2014-15 NBA Power Rankings: Mid-November Edition
Welcome back to Small Sample Theatre, known to most as the NBA Power Rankings.
Last week, yours truly took a stab at sorting out the league after about a week and a half of meaningful games. This week...well, we've got another three or four games to go on when evaluating each team, so the situation remains fairly fluid.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are rising on the strength of their sheer offensive firepower. The New York Knicks, on the other hand, are sinking on account of their absence of the same.
It's still far too early to draw any sweeping conclusions about the Association, though. The Oklahoma City Thunder are figuring out how to survive without Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook...and Perry Jones and Andre Roberson and Mitch McGary. The Sacramento Kings started off hot but could be due for a drop-off in the weeks and months to come.
The list goes on and on. There's no telling how things will shake out as the 2014-15 season hits its collective stride. All we can do is try to stack all the squads against one another based on who they have now and what they've accomplished to this point.
30. Philadelphia 76ers
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The more I think about it, the more playing for the Philadelphia 76ers reminds me of my first "real" summer job: a bunch of really young people making the minimum, taking their lumps and building the motivation to never have to be a part of such a miserable experience again.
Of course, playing in the NBA pays a lot better than bagging groceries, but at least I was done with that after a few months. For some of these Sixers, the anguish of losing night after night is something they'll have to endure for months, if not years.
On the bright side (if there is, indeed, a bright side), Philly can at least count on most of its defeats being less embarrassing than its 53-point pounding in Dallas on Thursday.
"I'm sure we'll remember this, and don't want it to happen again," Michael Carter-Williams said after what was his first game of the season, per The Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "None of us in this locker room will ever get used to losing like that. None of us will ever get used to losing, period. We're upset after every loss."
This means the Sixers, at 0-8, have already been upset every night since their campaign began and will be upset after many, many more to come before summer rolls around.
29. Denver Nuggets
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If the Denver Nuggets haven't hit Rocky Mountain bottom, they've sure come close to it. Brian Shaw's squad has lost its last six games in a row, four of which have come by double-digit margins.
The latest setback? A 130-113 thrashing at the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers that was much worse than even the final score would indicate. Denver managed to score 50 points in the first half but surrendered an unsightly 84 (!) points to Portland's second-ranked offense on the other end. As a result, Shaw sat three of his starters (Arron Afflalo, Kenneth Faried and Timofey Mozgov) in favor of guys like J.J. Hickson, Alonzo Gee and Darrell Arthur, with surprisingly positive results.
Shaw explained, via SB Nation's Nate Timmons:
"I started a different group in the second half. A group that I thought was gonna at least fight and go out fighting, regardless of what happened. So, we go from a 45 point second quarter to a 46 point second half that we gave up. We almost gave up as many points in that second quarter as we did in the whole second half.
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As positive a development as that may have been, it's certainly not a good sign that Shaw had to switch things up so drastically just to get a competitive effort out of his squad.
28. Los Angeles Lakers
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Despite Denver's "best" efforts to let its opponents score at will, the Los Angeles Lakers still rule the roost when it comes to bad defense this season. Whichever defensive metric you choose—defensive rating, opponent field-goal percentage, opponent three-point percentage, points in the paint allowed, offensive rebounds surrendered—you'll probably find the Lakers at or near the bottom of the league.
Those problems were all apparent during L.A.'s 109-102 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday. The Pelicans shot nearly 55 percent from the field, better than 42 percent from three and outscored the visitors 60-34 in the lane.
"To be honest with you, most of the time, the things that we want to do, they haven't done," head coach Byron Scott said after the game (via ESPN.com's Baxter Holmes). "And I don't know if it's because they're incapable of doing it or not."
Scott should have a better idea of that within the next week, once the Lakers finish a brutal stretch of games against the San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks—all offensive powerhouses.
27. New York Knicks
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Surprise, surprise: The New York Knicks' adoption of the Triangle offense isn't going so swimmingly. The Knicks ranks 22nd in offensive efficiency (99.7 points per 100 possessions) and 24th in field-goal percentage (43.7 percent).
