Nets Receive Scary Ranking in Halloween's NBA Power Rankings

The Brooklyn Nets are one of the last winless teams in the NBA after a putrid 0-5 start. It's somewhat expected, considering the team is in a rebuild, but nonetheless still disappointing.

With a rebuild comes a lot of losing, especially in the early stages. The Nets are focused on developing a league-record five first-round rookies from the 2025 NBA Draft, as well as setting themselves up for a top pick in 2026. The young core has been the main focus, even amid new veterans joining the team.

So it makes sense that Brooklyn ranks dead last in the latest NBA power rankings from Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey. The Nets are 30th, with their 'Halloween Scare' being defense. They also rank dead last in defensive rating at 129.1.

"We're only five games into their season, but their finishing in the bottom three already feels like a foregone conclusion," Bailey wrote.

"And if we have to focus on a single reason for the winless start, it's the completely disengaged defense that's giving up over 130 points per 100 possessions.

"Just about every time an opponent brings it down the floor, multiple Nets look lost. And after shots go up, they're getting killed on the glass.

"On the bright side, Michael Porter Jr. (21.6 points and a 41.0 three-point percentage) may be doing enough to juice his value before February, but fans are going to have to endure a lot of losing before they win any trades."

While the defense has been nothing short of disappointing, the offense has been a nice surprise for the Nets. They rank 14th in such category with a 114.9 rating. Much of that is due to the scoring from Cam Thomas and Michael Porter Jr., who are each averaging over 20 points per game.

Rookies such as Egor Demin and Ben Saraf have also begun to find a steady rhythm and get playing time. The process will be long (and likely painful), but Demin is averaging 7.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 40.9% from three. It's worth noting that he has only attempted three-pointers through the first games of his career.

Saraf, while not much of a scorer, has shown some flashes, averaging 3.2 assists per game. He has struggled to find the right shots, but again, the rebuild will look ugly as the rookies develop. The poor stats and rankings are expected this season.