Early 2016-17 Report Card Grades for Every NBA Team
Unwrap that bulk bag of red pens you purchased. The time to pass judgment on every single NBA team is upon us.
Yes, it's early, and we will take that into consideration. These grades are based on only what we've seen from each squad so far. They are not, in every case, a non-negotiable forecast for how a team will end the season.
This is to say: Don't panic if your band isn't where it's supposed to beโunless, of course, you're a fan of the New Orleans Pelicans. Then, yeah, you're encouraged to sound the alarm.
All grades are relative to the expectations of each individual franchise.ย We expect more from the Golden State Warriors than the Philadelphia 76ers, and it wouldn't make sense to evaluate them on the same scale. So it'sย possible for two teams from different walks of basketball life to get the same mark without it meaning they're on equal ground.
Atlanta Hawks: A
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Maybe the Atlanta Hawks miss Al Horford and Jeff Teague. We can't be sure.
They're too damn good.
Head coach Mike Budenholzer has the team hanging its hat on the defensive end, and it's working. Atlanta ranks second in points allowed per 100 possessions (95.8) and has seen its rebounding percentage on the less glamorous end skyrocket, thanks in large part to the addition of Dwight Howard and the ageless awesomeness of 31-year-old Paul Millsap.
Oh, and the offense is still pretty good too. The Hawks are hovering around the top 10 in efficiency and nuking nylon on more than 36 percent of their three-point attempts.
Kyle Korver (45 percent from three) is once again unguardable beyond the arc. Tim Hardaway Jr., Mike Muscala and Thabo Sefolosha are all Most Improved Player candidates (non-superstar division), and rookie Malcolm Delaney is a second-unit terror.
All is well in Atlantaโworlds better than most expected it to be.
Boston Celtics: B-
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Part of meโand the part of you that yearns to agree with that part of meโwants to eviscerate the Boston Celtics.ย
Here we have a team that signed Al Horford, the second-best free agent available this past summer, and was profiled as a two-way nightmareโa top-seven, maybe top-five, squad on both ends of the floor. No one was under the illusion these Celtics would be better than the Cleveland Cavaliers, but many saw them as the reigning champions' biggest Eastern Conference roadblock.
But Boston has spent the first part of the season struggling to play .500 basketball.
The offense is good, bordering on great. Guys are making plays even when Isaiah Thomas sits, which didn't happen last year, and only eight teams are shooting a higher percentageย from downtown.
It's another story on the defensive end. Last season's fifth-place fortressย is now 26th in points allowed per 100 possessions. Opponents are feasting from beyond the three-point line, and the Celtics are fouling in excess.
All this is enough to make you question any grade higher than a C.
But Jae Crowder, Kelly Olynyk, Marcus Smart and Horford have yet to be healthy at the same time. That, in turn, is enough to make you realize things could and perhaps should be much worse.
Brooklyn Nets: B+
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What if someone told you in September that, roughly 10 games into the season, the Brooklyn Nets would be on pace to collect more than 30 wins?
You would laugh. Scoff. Pass out from all the laughing and scoffing.
Well, this is not a drill. Jeremy Lin has missed half the schedule with a hamstring injury, everyone seems to be on a minutes limit, and Brooklyn is still on course to amass more wins than around one-third of the league.ย
Much of the credit goes to head coach Kenny Atkinson. He has the Nets playing fast, free and hard. The games aren't always pretty, but the team is buying into his system and responding to his vision.
Brook Lopezย has emerged as a viable three-point threat (31.6 percent, up from 14.3). Sean Kilpatrick (15.6 PPG) is setting the scoreboard on fire. Justin Hamilton is the Ryan Anderson of Justin Hamiltons. Rookie Isaiah Whitehead is already an asset on defense. Lin has run a top-10 offense when he's been available.ย Andย Trevor Booker has the Nets playing like a postseason squad on both ends when he's on the court.ย
Roster-wide regression is possible, if not inevitable. The scouting report will eventually be out on Atkinson's gritty and gutsy band of misfits and fliers. But damn it all if Brooklyn hasn't been one of the most surprisingly competitive teams of 2016-17.
Relative to where you, me, Dupree and everyone else thought the Nets would be, they deserve this grade.
Charlotte Hornets: B+
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Admit it: You were worried about the Charlotte Hornets.
Yes, they retained Nicolas Batum and Marvin Williams. And sure, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is back. But it was initially tough to imagine them maintaining last year's spacey and efficient offense following the departures of Al Jefferson, Courtney Lee and Jeremy Lin.