It's not so much a matter of how the Knicks are getting their shots—61.7 percent of them have been assisted—but where they're getting them. According to Basketball Reference, no team has taken more long twos by percentage than these Knickerbockers.
"There’s still quite a ways from their execution capabilities as a team," Phil Jackson said on Monday (via the New York Post's Marc Berman). "We think in terms of basketball-wise, Thanksgiving, December, it’s time to really say if you haven’t gotten it by now, maybe we’ll have to think of you as a learner or not a learner as a ballplayer at that time.’"
Derek Fisher wouldn't seem to agree. "I don’t know if it's a fair assessment or not," Fisher said (via the Post). "[Phil] obviously knows a lot about his offense, but I think it's more than just a guy is going to get it. Each player and person has different learning curves. I don't know if there's a date."
It's one thing for the players to not all be on the same page. It's another for the team's top executive and his hand-picked coach to be operating on different wavelengths.
No wonder the Knicks have dropped their last six games in a row.
26. Minnesota Timberwolves
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The Minnesota Timberwolves had the look of a surprisingly competitive, young squad to start the season.
That is, until Ricky Rubio's ankle buckled against the Orlando Magic, just a week after he inked a four-year, $55 extension to stay in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
"There was no question it was like someone popped a balloon when Ricky got hurt," Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders said after the loss in Orlando (via Bleacher Report's Ethan Skolnick). "Ricky has been kind of our leader; he's been the heart of our team."
According to USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt, the T-Wolves could be without their heart and soul for seven to eight weeks. That means plenty of minutes at the point for rookie Zach LaVine, who accounted for nine assists in Minny's 113-101 loss to Houston in Mexico City.
As if there weren't enough growing pains to go around in the Wolves' locker room, expect even more until Rubio returns.
25. Detroit Pistons
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Sorry, Detroit Pistons fans. Stan Van Gundy is a great coach, but he's no miracle worker.
Not an instant one, anyway. The Pistons are still struggling to score (24th in offensive efficiency) and aren't doing much to stop the opposition from doing so (21st in defensive efficiency).
Worse still, Andre Drummond, Detroit's greatest hope for the future, seems to have regressed. The UConn product is putting up just 8.6 points per game on a paltry 41.7 percent shooting from the field.
Drummond's struggles, though, aren't beyond explanation. The Pistons' 21-year-old center has been thrown into the low-post fire without much in the way of a developed back-to-the-basket game. As Grantland's Zach Lowe noted, Detroit may have to simply take its lumps until Drummond's proficiency catches up to his physical ability and expected starring role on this squad: "The Pistons are still bad, but they’re changing. Drummond is changing faster than any of his teammates, and that represents a short-term sacrifice for a team with postseason hopes."
24. Orlando Magic
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The young season already seems to be wearing on the Orlando Magic.
Channing Frye, for one, is already frustrated. The 6'11 sharpshooter, who left behind a 48-win Phoenix team for better money (four years, $32 million) in Orlando, vocalized his feelings (and then some) following the Magic's 104-100 loss to the Toronto Raptors. "We're close to winning, but that's still f-----g losing," he told reporters after the game (h/t SB Nation's Mike Prada).
Meanwhile, talk of Tobias Harris bolting central Florida for greener pastures next summer has already begun. According to SNY.tv's Adam Zagoria, Harris, a native of Long Island, could push to join his hometown New York Knicks via restricted free agency next July.
Then again, Harris can't be too encouraged about that possibility after watching the Knicks stumble against the Magic on Wednesday.
Harris insisted (via Magic reporter John Denton):
"My thoughts are just that I'm all about being for my team right now. I'm all about where I'm at right now and that's with the Orlando Magic. I'm not worried about (free agency) at all. I just want to help my team be the best that we can be. Each and every day I pride myself on helping my teammates helping us get better as a team and winning games. That’s my focus.
"
23. Utah Jazz
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The Utah Jazz probably figured that Dante Exum would be their starting point guard someday. There wouldn't appear to be much room for him to start on the wing anytime soon, not with Gordon Hayward and Alec Burks both inking big, new deals in recent months.
