It’s been a weird NBA season—what with the Cavaliers and Oklahoma City both challenging for seventy wins, plus Houston coming out of nowhere to be the fifth-best team in the league. For SlamNation, 2025 has been topsy turvy as well, with two non-playoff teams from 2024 now in our top five, as well as the league leaderboard headed by SQSQ and ILCN, who were lower tier playoff teams last season. Last year’s regular season king, SCRM, is still duking it out at the top, but this regular season is certainly wide open with only seven weeks left to go! Let’s take a look at the tiers. [ Pre-Season: Russell | Chamberlain ]
CONTENDERS
#1 SQSQ (8-3)
ODE: 13/4/1
Feeding off the vibes from last year’s successful playoff run, SQSQ is throwing it back to three seasons ago when they last took a regular season crown. SQSQ ripped off five wins to start the season and have lost three of their last five—to SOUR, SWMP, MELO—but are still in prime position to lead the pack.
Featuring high efficiency and defense, SQSQ is first in FG% and third in TOS, while ranking first in BLK and fifth in STL as well. The block party is led by Anthony Davis but comes from all over, with 2025 RD1.11 rookie Alexandre Sarr, Daniel Gafford, Derrick White, and Tari Eason all averaging over one block a game as well. A little more offensive juice could take them one step up as well, as LeBron James and DeMar DeRozan seek a Slam title to wind up their careers.
A WK17 and WK18 end of the season matchup versus SWMP and then a rematch with MELO could really determine home court advantage throughout the playoffs for them. It’s great to see SQSQ up at the top, as LeBron and Bronny celebrated the NBA’s first father-son on-court duo. Maybe SQSQ can follow up KSKT’s title from last season!
#2 ILCN (7-3-1)
ODE: 12/7/3
We’ve been waiting for ILCN to put it all together for one season and make a title run, and this year might be it. Despite injuries to Paolo Banchero early—and now Luka Doncic—ILCN has weathered the storm of the hardest part of their season and look in good shape to continue their ascent—there was an 0-3-1 stretch from WK5-8, albeit against some good teams. After picking up some gimme wins in recent weeks, ILCN will now face a gauntlet of five teams with winning records in a row, which could determine if this team is fool’s gold or ready for an actual golden run.
ILCN is the top rated combined ODE team, with a very good efficiency and defensive rating. They are second overall in FG% and while they are very mid in PTS, REB, AST, the return of Banchero and Doncic will help those areas dramatically. The Cleveland duo of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland are really leading the way for ILCN this season, just like in the NBA. With the second-best rated keeper core around, this could just the beginning of ILCN dominance.
#3 MELO (7-4)
ODE: 5/13/11
Jack is back, baby! Continuing their trend of one-good, one-bad, MELO is bouncing back from last year’s five-win season in a big way. It seems like MELO is a playoff team every other year and this is looking like their third playoff appearance, assuming things hold for them.
Playing at top speed, MELO is second in the league in PTS, featuring plenty of 3PT, REB, and still a good FG% and decent TOS. Despite a lack of defense and not much passing—in addition to weak FT%—MELO is running and gunning behind Kevin Durant, Jaylen Brown, RJ Barrett, Pascal Siakam, and Brandon Miller. Add in the center duo Nikola Vucevic and Jakob Poeltl—having an incredible season—and MELO is deep and dangerous.
After roaring out of the gate with five wins straight, MELO did hit a bump with three losses in their next five games. However, their two wins during that span were versus SCRM and SQSQ, who are in the upper tier of teams. There’s no rest of MELO the rest of the schedule either, as they face six out of seven 0.500+ matchups to finish out. There’s matchups ahead against all three teams above them in this ranking so MELO fans better buckle up!
#4 SCRM (7-4)
ODE: 9/1/15
Despite a dip from the last few years’ blistering regular season pace, SCRM is still solidly on the contender list for 2025. They are slightly under the best of the best though, as they have suffered losses against the cream of the crop this season.
The main culprit here is the offense, which was a top-two unit last season, but only average this year. SCRM's issue is owning the league’s third-worst 3PT shooting, paired with the worst FT% around—even Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (7.9 FTA) and James Harden (7.3 FTA) can’t offset Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 60.5% on 11.1 FTA I guess—and some very high TOS.
The defense for SCRM is vicious though, as they are tops in STL and third in BLK. Dyson Daniels has been a revelation and the backcourt of SGA and Daniels combines for 5.2 STL per game!
