Brooklyn moved up five spots in the NBA Power Rankings after a 3-1 week

The The Brooklyn Nets have been labeled as one of the worst teams in the NBA entering the 2025-26 campaign. They looked the part early, posting an 0-7 record with multiple embarrassing performances to open the year. However, Jordi Fernandez’s side has bounced back lately, posting a 6-10 record in their last 16 games.

The Nets won three of four games last week, beating the Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Pelicans. That part moved them from 29 to 24 in the Athletic’s latest NBA power rankings.

“This Nets team wasn’t supposed to be good, and they’ve lost four times as many games as they’ve won in the first 20 games of the season. It’s the worst start for the Nets since the franchise was in New Jersey and went 1-19 in 2009. This is the worst defense Brooklyn has ever had, especially as they struggle to defend inside. If you want the Nets to lose, they’re still in decent lottery shape,” Lo Murray wrote.

The Nets finished ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans, Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings and Chicago Bulls on the list.

The Nets moved up five spots to No. 24 in the latest NBA Athletics rankings

The defensive rebound has fueled Brooklyn’s better play over the past month. After last ranking with a 128.5 defensive rating during its 0-7 start, the rebuilding team has posted a 115.9 rating over its last 16 games, 17th best in the league. The revamped frontcourt of Michael Porter Jr., Noah Clowney and Nic Clacton performed well in this respect.

The trio also impressed offensively. Porter Jr. played at an All-Star level after Cam Thomas’ hamstring injury, averaged 28.2 points on 51/42/83 shooting in his last 13 appearances. The Nets went 6-7 in those games.

Meanwhile, Clacton and The Clowns turned in career-best offensive stretches as supporting parts.

The Nets fell to sixth place with a score of 3-1 draft lottery list. They are 3.5 games behind the Pelicans for first, 2.5 behind the Wizards for second and half a game behind the Clippers, Kings and Pacers, who are tied for third.

Brooklyn will return to action on Friday against the Dallas Mavericks. The team will then return home for matchups with the Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors.