1 New Year's Resolution for Each NBA Team in 2015
What's your New Year's resolution? Is it to get back in the gym? Start cooking for yourself? Maybe you're trying to travel more in 2015, or save up for something big. Maybe your resolution is to not resolve to do anything at all.
Surely, plenty of folks in the NBA have resolutions of their own: to be better teammates, to work out harder, to sharpen their jump shots and so on.
But what about the teams themselves? What does/might/should 2015 hold in store for each of them? With the league as wide open as it is, even the best teams have a lot to work on in the new year.
And the bad squads, of course, have that much more to hope for with 2014 out of the way.
Before the clock strikes midnight on another year gone, let's have a look at some reasonable resolutions for all 30 of the Association's members, listed here in alphabetical order.
Atlanta Hawks: Just Keep Shooting
1 of 30
If Harry the Hawk ever falls ill, the Atlanta Hawks would do well to enlist Dory as their next mascot, if only to remind them to just keep shooting.
That strategy has worked quite well for the Hawks so far. Atlanta, at 23-8, ranks among the top 10 in the NBA in three-point attempts and three-point percentage. As Bleacher Report's Dylan Murphy detailed, this is a function not only of great shot selection in head coach Mike Budenholzer's offense, but also of the team's deep stock of capable marksmen:
"They attempt the fourth-fewest mid-range shots per game and third-most right corner threes. Also, 27.5 percent of their points, on average, are generated by threes, the fifth-highest rate in the league.
Six players on the team are shooting above 35 percent from deep, and Kyle Korver is keeping up his ridiculous 50-plus percent pace at 53.9 from beyond the arc. Even with a hand up on jumpers, the team is still shooting 40.8 percent on catch-and-shoots, according to Synergy Sports (subscription required)—fourth-best in the NBA.
"
None of this would be possible without the likes of Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroder slashing to the cup to draw defensive attention and, in turn, create space for the Hawks' shooters. So long as Atlanta keeps its offensive ecosystem in balance—and continues to defend at a top-10 rate—it should maintain its place among the East's elite over the long haul.
Boston Celtics: Make the Best of a Bad Situation
2 of 30
The Boston Celtics could be excused for making excuses at this point. Rajon Rondo's move to Dallas was the most recent chapter in a roster teardown that began last summer, when general manager Danny Ainge swapped Doc Rivers, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry for a bevy of future draft picks, among other things.
Rondo might not be the last Celtic to wind up on the block this season, either. Productive veterans like Jeff Green, Jameer Nelson and Brandon Bass could draw interest from other playoff hopefuls come 2015.
But Bass, for one, isn't about to hang his head and pout. A seasoned pro of his ilk understands the opportunity at hand—for him to get paid handsomely to play basketball and for Boston to surprise some folks.
Bass told ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg:
"My job is to work with what we have. That’s what I do. It’s sad to see Rondo leave, but at the end of the day, it’s a business. Every year here somebody left. You’ve got to work with what you’ve got. I am a firm believer that, I don’t believe in looking for no people to come join a team -- I ain’t into looking and searching for a team to go to win a championship. That’s not who I am. I’m into working with what we’ve got and making the best of it.
"
That's the attitude that Boston needs from all of its players, especially with a playoff spot in the weak East well within reach.
Brooklyn Nets: Don't Get Too Comfortable
3 of 30
Newsworthy change has been the name of the game for the Brooklyn Nets in recent weeks.
First came word that the Nets were open to dealing (if not actively shopping) their high-priced trio of Joe Johnson, Deron Williams and Brook Lopez, according to Marc Stein and Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com. Then, head coach Lionel Hollins, in a shocking twist, moved the latter of those two to the bench and slotted Jarrett Jack and Mason Plumlee into his starting five. The Nets went on to win four of their first five games with that strange arrangement in place.
"This is the Brooklyn Nets," Hollins said after Brooklyn beat the Sacramento Kings on Monday, via ESPN.com's Mike Mazzeo. "Yes, they were starters, but they've been in and out of the lineup. And if you note, while they were out we started playing better and winning, so why would I go back and change the lineup for now?"
And they might not start, if the Nets find any takers for their respective contracts. According to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, talks between Brooklyn and Sacramento regarding Williams have stalled of late, though they could always heat up again. Don't be surprised if someone comes sniffing around the five boroughs for expensive talent in the weeks to come—the Nets will at least entertain whichever offers they can muster.
Charlotte Hornets: Back to Basics
4 of 30
The Charlotte Hornets offense was a disaster from day one this season, and it only figures to struggle further while Lance Stephenson and Al Jefferson are both on the shelf. Jefferson, in particular, is slated to miss a month with a groin injury, the team announced Tuesday evening.
But this team's surprising success in 2013-14—its last as the Bobcats—was predicated not on an efficient offense but on a sound defense. According to NBA.com, Charlotte ranked sixth in defensive efficiency last season but has slipped to 16th so far in 2014-15. That wouldn't be so bad if the Hornets offense wasn't one of the four worst in the league.
Hindsight being what it is, Charlotte seemed to overachieve considerably during Steve Clifford's first year on the job. If the Hornets are to defy the odds again, they'll have to get back to playing like the Bobcats did.
And not the ones that won just seven games in 2011-12.
Chicago Bulls: Don't Run Your New All-Stars into the Ground
5 of 30
Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol have been nothing short of godsends for the Chicago Bulls this season.
The former has performed at an All-Star clip, posting career highs in points (21.7), field-goal percentage (.481), rebounds (6.1) and assists (3.2).
"I'm not surprised he's improved," head coach Tom Thibodeau told NBA.com's David Aldridge. "The amount he's improved, I wouldn't be honest if I said I saw it coming. I thought he was capable of scoring more than he did, but playing the way he is, he's playing great. On both sides of the ball, he's an All-Star, and he's making big plays for us."
Gasol, meanwhile, has looked more like his superstar self, scoring 17.6 points and pulling down 11.1 boards per game at the age of 34. Together, Butler and Gasol have helped the likes of Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson concoct a top-10 offense to complement yet another top-10 defense.
But as great as the Bulls looked in winning seven in a row and 10 of 11 before the Brooklyn Nets crushed them Tuesday night, there's reason to believe the good times won't last if Chicago isn't careful.
Butler is on pace to lead the league in playing time for the second year in a row, with a whopping 40.0 minutes per game. Gasol currently is tied for 20th in that regard at 35.0 minutes—his most since 2011-12, his last healthy season.
Both have fought through injuries in recent years: Butler with his feet, Gasol with his knees. The Bulls will need each of them to be fresh and ready for a deep, grueling run through the playoffs come the spring.
That means Thibs would do well to ease off the gas pedal with these two once the calendar turns to 2015.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Play Harder for David Blatt
6 of 30
Cleveland Cavaliers head coach David Blatt must be feeling like Cartman as Edward James Olmos right about now. His Cavs have sputtered intermittently through their 18-13 start. With their effort waning hither and thither, the well-traveled coach has to wonder: How does he reach these kids?
On Monday, ESPN.com's Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst reported, "Sources told ESPN.com that there is rising concern in team circles about the level of response that Blatt is getting on the floor, with Blatt himself acknowledging that the Cavaliers 'lost our energy and we lost our competitiveness' in Sunday night's embarrassing home loss to Detroit."
Such struggles are predictable in light of the circumstances. Blatt hadn't coached a single minute in the NBA prior to this season. Nor had the Cleveland's Big Three of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love ever competed for the same club.
Blatt certainly has much to learn—about his players, about his rotations, about game management, about the flow of NBA life in general—and is attempting to do so on the fly, in a situation that shifted dramatically once James came back into the fold.
But, as Northeast Ohio Media Group's Chris Haynes points out, the onus is on Blatt's players to put forth the effort necessary to compete at a high level if the team (and its coach) is ever to find its (and his) footing:
"The dreadful body language, the disengagement, the attitudes, the lollygagging on defense must cease. Leaders need to lead and players need to play. Regardless of who is roaming the sidelines, players have an obligation to give it their all from start to finish.
Those are all things out of Blatt's control. Those are also things that get coaches canned. Blatt doesn't deserve that. This isn't what he signed up for.
"
Dallas Mavericks: Rebuild Their Depth
7 of 30
In trading for Rajon Rondo, the Dallas Mavericks did what they had to do to upgrade at a key position that was at once their weakest and arguably the strongest for most of their Western Conference competition. That deal, though, cost Dallas two important members of its second unit: Jae Crowder and Brandan Wright.