Fortunately for Exum—but unfortunately for the Jazz—the current starting point guard (Trey Burke) has pretty much wet the bed so far this season. His scoring (9.3 points), shooting (.307 from the field, .217 from three), assists (5.1) and rebounds (2.4) are all down, and his turnovers (2.1) are up.
Not that Exum (5.8 points on 41.9 percent shooting and 2.6 assists in 19.3 minutes) has been all that much better. But the 19-year-old Australian has a ton of upside, whereas Burke, generously listed at 6'1", projects more clearly as a backup. Making him a starter this season might be too much too soon, though if Burke is going to stink and the Jazz aren't likely to compete for a postseason spot anyway, they might as well get a head start on their bright future.
22. Indiana Pacers
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It's easy to focus on who the Indiana Pacers are missing, and rightfully so.
Lance Stephenson's in Charlotte. Paul George (probably) isn't coming back until 2015-16. David West, George Hill and C.J. Watson have yet to play a single minute this season, and C.J. Miles and Rodney Stuckey have already joined them among Indy's walking wounded.
Lost among the growing heap of absent bodies, though, is the season Roy Hibbert has put together so far. He's compiling career highs in points (14.8), blocks (3.3) and free-throw attempts (4.9), and near-career highs in rebounds (8.7) and field-goal percentage (.495).
Hibbert kept his relative roll going with a 16-point, 15-board, three-block performance to lead the Pacers past the Miami Heat in the rekindling of their (admittedly diminished) rivalry on Wednesday.
Hibbert, though, is focused more on the end result than on his contributions. "I'm thinking about not starting a losing streak again," Hibbert said after the win, per The AP (via ESPN.com). "We dropped six straight, we won last game, and I'm not thinking about a rivalry. I'm just thinking about getting wins."
21. Oklahoma City Thunder
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Next time you watch the Oklahoma City Thunder play, pay close attention to Reggie Jackson's eyes. If you look close enough, you can almost make out the dollar signs twinkling in his pupils.
The Boston College product is making the most of his starring role in the absences of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and seemingly half the basketball population of the Sooner State. His Westbrook impression has thus far yielded a Russ-like line of 22.8 points, 7.5 assists, four rebounds and 6.2 free-throw attempts in a league-leading 41.7 minutes per game.
This opportunity will disappear as soon as Westbrook returns, and Jackson figures to find himself back on the bench once Durant gets fit. Don't be surprised, then, if Jackson parlays these few weeks into a substantial offer sheet this summer—perhaps one big enough to force OKC to sever ties with yet another key cog.
20. Charlotte Hornets
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How charitable of the Charlotte Hornets to roll over in L.A. to give the Lakers their first win of the season...
OK, so the Hornets probably didn't intend to lose to the Lakers, but the defeat was embarrassing all the same. Charlotte managed just 41 points in the second half against the league's leakiest defense, and it didn't exactly offer much resistance on the other end.
The Hornets struggling to score doesn't quite qualify as news. They ranked 24th in the NBA in offensive efficiency as the Bobcats last season and find themselves at 26th now.
Still, it's problematic that Charlotte can't seem to string together four quarters of quality offensive basketball. The Hornets have gone from having to rally from a massive deficit against the Milwaukee Bucks in the season opener to watching the Lakers and Trail Blazers flip that script on them in the last week.
19. Boston Celtics
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Rajon Rondo continues to insist that he wants to wear Boston Celtics green beyond this season. "Regardless of what's going on with the season, my position hasn't changed," Rondo said on Wednesday (via CSNNE.com's A. Sherrod Blakely). "I love being a Celtic."
Rondo hasn't said or done anything along the way to suggest otherwise. He's been a good soldier through the early stages of Boston's rebuild and enjoyed enough success (i.e., four All-Star appearances, two trips to the Finals, one title) prior to that drastic downturn to bind him to the franchise.
But, as Grantland's Kirk Goldsberry hinted, staying in Beantown as the undisputed star of a slowly improving squad beyond this season, after which Rondo will be a free agent, may not be in Rajon's best interest:
"Rondo's value is difficult to quantify, in part because he doesn't fit into our established taxonomy of NBA superstars. He amplifies the goodness around him, but he can't create it...He's at his best when he is playmaking for his teammates, but his All-Star years all involved a Hall of Fame supporting cast. The hard part is determining his value when paired with less talented colleagues.
