Community Shootaround: League Pass Rankings

For the seventh consecutive year, ESPN’s Zach Lowe has published his annual NBA League Pass Rankings, listing the NBA teams from No. 30 to No. 1 based on how watchable each club will be during the upcoming season. As Lowe explains in his intro, he considers several factors in his rankings, including a team’s popularity, highlight potential, playing style, and – of course – unintentional comedy.

Although the Warriors had landed atop Lowe’s rankings for four of the last five seasons, the defending champions finished a close third this year, with the Sixers and Celtics sneaking ahead of them. Lowe gave Philadelphia the slight edge for the No. 1 spot, pointing to his interest in Markelle Fultz as a deciding factor — whether Fultz starts to reach his potential or crashes and burns, it will be fascinating to watch.

Many of Lowe’s other choices in the top 10 don’t come as a real surprise — the new-look Lakers come in at No. 4, with the Nuggets and their dynamic offense rounding out the top five. Potential contenders like the Rockets (7), Bucks (8), Raptors (9), and Jazz (10) also show up near the top of the list, though the final team in the top 10 is an unexpected one. The Bulls come in at No. 6, with Lowe explaining that they earned high marks due to their “superficially fun offense, tidy [uniform and court] art, [and] players who deliver both highlights and gaffes.”

Lowe’s full top 15 can be found here, along with the bottom 15. But we want to know what your personal League Pass rankings would look like.

Outside of your favorite team(s), which clubs are you most looking forward to watching in 2018/19? Do you agree that the Sixers, Celtics, Warriors, and Lakers make up the top tier, or are there other teams that intrigue you more? Which club’s games are you most likely to seek out during the coming season?

Jump into the comment section below to share your thoughts!