It might be tough sledding for SCRM to vault into the upper echelons this season but the good news: they’re already through the tough part of their schedule, with mostly very beatable teams ahead, minus a WK15 and WK16 face off against SWMP and MELO respectively. SCRM should finish with at least five more wins and that’ll be enough to propel them into another title hunt…and a roster shifting trade is always a threat with this team.
#5 SWMP (7-4)
ODE: 2/5/6
Working on their ninth straight double digit regular season, SWMP was edged out of the playoffs last year but won the Toilet Bowl (again). They won’t be back this season to defend their TB title. As the only balanced team in the top five currently, SWMP has plenty of upside potential. They are great at PTS, REB, AST, STL, and FG%, while being pretty good in 3PT as well. SWMP is lacking sorely in the BLK department, with TOS usually a loss, but aside from no rim protection, there’s not many weaknesses here.
Zach LaVine has decided to play this season, giving a third wing behind Jalen Johnson and Jalen Williams. Heck, with LaVine and Cameron Johnson, SWMP has two of the NBA’s most talked about trade candidates at the moment. With Nikola Jokic doing literally everything, SWMP has the firepower to take down anyone at any time. There’s still three though matchups ahead for SWMP—starting off with WK12 versus ILCN—but this is truly a dangerous dark horse team for the playoffs.
THE MUDDLED MIDDLE
#6 BUFF (6-5)
ODE: 3/15/6
Looking for a return trip to the Finals, BUFF leads off the six teams hovering right above 0.500+. They’re first because, well, the alphabet, but they are also conceivably the best as well, with a recent 5-2 record after starting the season off with just one win in the first month. If they can pick up a WK12 win versus KSKT, the path is clear for a playoff run and they’ll get to take a full measure of themselves versus SWMP and MELO in WK16/17.
BUFF is using the same strategy as last year to power their success: a great offense filled with slinging the ball around and throwing up 3PTs. The twist however, is that BUFF’s efficiency is way up this season—a top six ranking—albeit at the cost of an equal downfall in their defense. BUFF is now ranked dead last in BLK and second-to-last in REB. But who cares about that, let’s watch Jalen Brunson, Coby White, and Brandon Ingram bomb away!
There’s a slew of scoring-skewed wings on this team—Ingram, Bridges, Kyle Kuzma, Andrew Wiggins, Klay Thompson—so maybe a deal could help balance things out. We’ll see what BUFF will do as they have squarely returned back to respectability.
#7 CHMK (6-5)
ODE: 7/2/15
It’s a little surprising to see CHMK not higher in the standings and instead fighting for a playoff spot. After two eight-win seasons—and a long three years out of the playoffs—we thought CHMK would be working their way upward behind last year’s mega-deals for Anthony Edwards and Alperen Sengun. A 6-1 start to the season certainly looked promising but then CHMK lost four in a row—all to tough teams—and are now wondering if their brush with elite status was a mirage.
The scoring for CHMK has been really good, especially with 2025 RD5.6 Norm Powell playing like Kawhi-lite and Evan Mobley putting some offensive punch in his game, finally. Also, Jalen Suggs (RD2.9) has been a bigger offensive contributor as well until he got injured recently.
However, CHMK’s AST and 3PT are just average, giving this strange team a much better defense than offense. In fact, CHMK fields the second best defense in the league as they grab rebounds, defend the rim, and also swipe the ball at a top-two rate. I guess the cooks over at Monkey kitchen are still working out some ingredients. With a pretty strong offense-defense combo, it’s possible CHMK could also make another deal or two to push them solidly into the playoff picture.
#8 FUNK (6-5)
ODE: 8/11/4
A totally unbalanced team, this current iteration of FUNK is only good at two things: shooting 3PT and not turning the ball over. And when Myles Turner mans the middle, they are also somehow fourth in BLK with no other player averaging more than one. Otherwise FUNK are putrid in REB, AST, and FG%, while not putting up many PTS either. Basically FUNK is playing one-on-one and either throwing up a three or going to the free throw line.
One strength is negated by one weakness, and it’s an open question if FUNK will make it into the playoffs after earning the first overall pick last year. Oh yeah, that 2025 RD1.1 Reed Sheppard? Currently at 350 total minutes in his career and rarely used at all. A franchise altering selection for sure!
The good news? Um, Jayson Tatum fixed the hitch on his jump shot and is putting up ten and a half threes a game? Other than that, it’s been pretty crappy or injury across the rest of the roster, and pre-draft trade acquisition Lauri Markkanen has been misfiring all season. There is also now a yawning gap at point guard with Dennis Schroder landing in Golden State. This entire roster of wings plus Turner is looking at a major shake up if they want to make some noise this season.
