffs as they fell to the Miami Heat in the final ‘play-in’ game in the Eastern Conference.
In the Western Conference the Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, Phoenix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves ranked in the top-10 in Defensive Rating in the regular season. Only the Suns made it past the first-round and even then it was on the back of their immense offense having acquired Kevin Durant at the trade deadline.
The Pelicans failed to make it to the postseason after being ousted by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the play-in tournament while the Timberwolves joined the Grizzlies as first-round exits.
While the need for top-tier defense still remains a backbone to any elite NBA team it’s fair to say that the need for elite offense might be the preferred option for teams who have title aspirations.
NBA Defense Team Rankings
Here’s a look at how all 30 teams ranked in NBA Defense Team Rankings in the 2022/23 regular season.
| TEAM | Defense Team Rankings |
|---|---|
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 110.6 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 111.2 |
| Boston Celtics | 111.5 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 111.9 |
| Chicago Bulls | 112.2 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | 112.5 |
| Phoenix Suns | 113.0 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 113.3 |
| Miami Heat | 113.3 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 113.8 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 113.9 |
| Toronto Raptors | 114.0 |
| Brooklyn Nets | 114.1 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 114.2 |
| Denver Nuggets | 114.2 |
| Orlando Magic | 114.2 |
| Golden State Warriors | 114.4 |
| LA Clippers | 114.5 |
| New York Knicks | 114.8 |
| Charlotte Hornets | 115.3 |
| Washington Wizards | 115.6 |
| Atlanta Hawks | 116.3 |
| Utah Jazz | 116.0 |
| Sacramento Kings | 116.0 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 116.1 |
| Indiana Pacers | 117.1 |
| Detroit Pistons | 117.8 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 118.0 |
| Houston Rockets | 118.6 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 119.6 |
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