10 Storylines around the Association
1. The Process worked
Sure, it had its warts. The architect, Sam Hinkie, was deposed of his job before the Process bore fruit. Jahlil Okafor, the 3rd overall pick in 2015, can't even fetch a second-round pick on the trade market. Also, Markelle Fultz, the 1st overall pick this year, may not know how to shoot and has been sidelined a month over what may be a nonexistent shoulder problem.
However, because of the sheer all-around brilliance of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, none of that matters anymore. The Process was put into motion with the sole goal of acquiring a franchise altering talent. The 76ers got two of them, and maybe even three if Fultz can pull it together. Simmons is the second-coming of Magic Johnson; he is the team's point guard but can defend any position on the court. Simmons is averaging 18.6 points on a ridiculously efficient 50.7% from the field, along with 9.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 2.2 steals. Even though he treats 3 pointers like the flu, he can glide his way into the paint with ease using his strength and advanced ball-handling skills.
Embiid is a two-way stud who has terrorized everything in his path so far. The team performs like the best defense in the league when he's on the court, conceding an absolutely stifling 99.6 points per 100 possessions. Embiid's pterodactyl-like wingspan of 7'7 allows him to swat anything in his path. He's also just as indestructible on offense as he is on defense. He may have the most polished post game in the league, as well as an ability to stroke it from downtown and serve as a playmaker at the top of the key. He really can do it all.
While Simmons and Embiid have exceeded everyone's wildest expectations, they are not the only components of the 76ers' success. Coach Brett Brown is an excellent motivator and tactician. Robert Covington has become the best 3 and D player in the NBA, Dario Saric is crafty as ever and JJ Redick is lighting the net on fire with his scorching 40.3% from 3. The 76ers lineup of Simmons-Embiid-Covington-Saric-Redick has statistically been the best 5 man pairing so far this season, blitzing opponents by 20.4 points per 100 possessions. They are playing positionless basketball led by two stars who are both 23 years old and under.
The past is littered with wreckage, but the present and future of the 76ers are going to make it all worth it.
2. What's going on with the Thunder?
After 21 games, nobody in their right minds would have predicted the Thunder would only have 9 wins. It's been ugly to watch. Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony have not meshed well at all. What should have been a whirring offense with cuts, screens and ball movement to spring open the three studs has been an all-too-familiar brand of iso-heavy basketball. The trio has been downright average when sharing the court, only outscoring opponents by a respectable yet underwhelming 4.7 points per 100 possessions. The offense just has not clicked.
There is tons of hope, however. As horrid as the Thunder have been in the 4th quarter, they have shown spurts of just how unstoppable they can be in the 1st quarter, where that same trio creams opponents by a staggering 29.1 points per 100 possessions. The Thunder also has some encouraging and quality wins under its back. They picked apart a healthy Warriors team and put away a quality Minnesota squad recently. Billy Donovan's group also is the third best defensive team in the league, yielding only 100.7 points per 100 possessions.
Chalking up the Thunder's slow start to the three stars taking time to mesh well and play off each other's tendencies would be wise, rather than declaring the whole situation a failure. The Thunder will be fine, in fact, they will probably be terrifying soon. George, Andre Roberson and Jerami Grant make up a versatile and athletic wing trio that can guard any position. Steven Adams is playing the best ball of his career. Pat Patterson is still shaking off the rust after offseason knee surgery, and should be a valuable contributor soon.
This team is going to make a run in the regular season where they will look like the best team in the association. It's only a matter of when not if.
3. Break up the Celtics!
Well, the Celtics season has already gone through a roller-coaster of emotions. Initially, there was the hype of a Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving led squad making real noise in the East. Then, Hayward suffered a gruesome leg injury in the first six minutes of the season. Hope seemed lost. But, out of nowhere, Irving, Al Horford and youngsters Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum led the team to an 18 game win streak. Even without Hayward, this rendition of the Celtics are the real deal, and it's only the beginning.
While Kyrie has lifted his and his teammate's games to new heights, and Brad Stevens remains one of the top coaches in the league, Boston's true unsung hero has been Horford. At 31-years old, Horford played most of his career with the under-the-radar Hawks and submitted a solid albeit unspectacular first season with the team last year. But so far, Horford has been Boston's MVP. He's currently anchoring the best defense in the league, he can stick with speedy wings on the perimeter, knock down a scorching 44% of his threes and serve as a quality secondary playmaker. Also, he rarely makes mistakes.