#9 KSKT (6-5)
ODE: 4/9/13
Taking away efficiency, defending champs KSKT would still be one of the better teams in the league. However, they definitely aren’t the dominant team of the past two seasons as they’ve had their usual slew of injuries—primarily missing Zion Williamson and Kristaps Porzingis this season.
The roster is rock solid though, as evidenced by their title run. Cade Cunningham has gone up a level—even as Tyrese Haliburton has dropped one—and Anfernee Simons has been healthy all season long. KSKT is only first in one category this season: Games Played, but they are at least average-ish in all the other categories minus that crippling FG%.
Winning six in a row between WK4 and WK9 shows KSKT’s upside—two of those wins came against SWMP and ILCN— and should Williamson and/or Porzingis return by the fantasy playoffs, KSKT is just as well positioned to post a back-to-back as any title team in recent history.
#10 SBUK (6-5)
ODE: 14/11/2
We think this team is calling it quits (for the playoffs). Despite a slightly winning record—mainly powered by a 4-1 start—SBUK are losers of three of their last four and are now looking at being down Franz Wagner and Kyrie Irving for a few weeks.
This team can hang its hat on something though: leading SlamNation in FT%. The efficiency from SBUK keeps them in most games but the lack of offensive punch is a problem, and that was before Irving went down. In theory a healthier Joel Embiid could help in REB and BLK, but as he isn’t playing in back-to-backs, that’s at least a handful of games missed.
What’s the solution here for SBUK? Do they stay put and try to win, or do they pivot toward a more future oriented approach while their in-decline veterans still are producing? There is a possible layup line of FJUB, UFOS, and TRUO to end the regular season, so that might push SBUK toward a playoff run, but here’s hoping they look to retool before gearing up for a proper run at a title. Since we’ve never seen Josh engage in a roster overhaul, we vote for trade action from SBUK!!!
#11 SOUR (6-5)
ODE: 1/9/14
Our G.O.A.T. franchise hasn’t won a title in almost two years, should they panic?! Historically, SOUR has never gone longer than three years without a Finals appearance, so it’s possible they could be on the outside looking in this season.
However, SOUR does sport Slam’s number one offense, behind first rankings in 3PT and AST, with a fifth in PTS. That’s what happens when you pair up Steph Curry and Damian Lillard—acquired mid-2025 draft for Immanuel Quickley. Throw in a second in FT% and SOUR is working with four categories won almost every week. The problem is, they are also basically punting FG% and TOS, which leaves them at the mercy of REB, STL, and BLK.
Despite playing small ball with Draymond Green as the sole center—we don’t count rookie Donovan Clingan—SOUR is above average in REB as their forwards and guards all pull down very respectable numbers. The return of pre-draft trade acquisition Dejounte Murray has been a big boon to STL—and AST—while the suspension of Jimmy Butler might play out to be a plus as well once he lands on a new team.
SOUR’s 2-4 start has evolved into a 4-1 recent spurt—those four wins were in a row—so as always, it’s never a good idea to count out SOUR…
LIKELY ON LIFE SUPPORT
#12 SPDE (4-5-2)
ODE: 5/6/10
Can’t this team catch a break? I mean, the break after winning Viktor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren and ranking as the best keeper core in SlamNation… Well, Holmgren has been hurt this season and while we assumed SPDE would never within smelling distance of the Toilet Bowl again, they are definitely standing at the bathroom door right now after coming out of the gate 1-4-2 in their first seven games.
Last week’s win versus MELO was the highlight of SPDE’s season so far but it could also portend for a big second half as Devin Booker, Tyrese Maxey, and a rejuvenated Tyler Herro should be plenty of firepower around Wembanyama. SPDE is very well balanced for a “bad” team, with a near top five offensive and defensive rating. They suffer from only bad FG% and TOS, but are very competitive everywhere else. How they’re not top-ranked in BLK with Wemby and Walker Kessler is beyond me, but Holmgren’s eventual return will change that.
The roster is solid up and down, and now it’s just sit and wait to see how high—or low—SPDE wants to go this season. They’ve won three of their last four and only have on tough matchup in WK18 against SWMP to go. Should SPDE slip into the Toilet Bowl though, there’s a frightening world where they could get Wemby, Chet, and Cooper Flagg all on one team…
#13 FJUB (4-6-1)
ODE: 11/3/12
It has not been a great start to FJUB’s season, with one win, five losses, and one tie through the beginning of December. However, FJUB hasn’t finished under 0.500 since 2014—when they last missed the playoffs—so it’s unlikely they won’t find a solution out of their morass. They’ve already show signs of life, winning three of their last four games.
