G League Power Rankings: Regular Season Week 6

With All-Star festivities fast approaching, it’s time for yet another installment of G League Power Rankings!

While things remain relatively the same near the top with Long Island still the top dog and Stockton not far behind, there are some significant risers. For one, Mexico City has vaulted itself into the top five after a perfect week of action. In addition, after going unranked last week, Delaware also finds itself among the five best teams in the G following a string of strong wins. 

Take a look at where everything stands at the moment.

1. Long Island Nets

Record: 15-3 (2-0 this week)
Previous ranking: 1

There’s seemingly no stopping the Long Island Nets right now, as it’s now nine-straight victories for the best team record-wise in the league. While David Duke Jr. (22.0 PTS, 6.0 REB, 4.0 AST) and Jordan Bowden (17.1 PTS, 4.2 REB) remain the go-to scoring options on what is still the G’s top defense, plenty of other guys have stepped up lately. Two-way signee Dru Smith contributed 24 points and 4 assists to help the Nets get a hard-earned victory against Motor City on Feb. 4. A few days later, Alondes Williams dropped a season-high 26 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in Long Island’s Feb. 7 win against Sioux Falls. 

2. Stockton Kings

Record: 12-4 (1-1 this week)
Previous ranking: 2

With eight players currently averaging 10 or more points per contest, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Stockton finds itself not only with a top-three offensive rating, but also at the top of the Western Conference once again. That kind of scoring depth was on full display this past week, as the Kings had six or more players score in double figures against both Oklahoma City and Motor City. Jordan Ford and D.J. Steward, in particular, stepped up in big ways; while Steward dropped a team-high 19 points versus the Blue, Ford followed that up with a 23-point effort in a win against the Cruise.

3. Mexico City Capitanes

Record: 13-5 (3-0 this week)
Previous ranking: 6

Five-straight wins for the Capitanes have them firmly in contention for a top seed in the playoffs. Just like early on in the regular season, it’s the team’s slew of NBA vets that have powered this run of dominance. While Mason Jones has carried a majority of the load offensively, Gary Clark has also provided some much-needed secondary scoring, most recently logging 29 points and 8 rebounds in an overtime victory against Iowa. In addition, Kenneth Faried has strung together a number of big games of late, with double-doubles in each of his last three outings.

4. Memphis Hustle

Record: 11-5 (2-1 this week)
Previous ranking: 4

It’s been quite the week for Kenneth Lofton Jr. in what’s already been a wildly successful rookie season. After back-to-back games of at least 30 points and 12 rebounds, including a 33-point, 15-rebound performance on Feb. 3, Lofton Jr. went out and recorded his first triple-double of the regular season in the Hustle’s Feb. 7 victory over Birmingham. Memphis’s leading scorer (20.6 PTS) and rebounder (9.9 REB), he continues to be the engine driving this team as they look to remain near the top of the West.

5. Delaware Blue Coats

Record: 11-5 (4-1 this week)
Previous ranking: N/R

By far the biggest riser in the rankings, Delaware is now second in the Eastern Conference following a stretch that included impressive wins against Memphis and Cleveland. While they still score at the third-highest rate (121.1 PTS) in the entire G, they’ve absolutely come alive on the defensive side of the ball. They rank fifth in defensive rating, first in steals per game (11.7), third in blocks per game (6.5), and first in opponent turnovers per game (19.3) so far in the regular season. Be on the lookout for this squad moving forward.

6. South Bay Lakers

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

With Scotty Pippen Jr. forced to miss some time, Shaq Harrison has carried the load on offense for this South Bay team. Over his last three games, Harrison is averaging 20.0 points and 8.3 assists per game, including back-to-back outings of at least 20 points and 10 assists against Ignite and Ontario. Thanks to him, the Lakers remain third in both offensive rating and net rating and, most importantly, remain in the hunt for one the Western Conference’s top playoff seeds.

7. Cleveland Charge

Record: 9-6 (0-4 this week)
Previous ranking: 3

In spite of a rough stretch of games to go along with some key absences, Jamorko Pickett has stepped up in a major way for Cleveland. He’s finished as the team’s leading scorer in each of their last four games, dropping at least 27 points in all of them including a 30-point, 8-rebound, 4-assist and 2-block effort against Raptors 905 on Feb. 4. Now averaging a little over 18 points and 8 rebounds per game in the regular season for the Charge, he’s also one of just six eligible players logging at least 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steals per contest. 

8. Capital City Go-Go

Record: 11-7 (2-1 this week)
Previous ranking: 9

Capital City is back on track thanks in no small part to some excellent Jules Bernard performances. After dropping a then-career-high 27 points to go along with 10 rebounds in the Go-Go’s Feb. 1 victory over Maine, he went out and bested that scoring total with a 29-point, 8-rebound effort not even a week later on Feb. 6 against Fort Wayne. Paired in the backcourt with Kris Dunn, who recently logged 14 steals in two games, they’ve provided boatloads of problems for their recent opponents.

9. Maine Celtics

Record: 11-7 (3-2 this week)
Previous ranking: 7

Marial Shayok’s strong overall play has continued over the past week. Over his last four games, he’s averaging 21.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists while shooting close to 57% from the field and 59% from three-point range on over 5 attempts per game. Easily his best performance during this stretch came on Feb. 1, when he flirted with a triple-double en route to logging 24 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals to help lead Maine to a victory over Capital City. He should obviously be expected to remain a go-to option on the league’s top-rated offense.  

10. Ontario Clippers

Record: 10-8 (1-2 this week)
Previous ranking: 8

Nate Darling and Xavier Moon (he plays among the stars) have been scoring the basketball at an extremely high level over the course of Ontario’s last four games. The team’s two leading scorers in that span, their recent play was best exemplified in the Clippers’ Feb. 5 win against South Bay. Darling and Moon each had 30+ points, with Moon dropping a career-high 36 points to go along with 6 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks while Darling added 30 points and 7 rebounds. They’ll certainly be at the forefront of everything Ontario does moving forward.