Jordan Stephenson
South Bureau Chief
During the midway point of the 2023-24 NBA season, there have definitely been many intriguing games, players, teams, and storylines even before the All-Star break. Some of those storylines and things above include: the playoff and championship contending teams, the current best stars and superstars, the fluid MVP race, the current All-Star team voting results, NBA parity, the USA basketball player pool, etc. All these things that I have highlighted above, has assuredly led to this extremely entertaining NBA season. Some extremely important key dates coming up for the NBA are the trade deadline (Feb. 8 ) , All-Star starters announced (Jan. 25 on TNT), All-Star reserves announced (Feb. 1 on TNT), All-Star Weekend (Feb. 16-18), NBA Rivals Week this week, etc.
The top playoff and championship contenders teams are the Celtics (34-10), the Timberwolves (30-13), the Thunder (30-13), the Nuggets (31-14), the 76ers (29-13), the Clippers (28-14), the Cavaliers (26-15), the Knicks (27-17), the Pelicans (26-18), the Suns (25-18), the Kings (24-18), the Heat (24-19), the Mavericks (24-19), the Pacers (24-20), the Lakers (22-23), etc. All these teams have been trying to play complementary basketball, manage injuries, implement trades so they can eventually make a playoff run. The top 15 best stars and superstars are Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous- Alexander, Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler Devin Booker, Anthony Edwards and Paul George. All these players that I mentioned above, consistently play great in either the regular season or playoffs, but the majority of these players consistently play great in both.
The Lakers have not been playing complimentary basketball, since their In Season Tournament Championship win. After their win vs Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers, the Lakers are currently 8-14 since that game, the 9 th seed in the Western Conference. They recently just were defeated by the Clippers on Sunday 127-116, but I still think their complimentary basketball problems are still looming, even though Anthony Davis and LeBron James have played relatively healthy, and played the majority of the games.
Since the Lakers are essentially having the same season record-wise as last season, during the midway point, they have definitely inquired on a few players to trade for. Some of those players consist of Dejounte Murray, Dennis Schroder, Bruce Brown, Colin Sexton, Tyus Jones, etc. Speaking of the Pacers and trades, they recently acquired All-Star Pascal Siakam from the Raptors for Brown, Jordan Nwora, Kira Lewis Jr, three 1 st round picks, and a 2 nd round pick. They finally were able to pair Haliburton with an All-Star caliber player.
Speaking of the Clippers, after their slow start since the James Harden trade, they have definitely been a top five team in the NBA, with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Harden all playing complimentary basketball. Russell Westbrook’s sacrifice to being a sixth man off the bench, also played a role in their success, especially with HC Tyron Lue leading them. Leonard’s and PG’s relatively healthy and consistent season has the Clippers as a top five defense with a top 10 offense, which has them 4 th in the Western Conference and a top five championship contender.They recently defeated their hometown rivals, the Lakers, Tuesday night on Rivals Week (127-116), with Leonard having his 2 nd career triple-double by having 24 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
The top five MVP candidates are Embiid’s historic season (36.1 pts), Doncic (33.6), Nikola Jokic (26.2), SGA (31.1), and Giannis Antetokounmpo (31.1). Four out of the five players are averaging 30 points per game, except Jokic who is close again to averaging a triple-double like last season. Also, three out of the five are averaging double-doubles, except Doncic and SGA. This MVP race will definitely go down to the wire, like last season. Speaking of Embiid, on Monday night he dropped a debatable 76ers franchise record 70-point double-double vs Wemby and the Spurs. Later that night, Karl Anthony-Towns (KAT) dropped 62 points with 10 3’s. ESPN Senior Writer Brian Windhorst (Windy) reported and wrote, the U.S. Olympics player pool, which only has a 12-man roster. The top 12 players from the player pool that should be selected barring injuries are: James, Curry, KD, Embiid, Leonard, JT, AD, Bam, Haliburton, PG, Anthony Edwards, and Kyrie Irving.
Adrian Wojnarowski (WOJ) reported as usual, some extremely important NBA news this week. WOJ reported Breaking News Tuesday morning that the Heat acquired Terry Rozier from the Hornets for Kyle Lowry and a protected 2027 1 st round pick (becomes unprotected in 2028).This trade definitely helps the Heat with their fixable offensive issues and solidifies them as a top four championship contender in the Eastern Conference. The Hornets will definitely look to trade Lowry and other veterans. WOJ also reported another Breaking News that the Bucks fired their rookie HC Adrian Griffin, after achieving a 30-13 record, mainly because of their egregious 20 th defensive rating. Then WOJ reported Wednesday morning, that the Bucks hired Doc Rivers as their new head coach.
caption: WOJ reporting the Heat trade live . Photo courtesy of ESPN.com