Brown and Tatum's play thus far would have been a welcome development in and of itself, but there are plenty more reasons GM Danny Ainge should be downright giddy about his team's future. Hayward, still only 27 years old, will return next season. They own the Lakers pick as long as it doesn't fall into the 2-5 pick range. They own the disintegrating Grizzlies' future 1st rounder, as well as another from the Clippers. The Celtics may be looking at the rosiest future in the league, right alongside their Process rivals.
4. James Harden is the MVP and Houston is scary
Well, what do you know? The only team in the league with the luxury of having 48 minutes of Hall of Fame point guard play between Chris Paul and James Harden sports the best record in the league and looks completely unstoppable. Shocking.
The pairing has been mostly seamless. When Paul mans the fort by himself, the Rockets crush opponents by more than 16 points per 100 possessions, and while Harden is alone, the Rockets still are 13 points per 100 possessions better than their opponents. However, their chemistry is still a work in progress, as that number drops to a more pedestrian 6 points per 100 possessions when the two share the floor. I know, a real problem the Rockets have on their hands.
The team is killing opponents even though Paul missed virtually a month of the season, thanks to Harden's MVP level performance. The Bearded One is averaging 31.9 points and 9.8 assists on a cool 40.3% from deep. He is practically unguardable. Play him up close, and he will zoom to the rim or unleash a devastating step-back jumper once the defender attempts to recover. Giving Harden room to shoot is not an option, as evidenced by his excellent three-point shooting numbers. Seriously, how do you stop this?
You don't.
This is the final stage of wacky GM Daryl Morey's Moneyball dreams. The Rockets treat midrange jumpers like quicksand, only opting for those juicy, high-efficiency threes or layups. Harden and Paul are surrounded by the perfect supporting cast. The three defensive hounds, Trevor Ariza, P.J. Tucker and Luc Mbah a Moute, pulverize opponents by over 21 points per 100 possessions and sport the best defensive rating in the league at 96.2 when they share the court together. Ryan Anderson is the stretch-four Paul never got to play with in LA, and the two already have developed excellent chemistry, usually ending with a wide-open Anderson triple splashing through the net. Lastly, there are Eric Gordon and Clint Capela, possibly the team's two best players after Paul and Harden. Capela, at only 22-years-old, is growing up before our eyes. He's a mean defender and constant ally oop threat, while Gordon should win the 6th man of the year running away. Yup, this team is stacked.
5. The Grizzlies are imploding
This has been tough to watch. Two of Grit N' Grind's founding fathers have left, in Tony "The Grindfather" Allen and Zach Randolph. The team has lacked an identity all season and is currently starting 2nd round pick Dillon Brooks and retread Ben McLemore, who has never been the same since Kawhi Leonard scarred him for life. (Note: on the linked video, viewer discretion is advised). They fired their coach, David Fizdale, after a 7-11 start and multiple run-ins with his star center, Marc Gasol, who is about to be a grizzled (I couldn't help myself) 33 years old. Their next best players, Mike Conley and Chandler Parsons, are both on mega-deals through 2020 and have serious Achilles and knee injuries that could short-circuit their respective careers. All is well.
Need a small morsel of hope? Well, Tyreke Evans is averaging 18 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists on a fantastic 42.7% from three. Alas, Evans is a free agent this summer and the Grizzlies are capped out so even that may end miserably for Memphis.
It seems like a ripe opportunity to rebuild for the Grizzlies, seeing as this upcoming draft class is top heavy and Gasol and Conley still have decent trade value. Siphon them off for picks, and along with their own 2018 1st round pick, replenish the cupboard with three young players with the potential to guide the team into a new era.
The issue is that Memphis is the smallest market in the league, and losing could cripple the team and city financially. It's not like tanking is not an option, it's just a much more delicate situation than say, Chicago currently undergoing a Bulls rebuild, but with a big market to fall back on. Pulling the plug on what has been a glorious era of seven straight playoff appearances for the chance to draft a superstar is risky, especially if you whiff on that draft pick, which Memphis has (see Hasheem Thabeet and OJ Mayo, both former top 4 picks who are currently out of the league). Then what? Have a bad team with no hope?
