The NBA has reached the end of it’s first trimester. Whilst it’s the Warriors world and we are all just living in it, there has been a lot more happening than that this season. The Sixers are a point of controversy, Paul George might be the comeback player of the year and the Eastern Conference might now be deeper than the West. Last Word Hoops has asked five of it’s best basketball writers to review the season so far, let’s see their thoughts on the first trimester of the season:
Which team has impressed you most so far?
Adam Joseph: The majority of people aren’t noticing, but the Charlotte Hornets are good. The 6th best offense combined with the 10th best defense. They are 13-7 at home and are incredibly tough to beat. Injuries to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Al Jefferson were supposed to derail them. But Steve Clifford’s new found love of the 3 alongside his tough defensive has transformed them. They realistically could finish 2nd in the East if they improve on the road (4-9).
Jack Moon Perrin: Golden State Warriors. This was an easy one. The Warriors have come out of the gate on a pace to possibly eclipse the 72-win Chicago Bulls team. Not only has Stephen Curry improved since last year, but Draymond Green appears to have taken another step as well. The Warriors play the most impressive team-play in the NBA.
Thomas Mooney: The obvious answer here is the Warriors after their 31-2 start, but quietly only 5 games behind them is the San Antonio Spurs sitting at a record of 29-6. LaMarcus Aldridge has been a great fit next to Tim Duncan, and Kawhi Leonard has emerged as a possible MVP candidate. They’re also still undefeated at home at 20-0. All that considered along with the fact they’re going pretty much unnoticed in the national media, makes the Spurs the most impressive team.
Matthew Cardenas: The Orlando Magic have really caught my attention this season. I don’t think anyone expected to them to be two games out of second place in an improved Eastern Conference near the midway point of the season. The team really seemed to get going when Scott Skiles moved Victor Oladipo to the bench. He has helped the second unit produce on a consistent basis. Evan Fournier is having a breakout season for the Magic. It would be great for the Magic to continue this play and make the postseason.
Jack Hammond: The Orlando Magic have impressed me the most so far in 2015. Orlando was predicted to be lottery-bound for the fourth straight season yet are currently 19-15 and would be the fourth seed in the playoffs if the season ended today. Nikola Vucevic (17.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game) and Tobias Harris (14.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game) lead the Orlando attack. Elfrid Payton has cut down his turnovers from 4.5 to 2.4 this season. Orlando is also top 10 in points allowed per game. The Magic look like a playoff team right now.
Which team has disappointed you most so far?
AJ: They aren’t a surprise, but I’m going with the Philadelphia 76ers. We all know they are tanking, but it’s a disgrace what they are doing and it’s a horrible look for the league. The NBA needs to intervene (and may have already), there shouldn’t be any reason a team is incentivised to lose. It’s an embarrassment and the Sixers fans deserve better.
JMP: New Orleans Pelicans. Based on their play at the end of last season and the emerging NBA star Anthony Davis, it was assumed that the Pelicans would take the next step this season. After a horrendous start, Pelicans have managed to improve a little, but having the worst record in the Western Conference other than the woeful Los Angeles Lakers was not the anticipation for this team.
TM: Most disappointing team has to be the Pelicans. They surprised me last year making the playoffs, so naturally I expected progression onto this season. But I think they’re relying too much on Anthony Davis this year and also the trio of Jrue Holiday, Eric Gordon, and Tyreke Evans doesn’t look to be a good fit. But on the bright side, they’ve unintentionally gotten themselves in the race for Ben Simmons.
MC: I’m sure everyone is going to say the Houston Rockets. Although they have improved their play, the Rockets are becoming the true definition of mediocre. They are 0-5 vs the Brooklyn Nets and Denver Nuggets but have beaten the LA Clippers, San Antonio Spurs, and Oklahoma City Thunder. The Rockets still struggle with playing down to competition. The acquisition of Ty Lawson has not played out the way both parties have expected it to. His play has improved, but not to the liking of the organization. The poor play has led to rumors that Dwight Howard is looking to be traded. Although the start of the season has not gone as planned, the Rockets have seemed to find their groove.
JH: The Milwaukee Bucks are the most disappointing team so far in 2015. Remember when Milwaukee looked ready to take the next step into the East Elite with their strong core of young talent? Milwaukee is not playing good basketball right now. Milwaukee is bottom five in points scored (97.1) and 20th in points allowed (103.1) per game. Michael Carter-Williams does not look to fit with this group and the team may look to trade him. Milwaukee also gives up the most second-chance points in the NBA and must fix this if they want to make the playoffs this season.
Which player has impressed you most?
AJ: Paul George. If the NBA had a “Comeback Player of the Year” award the way the NFL does, George would be a shoe in. Kevin Durant had a huge layoff too, but his injury was not as horrific as George’s was. To comeback better than ever straight away, averaging 24.3ppg, 7.5rpg, 4.0apg and 1.8spg. If his efficiency improves and his production additionally climbs, he will cement himself as one of the best players in the game. The East’s MVP so far.
JMP: Paul George. After his gruesome leg injury, it was not assumed George would even play again. George has not only played, but excelled and it is wonderful to watch. In addition, George appears to have an appreciation for the game and shown leadership that was not as present prior to his injury.
TM: For me this is easy, and it’s Andre Drummond. Kevin Love had a good sequence of 20/20 games a few years ago, but now it’s a surprise when Drummond doesn’t get those stats in a game. His offensive game seems to have taken the next step and he looks like a lock for his first all-star appearance.