Now? Not so much.ย
Head coach Steve Clifford, a defensive sage who deserves more praise for his adaptable offensive schemes, has by all appearances done it again. The Hornetsย rank third in defensive efficiency (98.7) and are sniffing the top 12 in points scored per 100 possessions.ย
Some of their lineup combinations aren't nearly as versatile as last year's, but they are limiting turnovers, surviving from three (34.9 percent clip) and enjoying All-Star production from Kemba Walker. Their involuntary offseason face-lift hasn't hurt them; at 6-3, they're in super-early contention for one of the East's two best records.
Before taking to the rooftops to warn the Cavaliers about these Hornets, though, we need to see more. Only one of Charlotte's victories has come against a projected playoff unitโa Utah Jazz team that was without offensive lifeline George Hill.
Chicago Bulls: B-
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Don't let the Chicago Bulls' eighth-ranked offense and unsustainably sweet(ish) shooting distract you from the fact that the 73-9 Warriors blew a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals they are mediocre on defense and have beaten just one team with a winning record.
Also: Be concerned about that offense too.
How much longer will Dwyane Wadeโa 28.4 percent three-point shooter entering this seasonโdrill more than 35 percent of his triples amid career volume? How much longer will Chicago's starting lineup, comprised of four non-shooters, hit on 44-plus percent of its attempts?
And how much longer will the Bulls average more points per 100 possessions than two-thirds of the league when their five most-usedย lineups post offensive ratings lower than the team's overall mark?
The ball movement has been good, and Jimmy Butler is the MVP of players who won't generate tons of MVP attention. But so much of the Bulls' success is founded upon perceived weaknesses. Too much.ย
Plus, when you think about it, at 6-4, they haven'tย really been that successful in the first place.
Cleveland Cavaliers: A-
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We needn't spend time on what the Cavaliers are doing rightโit's almost everything. Jilted superfans will instead want to know why Cleveland hasn't earned an A.ย
Here are all of the things the Cavaliers are doing wrong:
- Opponents are shooting better than 62 percent in the restricted area.
- Kevin Love's three-point percentage (33.3) is in the toilet.
- J.R. Smith (33.8 FG%) forgot how to make two-pointers.
- LeBron James isn't even averaging a triple-double.
- Iman Shumpert didn't know POTUS' podium was movable.
This is a little thing called "extreme harping." Cleveland remains greatโuntouchable as far as the Eastern Conference is concerned. There is nothing wrong with an A-minus.
Besides, the absence of an "A+++" will leave the Cavaliersโwho are obviously going to read thisโwith a chip on their shoulder. And that will safeguard them further against the already-unlikely championship hangover.ย
You're welcome, Clevelanders.
Dallas Mavericks: D
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The outlook is not good for the Dallas Mavericks.ย
Dirk Nowitzki has been dealing with Achilles soreness, and his return should help a bottom-five offense. And there's always a chance, however faint, head coach Rick Carlisle suddenly conjures eighth-seeded playoff hopes out of thin air sometime in December.ย
But Dallas is shallow and much too dependent on a mix of wild cards, aging veterans and Harrison Barnes.
Two of the Mavericks' players place in theย top fiveย in minutes per game: Wesley Matthews (37.3), who is less than two years removed from a ruptured Achilles, and Barnes (37.8). Four of their top five scorers are offensive minuses. The preferred starting five of Andrew Bogut, Deron Williams, Barnes, Matthews and Nowitzki has seen less than 20 minutes of action together and been an unmitigated disaster on both ends during that time.
Teams can only double down on a gray area between rebuilding and competing for so long before they go sideways. The Mavericks' years of hedging are starting to catch up with them, and with so few trade assets, they won't be able to grasp at low-end postseason aspirations for much longer.
Detroit Pistons: C+
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Reggie Jackson, who remains sidelined with right thumb and left knee injuries, can rest easy knowing he is indispensable to the Detroit Pistons. Or maybe that's an unsettling notion for him. Theย offense has beenย that bad.
The Pistons are deploying a bottom-10ย scoring machine. They're doing an all right job of protecting the ball, but the spacing, a potential detriment to begin with, is out of whack without Jackson's dribble penetration.
Ish Smith and Beno Udrih aren't doing anywhere near enough in the pick-and-roll. Head coach Stan Van Gundy has adjusted by using Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Tobias Harris, Stanley Johnson and Marcus Morris as ball-carriers to varying degrees of effectivenessโa contrived inconsistency that isn't doing the diving Andre Drummond any favors.
Detroit's defense is carrying the team in the interimโa daunting revelation even though it is fourth in points allowed per 100 possessions (99.2). Drummond's effort and reads, perhaps because of a more infuriating offensive setup, are more erratic than usual, and the starting lineup is getting blasted on that end of the floor.
Jackson's return won't fix everything, but he will help the pick-and-roll and three-point defense while providing a steady hand on offense.
Too bad he's still a few weeks away from rejoining the lineup, according toย Rod Beard of theย Detroit News.
