Depending on which James Harden strikes you — the tired superstar who forced his way out of Houston, or the selfless glue guy who showed up in Brooklyn — the Nets guard has morphed into an MVP candidate.
In the process of recognizing exactly what Brooklyn needed — someone to keep Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant fed, someone whose playmaking role was going to be as important as his scoring impact — Harden has made the Nets unguardable.
They now lead the NBA in most offensive categories, and like the teams that coach Steve Nash once led as a player, they operate under the principle that offensive power renders the need for quality defense negligible. It’s never really worked in the NBA, but maybe the Nets are now built to weather the postseason grind that way.
In the meantime, though, the Utah Jazz — this season’s version of the 2019-20 Bucks — continue to win quietly. The Jazz are also the most balanced team in basketball. Which deserves the top spot? Here’s the most recent edition of our NBA power rankings.
1. Utah (previous position: 1): The lack of respect should drive this team, including the day when Kevin Durant and LeBron James left Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell until the last picks in the All-Star draft. Brooklyn’s league-leading offensive rating is off the charts, but Utah opened the second half leading the NBA in net rating (8.5) and is fourth in offensive and defensive rating — the only team in the league in both categories. Still a top three 3-point shooting team as well.
2. Brooklyn (6): The finest offensive team in the game could surge past everyone — maybe they already have — once Durant returns from a hamstring injury and Blake Griffin gets into a groove, now that he has something to play for again.
3. Philadelphia (3): Should this team score some shooting support before the trade deadline, then Joel Embiid will, what, play even better? He’s been the most dominant player in the league, and his claim to the MVP may even be linked to Doc Rivers’ Coach of the Year chances. He’s solved the Embiid/Ben Simmons riddle.
4. Lakers (2): Lying in the weeds, so to speak, waiting for Anthony Davis to achieve late-season health, and for LeBron James to flex his postseason muscles.
5. Phoenix (7): A hot young team that could catch fire the same way as the 2019-20 Heat. Their 4-0 run over the first half’s last week, including consecutive wins over the Lakers and Warriors, certainly points to that kind of potential.
6. Clippers (4): Much like their Laker neighbors, the Clippers are trying to get healthy. Paul George’s great season considered, the Clippers have the best 1-2 wing combination in the game. George’s next step is elevating his playoff effectiveness.
7. Milwaukee (5): Just a strange team, still seemingly built more for regular season endurance than the postseason. The Bucks’ claim on the Eastern Conference has been revoked by Brooklyn’s rapid ascent.
8. Denver (15): The Nuggets were one of three Western Conference teams to win their last four games prior to the all-star break. When Jamal Murray plays well enough to lift some of the offensive burden off Nikola Jokic, this team can beat just about anyone. And that’s what Murray needs now — consistency.
9. Portland (11): Damian Lillard can’t carry the show forever, and hopefully the returns of CJ McCollum (fractured foot) and Jusuf Nurkic (fractured wrist) aren’t far off. Enes Kanter has had a wonderful season shoring up the paint, but Nurkic, when healthy, changes the entire nature of the game.
10. CELTICS (8): Prior to last Thursday’s second-half opener in Brooklyn, the lineup of Jayson Tatum/Jaylen Brown/Marcus Smart/Kemba Walker/Daniel Theis had played 28 minutes together. Sure, Smart changes the defensive dynamic, but the rest of the lineup can’t depend on osmosis alone to consistently get stops. Then they need a shooter at the deadline, regardless of whether that player is a wing or a big.
11. New York (24): What a surprise. This Tom Thibodeau team finished the first half second in defensive rating (108.1), and overall is probably the most improved team in the league. Amazing that there’s something left in Derrick Rose’s game.
12. Indiana (12): Caris LeVert is close to making his Pacers debut, finally adding a much-needed scoring option to this oft cold-shooting team. T.J. Warren’s return from foot surgery is more of a long-term issue, though the wing’s offensive spark would be a significant playoff addition, if it happens.
13. Dallas (20): Kristaps Porzingis returned from a three-game absence to score at least 17 points — with a high of 28 — over the last four games of the first half. Not surprisingly, the Mavs won all four. Could be a team ready to move up, though that’s a tougher job in the west.
14. Toronto (9): No one makes more out of less than Nick Nurse, and this team will continue to dog its rivals in the East. There’s room to advance in that conference, but Pascal Siakam simply isn’t a No. 1 option — certainly not good enough at this point to carry his team when need be. The nastiness continues to come from that overachieving backcourt.
15. Miami (19): The muscle memory is there from last season’s hot finish.
16. Charlotte (14): Gordon Hayward received his wish, and is the top option, and LaMelo Ball is an exciting rookie of the year candidate. But what about Terry Rozier averaging a career-high 20.7 points, to go along with career numbers in 3-point shooting (.438) and attempts (7.7)? Rozier wanted room to shine, too, and picked his spot well.
17. San Antonio (10): With LaMarcus Aldridge apparently now a trade chip, the Spurs’ short-term fortune is on the decline. Gregg Popovich appears to find more value in a youth movement.
18. Memphis (18): A team that is currently overachieving, thanks in no small part to Ja Morant. Jaren Jackson, whenever he returns from knee rehab, will push this team up the list.
19. Atlanta (13): Dangerous at times, and thus far the young Hawks have responded well to a coaching change.
20. Washington (28): Should it really be a surprise that once Russell Westbrook settled in, the Wizards would start winning?