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That value may be wasted on, if not diminished by, the substandard roster of which Rondo is the most prominent part. As such, C's fans would do well to soak up Rondo's brilliance—like his near-triple-double against OKC—while they can, because they may not be able to do so for long.
18. Milwaukee Bucks
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Perhaps Jabari Parker wasn't as "NBA-ready" as so many, yours truly included, figured he'd be coming out of Duke. The No. 2 pick in the 2014 NBA draft has averaged a modest 10.9 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 41.9 percent from the field to begin his pro career.
Fortunately for the Milwaukee Bucks, they're not particularly dependent on Parker's contributions at the moment. Brandon Knight (17.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 6.9 assists, .407 from three) has looked like he's ready to make good on that Gatorade National Player of the Year potential. Larry Sanders is back to anchoring the Bucks defense, with opposing players failing to crack 50 percent shooting at the rim against him. Milwaukee's bench is full of competent contributors, from a slightly slimmer O.J. Mayo (12.1 points, 3.5 assists) to a still bald Jerryd Bayless (8.1 points, .417 from three) to a still growing Giannis Antetokounmpo (10.9 points, .507 from the field).
Chances are, Parker's game will catch up to the unfamiliar rigors of the NBA in time. And once it does, the Bucks could emerge as a surprisingly dangerous team in the East.
17. Brooklyn Nets
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Joe Johnson wasn't wrong when he called out his Brooklyn Nets teammates for their selfish play. His fears were realized somewhat in a 107-99 loss to the Golden State Warriors, during which the Nets assisted on a modest 19 of their 39 field goals while shooting just 43.8 percent.
The bigger issue, though, was that Brooklyn gave up 107 points on the other end, including 50 in the paint. The Nets haven't been abjectly terrible on D, but their defensive rank (19th) compared to their offensive one (fifth) would suggest that stopping people is Brooklyn's bigger problem.
To that end, Johnson's point about trust is well-taken. "I just didn't think that as individuals, as players that we all have each other's backs out there," he said on Wednesday (via ESPNNewYork.com's Ohm Youngmisuk).
Good defense is predicated on trust. If the Nets don't develop more of that in the weeks and months to come, they'll have a tough time hanging around the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference.
16. Los Angeles Clippers
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Trust seems to be an issue for the Los Angeles Clippers as well. Or is it effort? Or desire?
"There's a reason why we're not playing as hard as we should and we're not as focused," head coach Doc Rivers said before a recent practice. "I don't know the reason, and as a coach, that's troubling. I want to find out the reason."
It certainly doesn't help that the Clippers have struggled to find a consistent solution on the wing. Matt Barnes' offensive struggles landed him back on the bench, with reigning Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford taking his spot in the starting five. But Crawford is far too slender (and a bit too old, at 34) to realistically expect him to consistently check some of the NBA's bigger, stronger and younger small forwards.
Some minutes for Reggie Bullock could help, but they might not be the solution the Clippers are looking for, given their championship expectations. Then again, it's not particularly encouraging for a squad with as much talent and continuity as L.A. has at its back to seem so out of sorts.
15. Atlanta Hawks
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Like Derrick Rose in Chicago, Al Horford is going to need some time before he starts performing like his old self consistently after missing most of last season with a major injury. It's a good thing, then, that the Atlanta Hawks have as many other offensive weapons as they do, including Kyle Korver and Paul Millsap.
Korver poured in 44 points between the Hawks' home-and-away sweep over the scuffling Knicks. Millsap scored 19 points in New York before exploding for 30 points and 17 boards against his old team, the Jazz.
In the estimation of Grantland's Danny Chau, this arrangement may not amount to much more than what the Hawks accomplished back when Horford had Joe Johnson and Josh Smith by his side:
"Strictly looking at results, a likely scenario for these new-era Hawks might look something like the Hawks we'd grown bored of in the last decade — a midcard stuck in limbo somewhere between great and atrocious. Unlike those Hawks of the late '00s, though, their fate isn't obvious. There's still a lot to discover about the team; there's still an element of surprise. For now, that'll be enough to keep them interesting.