Denver Nuggets: C-
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Someone could make the case that an excess of talent is sabotaging the Denver Nuggets. I know this because I'm about to.
Unparalleled frontcourt depth has compelled head coach Mike Malone to play big. Almost half of Nikola Jokic's minutes are coming at power forward, when 95 percent of them came at the 5 last year. This shift hasn't stopped the Nuggets from getting up and down the floor, but their traditional frontcourt pairings are not faring well:
| 103 | 93.4 | 108.8 | -15.4 | |
| 65 | 103.7 | 96.1 | 7.6 | |
| 57 | 92.3 | 108.0 | -15.7 |
Jokic is having a particularly hard time; his numbers are down almost across the board despite his seeing more minutes. Things are so topsy-turvy that he pulled himself from the starting lineup before Denver's loss to Detroit on Saturday.
"Nikola Jokic came to me and said, 'Coach I don't want to start; start someone else,' Malone divulged, per Harrison Wind of BSN Denver. "I feel bad. I feel like I've done a disservice to him trying to play big."
Short of a tradeโor bruising the egos of players who deserve spinโthere is no easy fix. Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari should see more time at power forward, but that displaces Kenneth Faried (and Jokic). Jokic needs to be a full-time 5, but that eats into Jusuf Nurkic's role.ย
By the way: The frontcourt play alone isn't responsible for this inefficient offense, serial turnovers and turnstile defense. The team has more developmental projects and logjams than it did last year, and it's taken a toll on Denver's ability to execute and field anything resembling a finished product.
Golden State Warriors: B
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There is no real need to worry about the Golden State Warriors. They've just been less than perfectโwhich is to say, worse than we thought they would be.
Superteams are subject to learning curves, and a Stephen Curry-Kevin Durant-Draymond Green-Klay Thompson quartet is no different. The Warriors have the best offensive ratingย (112.9) in the league but aren't yet playing with the free-flowing bravado that predated Durant's arrival. Their turnover ratio (15.4) is higher than it should be, Green's search for himself beside three superstar running mates is ongoing, and Thompson's efficiency has only just started its steady climb back to normalcy.
The Warriors still have the NBA's top offense; what they don't have is continuity on defense.
They rank inside the bottom half of the league in points allowed per 100 possessions and are second-to-last in defensive rebounding percentage.ย
Aspects of this decline are unavoidable byproducts of playing small. Neither Zaza Pachulia nor David West totally replaces Andrew Bogut's and Festus Ezeli's rebounding and rim protection, and nearly one-third of Green's minutes are coming at the 5.
Still, that's not enough to justify what has been a borderline defensive free fall. Part of what has made the Warriors so special over these past few years is their capacity to run the floor without bending on the other end. And while Durant isn't the problem, they won't come close to knowing their peak with him until they regain that facet of their identity.
Houston Rockets: B-
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There is a lot to like about the Houston Rocketsโnamely James Harden, who is absolutely, positively the best kind of nuts.
Since at least the 1983-84 campaign, no player has tallied 30 points and 12 assists more than 11 times during one season. Harden isย clearingย 30 points and 12 assists per game. And after exceeding those benchmarks five times in 10 appearances, he's on pace for 41 such performances by year's end.
The Rockets lean on Harden accordingly, which is where things get dicey. They go from scoring like the league's best offense with him to posting what would be an NBA-worst mark, by a mile, without him.
This wouldn't be the end of the world if Harden's absence crippled them only on offense. But he has been a defensive plus as well. Their overall net rating swingsย more than 35 points per 100 possessions in the wrong direction whenever he takes a seat.
Both versions of the Rockets' starting lineups play like a top-10 unit on either side of the floor, but the bench has been abysmal, even with Sam Dekker playing like a small-sample Chandler Parsonsโan issue that isn't solely due to Patrick Beverley's absence.
If Houston doesn't find a way to get more production from its supporting cast, particularly on defense, the team will waste Harden's all-galaxy efforts on the pursuit of a first-round exit.
Indiana Pacers: F
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The Indiana Pacers (5-6) are playing the way team president Larry Bird wants them to playโminus any sort of positive results.ย
| 102.4 (23) | 100.2 (3) | 98.99 (10) | 2.2 (11) | |
| 102.5 (16) | 105.1 (18) | 100.50 (10) | -2.6 (19) |
Indiana is marginally faster and shooting slightly more threes, but its defensive identity has been ripped to shreds (beyond repair?) without the intended offensive payoff. Head coach Nate McMillan has tried moving Monta Ellis to the bench and starting C.J. Miles, and still nothing takes.
Offensive pieces aren't complementing one another. The ball movement is unimpressive, often aimless, and the three-point shooting (35.6 percent) is unsustainable. The defense is feeling the absences of George Hill, Solomon Hill and Ian Mahinmi, and Paul George's time on the bench has, for the most part, incited unwatchable basketball.
