Preseason Power Rankings Part 1 | Group Chat

Summary of Preseason Power Rankings Part 1 | Group Chat

by The Ringer

1h 36m•October 5, 2026
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Overview of Preseason Power Rankings Part 1 | Group Chat

The first installment of The Ringer’s preseason NBA power rankings focuses on the bottom five teams in the league, starting with the Sacramento Kings and moving through the Bucks, Nets, Clippers, and Bulls. The hosts mix serious roster analysis with the show’s trademark comedy and digressions, but the core theme is clear: these teams are all entering the season with major questions about direction, development, and whether their current construction can lead anywhere meaningful.

Main Takeaways

  • The Kings are the consensus worst team in the league on the panel, largely because the roster still feels stuck in limbo between trying to compete and trying to rebuild.
  • The Bucks have more depth than expected, but not much structural coherence, and their post-Giannis future is starting to loom large.
  • The Nets are committed to the long rebuild, but there’s uncertainty about how much real upside exists in the current mix of veterans and prospects.
  • The Clippers are in a true reset cycle, with injuries and a thin future outlook pushing the conversation toward a full teardown.
  • The Bulls may be the most fun bad team in the league, thanks to pace, youth, and several intriguing new pieces, especially Caleb Wilson.

Team-by-Team Breakdown

30. Sacramento Kings

The Kings are viewed as the clear bottom team because their roster still looks muddled and incomplete.

  • Roster direction is unclear: They moved on from some veterans, but the team still features a lot of the same core issues.
  • Darius Acuff is the center of hope, but as a young guard, he will face the usual rookie learning curve.
  • Domantas Sabonis remains the best and most valuable player on the roster, but he may be more useful to the Kings as a stabilizing force than as a trade chip.
  • The team still has awkward veteran overlap with players like Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan remnants, Malik Monk, and DeAndre Hunter-type roles creating a messy middle.
  • The panel’s “death pool”/trade-value question centered on which player is most likely to be moved first:
    • DeAndre Hunter was seen as a likely early trade candidate because of his contract and perceived marketability.
    • Malik Monk was also discussed as a player whose value may have slid.
    • Sabonis was considered the most valuable, but also the hardest to move.

Bottom line: The Kings may be slightly more focused without some of the old noise, but they still look like a team headed for another ugly season.

29. Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks were not everyone’s bottom pick, but they still land near the basement because of uncertainty around the roster’s fit and direction.

  • There’s more depth than people might expect, but depth alone doesn’t solve a lack of synergy.
  • Tyler Herro and Kyle Kuzma came up as major question marks for the Bucks’ reshaped offense and rotation.
  • The panel sees the roster as a “lot of guys” team, with cannibalized minutes and unclear hierarchy.
  • The team’s future after Giannis is hanging over everything, even if he is still present now.
  • Kel’el Ware was a major bright spot discussed:
    • The hosts want to see him get more room to develop.
    • They were hopeful about his defensive tools, rebounding, and rim-running.
  • Damian Lillard was referenced as part of the overall shifting reality of the Bucks’ roster situation.
  • Tyler Herro emerged as the key question:
    • Can he expand his game beyond tough-shot creation?
    • Or is he stuck in the “good sixth man / energy scorer” lane?
    • The panel noted that his shooting and playmaking still come with real limitations.

Bottom line: Milwaukee has enough playable NBA talent to avoid total collapse, but the fit is shaky and the post-Giannis transition is clearly underway.

28. Brooklyn Nets

The Nets are committed to a long rebuild, but the roster still raises major questions about timeline and upside.

  • Michael Porter Jr. vs. Julius Randle became a big point of debate:
    • One side argued Randle is more valuable in a vacuum.
    • Another argued Porter Jr. is the more valuable trade asset because of his role type and shooting.
  • Porter Jr. remains a major “make-good” candidate, especially after comments about not trying hard enough when he missed the All-Star team.
  • The Nets have a lot of ball-handlers, but not enough core pieces, and the panel is unsure what the actual plan is.
  • Young players like Egor/D’Mytrik-type prospects, Nolan Traoré, and others were discussed as promising but still very far from being a real foundation.
  • Noah Clowney and Josh Minott were singled out as intriguing developmental pieces.
  • Derik Queen / “Derrick Sharp” style interior players were discussed as useful complements, but not enough by themselves.
  • The team’s existential issue: whether Porter Jr. should be kept as part of the long-term plan or flipped for more assets.

