NBA power rankings: Is Sixers’ slow start cause for concern?

It’s hard to have confidence in the Hornets this season. Miles Bridges might never play basketball again, LaMelo Ball is currently injured, and there’s just no real sense of direction for the franchise. Terry Rozier’s scorching start to the season has earned them a couple of early wins, but I expect Charlotte to fade fast.

Welcome to the Devin Vassell show. He’s the captain now. San Antonio’s 3-1 start is probably misleading when trying to gauge the quality of that roster, but there’s no denying the immense promise of Vassell and Keldon Johnson on the wing. The Spurs have some veteran talent that will probably get traded before the deadline and Vassell’s hot start will inevitably bump up against regression — but he’s the real freakin’ deal.

The Lakers have stumbled blindly into purgatory with no clear means of escape. Russell Westbrook ain’t working — there’s no way around that now — but LA’s problems stretch well beyond Westbrook’s uneasy fit in the starting five. LeBron James is still magnificent and there have been fleeting flashes of the old Anthony Davis, but the roster around them is too shoddily constructed for it to matter much.