Pointing out that it's early, or that the Pacers have individual names worth believing in, doesn't fly. Most of these problems aren't going anywhere, as the Step Back's Chris Barnewall wrote:ย
"All of this would be forgivable if there was a sign of a plan of some kind. If Indiana was burning down the old system and just going through growing pains as they established a new one that would be fine, but their roster moves donโt suggest that. This isnโt a young team, and most of their recently signed contracts are veterans well past the point of changing their games. There doesnโt appear to be a lot of hope for change with the roster as itโs currently constructed.
"
Indeed, the plunge from playoff formality to probable lottery team is never graceful. But the Pacers are doing a bang-up job of whiffing on the most fundamental expectations. They deserve the lowest-possible grade until that changes.
Los Angeles Clippers: A+
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What's not to like about the Los Angeles Clippers, owners of the NBA's best defenseย (93 defensive rating), net rating (16.1) and record (10-1)?ย
Nothing. Literally nothing. DeAndre Jordan is even shooting 45.8 percent from the charity stripeโa terrible clip but the second-best mark of his career all the same.
You're probably wondering whether the Clippers' dominance on defense will hold. They rank at or near the top of the league in nearly every metric that mattersโwhich, during this age of abiding disbelief, suggests their performance is untenable.
Only, maybe it's not. As the Step Back's Jared Dubin reminded us, these aren't Mike Dunleavy's or Vinny Del Negro's Clippers:
"While it may seem somewhat strange to you that the Clippers โ those soft, Lob City Clippers โ are leading the league in defense, it probably shouldnโt.ย They were tied for fourth last year, after all. They get top-flight defense at point guard (the Point God is one of the few true excellent defenders left at the position) and center (Rivers may have incepted Jordan into becoming the elite defender the coach said he was two years ago, just by saying it enough times) and have two wing stoppers in Mbah a Moute (a long-armed monster that can guard four positions) and Rivers (now a truly useful bench player on both ends).
They have guys that know where to be and when, and what to do when they get there in Griffin, Redick, and Johnson.ย And they have a coach who has been with these guys for a while, and using (most of) these schemes for even longer.ย
"
Questions about the bench persist: The second unit continues to rank in the middle of the road in offensive and defensive efficiency, according toย HoopsStats.com. Then again, the Clippers' second-most used lineup is an all-bench unit that's blitzing opponents on both ends. So, A-plus it is!
Los Angeles Lakers: A-
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It's safe to say the Los Angeles Lakers enjoy playing for head coach Luke Walton, and they're not even kind of missing Byron Scott.
"I would run through a wall for Coach right now," Jordan Clarkson said, per Serena Winters of Lakers Nation. "We want to get wins for him, as well as ourselves."
"He wants to run through a wall for us too," Julius Randle said, also per Winters. "When you have someone that truly cares about you, it's just a different feeling."
The Lakers, for their part, look like a different team. They are flirting with top-10 status on the offensive end and off to their best start since 2012-13. That they're over .500, with wins against Atlanta, Golden State and Houston, is something no impartial mind could have foreseen.
D'Angelo Russell looks like a star-in-training. Lou Williams and Clarksonย are both early-season Sixth Man of the Year candidates (aside: WUT?). Randle is playing like a man who has fused Kenneth Faried's motor with point guard skills. Nick Young is saving his career, one made three at a time. Luol Deng and Brandon Ingram are reinventing the defense whenever they share the floor.
On an unrelated note: What are the chances Walton becomes the first Coach of the Year winner, in a non-lockout season, with fewer than 45 victories since Doc Rivers in 1999-2000?
Memphis Grizzlies: C-
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Like usual, the Memphis Grizzlies are finding it hard to space the floor and generate offense with their current personnel. Contrary to years past, though, their defense is no longer strong enough to offset that deficit.
Relegating Zach Randolph to the second unit hasn't yielded the intended offensive gains. The Grizzlies are 27th in points scored per 100 possessions (98.7) and 28th in effective field-goal percentage (47.2). They are shooting more threes than last season but making them at a smaller clip.
Injuries haven't helped matters. Prized offseason acquisition Chandler Parsons is less than five games into his return from knee surgery, Tony Allen has missed a few outings with a groin injury, and Mike Conley is now laboring through hamstring issues.
As a result, Memphis has yet to see its best lineup in action. And a five-man cocktail of Marc Gasol, Allen, Conley, Parsons and Randolph is why this team possessed postseason appeal at all.
But a healthy roster won't solve the Grizzlies' spacing wartsโnot even if Parsons' three-point touch returns to form.ย JaMychal Green and Randolph are suboptimal shooters at the 4, and any offense that counts a near-40-year-old Vince Carter and James Ennis as two of its best perimeter weapons is doomed to a disappointing finish.