The loss of Wright was particularly troubling for the Mavs. He was the only other bona fide center on their roster and was about as reasonable a facsimile for the injury-prone Tyson Chandler as you'll find among the ranks of the NBA's reserves these days.
The mission for Dallas, then, is to find guys who can hold their own in the frontcourt. Greg Smith has shown flashes of intriguing ability in the recent past. Once upon a time, Charlie Villanueva had done much more than that. Both are capable of quality contributions, albeit not when it comes to rim protection.
Chances are the Mavs will look for more help outside of their organization. Jermaine O'Neal figures to be on the market. Emeka Okafor will be, too.
Dallas doesn't need to seek out a savior with size—just someone who can provide some girth in spurts against the interior power that many of the West's best have at their disposal.
Denver Nuggets: Bring Back the Fun
8 of 30
The Denver Nuggets haven't been fun for a while, and not just because they're losing games at a prodigious clip. The transition from George Karl's free-wheeling style of play to Brian Shaw's more conservative brand of basketball hasn't been smooth, to say the least, and seems to have sapped the Nuggets of much of their lovable spirit.
As Jeffrey Morton of Denver Stiffs explained, that may have something to do with some of the principles that Shaw has put in place:
"Shaw completely changed the defensive scheme, no leak outs, no gambling for steals. The defensive concepts are all about defending well for your possession, much like the Pacers the Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago Bulls. Where the Nuggets fail is they have the hardest time getting slump busting baskets. Creating steals to get transition layups used to bail them out of offensive slumps. The Nuggets transitions, when they do occur, are sloppy and slow due, for the most part, to the fact that the coaching staff wants the bigs to "rim run" on breaks rather than let the guards lead.
"
That hasn't stopped Denver from ranking ninth in fast-break points and 16th in points off turnovers, though the Nuggets are no longer running weary opponents off the floor like they used to.
In truth, this probably has more to do with effort than schematics. The Nuggets still have the depth, talent and youth to play with much of that manic energy that characterized Karl's best teams in Denver. What they seem to lack is a willingness to summon that all-out intensity for his replacement.
Detroit Pistons: Enjoy Life Without J-Smoove
9 of 30
Stan Van Gundy's stunning decision to part ways with Josh Smith appears to have given the Detroit Pistons a new lease on life. They won their first three games sans Smoove, including a 23-point pounding of the Cavs in Cleveland.
Greg Monroe went for 19 points and 15 boards in his triumphant return to the starting lineup—against the Indiana Pacers' imposing front line, no less. Andre Drummond dominated the Cavs inside to the tune of 16 points, 17 rebounds and five blocks.
Meanwhile, the Pistons' perimeter players have begun to light it up from deep. They went 38.5 percent against the Pacers, followed by making a franchise-record 17 threes in Cleveland and 14 more at the Orlando Magic's expense.
The Pistons' gig may be Van Gundy's last, but if they can continue to improve in the aftermath of Smith's ouster, he could be in Motown a good, long while.
Golden State Warriors: Let the Good Times Roll
10 of 30
The sun has showered the Golden State Warriors with no shortage of shine so far this season, though a haze remains around Oracle Arena—and not just the kind that tends to blow into the East Bay from the Pacific Ocean. Andrew Bogut has been sidelined by a knee injury, as has his backup, Festus Ezeli, on account of a bum ankle.
The Warriors have done well to persevere despite their hobbled frontcourt. They've won eight of 11 without Bogut. Two of those three losses came in L.A., the latter (Christmas Day vs. the Clippers) without Ezeli.
Golden State's top centers will be back in action at some point this season. The team's challenge is to not allow its early-season success and the good tidings that it brought to slip away while Bogut and Ezeli are out.
Marreese Speights shoulders the most immediate responsibility for holding down the middle in the interim, but the task is truly a team-wide one. That means the Dubs—Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in particular—will have to not only make do without Bogut's pinpoint passes and space-clearing screens, but shoulder more responsibility in the process.
Houston Rockets: Help James Harden
11 of 30
However you feel about James Harden as a player or person, there's no denying that he is, at the very least, one of the two or three top MVP candidates to emerge from the first two months of the 2014-15 NBA season. He's leading the league in points (27.4) and free-throw attempts (9.6) while chipping in 6.1 rebounds and 6.9 assists.
Not to mention his much-improved defense, of which his 1.9 steals are but a cursory indicator.
But as great as Harden has been so far, he can only keep the Houston Rockets afloat for so long. At some point, the Beard needs a break, though his 37.5 minutes per game (fourth-most in the NBA) suggest he's not getting many of those.
The Rockets can't really afford to rest him much. Grantland's Zach Lowe warned as much while discussing Jason Terry's role in Houston:
"Houston’s offense has died with Terry on the floor, but that’s just as much a reflection on its limited overall bench — and the team’s occasional need to use Terry as a de facto point guard without Harden, Patrick Beverley, or even Nick Johnson on the floor. Terry has barely gotten to play with both Harden and Howard, and the Rox have squeezed out a semi-respectable number of points with the Harden/Terry pair.
"
The truth is Houston as a whole has been a horror show on offense when Harden rests. According to NBA.com, the Rockets have scored a respectable 105.8 points per 100 possessions when Harden has played but collapsed to a miserable 89.1 points/100 when he's sat.
The addition of Josh Smith should help to alleviate that poor play in Harden's absence. And it should be noted that some of that non-Harden noise came during the 12 games that Dwight Howard had missed this season.
Still, there's no way the Rockets are surviving the slaughterhouse otherwise known as the Western Conference without at least a smattering of offensive support for Harden.
Indiana Pacers: Turn the Page
12 of 30
2014 wasn't a particularly good one for the Indiana Pacers, to say the least. Sure, they snagged the top seed in the East and made it back to the conference finals, but to focus solely on the end results would ignore the struggles they endured along the way.
The prolonged skid through March and April. Roy Hibbert's inexplicable disappearing act. The collapse of team chemistry once Larry Bird sent Danny Granger to Philadelphia for Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen.
And then, of course, there was the ruinous summer, during which Lance Stephenson shimmied off to Charlotte and Paul George suffered a compound fracture in a Team USA scrimmage.
The Pacers' 11-21 start to the season is far from encouraging, though it leaves them just three games shy of a playoff spot in the East. If Hibbert can rediscover his pre-injury self and George Hill continues to contribute positively to the cause, Indy just might have a dog in the postseason fight.
And even if not, the Pacers can bank on adding a solid youngster by way of a lottery pick, in anticipation of George's return in 2015-16.
Los Angeles Clippers: Defense, Defense, Defense
13 of 30
Bleacher Report's Fred Katz has a handful of New Year's resolutions for the Los Angeles Clippers, though perhaps none is more important to address, at least in terms of the team's title hopes, than the subpar defense this squad has been playing all season.
Specifically, Katz points to All-Star power forward Blake Griffin as the prime suspect for the Clippers' shortcomings on that end: "Griffin, though, has been late to back up [DeAndre] Jordan time and time again. He's been caught out of position constantly. His effort hasn't always been consistent."
Clippers coach Doc Rivers suggested as much, albeit without naming names. "Multiple stops is the only way you can score consistently. We haven’t done that," Rivers said before L.A.'s Christmas Day win over the Warriors. "I think we’ve gone through that phase where guys are walking into games thinking we’re going to destroy them offensively—instead of, you’ve got to get stops to get the ball, you’ve got to rebound to get the ball, then you can run."
With any luck, Rivers will get his wish, and the Clippers will be off and running to and through the playoffs in 2015.
Los Angeles Lakers: Let the Kids Play
14 of 30
One thing is clear about the Los Angeles Lakers these days: They're not going to win much or go far if they expect Kobe Bryant to be their knight in shining armor.
Bryant's comeback from two major injuries has been nothing short of remarkable, for more reasons than one. The fact that he's been able to look anything like his old self, albeit in fits and spurts, is a testament to his talent and work ethic.
But Bryant has come by his 24.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists as inefficiently as he ever has. In fact, the Lakers are just 4-12 when Bryant has taken more than 20 shots in a game.
(Not that their 6-10 record in other games is that much better.)
This isn't so much a condemnation of the Mamba as it is a plea to give his younger teammates—some of whom might actually be part of L.A.'s long-term future—more leeway to play freely and grow together. As Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding put it: "If Bryant is now ready to dial it down—and if Scott is going to lead accordingly despite still admitting he is going to have to 'fight that temptation' to rely so heavily on Bryant—then there is hope for these other guys to be more than furniture in the background on the Lakers' set."
Surely, the Lakers will need Kobe's supporting cast to be more than that if this franchise is to build toward any success without its aging legend.
Memphis Grizzlies: It's OK to Shoot Threes
15 of 30
The Memphis Grizzlies have been at or near the forefront of the championship conversation since the 2014-15 season began, and for good reason. They've finally stitched together a top-10 offense to go along with a defense that, while not elite to this point, is capable of getting consecutive stops with the game on the line.
As competent a scoring machine as the Grizzlies have become, though, with Marc Gasol shouldering a larger load, this team could use a bit more three-point shooting to loosen the middle of the floor for post-ups and Mike Conley drives.
Memphis actually has some legitimate shooting threats on the roster now, between Courtney Lee, Vince Carter, Quincy Pondexter and Jon Leuer. Trouble is, the Grizz still don't launch much—just 15.9 times per game, the fourth-fewest in the NBA, despite hitting them at a slightly above-average 35.8 percent clip.
This team shouldn't be taking tons of threes, not with Gasol and Zach Randolph inside. But if the Grizzlies are to keep their offense from grinding to a halt in the playoffs, they'll need to spread the floor with just a tad more shooting.
Miami Heat: Remember, but Don't Get Lost In, the Good Times
16 of 30
The Miami Heat are down on their luck this season for more reasons than just LeBron James' departure.
Chris Bosh, who was in the midst of a superstar-caliber campaign, has battled a bad calf. Josh McRoberts, once expected to ease the need for playmaking on the wing, is probably done for the year after tearing the meniscus in his right knee.
Any loss is huge for these Heat considering their dearth of depth, but especially when those absences are such key cogs.
Still, the organizational infrastructure that's needed to win games is already there. So, too, is a signature style of play and the recent results to back it up. The Heat may not have the ideal personnel to pull off their pace-and-space offense or their aggressive trapping defense with the same aplomb, but that doesn't mean this group can't do better than its middling offense and 25th-ranked defense would indicate.
Those same tactics may not work for this Miami team, but the same principles that underpinned the Heat's prior approach—crisp ball and player movement, sharp defensive execution, ball pressure—should be well within the grasp of the veteran group that head coach Erik Spoelstra has at his disposal.
Milwaukee Bucks: Be Thankful but Don't Settle
17 of 30
The Milwaukee Bucks have already surpassed last season's entire win total. So they should just mail in the rest of the season, right? Pack it up, huddle through the bitter Wisconsin winter and wait until franchise savior Jabari Parker returns from his ACL tear.
Or not. The Bucks still have plenty to play for now, and plenty more to grow for later. They've been in the playoff hunt all season under head coach Jason Kidd and are clearly looking to stay in it with word that Kenyon Martin, Kidd's old running mate in New Jersey, may be coming to Milwaukee, per Yahoo Sports' Marc J. Spears.
The Bucks could certainly use veteran reinforcements, so long as they don't detract from the developmental opportunities available to youngsters like Brandon Knight, Larry Sanders and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
"I just try to do more work, try to play hard and try to compete every time I step on the floor," Antetokounmpo told NBA.com's David Aldridge. "And we just, we are capable, every day, I try to have a good practice and listen to our coach as much as possible. We just want to be, when we step out on the floor, we want to be in close matches, make every game to be close, and try to compete."
As well he, and they, should.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Focus on the Future
18 of 30
Flip Saunders really wanted to bust the Minnesota Timberwolves' decade-long playoff drought this season, so much so that he flipped a first-round pick from the Kevin Love trade to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Thaddeus Young.
Any hope, however minuscule, of Minnesota reaching the postseason vanished into thin air when Ricky Rubio, Nikola Pekovic and Kevin Martin (i.e., the team's incumbent core of veterans) wound up in street clothes. The Wolves all but threw in the towel themselves once they sent Corey Brewer to Houston.
Fortunately for the Wolves, they still have plenty to play for—namely, the future. They're absolutely loaded with quality youngsters, from the last two No. 1 picks (Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett) to Zach LaVine, Shabazz Muhammad and Gorgui Dieng. Rubio, who's only 24, should be back from a badly sprained ankle before the season is through.
As bad as the losing is and has been in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, there's still plenty of hope in town, albeit of the sort that won't bear much fruit for another few years.
New Orleans Pelicans: Do It for The Brow
19 of 30
It would be a shame for a player of Anthony Davis' incredible caliber to miss the playoffs, especially when he has some legitimately talented teammates. Yet, the New Orleans Pelicans find themselves in the precarious position of being the weakest of the three teams, along with the Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder, currently in the mix for the eighth and final playoff spot out West.
Which is to say, the Brow will probably have to wait until Year 4 of his NBA career to experience the splendor of the postseason.
Of course, there's no guarantee that Davis won't be putting up ridiculous lines in the heat of meaningful battle come mid-April. Injuries have a way of messing with the best laid plans of mice and men—just ask OKC, or any NBA team ever, really.
The Pelicans have endured their fair share, though their most glaring absentee (Eric Gordon) should be back from a shoulder injury in relatively short order, per Nakia Hogan of The Times-Picayune.
Gordon had performed fairly terribly prior to that setback, but he's shown himself to be a talent over the years. The Pelicans will need as much of that as they can muster if they are to make something more of Davis' breakout campaign.
New York Knicks: Build for the Future
20 of 30
You know you're not in good shape as a team when Andrea Bargnani's impending return qualifies as the best news you've gotten all day.
Granted, the New York Knicks' bind was clear well before that ambivalent tidbit came through. Losing 28 of your first 33 games will tend to make that despair obvious, especially in a town as starved for basketball success as the Big Apple is.
But the new year should bring new hope for New York. Team president Phil Jackson already teased at a better 2015 on Christmas Day, not that 2014 set the bar all that high.
On the bright side, the Knicks' current struggles should put Jackson and the team's front office in position to select a potential star (Jahlil Okafor, perhaps?) atop the 2015 NBA draft. Mere days after that, New York will have a boatload of cap space with which to lure free agents to Madison Square Garden.
But there's plenty of important work to be done before then, even if 2014-15 seems like a lost cause. The more effort the Knicks put into mastering Derek Fisher's preferred principles on both ends of the floor, the sooner they'll be able to eschew the stench of the club's losing culture—and the easier it'll be to sell prospective newcomers on the task of resurrecting the Garden's famous atmosphere alongside Carmelo Anthony and Co.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Trust Your Talent
21 of 30
Kevin Durant's latest ankle injury turned out to not be so mild after all. He's missed the Oklahoma City Thunder's last six games, although he's set to return against the Phoenix Suns on New Year's Eve, per ESPN.com's Royce Young and Marc Stein.
"It's not the first time I sprained my ankle this bad," Durant told The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry. "I remember in 2009 I sprained it pretty bad and missed nine games because of it."
That came during the Thunder's inaugural season in OKC. They won just 23 games that year after stumbling out to a 3-29 start.
The Thunder have come a long way since then, to say the least. Nowadays, OKC is nigh on unstoppable when Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka are all healthy and balling at the same time. The Thunder won seven in a row during the lone nine-game stretch in which the terrific trio was intact this season.
So long as KD's latest setback isn't a long-term one, OKC need not panic, even in the crowded Western Conference. The Thunder are too good on both ends of the floor to not sneak—if not storm—their way into the playoffs come the spring.
Orlando Magic: Make the Pieces Fit
22 of 30
The Orlando Magic are stocked with ingredients they can use to (finally) cook up a more competitive product, now in Year 3 A.D. (After Dwight).
For one, they have a fierce, productive guard in Victor Oladipo, who can man either backcourt spot. He and rookie Elfrid Payton constitute a dynamic duo that, while short on experience and shooting ability, is long on athleticism and defensive tenacity.
The Magic also sport some solid play on the wings, including the ever-improving Tobias Harris, the resurgent Ben Gordon and the always-dangerous Channing Frye.
And in the middle, there's Nikola Vucevic, a double-double threat with the size and skill to serve as the fulcrum of a functional NBA offense. "We’ve thrown him the ball more often than we ever have in the past," head coach Jacque Vaughn told Sports Illustrated's Lee Jenkins. "His ability to post up for us, even command double-teams, has been very good."
Frankly, there's enough talent in Orlando, even with rookie Aaron Gordon potentially done for the year, for this team to push for a playoff spot in the pathetic East. And with the Heat hanging onto theirs by a thread, the Magic just might sneak in.