The outline is there for future success, as FJUB has been tops in REB, second in AST, and fifth in STL. They also are second in Games Played, showing that the effort is there. What’s missing is an offense, any offense. The Trae Young and Karl-Anthony Towns combo has only been enough to bring FJUB to thirteenth or worse in PTS, 3PT, FG%, and TOS. Getting so few PTS and 3PT on high TOS is tough.
While Bradley Beal and Collin Sexton can fill it up, everyone else on this roster aside from those four are virtually offensive zeroes. The return of Isaiah Hartenstein adds an important defensive presence in the middle so that may have to be the formula moving forward.
We’re guessing a better than 0.500+ record will be needed for the playoffs, and FJUB has three tough matchups left out of seven. To avoid the Toilet Bowl, this proud franchise is going to have to get to work!
#14 TRUO (3-7-1)
ODE: 10/14/6
The good news is that TRUO is on track to eclipse last year’s five win season. The bad news is that that might be their top end this year. A quick three win start to the year gave TRUO hope for a turnaround this season but they’ve remained winless since, going 0-7-1 and still counting. Note: This WK12 matchup is versus ABCX.
There is some good news though, as TRUO scooped up almost R.O.Y. candidate Jared McCain off the free agent wire. (McCain is outshining 2025 RD1.2 Zach Edey.) In addition, Cam Thomas, Jalen Green, and John Collins, and Jonathan Kuminga are all having career years.
So what’s going on? De’Aaron Fox and Julius Randle are both likely disgruntled, the chemistry on this team might be bad, and there are injuries galore right now for TRUO. The good news is that TRUO can shoot FT% wonderfully, and they can look to play spoiler in WK14 versus SCRM or WK16 versus SQSQ. Other than that, it’s time to prep for a deep Toilet Bowl run!
BOTTOM FEEDERS
#15 ABCX (1-9-1)
ODE: 15/8/9
No longer winless! ABCX got their first win in WK11, demolishing their chances of going back-to-back zero wins. Sure, it took an outing versus fellow down in the cellar team UFOS but a win is a win is a win! They’ll get another decent shot at winning this week, versus TRUO, but then the schedule really gets tough afterwards.
While ABCX hasn’t technically picked up any violations from their lineups this season, they don’t seem to know how to utilities their IR slots—Jaden Ivey just broke his leg, Ja Morant has been in and out, and Kelly Oubre Jr. is eligible right now too. Those IR slots could let Oliver gamble on some free agents, so we’d like to see some activity there.
The cool news is that LaMelo Ball is bringing highlights and stuffing the stat sheet; 2025 last pick RD6.16, rookie Yves Missi, has been nice in New Orleans; and Los Angeles’ best center, Ivica Zubac, is going wild in the new Intuit Dome.
It ain’t pretty for ABCX anywhere, but they are ranked second in REB behind Zubac, Jonas Valanciunas, and Missi. Those mashers also help ABCX to a decent FG% each outing. We can see another win on the horizon for ABCX coming, hopefully?
#16 UFOS (1-10)
ODE: 16/16/4
Spirits were high after WK9, as UFOS picked up their first win of the season, matching last year’s lone win already! That takes UFOS out of the running for a winless season and despite losing to ABCX last week, that’s already a semi-success. The question is: can UFOS pick up another win?
Lagging behind in Games Played certainly won’t do the job, as UFOS is the only team under 90% of the average Games Played mark. Currently they have 230 GP while the average for a Slam team is 260 over eleven weeks. Basically UFOS is totaling about one less week’s worth of stats than everyone else. That’ll have to be fixed for UFOS to have any shot at a second victory.
Unfortunately, a very young roster has had some injury issues—the latest to Jabari Smith Jr.—while also not having much top end talent. The mid-draft trade off of Damian Lillard for Immanuel Quickley has been hard to evaluate as Quickley has been in and out of the lineup. But hey, at least Jordan Poole is scoring, Bilal Coulibaly is growing, and 2025 RD4.15 rookie Bub Carrington is flashing. Are UFOS the Wizards? Sort of but it’s not all that bad. UFOS did have a very nice 2025 draft, hitting on Josh Giddey (RD1.4), Coulibaly (RD2.15), sort of Brandin Podziemski (RD3.2), and Carrington with their first four picks.
It’ll be at least one more year before UFOS can start to get to respectability, but the vision is there at least. Draft well, wait for youth to mature, and try to get some more Games Played in!
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