Failing a trade for an athletic wing who can shoot and play defense, Memphis' run of six straight playoff berths appears to be speeding toward its end.
Miami Heat: C
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Anyone who is waiting on a lower grade for the Miami Heat (2-7) needs to re-evaluate their expectations: This team isn't much worse than it's supposed to be.
Opening the season with one of the league's five-worst records is an extreme, but the Heat's scheduleย has been unforgivingโkind of like their offense.
Only the Philadelphia 76ers are pumping in fewer points per 100 possessions. Miami is draining more than 35 percent of its three-point looks but is the NBA's worst team at finishing around the rim. Pick-and-roll ball-handlers are coughing up the rock nearlyย 20 percent of the time, and defenses are designing traffic jams that make it difficult for Hassan Whiteside to complete as many plays in the restricted area.
This is the inherent downfall of a team with few proven playmakers. After Goran Dragic, the Heat are using Tyler Johnson, Josh Richardson, Justise Winslow and Dion Waiters to orchestrate half-court sets, and it's not working. Johnson and Richardson need time to make such an adjustment; defenders will slink off Winslow until his shooting improves; and Waiters isn't cut out for life as the featured distributor.
On the bright side, the defense is good.ย The Heat rank comfortably inside the top 10 of points allowed per 100 possessions (100.5) and get a tad stingier with Whiteside, unpredictable body language and all, policing the paint.
That's the foundation upon which the Heat can rebuildโbecause, yes, they are rebuilding.
Milwaukee Bucks: B+
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Losing Khris Middleton for basically the season should have been the Milwaukee Bucks' death knell.ย But here they go again, shocking people.
It's hard to say what's more surprisingโtheย top-10 defenseย they've mashed together while playing Greg Monroe and Jabari Parker heavy minutes, or their offense, which has beenย not terribleย despite Middleton's injury and the general inefficiency of Matthew Dellavedova and Tony Snell.
Let's spare ourselves from deciding and just worship our new basketball overlord Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Most of the momentum Antetokounmpo built last season after Michael Carter-Williams went down has carried over into 2016-17. He is seldom the lone playmaker on the floor but still functions like a point guard, splitting ball-handling duties with Malcolm Brogdon and Dellavedova.ย
Antetokounmpo's per-game averages look like they were plucked from a different dimension. He's clearing 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks, and Milwaukee essentially fares like a top-10 squad on both sides of the court whenever he's in the lineup.
Other Bucks highlights include: Rashad Vaughn's playing like a tinier, not-as-lanky Middleton; Monroe's beating the crud out of second units while providing real-life rim protection that is real (for real); Parker's forcing defenses to respect his three-point stroke; and a starting five that, until head coach Jason Kidd benched Miles Plumlee for John Henson, was destroying opponents in every facet of the game.
To that end, the Bucks might have squeaked out an A-minus if not for the starting-lineup change in their win over the Grizzlies on Saturday. Henson hasn't performed as well alongside Antetokounmpo, Dellavedova, Parker and Snell. And Plumlee, despite his slow start, is a much better pick-and-roll diver.
Minnesota Timberwolves: B-
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Full disclosure: Things got weird when evaluating the Minnesota Timberwolves. What follows is a summary of how they earned this grade, which was changed no fewer than six times.
Ugh, they're 3-6. But they have a better net ratingย (4.0) than 21 other teams. But they have a bottom-seven defense. But they have the second-ranked offense.
But they stink at protecting the rim. But they're shooting threes better than anyone else. But (most of) their starting lineups have been awful. But Ricky Rubio was injured.ย But Zach LaVine still can't play defense.
But Karl-Anthony Towns has actual superpowers. But the bench is blah. But Andrew Wiggins is the best three-point shooterย (54.8 percent) in the league. But that's not sustainable.
But they beat the Lakers. But they lost to the Nets. But they beat the Grizzlies. But they also lost to the Grizzlies.
By the end of this mental breakdown, the conclusion is this: The Timberwolves are better than their 3-6 record but not as good as most Tom Thibodeau truthers thought they would be.
New Orleans Pelicans: F
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The good news for the New Orleans Pelicans? Their most-used lineupโwhich features Omer Asik, Anthony Davis, Tim Frazier, Solomon Hill and E'Twaun Mooreโis a net plus. The same can said for eight of their other 12 most-used combinations.
Sources also told ESPN.com's Justin Verrier that Jrue Holiday's return to the team is imminent. Davis continues to reinvent the boundaries of statistical reason, and the defense is better than it was last season. And Tim Frazier (11.4 PPG, 7.9 APG) seems like he's pretty good at basketball.
The bad news?ย
Everything else.