For Grantland's Zach Lowe, it may be more a matter of the coaching staff finding the right recipe than anything else.
"Magic have a lot of funky pieces—in a good way—and it's fun to watch Vaughn figure out who should play together game-to-game," Lowe tweeted Tuesday.
Philadelphia 76ers: Keep It Together
23 of 30
2014 was a bad year for the Philadelphia 76ers, albeit predictably (if not expectedly) so. Between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, the Sixers won just 14 games in 82 tries—a winning percentage of 0.171.
It wasn't all bad for Philly, though. Michael Carter-Williams was named Rookie of the Year, though the field wasn't exactly stacked. Nerlens Noel made his debut after spending the entire 2013-14 campaign rehabbing from a knee injury. The Sixers spent draft day in June picking up Kansas center Joel Embiid and European sensation Dario Saric...neither of whom is expected to put so much as a dent in Philly's problems until next season, at the earliest.
Good times should lie ahead in the City of Brotherly Love, so long as the Sixers don't build bad habits and lose their winning wits during the dark days before then.
"I am on the warpath to keep our locker room together," head coach Brett Brown told Grantland's Zach Lowe. "And to not have us break apart as a team."
That would be a significant victory for these Sixers—one that defies measurement in wins and losses.
Phoenix Suns: Give It to the Guards
24 of 30
The Phoenix Suns have taken off since mid-December, and you don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out why that is. Head coach Jeff Hornacek has unleashed his point guard hydra of Eric Bledsoe, Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas with greater regularity—and to stunning effect.
To date, those three have played a total of 88 minutes together, though 50 of those minutes came during Phoenix's season-best six game winning streak. According to NBA.com, the Suns outscored the opposition by a mind-boggling 35.1 points per 100 possessions with that trio on the court during its recent spurt and by 16.3 points per 100 overall.
"It’s a weapon we have that sometimes is pretty good because we’ll try to pick out the one guy who has the advantage and let him go," Hornacek told The Washington Post's Michael Lee.
It helps, too, that second-year center Alex Len has found his footing as a starter during the aforementioned span. Still, the success (or failure) of these Suns was always going to be contingent on the performance of the guards. So far, Phoenix is finding plenty to be happy about with the help of its exciting squadron of floor generals, and the team should find plenty more in the calendar year to come.
Portland Trail Blazers: Keep Flying Under the Radar
25 of 30
The role of overlooked underdog has suited the Portland Trail Blazers quite well, even though their talent and results point to a team that should be heralded among the league's elite. Coming into New Year's Eve, the Blazers ranked ninth in offensive efficiency and third in defensive efficiency, with a pair of All-Stars (LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard) leading a strong supporting cast, including a much-improved bench.
And yet, the Blazers rarely come up as legitimate contenders in the question of "who will win the West."
Perhaps that's simply the price that any team pays when it's located in the league's farthest-flung corner. Or, perhaps it will work to Portland's advantage, with so much less outside pressure and attention to overcome.
Either way, the Blazers are well-versed in the ways of sneaking up on people. Their 54-win season in 2013-14 came out of left field, as did their first-round takedown of the Rockets.
They also know a thing or two about 25-7 starts; that was their record through 32 games last season, too.
All of which is to say the Blazers are still really good and might even be better now than they were a year ago. Just don't tell anyone, lest they lose their edge.
Sacramento Kings: Make Sound Organizational Decisions
26 of 30
It's been years since the Sacramento Kings were a stable NBA franchise, and it might be some time still before that happens. Team owner Vivek Ranadive, who purchased a controlling interest of the Kings from the Maloofs in May 2013, canned Mike Malone, whom he hired to coach the team before settling on a general manager, just 24 games into his second season on the job.
As Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski detailed, Malone's ouster likely had less to do with results than it did with organizational discord:
"There has been significant tension between management and Malone on several fronts over the past year, and the firing ultimately turned out to be another cautionary tale in what happens when ownership doesn't put together management and coaching staffs that have similar philosophies and a shared partnership.
"
Chances are the Kings won't find a long-term partner on the bench until this summer, when coaching retreads like George Karl and Vinny Del Negro are expected to get their cracks at the gig in California's capital. Until then, Sacramento's higher-ups would do well study up on the strengths and weaknesses of DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gay and the rest of the core to get a clear sense of what style of play would work best for them and then hire a new coach accordingly.
