There's no doubt about it, the NBA prioritizes offense. Last year's NBA Champion ranked first in the league in offensive rating and three-point field goals, and second in points per game. This isn't to say defense doesn't matter, the Boston Celtics ranked second in defensive rating and fifth in opponent's points per game.
It goes to show that high-powered offenses don't necessarily need to rely on even above-average defenses to reach contending status. To further illustrate this point, the NBA's runner-up, Dallas Mavericks, ranked eighth in offensive and 18th in defensive rating. A more extreme example is the 2023-24 iteration of the Indiana Pacers, who advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals following a second-place regular season finish in offense rating yet a 24th ranking in defensive rating.
This season, three of the five best teams in the NBA occupy the top three spots on the offensive rating leaderboard. The top of the defensive rating standings is eerily similar, albeit with a dip in win percentage after the first two spots. On the flip side of the standings, the bottom five ranked offensive rating squads own a 28.2 win percentage while the bottom five defensive rating teams combine for a 36.5 win percentage.
Offensive rating is an important metric, as evidenced by the direct correlation to team success. Furthermore, teams with a porous defensive rating are better off than the league's offensive bottom-feeders. The full 30-team standings ordered by offensive rating are below to aid in visualization.
NBA Standings Ordered by Offensive Rating
Rank | Team | Offensive Rating |
|---|---|---|
1 | Cleveland Cavaliers (9-0) | 122.1 |
2 | Boston Celtics (7-2) | 121.3 |
3 | Golden State Warriors (7-1) | 119.3 |
4 | New York Knicks (3-4) | 118.5 |
5 | Sacramento Kings (5-3) | 117.4 |
6 | Memphis Grizzlies (5-4) | 115.7 |
7 | Houston Rockets (5-3) | 115.5 |
8 | Los Angeles Lakers (4-4) | 114.7 |
9 | Denver Nuggets (5-3) | 114.4 |
10 | Brooklyn Nets (4-4) | 114.4 |
11 | Indiana Pacers (4-4) | 114.2 |
12 | Minnesota Timberwolves (4-3) | 114.0 |
13 | Toronto Raptors (2-7) | 113.3 |
14 | Phoenix Suns (7-1) | 112.9 |
15 | Dallas Mavericks (5-3) | 112.4 |
16 | Miami Heat (3-4) | 112.2 |
17 | Atlanta Hawks (4-5) | 112.2 |
18 | Charlotte Hornets (3-5) | 111.7 |
19 | New Orleans Pelicans (3-6) | 111.2 |
20 | Oklahoma City Thunder (7-1) | 110.0 |
21 | LA Clippers (4-4) | 110.8 |
22 | Milwaukee Bucks (1-6) | 110.1 |
23 | Washington Wizards (2-4) | 109.3 |
24 | Detroit Pistons (3-6) | 109.2 |
25 | Portland Trail Blazers (3-5) | 108.9 |
26 | Philadelphia 76ers (1-6) | 108.1 |
27 | San Antonio Spurs (3-5) | 106.2 |
28 | Chicago Bulls (3-5) | 106.1 |
29 | Orlando Magic (3-6) | 105.8 |
30 | Utah Jazz (1-6) | 102.5 |
Surprise Performers in the NBA Offensive Rating Standings
Although not a reaction to the top of the rankings, the 7-1 Oklahoma City Thunder's offense appears underwhelming. The Thunder rank 20th in offensive rating, below the likes of the Toronto Raptors and Charlotte Hornets. Of course, Oklahoma City makes up for its substandard mark in its superb defensive rating of 96.5—first in the NBA by a long shot.
Speaking of the Raptors, holding the 13th spot is rather impressive, considering a 2-7 record. However, Toronto's horrid defensive rating (119.9) is to blame for its quantity of losses. Another team with a losing record, the New York Knicks, are fourth in the association in offensive and 20th in defensive rating. It's likely only a matter of time before New York improves defensively to get on the right side of .500.
Lastly, the Chicago Bulls are 28th, or third-to-last in offensive rating. Considering Chicago's win-loss totals, this may not seem far-fetched, but traditional metrics paint a different picture. Chicago ranks 18th in points per game, 24th in field goal percentage, ninth in three-point percentage, and seventh in assists. Surprisingly, none of the most notable statistics depict a subpar offensive rating.
It begins to make sense when assessing the Bull's frenetic pace of play. Chicago ranks first in the NBA in pace, which fails to correlate to fast break points (16th) and points per game in general. Offensive rating is used to assess a team's scoring efficiency regardless of their style of play. Thus, a slower team, like the Knicks (30th in pace and 17th in points per game), are still considered a potent offense.
How Offensive Rating Reflects Team Play Styles
As consistently mentioned throughout the article, the most efficient teams are atop the offensive ratings leaderboard. For instance, the Cleveland Cavaliers, who pace the league in offensive rating, are also first in effective and true shooting percentages. Whereas, the bottom-ranked squad, the Utah Jazz, is last in both categories.
What's most startling is the fastest-paced teams are all struggling to begin the season. Of the ten most uptempo squads, only three possess winning records. The combined win percentages are a measly 43.0 percent. Early on, pace is inequitable to winning. Contrarily, the ten slowest team's win percentage is a combined 50.0 percent.
This isn't to say teams should always play slower. The late 2010s, powerhouse Golden State Warriors were a notoriously uptempo team and brought home three Larry O'Brien trophies from 2015 to 2020 to show for it. The Warriors ranked in the top five in pace in all three championship seasons. However, this came at a time when 75 percent of teams around the league recorded a pace level below 100. Nowadays, the median pace is 100.1.
Offenses are constantly adapting, and while tempo is important, efficiency matters most in today's game. It's irrelevant if a team hoists a bevy of field goals. The results are mixed. Offensive rating, along with true shooting and effective field goal percentage are instrumental in understanding a team's offensive prowess.