New Orleans cannot shoot threes (28.7 percent). Head coach Alvin Gentry has already used six different starting lineups. Asik is one of the most irrelevant offensive players alive. You can count the team's number of above-average shooters on two fingers.
No matter what you expected from the Pelicans, good or bad, they are not supposed to be here, touting the NBA's second-lowest winning percentage (.182), with an offense that's Sixers-esque.ย
New York Knicks: D
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A shoutout to Kristaps Porzingis for being one of the few reasons why the Knicks avoided a big fat F.ย
Kevin Durant is the only other player thus far to have surpassed 190 points, 12 blocks and 15 three-point makes.ย But the feel goodz end there, with Porzingis' offensive performance up against inconsistent usage.ย
We can look past an unremarkable offense (for the most part). It's still early, and the Knicks are trying to incorporate a bunch of new pieces, many of which don't fit together.
But theirย league-worst defense is unforgivable.
Opponents are destroying New York from beyond the arc, and its pick-and-roll defense versus ball-handlers is so bad that it's impressive. Carmelo Anthony cannot stay in front of anyone. Derrick Rose offers next to no resistance when guarding guys off the dribble. Porzingis is being torched by playmaking 4s on the perimeter, a problem Joakim Noah's shoddy rim protection behind him exacerbates.
Fear not, though, because associate head coach Kurt Rambis is now charged with salvaging this defensive slopfest. The same Rambis who failed to help the defense as interim head coach last season and who hasn't proved his mettle as a defensive architect since his days as an assistant for the dynastic Lakers.
What could go wrong?
Oklahoma City Thunder: C
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The Oklahoma City Thunder are exactly where they should be in the post-Kevin Durant era: struggling against playoff-bound contingents, eking out victories over those in worse shape than them and crossing their fingers that Russell Westbrook doesn't suffer an injury of any sort.
That last part is crucial because Oklahoma City has no means of survival without Westbrook:
| 104.7 | 98.7 | 6.0 | |
| 84.5 | 104.8 | -20.2 |
That the Thunder dwell in the bottom seven of offensive efficiency is both a huge letdown and not at all surprising. They maintained a top-five attackย during the final 28 games of 2014-15 when Durant was on the sidelines, but they were blessed with far more shooting.
Westbrook is their lone means of creating space until Victor Oladipo draws more double-teams. And that, as Bleacher Report's Jon Hamm wrote, renders them solvable:ย
"Smart and capable defensive teams like Toronto have figured out how to best defend this Oklahoma City team. Theย Raptorsย swarmed Westbrook to get the ball out of his hands, and not necessarily into the hands of one of his teammates. Toronto forced theย Thunderย star into eight turnovers, the third time this season he's committed seven or more in a game.
"
Some of Oklahoma City's lineups want for points even when Westbrook is in towโtheย starting five, for instance. That's put more pressure on the defense, which is tied for sixth in efficiency but let an anemic Orlando Magic squad drop 119 in regulation Sunday.
Perhaps the perfect screenshot of the Thunder's season, then, is this: They are above .500 but have yet to beat a team with a winning record of its own (Lakers were 1-1 when the teams played).
Orlando Magic: D
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So it turns out that stacking a roster with bigs and non-shooters and then asking players to assume roles beyond their skill sets is a terrible, horrible, no good, really bad day idea.ย
What a convenient segue into Orlando's report card!
Pretty much all of the Magic'sย frontcourt trios are statistical nightmares. Any defensive edges that management thought existed by sliding Aaron Gordon over to the 3 don't exist. The Magicย are 25th in points allowed per 100 possessions (106.7), and no team is worse at protecting the rim.ย
Gordon, to be sure, isn't the problemโinasmuch as you believe he doesn't have to be Paul George 2.0. But that's what Orlando was going for, and the experiment is already dead. Gordon has been moved to the bench in favor of...Jeff Green.
For those who think a 119-117 victory over the Thunder on Sunday offers a blueprint for future victories, you're right.
So long as Elfrid Payton plays like Chris Paul and Serge Ibaka mirrors Anthony Davis, the Magic are going to be just fine. (No, they're not.)
Philadelphia 76ers: C-
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Have you watched an entire Sixers game this season without vomiting? Let out an uncharacteristically high-pitched 10-syllable "yeah" at the mere sight of Joel Embiid? Entertained the idea, even for a minute, that general manager Sam Hinkie deserves a statue outside Wells Fargo Center, so long as he's sculpted wearing a No. 21 jersey?
If so, then you understand why Philly's grade is, by its usual standards, super high.
No, the Sixers are not good. They have the NBA'sย worst offense. They turn the ball over in droves. Their three-point defense is regrettable. Their transition defense is just as bad. Hollis Thompson is losing minutes to Nik Stauskas. Richaun Holmes is losing minutes to Ersan Ilyasova.
