NBA: Mid-Season Impressions
Numerically speaking, we are really close to the halfway point of the NBA season with every team playing nearly 41 games, which gives us a great sense of where teams are headed going into the second half of the season. Coming as no surprise, the reigning champions in Golden State are taking care of business as expected, which should be celebrated, but it's the Houston Rockets who have had the league buzzing in recent weeks. Then moving on to the Eastern Conference, LeBron James has cemented, liquefied, and repaved his spot as the greatest player in the galaxy, while Boston and Toronto have emerged as legit contenders (or hopefuls) to dethrone the King. Before getting too carried away, let's get into another segment of the Good, the Bad, the Whelming, and everything else in between.
GOOD - DeMar DeRozan is Finally Shooting Threes: Today's NBA is all about spacing the floor and the Toronto Raptors have finally adjusted to modern play. No other player on Toronto has adopted to today's style of play more than DeMar DeRozan, who has been a career underachiever from beyond the arc. DeRozan didn't convert at high rate nor did he attempt enough shots, however this year is a vastly different. DeRozan has converted a respectable 37.0 percent of his attempts from deep while taking a shade over three attempts per game. To give those numbers proper context: He only converted 29.2 percent from deep while only taking 1.7 threes a game for his career. Not only is DeRozan shooting better from long range, he's a better overall player, which has seemingly turned Toronto into a dangerous team. He is averaging a career high in assists with 4.9, taking three less shots than last year (20.7) but also shooting 48.6 percent overall from the field which is his highest mark since his rookie year. The Raptors are currently 27-10 sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference but also looking like a revamped Toronto squad who appeared to have hit their ceiling two seasons ago.
GOOD - LeBron James Isn't Human: LeBron James is so good that he doesn't even belong in the good category. LeBron honestly deserves an entire article dedicated solely to his greatness - which I may or may not be writing. Anyway, what James is doing at age 33 with the amount of minutes he's logged is unprecedented in any sport, not just basketball. Humans simply don't perform this well for this long, which leads me to conclude that Mr. James might be from another planet or maybe even another galaxy. In his 15th season, James is averaging 27.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, 9.1 assists on 55.8 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from deep. LeBron is third in scoring behind James Harden (32.3) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (28.9) and technically second in assists trailing Russell Westbrook (10.1) while tying with James Harden (9.1). If no one is counting the free throw line, LeBron’s career has never had a significant drop-off in production. He's been the definition of consistency for 15 years. And with the way James is playing, he could give the world 15 more years, which might cause him to literally turn into a goat.
GOOD - Victor Oladipo Doesn't Miss OKC: It seems as though Pacers shooting guard Victor Oladipo has found his home in Indiana ... again. The former Indiana Hoosier is averaging 24.9 points on 49.2 percent from the field and a scorching 42.1 percent from deep, which are all averages well beyond his stint in Oklahoma. Oladipo has set out to prove many of his detractors wrong by showing the NBA world that he was worthy of being an important piece in the Paul George trade and not just some add-on like many thought. From the looks of things, Indiana may have won the trade in the long run because of George's uncertainty in OKC but also because of how well Domantas Sabonis is also playing right now. For whatever reason, neither player fit with Russ and Co. and honestly it was for the better. Oladipo will more than likely make his first All-Star appearance this year because of his growth and consistency which may even garner support for the Most Improved Player.
GOOD - Houston Might Be a Problem: Just a few weeks ago the Rockets were the hottest team in the league having won 14 straight games, which was directly related to the return of the “Point Gawd” Chris Paul. He had been out with a nagging knee injury and had missed 17 games but when he returned, he showed everyone why he's still the best pure point guard in the league. During their impressive win streak the Rockets were winning by an average of over 15 points and even blew the Nuggets out by 30. And defensively the Rockets haven't been better. During their win streak, Houston was ranked top five in defense, smothering teams with their wing versatility and ability to switch where needed. P.J. Tucker, Trevor Ariza, and Luc Mbah a Moute have all shined on the defensive side of the ball. Not to mention Clint Capela was blocking 1.9 shots per game. And let’s not forget their historic three-point shooting! Houston is averaging 43.5 threes a game which can be viewed as a gift and a curse. The Rockets have since cooled off going a pedestrian 3-7 in their last 10 games, but if their 14 straight victories are any indication of good they can be, some fishing trips might be delayed.
BAD - The Refs: Fortunately (and unfortunately) I'm not a NBA player, so I can't get fined $25,000 for voicing my opinion about the way officiating has gone this season. From the missed foul call on LeBron James on Christmas, Giannis stepping out of bounds for the win against the Thunder, and to Shaun Livingston getting ready to rumble, it's no secret that the refs have seen better days. The NBA recently announced that they will be meeting during All-Star Weekend to discuss the way the game has been seen from a refereeing standpoint. That's not to say things will be fixed, after all the festivities will be taking place in Los Angeles, but they are willing to discuss these issues which is very important. People forget that the refs are human which means they aren't perfect. Refs are under immense pressure to do their job with minimal mistakes as possible. A player can easily miss a shot the same way a call can be missed so no reason to be so hard on them. Let's just hope they come up with some solutions for a better second half of the season and beyond.