San Antonio Spurs: Heal Their Stars' Wounds
27 of 30
The notion that the San Antonio Spurs can survive just fine without some of their key guys has been put to the test of late. The Spurs had dropped eight of 11 prior to eking out a four-point win over the Rockets. Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard each missed eight of those contests—the former with a hamstring strain, the latter with an unusual hand injury.
The defending champs will be hard-pressed to hold their own in the wild West without their last two Finals MVPs in tow. San Antonio is still exceedingly deep, and Gregg Popovich is a master of deploying that depth, but there's only so much the likes of Cory Joseph, Patty Mills and Marco Belinelli can do to replace one player (Parker) who's carried the franchise for the past five years and another (Leonard) who's expected to take that torch for the next decade or so.
Toronto Raptors: Push Kyle Lowry's MVP Case
28 of 30
James Harden and Stephen Curry are among the early front-runners in the NBA's MVP race, and rightfully so. They've both been fantastically effective for, and also critically important to, the causes for their successful clubs.
The same applies to Kyle Lowry, who's been a beast all year for the Toronto Raptors, but especially since DeMar DeRozan went down with a groin injury. The Raptors won 11 of their first 15 games sans DeRozan. During that time, Lowry averaged 22.6 points, 9.1 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 5.6 free-throw attempts while shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 39.2 percent from three.
In an Eastern Conference that features three All-Stars (i.e., John Wall, Derrick Rose and Kyrie Irving) at the point, Lowry may well be the best of the bunch. At the very least, he should be repping his team in New York City at the All-Star Game in March. At most, Toronto should be singing his praises for MVP, as he's the main reason the Raptors hold the pole in the top-heavy East.
Utah Jazz: Pack on the Pounds
29 of 30
Losing weight is among the more common New Year's resolutions around, and it has certainly been prevalent in the NBA of late. LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Rudy Gay were among the many NBA veterans who slimmed down over the summer in order to preserve their bodies and prolong their careers.
The Utah Jazz, though, shouldn't be hopping on the Jenny Craig bandwagon just yet. If anything, this young squad needs to get bigger and stronger before it can comfortably contemplate shedding weight. There's no shortage of height and length in Salt Lake City these days, but the likes of Trey Burke, Gordon Hayward, Alec Burks, Dante Exum, Rudy Gobert and even Derrick Favors could stand to fill out a bit more in order to hold their own against the grown men among the opposition.
"We’re not the most physically imposing team at times, as far as just girth," Jazz coach Quin Snyder lamented to media members before Utah's loss to the Clippers in L.A. on Dec. 29. "I think it’s more of a mindset than anything. We need to be tough and ball-strong, really."
Mental toughness would certainly help, but some more gristle on those bones might not hurt, either.
Washington Wizards: Remember Where You Came From
30 of 30
The Washington Wizards have come a long way in what seems, at a glance, to be a relatively short time. Last season, they stumbled out to a 9-13 start and didn't comfortably cross the .500 threshold until late February.
Since then, they've watched John Wall blossom into a superstar, won their first playoff series in nearly a decade, re-signed Marcin Gortat, replaced Trevor Ariza with Paul Pierce and sprinted out to a dazzling 22-9 start this season. All of that has gone a long way toward silencing the nightmare that became of the end of the Gilbert Arenas era, with guns waving around the locker room and knuckleheads being shuffled off to distant lands.
But the Wizards' current successes are inextricably tied to their past struggles, whether they like it or not. Two of those poor campaigns begat the draft picks that became Wall and Bradley Beal. Arenas' ouster brought Rashard Lewis to D.C., who, through a series of moves, was turned into Ariza and Gortat. Nene might not be a Wizard right now if general manager Ernie Grunfeld hadn't had to clear JaVale McGee (and Nick Young) from his team's coffers.
This isn't to suggest that the Wizards' woes of old were blessings in disguise. Rather, in reaching for new heights, Washington should remember the depths from whence it came, if only to find all the motivation it needs to ensure that it never slips back into that regrettable abyss.
All statistics and records are current through games played on Tuesday, Dec. 30, and are via Basketball-Reference.com or NBA.com, unless otherwise noted. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand
Josh Martin covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @JoshMartinNBA
