G League Power Rankings: Regular Season Week 5

Another Wednesday means it’s time for yet another fresh edition of G League Power Rankings!

There’s plenty of noticeable movement to account for. For one, we have a new top dog for the third week in a row, and this time it’s the red-hot Long Island Nets. Meanwhile, other teams like Cleveland, South Bay and Ontario have continued their steady rise up in the rankings over the past week. In addition, Fort Wayne makes its first appearance of the regular season. 

Take a look at where everything stands at the moment.

1. Long Island Nets

Record: 13-3 (3-0 this week)
Previous ranking: 3

With the longest active winning streak in the G at seven-straight victories, Long Island has been on an absolute tear of late. In that span, they’ve outscored their opponents by a league-best 14.1 points per game, with six of the seven wins coming by double-digit margins. While the Nets’ top-ranked defense is the headliner, their backcourt of Jordan Bowden (16.9 PTS, 4.2 REB) and David Duke Jr. (21.7 PTS, 6.3 REB, 4.1 AST, 1.7 STL) continues to string together some excellent performances; one of the two has finished as the team’s leading scorer five times during this current streak.

2. Stockton Kings

Record: 11-3 (1-1 this week)
Previous ranking: 2

Big man Neemias Queta no doubt remains the biggest key to this Stockton team’s success on both sides of the ball. He is their leading scorer (16.7 PTS) and rebounder (8.0 REB), and not only are his 2.2 blocks per game also the best on the team, but it’s the third-best mark in the entire G. With Queta leading the way, the Kings own the league’s second-best offensive rating (118.0), are allowing the fourth-fewest points per game among all teams at 107.9, and are still very much in contention for the top seed in the West. 

3. Cleveland Charge

Record: 9-2 (1-0 this week)
Previous ranking: 4

Isaiah Mobley has been a model of consistency in what has been an excellent rookie season to this point. He’s recorded at least 20 points and 5 rebounds in seven of his eight regular season outings, is Cleveland’s leading rebounder at 9.0 per game, and is second on the team in scoring at 23.8 points per game. His 25-point, 7-assist, 5-rebound, 3-block performance on Jan. 25 against College Park was crucial in helping Cleveland earn a close victory to remain at the very top of the Eastern Conference.     

4. Memphis Hustle

Record: 9-4 (1-3 this week)
Previous ranking: 1

Despite his team hitting a rough patch, rookie Jacob Gilyard has broken out as a legitimately elite ball-handler of late. He’s recorded double-digit assist totals eight times in his last ten outings, with his 17 assists on Jan. 30 against Salt Lake City not only being a career high, but also the second-most by any player in a game this season. Now first in the league in assists per game at 9.8, he should be expected to continue orchestrating a Memphis offense that has the best assist-to-turnover ratio (2.03) in the entire G.

5. South Bay Lakers

Record: 8-4 (1-1 this week)
Previous ranking: 10

South Bay has been one of the most efficient two-way collectives so far in the regular season. They’re one of just two teams in the top ten in both offensive and defensive efficiency, with their +7.7 net rating good for third in the G. On top of logging the most points (122.5) and blocks (9.3) per game in the league, they also rank in the top five in assist-to-turnover ratio, effective field goal percentage, true shooting percentage and steals per game. With difference-makers on both offense (Scotty Pippen Jr., Bryce Hamilton, Devin Cannady, LJ Figueroa) and defense (Jay Huff, Shaq Harrison), this team is loaded.

6. Mexico City Capitanes

Record: 10-5 (2-1 this week)
Previous ranking: 6

What more is there to say about the regular season Mason Jones is having so far? Still the G’s second-leading scorer at 26.3 points per game, he most recently led the Capitanes to two riveting road victories against the Texas Legends. He had 29 points and 11 assists, including the game-winner at the buzzer, in the first game of the series and followed that up with a 39-point, 6-rebound performance to complete the sweep. Thanks in no small part to his massive contributions, Mexico City still finds itself near the top of the Western Conference standings.  

7. Maine Celtics

Record: 8-5 (0-2 this week)
Previous ranking: 5

With leading scorer Luka Samanic still out of the lineup, Maine has turned to its other weapons on offense to carry the load. Marial Shayok, most notably, has stepped up in a massive way of late for this team. Over his last three games, he’s averaging 27.3 points while shooting 59.3% from the field, including 45.8% from three-point range. Now second on the team in scoring at 20.3 points per game while also posting a little over 4 rebounds and 4 assists per outing, the league’s number-one offense will surely continue to lean on his scoring prowess moving forward.

8. Ontario Clippers

Record: 9-5 (1-1 this week)
Previous ranking: 9

Nova Scotia’s finest Nate Darling has had himself quite the stretch of games over the past week and a half. He’s averaging over 26 points per game while shooting better than 47% from three-point range over his last four outings, having hit at least four threes in each of them. While him and backcourt mate Xavier Moon (20.0 PTS, 5.4 AST, 1.6 STL, 1.5 BLK) have paced the offense, this Ontario team has also developed a very formidable defense. Ranked third in defensive rating, they’ve held their opponents to just 105.3 points per game, the best mark in the G.

9. Capital City Go-Go

Record: 9-6 (1-2 this week)
Previous ranking: 5

The strong two-way play of Kris Dunn continues to stand out on this Capital City squad. On top of being among the team leaders in scoring (15.2 PTS), he’s recorded two or more steals in each of his last six games. Thanks in large part to this current run, he’s now tied for third in the league in steals per game at 2.1. Along with Craig Sword (7.8 PTS, 1.6 STL, 1.0 BLK), Dunn’s been a major part of a Go-Go defense that has recorded the second-most steals per game (10.1) and has also forced opponents to turn the ball over at the second-highest rate per game (19.1).

10. Fort Wayne Mad Ants

Record: 8-5 (2-1 this week)
Previous ranking: N/R

Fort Wayne is right in the heat of playoff contention thanks in large part to the massive production they’re getting out of Gabe York and Justin Anderson. York has been the engine behind this Mad Ants offense, continuing to pace the team in scoring at 24.1 points per game and most recently taking home Player of the Week honors for the third time this season. Meanwhile, Anderson is one of only two eligible players averaging at least 22 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per contest, having recently popped off for a 37-point performance with York sidelined in Fort Wayne’s Jan. 28 victory against Lakeland.