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Of course, that could all change if/when Horford gets in touch with his All-Star essence again.
14. New Orleans Pelicans
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Anthony Davis: Superstar Watch, Week 2.
So, The Brow is still beating the pants off most of his opponents, at least individually. The 21-year-old continues to lead the league in rebounds (12.9) and blocks (4.4), and he has moved up to fourth in points (24.9). Keep in mind, nobody's simultaneously paced the NBA in scoring and rebounding since Wilt Chamberlain in 1965-66.
Another fun fact: Davis has as many games of at least 25 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks (five) as the entire rest of the NBA combined this season.
Oh, and his New Orleans Pelicans are 4-3, which ain't too shabby, either.
13. Sacramento Kings
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Winning isn't something that comes naturally in the NBA. It has to be learned, established through a comprehensive organizational culture—especially for the Sacramento Kings, who haven't put together a winning season since 2005-06.
After all that time, it should come as no surprise that the Kings are still feeling their way through it. They've blown double-digit leads in each of their last two games, including a 111-110 heartbreaker in Memphis on Thursday night.
Clearly, the Kings are doing something right if they're able to jump on top of the Mavs and the Grizz—both veteran-laden squads that have won plenty in recent years—on the road. Their second-half play, though, has been shaky. According to NBA.com, the Kings rank 23rd in second-half defensive efficiency.
It's all well and good that Sacramento knows how to start, but if this team doesn't figure out how to finish, it'll risk fading back into the recesses of the West that it's occupied for so long.
12. Cleveland Cavaliers
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The Cleveland Cavaliers remain quite clearly a work in progress, but if their win over the Pelicans was any indication, they have more than enough individual offensive firepower to keep pace in the East until their defense and chemistry come together.
The Cavs exploded for 67 points in the second half, with LeBron James pouring in 17 of his 32 points in the third quarter alone. Kyrie Irving added 32 points and nine assists of his own, and Kevin Love chimed in with six threes on the way to a 22-point evening.
The cohesion of Cleveland's offense still leaves much to be desired—the Cavs rank 27th in secondary assists, 28th in assist opportunities and 26th in points created by assist per 48 minutes, per NBA.com—but the team's Big Three is good enough to carry the day in the interim.
Of greater concern is the defense, which currently registers as the league's second worst in terms of points allowed per possession. As Grantland's Zach Lowe reiterated, the Cavs can't so much as imagine a ticker-tape parade in June if that doesn't change: "The Cavs have time to clean this up, but if they aren’t defending in the ballpark of a top-10 level by April, they’re probably not winning the title."
No kidding.
11. Phoenix Suns
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The Phoenix Suns' three-headed point-guard monster of Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas has hogged the attention in Arizona, but that hasn't stopped Gerald Green from leaping into the limelight from time to time.
With the Suns starters struggling against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, Green rode to the rescue with a game-high 28 points off the bench to propel Phoenix to victory. Green got it done defensively, too, picking Joe Johnson's pocket late in the game to kick-start a fast break that ended with Dragic putting the Suns up 106-99 with a three-point play.
Green said after the game, per the AP (via ESPN.com):
"I don't think Joe saw me. I had an opportunity to go for a steal. I know I make a lot of mistakes in a game. I'm trying to limit my mistakes. I'm not trying to add another. I got the steal. I saw the fast break. I tried to give it up to my teammates.
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That's what Green's been doing for the most part this season, at least in terms of playing. He's gotten 21.6 minutes per game so far in 2014-15, well below his 28.4-minute average from a season ago.
Such a slide is to be expected in Green's case, given Thomas' arrival. But Green is clearly making the most of his opportunities so far, with four games of 16 points or more already to his credit.
10. Miami Heat
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The faces involved may have changed, but the intensity of the rivalry between the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers remains. So, too, does some of the ugliness.
That is, if Wednesday's 81-75 slopfest was any indication. The Heat actually outshot the Pacers in the loss percentage-wise, but they got their butts whipped on the boards, 53-28.
