NBA Power Rankings: Sleeping giant awakes in West; Cavs ready to dethrone Celtics?

2. Oklahoma City Thunder

Even though the Oklahoma City Thunder haven't been 100 percent to start the season, this is a team that has continued to do what they've needed to do to get off to a good start to the season. Newcomer Alex Caruso is still finding his way in the offense with the Thunder but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has continued to be a high-level No. 1 on that end of the floor. Chet Holmgren has looked even better this year than he was last season and you can't help but be excited about the possibilities for this team once Isaiah Hartenstein returns from injury.

To be perfectly honest, it will be interesting to see if the coaching staff does attempt to change up the starting 5 or if they will keep things where they are at the moment. Either way, the Thunder is going to have plenty of versatility with their lineup heading into this season. Through the first two weeks of the regular season, it's pretty clear that the Thunder are the best team in the Western Conference for now. And to be perfectly honest, it's hard to envision how that will change.

1. Boston Celtics

It's understandable to suggest that the Boston Celtics shouldn't be ranked atop this list considering there are still undefeated teams in the league. However, this is not a list of the regular season standings and sometimes, context and nuance should be utilized. That's why I think it would be foolish to not have the Celtics ranked No. 1 on this list. Even without Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics have looked quite overwhelming. Sure, they have a loss against the Indiana Pacers but it took overtime and a 30-point performance off the bench from Bennedict Mathruin. Even then, the Celtics probably still should've won that game.

Boston's performance through the first few games of the regular season should strengthen the idea that this team is in a great position to repeat as a champion. With KP, the Celtics are going to be as strong as they were last season and perhaps even more daunting. The Celtics may lose a game here and there but they also don't need to hit their stride until late in the season.