BAD - Being a Rookie Isn't Easy: There are a few rookies who are quietly having bad seasons who aren't getting talked about and I'm sure they'd probably prefer to keep it that way. I suspect they are all going under the radar because there was a Lonzo Ball story hot off the press almost every hour of every day since draft night. While Ball's shortcomings have been routinely documented there are a few rookies like Malik Monk who seem to be having a tough time adjusting to the NBA thus far. Monk is averaging less minutes (13.8) than Warriors rookie Jordan Bell (14.8) and Jordan plays for the gosh darn Warriors. Monk wasn't the fastest, strongest, or most explosive player in college but he was one of the best shooters and it just hasn't translated yet, only converting 34.2 percent off his attempts for 5.6 points per contest. Indiana Pacers forward T.J. Leaf isn’t having a good crack at it either only averaging 9.3 minutes per game on a team that could use some shooting. Leaf’s case is unique since it’s easy to see why Indiana drafted the former UCLA forward when he gets playing time. Leaf is shooting 51.7 percent from deep and 47.3 percent overall. He just needs to find a way to earn more minutes. Portland rookie Zach Collins is another player who has yet to find his footing. To be fair, Collins is more of a project than someone who could help right away. He will eventually come into his own as stretch four, but at the moment he's a face up player who was primarily used as a finisher at Gonzaga with tremendous efficiency. Collins is shooting 38.3 percent from the field compared to his ridiculous 65.2 percent as a Bulldog. But never fear, these players and others just need more time to develop.
BAD - Memphis Has Lost Its Grit: Nobody would've guessed that the Memphis Grizzlies would be a bottom three team this season but it's happening. Granted, Mike Conley is hurt and there is still no timetable for his return. However, there may be no reason for him to even suit up again this season. Conley has battled back from a fractured face, a broken back, and an Achilles injury, but Memphis has never been this bad. As great as Marc Gasol is, he’s still a center who needs to be given the ball to be effective and with no elite guards on the roster, Memphis was destined to suffer without Conley. The Grizzlies are 29th in scoring only putting up 98.9 points a night with an offensive rating of 105.6 placing them 25th in the league. That might cut it in the 90's but not in today's NBA full of intricate and detailed offenses. It's just best for Memphis to be as bad as possible to finally get a high lottery pick actually worth something.
WHELMING - Deer Aren't So Scary After All: With all the length in Milwaukee there really isn’t a reason for them to be so bad defensively. Every now and then the Bucks look like they turned a corner to compete with the best in the league and then they look like a deer caught in the headlights. Giannis Antetokounmpo is absolutely phenomenal this season, which has earned him the No. 1 vote getter for the All-Star game after the first returns, but he can't cover every defensive breakdown. They are dead last in rebounding but somehow manage to place third in opponent rebounding, it's mind boggling how far on each end of the spectrum the Bucks are. It's the same thing in regards to defensive and offensive rating, they are ranked 25th and ninth respectively. I don't understand how a team can be so good, but so bad at the same time. The Bucks are currently 21-18 placed sixth in the Eastern Conference and if they want a deep playoff run, they'll need to trade for a rebounding center.
WHELMING - Growing Pains for the Process: The Sixers are the most frustrating yet exciting team to watch in the NBA. Philadelphia easily has the most upside out of the crop of young and talented teams in the league but dammit if they don't make it easy to look away. A lot of their issues can be placed on them being so young with potentially unrealistic expectations. The Sixers are very much capable of making the playoffs this season and will give most teams fits but their experience (or lack thereof) may prove to be their downfall. They started off hot, Joel Embiid was tweeting and backing it up, and Simmons looked like the second coming, then other teams realized how to play them. They are over reliant on the three ball in close situations when a quick bucket would suffice. Also, despite having Embiid down low the Sixers are ranked fourth in opponents total rebounding. That can't happen for a team that's extremely talented at essentially every position. Philly has a record of 19-19, but they are honestly better than their record.
WHELMING - Championship or Bust for OKC: Like many of us thought, the addition of Paul George and Carmelo Anthony would put the league on notice. About halfway through the season that notion couldn't be further from the truth. The Thunder’s Big Three just don't mesh and that's putting it as nice as possible. Anthony is having career lows in field goal percentage and points. George looks like a third option and Westbrook is still getting triple doubles, which is a good thing, right? Also, why even pick up Patrick Patterson if he's going to be under utilized? Defensively OKC is elite as they come which may be their saving grace. If they can make teams uncomfortable they'll always have a chance to win but the object of the game is to put the ball in the rim. The Thunder are currently 15th in points per and are 25th in pace. Oddly enough, OKC was 11th in points and ninth in pace last year with a less talented team. Don't get me wrong, when the Thunder are clicking they are scary good, like smacking Golden State, 108-91, back in November and it wasn't as close as the score would suggest. However, the Thunder’s problems are real and if they want to keep their core, they'll have to figure it out soon.
Photo Credit: Clutch Points.
