I’ve been away for a bit but I’m back! Exams took over my life for a couple months but we’re back in business. I’ll be taking a brief detour away from the Let’s Talk Trade series, but don’t worry, part two is still on the way. As the halfway point of the season has just passed I wanted to look at the NBA as a whole and teams and players that have had stand-out seasons so far.
Let’s get stuck in to the Mid-Season Breakdown. In previous seasons of NBA basketball, the winner of the playoffs was already a foregone conclusion. However, the NBA right now is going through what I would like to call its ‘Anomaly Season’. More often than not, in recent years of NBA basketball it has been dominated by very few teams who had all the best players who were seemingly unstoppable. From the 2000 – ’02 Lakers, to the ’12 – ‘13 Heat, to the Golden State Warriors of the present day.
This is genuinely the most interesting the NBA has been for a while and I believe it can only improve in the next few years with improvements in current rookies such as Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Taytum, Ben Simmons (I mean he’s technically a rookie) and the prospect of players drafting into the NBA this year such as Luka Dončić and Trae Young. What i’m not saying, is that this is the best the NBA will be for years to come. What I am saying, is that it is the best it’s been competitively for a while. I realise that these names might mean absolutely nothing to many of you out there, so don’t worry, I’ll be talking about NBA draft prospects in a blog post coming soon. Watch this space.
I’ve also decided to treat you all with a VERY late Christmas gift and drop two blogs in one day as I’ve been out of the game for a while. Also, I realised it’s a bit too much to put it all into one blog post. Anyway, I’ll stop waffling. The Over-performers.
Who’s been over-performing?
Toronto Raptors
So, looking at some teams who have been over-performing this season, I wanted to firstly take a look at the Toronto Raptors. They’ve jumped from third place in the Eastern Conference last year to first and it doesn’t look like they’re about to slow down any time soon. They’re being spearheaded by the beast that is DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry who are having the best seasons of their careers averaging their highest points, assists and 3-point percentages. Both of these players also have gone on to be All-Stars this year representing the Raptors in the All-Star game representing Team Curry. We also can’t forget the two pillars they have on the inside in the form of Serge Ibaka and Jonas Valančiūnas providing solid performances both on offense and defence.
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers has had one of the greatest improvements out of all NBA teams this season. They’ve managed to improve upon their standing of 14th from last season to 7th this season. With Joel Embiid managing to avoid any long-term injuries and with Ben Simmons already showing his All-Star potential in being 6th in the league in assists per game. Let’s also keep in mind that this is his first season playing in the NBA. Another notable mention for Philly is Robert Covington. He is in the top 20 of 3-point shooters in the NBA this season, in percentage and amount made, being a very crucial player for the side. One thing is disappointing with regards to Philly, this is in the form of Markelle Fultz and his issues with injury this season. He was the number one pick, and many expected great things from him, but it just hasn’t worked out unfortunately for him this season.
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves have, arguably, had the most improved season out of any team in the NBA. They have improved to 3rd place in their conference this season from 13th last season. They’re playing some of the best basketball the franchise has seen in a while, and the additions of key players such as Jimmy Butler, and Jeff Teague has really bolstered their squad immensely. They also added seasoned players in the form of Taj Gibson and Jamal Crawford to their ranks adding years of NBA experience that has really helped the side. Alongside Andrew Wiggins and Karl Anthony-Towns who were already present, their fortunes have really turned for the better this season and are looking at potentially making a very solid playoff run this year.
Houston Rockets
Where can I start with the Houston Rockets? They’ve only improved by a couple spots this season, but they’ve gone from third last season, to top of the Western Conference. In a league that has the Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors, to be at the top there is some feat. With a key addition in the form of Veteran and multiple All-Star guard Chris Paul, Rockets were really showing that they meant business. They also added other players such as Gerald Green and Joe Johnson who have really been very key role players for the team. With proven 3-point specialists in the form of Eric Gordon (3-point contest champion in 2017), Trevor Ariza and a huge defensive presence in Clint Capela, this team was bound for great things. In such a stacked league, if a team can go on to hold not one, but two 14+ game win streaks, you’re doing something very right.
The first half of the season has worked in the favour of these four teams especially, so we’ll have to just wait and see what the second half holds for them. Anyway, that’s it for the over-performers, be sure to read ‘The Mid-Season Breakdown: The Under-performers’.
ID The Journo 