NBA Power Rankings: See who enters the season as No. 1 in Week 1

The 2021-22 NBA season gets underway on Tuesday night with four big teams in action. The Milwaukee Bucks will raise their championship banner before facing the Brooklyn Nets at home. The Los Angeles Lakers welcome in Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors at Staples Center. After that, it’ll be another 81 games for those teams leading to the 2022 NBA playoffs, all four most likely not seeing the last of each other.

In Week 1, the power rankings have the Lakers on top as the best team in the NBA. LeBron James and Anthony Davis have a new cast of characters who will help them try and win another title. Carmelo Anthony, DeAndre Jordan, Kendrick Nunn, Wayne Ellington and Malik Monk were brought in. Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo are back as well. Oh yeah, and let’s not forget a little guy named Russell Westbrook.

The Bucks are No. 2 on the list and bring back mostly the same roster from last year’s title run. Grayson Allen and Rodney Hood are new additions while PJ Tucker wasn’t retained after helping during the playoff run. The Big 3 of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday are all back and ready to repeat. Can Milwaukee make it out of the East when things are much tougher and the Brooklyn Nets are healthy.

Let’s take a look at Chinmay Vaidya’s power rankings for Week 1 of the NBA season.