Here are Team Chemistry Rankings to open up the 2013-2014 NBA season. The primary contenders are Miami, Indiana, Chicago, and Brooklyn from the East and San Antonio, Memphis, Golden State, Los Angeles (Clippers), and Oklahoma City from the West.
| Rank | Team | Notes | Previous |
| 1. | Miami Heat | The Heat are the preseason favorites to win the NBA Championship. Their bench remains deep with the additions of Michael Beasley, Roger Mason Jr., and Greg Oden. | (1) |
| 2. | San Antonio Spurs | Had the Spurs won the Championship last season, they would probably be ranked #1 to start the season. Their key offseason acquisition was Marco Belinelli, who looks to be groomed as Manu Ginobili's understudy. | (2) |
| 3. | Indiana Pacers | The Pacers have developed great chemistry since Frank Vogel took over as head coach. After losing to the Heat in a hard-fought seven-game series, they have really replenished their bench, with Luis Scola headlining the list of offseason acquisitions. | (3) |
| 4. | Chicago Bulls | With Derrick Rose finally returning from injury, the Bulls are ready to challenge for a top 4 playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. However, their bench is still mediocre and they will either need to have reserves step up or go out and acquire bench talent for the stretch run. | (7) |
| 5. | Memphis Grizzlies | The Grizzlies are at the peak of their rise with an aging core group. New head coach David Joerger is said to be the mastermind behind the team's dominant defense, so they should remain strong. However, they need to make their run for the Championship now. | (4) |
| 6. | Golden State Warriors | The Warriors lost key combo guard Jarrett Jack to free agency but appear to have a very balanced team, especially with the addition of swingman Andre Iguodala. They look to continue to develop this season and will have to decide if they need to make any additional changes to their core group to reach a Championship-caliber level of play. | (5) |
| 7. | Los Angeles Clippers | Low post offense remains a deficiency, but the Clippers are a contender this season. With coach Doc Rivers now in charge, look for the defense--led by center DeAndre Jordan--to reach new heights this season. | (9) |
| 8. | Oklahoma City Thunder | With minimal offseason additions made, the Thunder are becoming a stale team. They remain exciting to watch but will struggle early during the injury recovery of star guard Russell Westbrook. Oddly enough, the team may be stronger if Westbrook returns as a shooting guard next to young point guard Reggie Jackson. | (8) |
| 9. | Brooklyn Nets | Newly retired/new coach Jason Kidd was blessed with a very talented Nets squad for his first head coaching gig. The Nets are an older ballclub with good veteran savvy. Even with the changes, they still have good balance, but can they stay healthy enough to win in the playoffs? | (10) |
| 10. | Houston Rockets | The Rockets are a contender on paper but need a couple years to develop the chemistry needed to win it all. They will challenge for a lower playoff seed in the top-heavy Western Conference but have enough talent to pull off a first round upset. | (12) |
| 11. | Minnesota Timberwolves | The Timberwolves made some strong offseason moves, including the signing of free agent guard Kevin Martin and the drafting of rookie forward Shabazz Muhammad. If they can stay healthy, they are a playoff team. This has been the case the past 2 seasons, though. | (19) |
| 12. | Cleveland Cavaliers | Last season, the Cavaliers had enough talent to challenge for the #8 seed in the East. However, they did not play enough defense under former coach Byron Scott. With the return of coach Mike Brown and a successful offseason, the Cavs are ready to turn some heads this season. | (27) |
| 13. | Atlanta Hawks | The Hawks quietly remain a solid team with good team chemistry. The frontcourt duo of Al Horford and Paul Millsap should be strong on the offensive boards while the guards and swingmen are a strong perimeter-shooting bunch. | (13) |
| 14. | Washington Wizards | A healthy John Wall keeps the Wizards competitive in any game. Furthermore, the recent acquisition of center Marcin Gortat gives the frontcourt more versatility. This is a very young core group, but they seem like they will play and grow very well together. A low playoff seed is not out of the question. | (23) |
| 15. | New York Knicks | Guard Jason Kidd retired after the Knicks' tough 2nd round loss to the Pacers. The offseason acquisition of sharpshooting big man Andrea Bargnani helps stretch out their offense but their interior defense remains weak. Expect forward Metta World Peace to play some power forward at times to cover for this deficiency. | (6) |
| 16. | Denver Nuggets | Finally, Brian Shaw is getting a chance to be a head coach in the NBA. The Nuggets are getting younger, but this is looking more like a transitional year for them. Their success is riding on swingman Danilo Gallinari, who is returning from injury. As such, they may slip out of playoff contention this season. | (11) |