This is hardly a new problem for the Heat. They ranked among the league's worst rebounding teams during the final two years of the LeBron James era, and they currently rank 27th in rebounding percentage in 2014-15.
For all that's changed about the Heat post-LeBron, their store of big bodies who can and will battle on the boards remains dangerously thin.
9. Dallas Mavericks
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The Dallas Mavericks made the most of their turn to host the Sixers—and then some. The Mavs absolutely mauled Philly, 120-73, setting a franchise record for margin of victory (53 points) in the process.
Of course, blowing out the tank-tastic Sixers isn't exactly a sign of great things to come in today's NBA. Dallas has had little trouble scoring this season and actually leads the league in offensive efficiency.
It's the Mavs defense, rather, that still needs fine-tuning. The Mavs came into Thursday ranked 24th in defensive efficiency and 28th in rebound percentage.
The pieces are in place, though, for Dallas to improve on that end. The Mavs have forced more turnovers (by percentage) than any other team and sport a solid rim protector in Tyson Chandler, who can cover for their gambling ways.
There don't figure to be many (if any) demolition jobs in Dallas' season that measure up to what it did to Philly. But if the Mavs can morph into a more balanced outfit as this campaign progresses, they may well emerge as the championship dark horse for which so many pundits have already had them pegged.
8. Washington Wizards
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Looking for a dark-horse MVP candidate? Why not John Wall?
The All-Star point guard is averaging 20 points, nine assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 steals, with two games of at least 30 points and 10 dimes already on his resume this season. Better yet, the Wizards, at 6-2, are off to their best start in almost 40 years, per ESPN Stats and Info.
And Wall's done it all without Bradley Beal, who's still recovering from wrist surgery and could be out for another few weeks.
It certainly helps that Washington's schedule thus far has been nothing if not agreeable. In fact, its two losses have come against the only winning teams (i.e. the Heat and Raptors) that it has played thus far.
The Wizards, though, should soon have their mettle tested, with dates against the Cavs, Mavs, Hawks and Pelicans before the end of the month. The more of those games they win without Beals' services, the better Wall could look with the Maurice Podoloff Trophy in hand.
7. Toronto Raptors
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The Toronto Raptors are clearly close to title contention, but the cigar they're seeking remains a tantalizing arm length away. Case in point: their 100-93 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night.
It was a welcome departure for the Raptors to appear on national TV after so many seasons of northern obscurity. They looked pretty good for a time, too, building a nine-point lead late in the second quarter.
But Chicago clamped down defensively after the break, holding Toronto to just 14 points in the third quarter. By the end of the frame, the Bulls were up 14 and maintained a double-digit advantage for most of the fourth.
Despite the loss, the Raptors remain in the mix for a superb seed in the reshuffled Eastern Conference, thanks to the All-Star-caliber backcourt of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan and top-10 play on both ends of the floor.
Toronto could find itself fighting for supremacy in the East before the season is over. For now, though, the Raptors have work to do if they're to break into the league's elite.
6. Golden State Warriors
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The Golden State Warriors snapped a quick two-game skid with a 107-99 win over the Nets on Thursday, and you don't have to search high and low for a factor that explains the difference.
The Warriors turned the ball over just 10 times against the Nets. That's a massive improvement over the 19 giveaways they registered against the Spurs at home, and far fewer than the 26 they tallied in Phoenix before that. In fact, it marked just the third occasion in eight games that the Dubs didn't turn the ball over at least 20 times and the first that they coughed it up fewer than 17 times this season.
It's all well and good that Steve Kerr's encouraging his players to move the ball, but Golden State's offense won't be truly unleashed until the Warriors cut down on silly mistakes and start playing smarter, as Grantland's Zach Lowe noted:
"If the Warriors exercise some discipline, you can see the upside: the new starting lineup, with Draymond Green in Lee’s place, is a two-way demolition crew, and the team could have enough depth when healthy to wean them off their Curry dependence on offense.
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Until that happens, the Dubs will have to settle for the fringes of title contention rather than at the very core of it.
