G League Power Rankings: Regular Season Week 9

We’ve officially entered the last full month of G League regular season action! With the stretch run fast approaching, it’s time for a fresh installment of Power Rankings.

The very top of the list is virtually unchanged. Long Island is once again the top dog as they continue to rack up win after win after win. And just like last week, they’re closely followed by the best in the West in Memphis and Stockton.

However, there is movement to take note of elsewhere. Most notably, South Bay has vaulted themselves right back into the top five following their recent strong play. In addition, after getting back to their winning ways, Cleveland has once again found themselves in the top ten.

Take a look at where things stand at the moment.

1. Long Island Nets

Record: 20-3 (3-0 this week)
Previous ranking: 1

It’s been over a month and a half since Long Island last suffered a defeat. And following yet another victory over Rio Grande Valley on Feb. 28, their winning streak is now at 14 with seemingly no signs of ending. They continue to absolutely dominate their opponents, with seven of their last eleven wins coming by 15 or more points and four by 20 or more points. While the defense continues to be smothering, the Nets’ offense has also shown some serious juice of late as they now rank eighth in points per game (118.0). This squad has firmly cemented themselves as the class of the G.

2. Memphis Hustle

Record: 17-5 (3-0 this week)
Previous ranking: 2

Seven-straight victories for Memphis, including five by double digits, has them currently locked in as the West’s number-one seed. The usual stalwarts of this team have been leading the way, with Kenneth Lofton Jr. averaging a double-double (19.2 PTS, 11.8 REB) and Jake LaRavia (16.8 PTS, 4.8 REB, 2.0 STL) also providing solid production over these past seven games. The Hustle have also received a big boost from Ziaire Williams of late, most recently dropping a team-high 24 points in his team’s Feb. 24 win over Ignite.  

3. Stockton Kings

Record: 16-6 (2-0 this week)
Previous ranking: 3

Stockton rookie guard Keon Ellis remains a key component of his team’s wildly successful regular season to this point. Currently first on the team in steals per game (1.6 STL) as well as their second-leading scorer (16.4 PTS), he was an absolute menace in their Feb. 28 victory over Cleveland. On top of logging 24 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, he also added 3 steals and 3 blocks, joining Iowa’s D.J. Carton as the only players to record that stat line in a regular season game so far. He'll continue to be a major piece with the playoffs getting closer by the day.

4. South Bay Lakers

Record: 15-7 (3-0 this week)
Previous ranking: 6

Cole Swider has stepped up in a massive way for South Bay over their past three games. In that span, Swider’s logged a team-high 23.7 points to go along with 8 rebounds per game while shooting 52.0% from three-point range on over 8 attempts per contest. He capped off his strong week by dropping career highs in points (37), rebounds (10) and made threes (8) on Feb. 25 against Iowa. Swider and these Lakers continue to rise up in the Western Conference standings while also still boasting top-five rankings in both offensive and defensive rating.

5. Delaware Blue Coats

Record: 16-7 (3-2 this week)
Previous ranking: 4

After suffering back-to-back defeats at the hands of Motor City, Delaware has quickly responded by rattling off three-straight wins. Coming off of his eye-popping showing at the Slam Dunk Contest during NBA All-Star, Mac McClung has gotten right back into a scoring groove. After going for an efficient 26 points and 5 assists in the Blue Coats’ Feb. 25 win in Greensboro, he followed it up with 31 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in a blowout victory against Westchester. The clear-cut second-best collective in the East, this team still very much looks like a legitimate threat. 

6. Mexico City Capitanes

Record: 15-8 (2-2 this week)
Previous ranking: 5

Top-tier production from its NBA veterans still is the main theme for this Mexico City collective. Alfonzo McKinnie has helped carry the scoring load over their past four games, posting just over 21 points per contest in addition to 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals over that stretch. Meanwhile, Kenneth Faried has been a straight-up force down low, as he’s currently third in the league in rebounding (12.0 REB) and second in blocks per game (2.1 BLK). He’s logged at least 13 rebounds and a block in six of his last eight games, including a pair of 19-rebound performances against Sioux Falls and Ontario. 

7. Maine Celtics

Record: 14-8 (1-1 this week)
Previous ranking: 7

Luka Samanic has continued to put together a supremely impressive regular season for Maine. He’s coming off a two-game set in Greensboro in which he logged 31 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in the opener and followed it up with a 27-point, 6-rebound effort the very next night. With those outings under his belt, he’s now the only eligible player in the G averaging at least 23 points and 8 rebounds per game. He very clearly remains the focal point of a Maine team that continues to boast the league’s best offensive rating (118.5) while also remaining near the top of the East.

8. Salt Lake City Stars

Record: 14-9 (2-0 this week)
Previous ranking: 9

Despite the loss of leading scorer Frank Jackson, Salt Lake City remains very much entrenched in the playoff mix following wins against Santa Cruz and Wisconsin. After Christian Vital led the way with a 24-point, 5-rebound effort against the Warriors, rookie Johnny Juzang (25 PTS, 4 REB) and Stacy Davis (24 PTS, 5 REB) were the catalysts behind a dominant victory over the Herd. With a top-three offense that ranks fifth in the G in points per game (119.4), this team clearly has what it needs to continue making some noise. 

9. Fort Wayne Mad Ants

Record: 13-10 (1-2 this week)
Previous ranking: 8

On a Mad Ants team that already features top-notch scorers like Trevelin Queen, Gabe York and Justin Anderson, Jermaine Samuels has still managed to put together a phenomenal rookie campaign. He’s logged double-doubles in each of his last four games, leading his team in rebounding (8.5 REB) on the season while also posting 1.6 steals and 1.1 blocks per contest. For a squad like Fort Wayne with one of the more high-scoring offenses in the league, Samuels’s two-way contributions clearly mesh very well.

10. Cleveland Charge

Record: 13-10 (3-1 this week)
Previous ranking: N/R

Winners of four of their last six games, Cleveland is right back in the thick of playoff contention after hitting a rough patch prior to the All-Star break. Sam Merrill, in particular, has played a major role in their recent resurgence, logging a team-high 20.5 points per game over their last four outings while shooting over 48% from three-point range in that span. That included his Feb. 22 performance against Greensboro in which he dropped 32 points and hit a franchise-record 10 three-pointers in a hard-earned road victory. This Charge team, which already has a top-notch defense, will certainly welcome any added offensive contributions they can get.