| 17. | Milwaukee Bucks | The Bucks have a decent core group but lack dominant star power. Earning a #8 playoff seed in the midst of coaching changes was well-deserved last season. With coach Larry Drew at the helm, the Bucks will remain a scrappy competitive team and may earn another playoff berth this season. | (15) |
| 18. | Utah Jazz | This may be the youngest team the Jazz have fielded since Karl Malone's rookie year in 1985-1986. The Jazz have enough talent to be competitive but need their young core group to rise to the occasion this season. If not, a lottery pick could solidify this young core group. | (17) |
| 19. | Dallas Mavericks | The Mavericks appear to be an odd combination of players. However, their collection of talent should be a strong defensive unit under coach Rick Carlisle, who enjoys efficiency on both sides of the court. The Mavs are targeting next season's crop of free agents, so any success this season will be seen as recruitment efforts for some additional talent next season. | (18) |
| 20. | Detroit Pistons | The Pistons only rank 20th in Team Chemistry to start the season, but they could be a really good group this year. President Joe Dumars built this team in a mold similar to the 2004 Championship squad and even brought back "Mr. Big Shot" Chauncey Billups. It would not be surprising to see them jump up in the rankings by the end of the season amidst a rally to the playoffs. | (24) |
| 21. | Toronto Raptors | The Raptors' primary talent is on the perimeter. If coach Dwane Casey can get the necessary defensive improvements out of this team, they should be able to score enough points to win games. If not, hopefully Casey will get to coach a team with more star talent from the Draft Lottery next season. | (20) |
| 22. | Charlotte Bobcats | The acquisitions of veteran center Al Jefferson and rookie post player Cody Zeller finally give the Bobcats their most balanced lineup since Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson were in town. They could be a surprise team in the East in possibly their last year as the "Bobcats"--they may become the new Charlotte "Hornets" as early as next season. | (30) |
| 23. | Boston Celtics | Coach Brad Stevens was a great college coach who may join the ranks of great college coaches who failed in the NBA. Despite the loss of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett via trade, the Celtics have enough talent to win. However, can Coach Stevens handle the personalities and egos of NBA veterans? | (14) |
| 24. | Los Angeles Lakers | Veteran leadership gives this Lakers team a chance to win in each game. However, minus the injured Kobe Bryant, the Lakers lack the right chemistry to be a contender. Do not expect coach Mike D'Antoni to last much longer in Hollywood. | (16) |
| 25. | New Orleans Pelicans | Small ball is the name of the game for the Pelicans, as a big portion of their offense will come from players 6'6" and under. Coach Monty Williams has done a good job developing young talent in New Orleans and was rewarded with a contract extension through 2015-2016. He now has a couple years to take this team into the playoffs. | (25) |
| 26. | Portland Trail Blazers | The worst thing that happens when a team overachieves is that expectations are set very high for the next season. In the case of the Trail Blazers, they are still very much in rebuilding mode and should not expect to win more than last year. They are still recovering from the loss of lottery picks Brandon Roy and Greg Oden and have not been the same since trading away veteran guard Andre Miller. | (21) |
| 27. | Orlando Magic | The Magic are early in their rebuilding plans and at least 2-3 years away from true playoff contention. They have a nice core group of young players, led by Arron Afflalo and Victor Oladipo. They should have some exciting games but may also get blown out a lot again this season. | (29) |
| 28. | Sacramento Kings | Former Suns guard/current Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson helped save professional basketball in the city, keeping the Kings franchise from moving to Seattle. However, new head coach Mike Malone has his work cut out for him dealing with a still maturing young core group of players, including the tough-to-coach center DeMarcus Cousins. | (27) |
| 29. | Phoenix Suns | The Suns added prized rising point guard Eric Bledsoe but later dealt away rising center Marcin Gortat. Playing up to their potential, they could challenge for a #8 seed. However, expectations are much, much lower and chemistry could be an issue early on. | (28) |
| 30. | Philadelphia 76ers | The Sixers traded away All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday for injured project rookie center Nerlens Noel. In full rebuilding mode, this season will not be pretty for them. This team could win as few as 15 games. | (22) |