5. Portland Trail Blazers
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It's tough to justify pushing the Portland Trail Blazers up from their previous perch at No. 5. Sure, they've won three in a row, but two of those victories came against the nihilistic Nuggets, and the third was the result of a furious comeback opposite the scoring-starved Hornets.
Keep in mind, though, that Nicolas Batum missed Portland's most recent two results with a knee injury.
Good news: Batum could be back in action by Monday. Better news: Damian Lillard seems to have rediscovered his scoring touch in the interim. The All-Star guard has scored 25 points or more in three of his last four games while averaging eight assists across those contests.
4. Chicago Bulls
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The 2014-15 season is quickly turning into a redux of 2011-12 for the Chicago Bulls—and not just because their bench is awesome.
The bigger issue here is the health of Derrick Rose. Three years ago, Rose missed 27 games to a variety of leg, ankle and groin injuries. That series of setbacks may well have contributed to the ACL tear that Rose suffered in the first game of the 2012 playoffs and that kept him out of action until the fall of 2013, when he was done in by yet another knee injury.
This time around, Rose is battling sprains in both ankles and a gimpy left hamstring, in addition to the surgical scars in his knees.
Indeed, Rose has every reason to worry about his health, and not just for life after basketball, as Bleacher Report's Sean Highkin commented:
"The only thing Rose can do that will win back the trust of a fanbase is stay on the floor and lead the Bulls to a deep playoff run after two years of also-ran status. But he can't shortcut the process, and the only thing he can do in the meantime is make the best decisions for his long-term future. He shouldn't have to apologize for that.
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3. San Antonio Spurs
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To paraphrase the late, great Dinah Washington, what a difference Kawhi makes.
The San Antonio Spurs seemed to stumble out of the gate this season. They lost three of their first five games and snuck out their two wins by a combined three points. All the while, Kawhi Leonard couldn't seem to find—or even see—his groove, after missing most of training camp and the season opener on account of a nasty case of conjunctivitis.
That all changed in L.A., where Leonard led the Spurs to an 89-85 victory over the Clippers with his regular-season career-high-tying 26 points.
"We ran more plays for him tonight than I ever have in his career," Popovich said after the game. "That's the plan. We've got to start giving him the ball."
They did just that the very next night, when Leonard scored 19 points on one end while helping to hound Stephen Curry into an 0-of-7 night from beyond the arc on the other.
To be sure, the Spurs still have some issues to sort out, not the least of which are the injury-related absences of Tiago Splitter and Patty Mills. But having Leonard back on track is clearly a crucial step for San Antonio, which has all the other ingredients needed to defend its title.
2. Memphis Grizzlies
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If not for Brandon Knight's late three-point play, the Memphis Grizzlies would be the NBA's lone undefeated team. Then again, if not for Courtney Lee's heroics against the Kings, the Grizzlies would be carrying two losses right now.
Either way, Memphis is in marvelous shape: alone atop the wild Western Conference, with a top-five defense, a pair of fantastic bigs (i.e., Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph) and a surprisingly deep store of shooters off the bench.
What could possibly make this team more interesting? How about a hefty helping of Kenyon Martin?
And you thought the "Grit-N-Grind" was difficult to deal with before...
1. Houston Rockets
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So what if the Houston Rockets have played a soft schedule so far? They're beating the teams the league has put in front of them—aside from an 11-point loss to the Warriors, from which Dwight Howard was noticeably absent.
And they've done so handily. Their first seven wins have come by an average of 14.3 points per game. Their offense ranks among the NBA's 10 most efficient while sticking to general manager Daryl Morey's analytics-driven dictates: all three-pointers (No. 1 in three-point makes and attempts, No. 3 in percentage) and free throws (No. 3 in free-throw attempts and free throws per field-goal attempt), no long twos (No. 30 in percentage of field-goal attempts between 16 feet and the three-point line).
More importantly, the Rockets have risen to the top of the defensive mountain, allowing a mere 93.7 points per 100 possessions and collecting the fifth-most rebounds by percentage.
Houston has a number of cupcakes among its upcoming opponents, though a trip to Memphis on Monday should serve as an intriguing measuring stick for the Association's most dominant outfit thus far.
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.jpg?w=600 "New NBA Mock Draft 📝")
