It’s mid-December and practically every team has surpassed the 21 game mark, which means we’re more than a quarter of the way through the season. The Eastern Conference has come out with a bang, and as of today stands with a 66-66 win loss record against the West. Take out the outliers that are the Golden State Warriors and Philadelphia 76ers, and the record becomes 65-49, a .754 winning percentage. For all the talk of scrapping conferences in the playoffs because of the strength of the West, that argument isn’t really holding weight right now. It’s all about the East.
Five Concerns From The NBA Season’s First Quarter
Regardless, after a crazy opening month, the season has been at a competitive level that hasn’t been seen in years, right across the board. The Lakers and Sixers are arguably the only truly uncompetitive teams, night to night. So over 20 games in, what should we be worried about based on the NBA’s early play? Let’s take a look at five concerns from around the league:
Anthony Davis Isn’t Quite There Yet, And He Needs Help
The Brow has had a tough opening quarter. Despite lofty predictions for the Pelicans young starlet, New Orleans currently finds itself sitting second last in the West, 11 games below .500, with a 5-16 record. They are five games behind the eighth place Rockets, who are 11-12, and it’s a long way back for the Pelicans if they want to be make playoffs again this season.
Davis is having himself a terrific season, averaging 23.8ppg, 10.7rpg, 1.4spg and 2.7bpg. However, his PER is down to 25.6 this campaign, compared to his 30.8 PER last season, per Basketball Reference. His on-court Offensive Rating has seriously slipped from 122 down to 108, with his Defensive Rating jumping from 100 to 104. While he is still playing well, the roster around him just doesn’t seem to fit and can’t stay healthy. Pelicans GM Dell Demps has work to do if he’s going to get the right pieces around his star, for the team to push ahead under new coach Alvin Gentry. Either that, or seriously tank in hopes of landing Ben Simmons in next year’s draft.
The Rockets & Clippers Haven’t Changed At All
The Clippers are doing just fine, but quite honestly, that’s part of the problem. Until recently, they were below .500, and now sit fourth in the West with a subpar 13-10 record. Their offense might be fourth in the league right now, but their defense is a very mediocre 16th. That’s not going to cut it in the postseason. Despite retaining the services of the Doc Rivers acclaimed DeAndre Jordan, they haven’t justified the saga it took to keep him this past summer.
Meanwhile, Houston is in a far more tedious position. Despite working their way back into the playoff picture, the Rockets cannot defend. They’re currently 27th in the league, conceding 105.8 points per 100 posessions. That isn’t beating anyone. Furthermore, their “Moreyball” offense is 18th, and the suave pick for many as a darkhorse title contender does not currently resemble that at all. Right now, both teams resemble pretenders, far from the contenders they claim to be.
Derrick Rose and the Bulls Have A Lot To Figure Out
The Bulls are weird. Despite impressive wins over Cleveland, Oklahoma City, Indiana, San Antonio, and the Clippers, they’ve managed to drop games against Minnesota (at home), the Hornets twice, including a blowout loss in Charlotte, and Detroit. Fred Hoiberg’s hiring was supposed to elevate Chicago’s offense while maintaining its defense (which currently sits a very impressive fourth). However, the Bulls’ scoring remains anaemic, sitting almost rock bottom at 28th (at 97.4 points per 100 possessions). That needs to start climbing soon.
Derrick Rose remains the elephant in the room for the Bulls. Jimmy Butler has certainly taken ownership of the team on the court, and Rose is struggling. He’s shooting 36 percent from the field and 23 percent from three, while averaging 13.6 points per game. For a player earning over $20 million this season, that isn’t good enough. When you align that alongside an awful PER of 9.9 and box plus minus of -3.8, Rose is under serious pressure in the Windy City.
The Tankadelphia 76ers Are Embarrassing The League
What is happening in Philadelphia right now is truly a disgrace. Despite possessing a few promising players in Jahlil Okafor, Robert Covington and Nerlens Noel, the Sixers don’t possess a player over 24 years of age. They won their first game just last week, after an NBA record losing streak, and now own a 1-23 record. Despite ownership and management asking fans to “trust the process”, it must be questioned how fans can be expected to pay to watch the horrors taking place each night in the Wells Fargo Center.
The NBA as a whole should sadly be rooting that Sam Hinkie fails in his plan, should Philadelphia manage to net Ben Simmons through their years of failure. A team trying so badly to lose should not be rewarded through the draft, and here’s to hoping that the hiring of Jerry Colangelo helps the Sixers turn the corner sooner rather than later, because what’s happening right now is terrible for the league.
The Wizards Have Serious Problems
Washington thought it had found the answer last season when its small ball lineups caused problems for opponents. This season, that’s not really happening, and the Wizards have struggled, currently 11th in the East with a 9-11 record. They’ve lost to the Lakers at home but have easily beaten the Cavaliers on the road. They are a Jekyll and Hyde team right now, and it’s starting to become concerning.
Despite Bradley Beal’s strong start to the year, John Wall is struggling, which is a big part of Washington’s problems. He’s turning the ball over far too much (4.3 turnovers per game) and at a higher rate than he ever has (5.9 percent). Wall has to get going if the Wizards are going to re-establish themselves as one of the East’s best teams. Because right now, with a bottom ten offense and defense, they certainly don’t look like one.