These Sixers remain a raw work in progressโbut a watchable one. And it's (almost) all thanks to Embiid.ย
He gives the Sixers personality and hope. He is scoring somewhat efficiently with theย league's second-highestย usage rate (40.2 percent). He shoots threes and saves points at the rim in gobs. He is every bit as good as advertised and then some, and Philly hasn't balked at throwing him into the fire during Ben Simmons' absence.
What's more, the Sixers are winning one of the four quarters:
| -15.3 | 2.9 | -17.4 | -27.4 |
There are no moral victories at the professional level, and Philly is the Association's worst fourth-quarter team. But the air surrounding the roster is different now, if only because of Embiid.ย And relative to where the Sixers have been over the past three years, that's good enough for a passing grade.
Phoenix Suns: C
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Few things are easier than falling in love with the Phoenix Suns (3-8).
They play fast. A healthy Eric Bledsoe is deceptively crafty. Devin Booker's green light is greener than ever. Marquese Chriss is sometimes shooting and sometimes hitting threes.
Jared Dudley has no business switching on to point guards and swishing threes in volume, and yet he's doing both. T.J. Warren's mid-range game will inevitably earn him a fist bump from DeMar DeRozan. Dragan Bender's small bursts of court time are fun for the whole family.
Hell, the Suns have now held fourth-quarter leads against the Warriors on two separate occasions. Why wouldn't you like them?ย
Because they don't shoot enough treys? Take naps when they're supposed to be guarding the three-point line? Fall in love with half-court isolations that kill ball movement for possessions, sometimes quarters, at a time? Don't win games?
All valid complaints. And it doesn't help that you can't tell whether head honcho Earl Watson is coaching for the future or for the immediate picture. Still, the Suns have a boatload of individual talent that is shining brightly enough, often enough, for us to envision progress.
Portland Trail Blazers: B-
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If you were expecting more from the Portland Trail Blazers, you're not alone.
Sure, they're above .500. And Damian Lillard is still shooting fire, while "regression" is not in C.J. McCollum's vocabulary. Jake Layman is a cult hero too.
But their offense has only been OK, which isn't good enough to prop up a defense that's markedly worse.ย The Blazers are allowing nearly 107 points per 100 possessionsโthe fourth-most in the league. They are among the best at guarding against the three-ball, but their defensive rebounding percentage is a joke. And they allow far too many uncontested opportunities in the paint.
"We were talking about it today on film, and I was thinking, 'Man, for us to be struggling this much on defense and we're still 6-4, that's a great sign too,'" Ed Davis said ahead of Portland's victory Sunday over Denver, per the Oregonian's Mike Richman. "When we take this defense to the next level...shoot we could be 8-2 right now."
Looking at things this way is all fine and dandy, but there's no clear path toward improvement. While corralling more rebounds is a matter of effort and positioning, head coach Terry Stotts doesn't have a ton of adaptive defenders at his disposal.
On top of all this, the Blazers need to figure out how Evan Turner fits with them. He isn't finishing around the basket, and Stotts doesn't yet have Lillard and McCollum working strictly off-ball alongside him.
It's tough to do more than just keep your head above .500 when your biggest offseason addition isn't playing up to par or being used the right way.
Sacramento Kings: C
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Bottom-three defense? Check.
Offense that craters whenever DeMarcus Cousins steps off the floor? Check.
Suboptimal point guard play? Check.ย
One Western Conference general manager telling the Sporting News' Sean Deveneyย that Cousins could be traded in a couple of months, if not weeks? Check.
Complete and utter dysfunction permeating the locker room? That's where this year's Sacramento Kings deviate from their own norm.
"We're not talking in terms of sweeping changes," Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes wrote. "This isn't a rebirth or anything so dramatic as that. What's happening with the Kings under new head coach Dave Joerger is more subtle: They're trying to do things the right way, and they're aware of and made accountable for their failures in those efforts."
Preseason playoffs hopes are being doused in reality checks, and Cousins' engagement on defense fluctuates by possession. But the atmosphere surrounding this team, even if it's wildly unsuccessful, is differentโmore hopeful...or at least less gloomy.
Either way, it's a victory for a squad that's long been short on silver linings.
San Antonio Spurs: A-
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Maybe the Spurs' losing three straight games at home for the first time since December 2014ย left you down. Or maybe you're not impressed with the LaMarcus Aldridge-Pau Gasol coupling (you shouldn't be).
Perhaps the way-too-evident decline of Tony Parker has you worried. Or perhaps you don't see the play of second-unit stand-ins Dewayneย Dedmon and David Lee as sustainable.
