NBA Power Rankings: Suns rise, Lakers flounder as Thanksgiving week begins

Through five weeks of the 2021-22 NBA season, both conferences have started to show some separation in the standings. The Nets, Wizards, Heat and Bulls have risen above the 8-team cluster hovering around .500 in the East, while the Warriors, Suns and Jazz look to be the biggest threats to come out of the West. That wasn’t the conventional thinking of most around the NBA when the season began.

The Lakers opened the season as favorites to win the West, according to DraftKings Sportsbook and are now sitting at 9-9 through almost a quarter of the season. Things are not going well for a lot of reasons in Tinseltown, but Russell Westbrook’s fit with LeBron James and Anthony Davis is chief among them. Frank Vogel might not last long if this keeps up, although a coaching change is not the solution to this mess. The Lakers aren’t quite at the level of the Kings or Magic but this is not the way the season was supposed to start.

The Suns have quietly climbed to second in the West, winning 12 in a row after a rough start to the season. Chris Paul and Devin Booker form a dynamic backcourt, and Deandre Ayton appears to have gotten over his leg injury. Phoenix will get a chance to test itself against the Warriors on Christmas Day. The Bucks and Hawks have also gone on winning streaks recently to join the middle of the pack in the East.

Let’s take a look at Chinmay Vaidya’s power rankings for Week 6 of the NBA season.