A turnaround is far from inconceivable if everyone heals up quickly. Gasol is still a gorgeous passer who can bomb away from three and anchor a defense. Conley, a crafty scorer and nagging defender himself, has excellent chemistry with Gasol. Parsons, while egregiously overcompensated at $23 million a year, can still serve as a quality playmaking wing. Sprinkle in Evans' newfound passing wizardry and you have a solid core four. Alas, Evans, Conley, Gasol and Parsons get outscored by 13 points per 100 possessions when they share the court.
Oh well, it just doesn't seem like the Grizzlies' year.
6. The Cavs are surging
After a pitiful, lackluster and hopeless beginning to the season where the Cavs couldn't defend a mannequin, LeBron James' squad has pulled itself together. Perhaps the slow start could be attributed to playing Derrick Rose, who has become an anemic defender and horrid shooter. Rose is now away from the team due to personal reasons.
A promising development has been coach Ty Lue finally slashing LeBron's minutes. Before a recent three-game stretch, the 32-year-old James was clocking a league-high 38 minutes a night. Over the past 5 games, that number has mercifully dropped to 35.
The Cavs' resurgence, a current 11 game winning streak, can also be attributed to the brilliant play of Dwyane Wade and Kyle Korver off the bench. When the two share the court, they have an impressive 17.2 net rating, and score better than the Warriors on a points per possession basis. At 35-years-old, Wade may be a tad rickety, but he has transformed into possibly the craftiest player in the league, contorting his body to convert difficult scores and keeping the ball moving on offense. Korver is his usual flammable self from deep, converting a stellar 44.4% of his makes beyond the arc. The two lead a bench unit alongside the polarizing Jeff Green, Channing Frye and Cedi Osman that holds its own and affords LeBron that crucial extra bit of rest.
The Cavs are playing great ball, and they have stiffened up their defense while maintaining a top 4 offense. It will be interesting to see Isaiah Thomas join this thriving group.
7. Beware the Bucks
Before saving their season by trading for Eric Bledsoe, the Bucks were struggling. They sported a measly 4-5 record despite nightly herculean efforts from Giannis Antetokounmpo. But since giving up reserve big Greg Monroe and a 1st round draft pick laced with protections for the athletic Bledsoe, the Bucks are now 12-8.
Bledsoe, a guard blessed with otherworldly athleticism and brute strength, is exactly what the Bucks craved. When Giannis would drive into the teeth of the defense and kick out to teammates, no one was explosive enough to make anything happen. Kris Middleton, Malcolm Brogdon and Tony Snell are all fine, well-rounded players, although none of them have the off-the-bounce verve to make true dents in a defense. Enter Bledsoe, who upon receiving a kick out-pass, immediately bolts to the rim with ferocity. It's not always pretty; Bledose is a lacking 28% from three and is way too careless with the ball at times. But the positives vastly outweigh the negatives.
The Bucks new starting lineup of Bledsoe-Snell-Middleton-Giannis-John Henson has been killing it, outscoring opponents by 22 points per 100 possessions while posting excellent offensive and defensive metrics. This is all without possibly the 2nd best player on the team, Jabari Parker, who is nearing the end of his rehab over the second torn ACL of his career. Parker was pouring in a cool 20 points per game and knocking down three-pointers at an above average rate before he re-injured himself last season. The Bucks are an ever-evolving specimen.
No matter what seed they end up with, the Bucks are going to be a nightmare to play in the postseason. Nobody wants to deal with a defense applying constant pressure in the form of sprawling wingspans, then having to account for a seven-foot, do-it-all alien in Giannis Antetokounmpo. Buckle up, because if the Bucks are going down, they are going down fighting.
8. What to make of the Lakers
So, the Lakers are not exactly world-beaters. Their starting lineup is getting consistently outscored, their highest scorer is rookie Kyle Kuzma at only 16.5 points per game, and after four seasons of ineptitude, no one has proven they are a franchise-changing talent a la Embiid, Simmons or Giannis.
Now for the bright side: Lonzo Ball, Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the 5 Lakers with the most promise for the future, are absolutely dominating as a group when all on the floor. With an average age of 21.8 years old, that group is shredding teams to the tune of over 28 points per 100 possessions. That's dominant, and it's only the Lakers fourth most used lineup. The expectations heaped onto Ball before the season inherently set him up to underwhelm, while in reality, he leads his team in rebounds (7.1) and assists (7.1) and has proven he has special court vision. The kid just turned 20, give him time.