MC: CJ McCollum has been nothing short of outstanding for Portland Trail Blazers. Even though they lost four of their five starters in the offseason, he has been a bright spot alongside Damian Lillard. He has taken the next step in his development a lot sooner than most expected. The backcourt of Lillard and McCollum has arguably become one of the best in the league. McCollum’s shooting has been amazing this season. He is currently averaging 21 points per game while shooting 40% from three-point range. He is easily the favorite to win the Most Improved Player award.
JH: Draymond Green has impressed me the most so far in 2015. Golden State has gotten even better and is off to a 31-2 start thanks to the improvement from key players. Green, a former second-round draft pick, is averaging 14.6 points, 9.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game. He leads the team in rebounds and assists despite being 6’7 and a power forward. He does everything, whether it is guarding all five positions, out-muscling bigger defenders for rebounds or run the fast break. Green leads the league with six triple-doubles and even had 16 assists in a win over Houston in Steph Curry’s absence. Green should start the All-Star game and is one of the NBA’s best.
Which player has disappointed you most?
AJ: Sadly, it’s Derrick Rose. I wasn’t expecting the MVP caliber player, who is now gone. But I was expecting better than what we are seeing. The Bulls on a whole are disappointing (despite some big wins) and Rose represents that. A career low 14.4ppg, on 39-25-72 splits is just horrendous. They post a negative 0.9 rating with him on the floor and PER of 10.5. It’s getting uglier and uglier for Rose in Chicago.
JMP: Dwight Howard. Howard has continued to demonstrate that he is a coach killer. His underwhelming play and poor attitude have indicated that Howard is simply not a team player and not someone to build a championship team around. The Rockets have suffered as a result and lost their coach already.
TM: This might be a surprising pick, but I’m going to go with James Harden. Yes he’s averaging 28 ppg, but he’s very misleading with his statistics. To go with leading his team to a record under .500, he has a negative +/-, he’s only shooting 40% from the field while averaging 25 shots/game, 70% of his points are unassisted which means they’re playing a iso-heavy offense, and he’s leading the league with 4.5 turnovers per game. The Rockets got away with it last year, but now it looks like he’s alienated his teammates (along with McHale getting fired), with his selfish play and inefficient shooting.
MC: Call me crazy, but Anthony Davis has disappointed me this season. He is still having a solid season, but it is nowhere near what the majority of the NBA expected. Davis has been trying to add the three pointer to his game, and it is not going well. He needs to focus on his mid range and post up game. That’s where Davis is his strongest. With the Pelicans having a disastrous season, that could have something to do with Davis’ poor play. If the Pelicans want to somewhat stay in the playoff hunt, Davis has to take over how we all expected him to.
JH: Derrick Rose has been the most disappointing player of 2015. Rose was once the league MVP, an insanely athletic guard who could get to the basket and finish whenever he wanted. Rose now settles for jump shots and is nowhere near the player he once was. Rose is averaging 14.4 points yet is shooting under 39% from the field and under 25% from beyond the arc. Rose assist to turnover ratio is under 2 (5.1 assists to 2.6 turnovers). Many are suggesting that the Bulls move on from Rose. While he has been playing better basketball lately, he will need to continue if he wants to remain in Chicago.
How many legitimate title contenders are there?
AJ: On a basic level, there are four. Let’s be clear, there is nobody else. It’s Golden State, San Antonio, Cleveland and Oklahoma City. The first two are not under dispute, but you could question the latter two. Both have had questionable losses and issues with consistency, and we know that they can beat anyone on any given night. Whether they can beat the first two in a seven game series however, remains to be seen.
JMP: Three. The Eastern Conference is much improved this year, but there still only is one title contender who could come out of the East: Cleveland Cavaliers. In the West, the competition is not as tough, but only the Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs are legitimate title contenders. While the Warriors are setting the world on fire, the Spurs are quietly staying right on their heels.
TM: Realistically, there’s only four teams I see as legitimate title contenders. Three in the West, and one in the East. Golden State looks like they’ve improved off last year’s surprising run, and they have a chip on their shoulder thanks to Greg Popovich and Doc Rivers’ comments. San Antonio is just doing their usual routine, quietly winning games by double digits playing beautiful basketball, and have the best coach in the league keeping them fresh for the playoffs. Oklahoma City has two of the top five players in the league in KD and Westbrook, and Durant looks completely healthy. As for the East, I don’t see any team beating a healthy Cavs squad in a 7 game series.
MC: There are four title contenders: San Antonio, Golden State, Oklahoma City, and Cleveland. All of these teams have taken over the NBA. Although the Eastern Conference is deeper and improved this season, Cleveland is still going to come out on top in that conference. It is too hard to bet against LeBron James. In the West, Oklahoma City, Golden State, and San Antonio have put themselves head and shoulders above everyone. Any three of those teams could be in the NBA Finals. Two of these four contenders met in the Finals last year. The only team that could move into this conversation right now is the Los Angeles Clippers. But, we never know what is going to happen with that team.
JH: There are six legitimate title contenders. In the Eastern Conference, I believe only Cleveland and Miami can win the championship. While Miami is currently 18-13, the team has a talented starting lineup and enough experience to contend with Cleveland, the obvious favorite to emerge from the East. In the West, Golden State and San Antonio have separated themselves from both their own conference and the entire NBA. A playoff series between these two would be great for the game of basketball. Oklahoma City has the talent to win the finals as well but will need another weapon outside of Durant and Westbrook. Lastly, my dark horse pick is the Los Angeles Clippers. They are one of the more talented teams in the NBA and always play Golden State and San Antonio well. This team has the talent to win it all.
Photo via Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