Bottom line: Brooklyn is taking the long view, but it still doesn’t know exactly what the next competitive team is supposed to look like.

27. Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers were originally seen as a team with enough veteran depth to stay afloat, but injuries and uncertainty pushed them down the list.

  • Brandon Ingram’s injury news was a huge setback, especially given how central he looked to the team’s direction.
  • Other injury-related issues complicate the roster, including Bradley Beal’s status and other absences.
  • The team’s future is tied to a reset, not a competitive one:
    • The hosts argued the Clippers need to tear down the current structure and rebuild with younger players and draft capital.
    • “Starting over” was framed as the only real way to fix the franchise’s broader problems.
  • Darius Garland came up as a player who could potentially be moved if the Clippers decide to fully pivot.
  • Max Strus, Derrick Jones Jr., Rui Hachimura, and Chris Dunn were noted as the kinds of useful role players the Clippers tend to find.
  • Baba Miller got a positive mention as a developmental name worth watching.
  • Chris Dunn was highlighted as one of the league’s best perimeter defenders and a player who fits almost any good guard/wing ecosystem.

Bottom line: The Clippers don’t just have a basketball problem; they have a franchise identity problem. The panel thinks a real reset is the only sustainable path.

26. Chicago Bulls

The Bulls are bad, but in a more interesting and watchable way than some of the other teams near the bottom.

  • Caleb Wilson is the big reason for optimism:
    • He might be the best new addition in the league from a pure upside standpoint.
    • His athleticism, length, and two-way promise make him a potential breakout star.
  • The Bulls’ new direction is more honest and clarifying than in past seasons.
  • Josh Giddey remains the key structural question:
    • He’s useful as a passer, rebounder, and floor-raiser.
    • But the panel is skeptical that he can be a true centerpiece of a higher-level team.
    • His shooting has improved, but defenses still don’t fully respect him as a shooter.
  • The team’s playing style should be fast and chaotic, which could make them a strong League Pass watch.
  • Supporting pieces like Nikola Vučević, Coby White, Patrick Williams, and others remain part of the conversation, but the new youth movement is the story.
  • Tiago Splitter’s coaching and development approach was praised for potentially unlocking a faster, more modern Bulls team.
  • The hosts were excited by the possibility of a “Deni Avdija-style” development arc for Wilson, if the Bulls lean into his strengths.

Bottom line: Chicago still has roster flaws, but it finally feels like a team with a real direction—and Wilson could be a legitimate franchise-changing swing.

Other Notable Themes

The “Existential Question” Format

Each team discussion centered on a larger roster-building dilemma, such as:

  • Who gets moved first?
  • Is the veteran core still worth keeping?
  • Should the team tear down or keep chasing competitiveness?
  • Which young player is the most important to develop?

Trade Value and Contract Reality

A recurring theme was how the second apron, expiring deals, and bad fit reduce trade flexibility. Several players were discussed more as salary-matching pieces than as long-term assets.

League Pass Appeal vs. Win Total

The hosts repeatedly contrasted watchability with quality:

  • The Bulls may be one of the most fun teams to watch.
  • The Clippers and Kings may be among the least functional.
  • The Nets and Bucks sit somewhere in between, with future upside still uncertain.

Show Updates and Promos

  • The group announced a live show in Minneapolis:
    • Tuesday, October 27
    • Varsity Theater
    • Tickets available through The Ringer’s events page
  • They also teased “Group Chat Explains”, a new YouTube explainer series covering major NBA topics.

Final Thought

This episode sets the tone for the rest of the preseason rankings: the bottom of the NBA is full of teams with either broken timelines, unclear identities, or rebuilding projects that still need major patience. The Kings and Clippers look bleak, the Nets and Bucks are in transition, and the Bulls—despite being bad on paper—may end up being the most entertaining team in the bunch.