Whatever it is that might have you doubting the Spurs or seeing them as anything less than persisting championship contenders, get over it. Completely forget about it. Stop taking San Antonio for granted.ย
Many of the faces are different, but these Spurs remain the same. They are 10th inย offensive efficiency and fifth in points allowed per 100 possessions. Their net rating trails only the Cavaliers, Clippers, Hawks and Warriors, and they have an MVP hopeful in Kawhi Leonard.
And that's with Danny Green missing most of the year, Parker playing like crud and San Antonio searching for more adequate transition and pick-and-roll defense.
Just wait until the Spurs hit their stride, as they always do.
Toronto Raptors: A-
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Isn't it fitting that the above picture features the Toronto Raptors' three most important players?
Better yet, isn't it wild that I'm only half-kidding?
DeMar DeRozan has been an offensive beast. He leads the NBA in points scored per gameย (34) and isn't even partially pretending to be a three-point shooter. More than 40 percent of his looks are coming inside the paint and restricted area, and another 50.5 are coming from mid-rangeโwhere he's shooting a ridiculous, probably unsustainable, but-what-the-heck-do-we-know 50.9 percent.
Kyle Lowry is only starting to find his shooting stroke, but he is once again the Raptors' leading assist man (6.8 per game) and has, up until now, been one of their two most valuable defenders, according to NBA Math's defensive points saved.
Finally, there is Lucas Nogueira, who, in limited playing time, has done enough to warrant a larger role. He is blocking shots (2.5 blocks per game), gumming up passing lanes (1.8 steals), emerging as a tidy pick-and-roll finisher and on the verge of making the Raptors forget all about Bismack Biyombo.
Toronto doesn't move the ball with exceptional frequency and has a top-five offenseย (109.2) despite its bottom-two three-point clip (29 percent). One of DeMarre Carroll or Patrick Patterson also needs to bring more to the 4 spot. But we can't fault the Raptors for much else.
Utah Jazz: B
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Resist the urge to take shots at the Jazz. They were supposed to take over the NBA, this time for real. We get it.
But they haven't. We get that too.ย
Utah is nevertheless overachieving by remaining above .500. Its rotations have been that unpredictable, because the injury bug has hit the team that hard (again).
Alec Burks is sidelined indefinitely after ankle surgery. George Hill hasn't played since Nov. 6 because of a thumb injury. Boris Diaw, Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward have all missed time. The Jazz haven't even seen their best lineupโRudy Gobert, Rodney Hood, Favors, Hayward and Hillโplay 15 total minutes.
And still they rank sixth in points allowed per 100 possessions with a net rating (4.7) that's not too far off from last season'sย 53-win Clippers and nearly identical to the East's 56-win Raptors.ย
Does head coach Quin Snyder need to do a better job of deciding which players finish games? Is it unsettling that the Jazz's offense can barely function without Hill? Would it be nice if Hayward wasn't shooting a career low (24.3 percent) from downtown?
Yes, yes and yes. But we can't worry about the Jazz as if they're a finished product.
They're not. And considering where they are, that's a scary thought.
Washington Wizards: D
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You know things aren't peachy keen when an NBA head coach needs to bring his starting center to the front of the class and make him apologize for being a big meanie.
That brings us to Marcin Gortat and Washington Wizards head coach Scott Brooks, per Ava Wallace of the Washington Post:
"After Gortat proclaimed the teamโs reserves โone of the worst benches in the league right nowโ following Washingtonโs seventh loss in nine games Saturday against Chicago, Brooks and Gortat stood together in front of the team before practice Monday. Gortat apologized, and Brooks preached unity to a team that canโt afford to waste energy pointing fingers.
โI look at things from a whole, because this is how โ when I played, I was a backup, and I didnโt like to be divided,โ Brooks said. โWe donโt have two teams here, we have one basketball team, and right now weโre not happy and content on being 2-7.โ
"
Frustrations are running high in Washington, and that's never a good sign so early in the season. The offense is 21stย in points scored per 100 possessions (100.1)โand just a hair better with John Wallโwhile the defense has only started its slow trek back toward respectability.
Granted, Bradley Beal's hamstring injury and Ian Mahinmi's extended absence have left the Wizards far from whole. Beal, once healthy, won't shoot under 37 percent from the field forever. And the scorching-hot play of Otto Porter becomes much more dangerous when Washington is at full strength.
But Gortat, while tactless, was right: The Wizards have no depth. They have the least efficient bench on both ends of the floor, according toย HoopsStats.com.
Of course, Brooks was correct as well: It's not just the second unit. Washington's A-listers aren't cobbling together enough offense to be considered watchableโwhich makes you wonder where this team goes from here.
Stats courtesy ofย Basketball-Reference.comย andย NBA.comย and are accurate leading into Tuesday's games.
Danย Favaleย covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter:ย @danfavale.
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