NBA Mid Season Update
It’s that time of the year where things in the NBA really start settling in and we have a good idea of who’s who both in terms of both where teams stand and where individual players stand in possible award races. At this point, every team has played 41 games plus or minus 4, so it’s a good time to take a look at where everyone stands about halfway through the season. There’s a lot of great stories in the league this year, so we’ll break things down by topics.
Contenders:
East: As per usual the past few season, outside of LeBron James in the east, most of the top contenders are in the west. LeBron and the Cavs are in 1st in the east by a 3-game margin and are the heavy favorites to make it back to the finals. At 29-10, they are playing very good but not great so far. They have been a dominant 18-3 at home but have struggled some on the road to the tune of an 11-7 record. Their biggest competition is the 2nd place Toronto Raptors, while Boston and Atlanta are getting hot in the 3rd and 4th spots respectively.
West: Everyone knew the Warriors would be a force coming off a 73-9 record and adding Kevin Durant, but they are possibly playing beyond everyone’s expectations. It took no time at all to get comfortable with each other, and the Warriors have been as dominant as any team has ever been with a +12.1 per game point differential and a 34-6 record. They hold a 3-game lead over the always quiet always consistent San Antonio Spurs, and the surprising Houston Rockets have been surging since the beginning of December and are in 3rd at 32-11. The Clippers were a top preseason contender and started hot but have cooled to a 28-14 record and sit in 4th place.
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Playoff Races:
East: As the Atlanta Hawks have surged to the 4th spot in the east and start to separate themselves some, there has now become 5 team race for the last 4 spots in the playoffs, with a few more teams lurking not far behind. The Bucks, Wizards, Pacers, Hornets, and Bulls are all separated by only 1.5 games, followed by the Knicks 1.5 behind the Bulls and in 10th place, the Pistons 1 game behind the Knicks, and the Magic one game behind the Pistons.
West: The west is definitely falling into tiers as the season progresses. There’s the 3 teams at the top, followed by 4 that are solidly playoff teams but don’t seem to be serious contenders in the Clippers, Jazz, Thunder, and Grizzlies. These 4 teams go from a 28-14 to 25-18 record respectively. They are followed by 8 teams that don’t seem worthy of the playoffs at the moment, but one team has to make it. Right now, the Trail Blazers sit in 8th place at an 18-25 record, and no team in the west is more than 4 games out of the 8th spot. Literally anyone can take the last spot with a hot 2nd half of the season.
Rebuilding Projects:
The 76ers are finally starting to see the return on their extreme breakdown of their roster, with Joel Embiid looking like a star and the Sixers playing some great ball right now. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games to improve to 12-26 overall. Soon they’ll get prized top pick Ben Simmons back. For the first time in a long time things are really looking up for the Sixers. The Lakers got off to a great 10-10 start and since have gone 5-20 for a 15-30 record overall. Naturally there was going to be some regression from a hot start, but at 15-30 and a lot of young talent, things are looking much better than last season’s 17-65 squad that was the worst in franchise history. The Timberwolves were expected to make a leap this season and contend for a playoff spot, but got off to a miserable start. They have since settled down and have been playing respectively lately. They have improved to 14-27 on the season. With only a -1.1 per game point differential, they have definitely been playing better than their record. Now that they are playing better basketball, they can’t be ruled out of the 8 seed yet, being only 3 games behind the Blazers for the last playoff spot. They just need to consistently start winning close games. These 3 seem headed in the right direction, while the Heat, Nets, Mavericks, and Suns are all going the wrong way, and the Pelicans, Nuggets, Kings, Magic, and Pistons are somewhere in-between.
Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
MVP Race:
All you can say about the top contenders for the MVP this year is WOW. Russell Westbrook is averaging a 30-point triple double at 30.9 points, 10.5 assists, and 10.7 rebounds and has 20 triple doubles through 42 games, and probably isn’t even the favorite right now. That’s because James Harden is turning into Mr. Triple Double himself, and is averaging 28.4 points, 11.7 assists, and 8.2 rebounds per games with 12 triple doubles himself through 43 games for a team with a much better record. Can you believe these two used to share a backcourt?
Anthony Davis is having a ridiculous season with 29.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game but he won’t come close if his team misses the playoffs. The same goes for Boogie Cousins averaging 28.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game for a team not currently in a playoff spot.
Kawhi Leonard, Isaiah Thomas, and DeMar DeRozan are all having career years while leading a team in the top 3 in their respective conferences. Jimmy Butler and Damian Lillard are both having monster seasons in trying to will their team to a playoff berth without much help. Giannis is quickly becoming a star on a solid playoff team in Milwaukee.
This is before we even mention perennial candidates Lebron James averaging 25.8 points, 8.3 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game, and Kevin Durant averaging a hyper efficient 26.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game while playing outstanding defense. Notice we didn’t even mention 2 time reigning MVP Steph Curry, who is still having a fine year himself for a historically good team.
Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Mid Season MVP Ranking:
1) James Harden
2) Russell Westbrook
3) LeBron James
4) Kevin Durant
5) Anthony Davis
6) Kawhi Leonard
7) Boogie Cousins
8) Isaiah Thomas
9) Jimmy Butler
10) Giannis
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Rookie of the Year:
The Timberwolves reign of rookies of the year will end this season, as this is a one-man race with Joel Embiid. Embiid is averaging 10 points more per game than any other rookie, which may be more of an indication of a weak rookie class than anything else, but is still very impressive. The race will be for 2nd place and the other 4 spots on the all-rookie 1st team. Some guys in contention for that spot include fellow Sixer Dario Saric, Malcolm Brogdon of the Bucks, Buddy Hield of the Pelicans, Jamal Murray of the Nuggets, and Brandon Ingram of the Lakers. Brogdon is the only one consistently producing for a playoff team so he is the likely 2nd overall finisher at this point. The rest it is more about potential than production so far.
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Trade Update:
There was only one trade worth noting and it was the Cleveland Cavs trading Mike Dunleavy, Mo Williams, and a future 1st round pick to the Atlanta Hawks for sharpshooter Kyle Korver. Korver could make a big impact on a potential playoff run with his ability to hit the three-point shot. It will be interesting to see if and how other top contenders respond as the trade deadline nears. Look for some second level contenders such as the Raptors, Celtics, and Clippers to possibly make a move while it will probably be status quo for the Warriors and Spurs. The Warriors and Spurs may browse the buyout market once the trade deadline passes looking for additional depth.
We’ll keep you updated as the trade deadline nears, and as Westbrook continues to push towards accomplishing a historic season. This is when the NBA starts getting more fun and serious, the first couple months are more about feeling each other out to see how you match up. What do you think about this season so far? Who are the true contenders? How are the rebuilding teams looking for the future? Who wins MVP? Comment and let us know! Stay tuned for more current sports stories. Don't forget to follow us on social media. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram @beyondthemetrics, and Twitter @byondthemetrics