Ingram may be the Lakers' best player, and his improvement from year 1 to year 2 has been noteworthy. He's noticeably bulked up from the twig he was last season, and he uses his slight frame to slither his way to the rack, where he isn't afraid of contact. The result has been some truly nice plays that foreshadow a true problem for opponents down the road.
Lakers fans will scoff at this, but unless any of the young players become a full-fledged superstar, they are looking at a solid playoff team that tops out in the second round. For a city and franchise accustomed to a rings or bust attitude, that statement must hurt. But Ball's shot is broken, they have no draft pick this year and all that cap space may not be used if no one of consequence wants to flock to a lottery team.
Rob Pelinka and Magic Johnson are a much more competent pairing than Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss, and they will navigate these uncertain waters admirably. Hopefully, the Lakers come out of this multi-year rebuild with something to be proud of. As of now, it's been nothing special.
9. The Spurs are good, again
The Spurs are going to be winning 50 games a season until the end of eternity. Playing most of the season without two of their three best players, Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker, the Spurs are still sitting at 15-7. It all starts with the culture. Gregg Popovitch and RC Buford have cultivated an atmosphere of trust, hard-work and unselfishness, and the results speak for themselves. 5 championships in 20 years, multiple draft hits and shrewd signings make for an unstoppable monster with no signs of slowing down. At this point, the Spurs could be throwing out my 50-year-old uncle for 30 minutes a night, and he would probably do just fine.
This year's underrated move was signing Rudy Gay, who of course has morphed into a versatile, elastic wing player who scores and defends admirably, to a below-market deal. Gay can be used in positionless lineups when needed, such as whenever the Spurs play the Warriors.
LaMarcus Aldridge has also resuscitated his career after two lackluster seasons with the Spurs. He's averaging 23 points and 8 rebounds on an efficient 51.7% from the field. After a heart-to-heart talk with Pop over the offseason, Aldridge is back to his old tricks, terrorizing teams with his skyscraper-high release and underrated defensive chops.
Come playoff time, the Spurs can bust out a lineup of Kawhi, Gay, Danny Green, Manu Ginobili and Brandon Paul that can lock up all five positions and play five-out on offense. Pop probably has many lethal lineup combinations up his sleeve. Never forget this was a team undressing the Warriors until Kawhi went down with an ankle injury. That team just added Rudy Gay. Pray Kawhi comes back soon. The league is not the same without him.
10. Is Donovan Mitchell the best rookie?
For this exercise, Ben Simmons does not count, since he was drafted in 2016, and is clearly the best player from both classes. But Mitchell has been the most impressive rookie drafted in 2017. He's been a welcoming revelation to a Jazz team dealing with injuries to Rudy Gobert, Rod Hood (shocker), Joe Johnson and Dante Exum. Mitchell slid to the 13th pick this year for a multitude of silly reasons. One, he was a tad "old" for the draft at 21-years-old. Two, he didn't really have a position between point guard and shooting guard. Lastly, teams simply did not see a special player.
Boy has Mitchell proved everybody wrong. The Jazz are outscoring teams by 4 points per 100 possessions and playing stifling defense when the rookie out of Louisville is on the court. Mitchell has been a blast of energy for a slow-paced Jazz team. He plays gritty defense, is not afraid of the big moments at all and is becoming a complete scorer before our eyes. In fact, Mitchell recently joined a very elite clique when he exploded for a career-high 41 points against the Pelicans. The only other players to score 40 plus points in their rookie season are LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Blake Griffin, Carmelo Anthony and Eric Gordon. Jazz fans should be giddy looking at that stat.
Not all is lost in a post-Gordon Hayward world. Rudy Gobert surrounded by Mitchell, Hood, quick wing Alec Burks and wily veteran Joe Ingles could be a nightmare to score on and attempt to defend. The Jazz are a mini-Spurs in that they have sound coaching in Quin Snyder and management in Dennis Lindsey.
While it sounds crazy, Mitchell has been more impressive than Jayson Tatum, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Dennis Smith, De'Aaron Fox, Josh Jackson and so on. He's a two-way force, and he's going to lead Utah out of basketball mediocrity.
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