Grading NBA Teams' Search for New Identities
NBA fans, the diehards anyway, don't need uniforms to identify teams. Most have a specific style to them, something that makes them unique in a league where all 30 clubs are pursuing the same goal (though not always on the same schedule).
But those identities are more like fashion trends than permanent traits. Once organizations feel their way is no longer the right one, they can orchestrate wholesale philosophical changes in a single summer.
Several carried that mindset into the 2015 offseason. The Indiana Pacers swapped bully ball for a faster, more dynamic approach. The New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors spent heavily to help their struggling defenses. The Chicago Bulls kept their cast of characters together, but banked on a new coaching mind squeezing more points out of it.
The effects of these modifications could take months or even years to be fully felt. But there's already evidence mounting over how well these new identities are fitting.
We have examined the four situations mentioned above along with three others to see how quickly and effectively they're coming together. Using the stat sheet and the eye test, we're grading clubs on their ability to implement their systematic changes and use their new styles to positively impact the bottom line.
Chicago Bulls: Boosting the Offense
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The Chicago Bulls regularly flashed fight, intensity and defensive tenacity during five seasons under former coach Tom Thibodeau, but scoring was a constant struggle.
New skipper Fred Hoiberg was supposed to change that with a pro-friendly system that emphasized tempo, ball movement and perimeter shots. The Bulls are playing faster—10th in pace, up from 21st—but their offense has yet to spark. In fact, they've lost more than six points per 100 possessions from last season (98.2, down from 104.7).
Outside of the accelerated speed, there aren't many noticeable changes from Thibodeau's Bulls to Hoiberg's.
"The inconsistent energy, the long scoring droughts, the general burnout—these are all things that were blamed on Tom Thibodeau's uncompromising coaching style," Bleacher Report's Sean Highkin wrote. "Fred Hoiberg's more player-friendly approach, as well as his more dynamic offensive system, were supposed to put those issues to bed.
"So far, that hasn't been the case."
There have been a few positives. Doug McDermott has emerged as a scoring machine, tallying 16.2 points per 36 minutes on 49.5 percent shooting (48.9 from deep). Jimmy Butler continues to increase both the quantity and quality of his offense. Chicago's long-range gunners are more active and accurate than before.
But the Bulls still battle for points on a nightly basis. They've already seen the injury bug strike Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Mike Dunleavy. Defense still drives the bulk of this group's success.
An identity change may come at some point, but it certainly hasn't happened yet.
Grade: D+
Charlotte Hornets: Letting It Fly
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The Charlotte Hornets' highest-paid player, Al Jefferson, is a walking relic. He plods from one low block to the other, generating his offense off fundamental footwork, savvy head fakes and a feather-soft shooting touch.
Watching Jefferson work is like receiving a history lesson on the post players of yesteryear. But the Hornets have modernized their attack around him. After finishing last season with the league's worst three-point conversion rate (31.8 percent), Charlotte understood that number had to substantially change for this offense to survive in today's game.
"Last year, of any statistic, three-point shooting percentage was the No. 1 factor in why teams won," head coach Steve Clifford said, per CBS Sports' Zach Harper. "The five best three-point shooting teams were the four teams that played in the conference finals and the Clippers. ... That's the way this league has gone."
So that's the way the Hornets tried to go over the offseason. All of their additions arrived with some level of perimeter proficiency. And the results of that influx have been staggering.
Behind newcomers Frank Kaminsky (47.4 three-point percentage), Nicolas Batum (42.7) and Jeremy Lamb (35.4), Charlotte has surged into a tie for 10th in long-distance shooting (36.3). Incumbents Kemba Walker (40.4) and Marvin Williams (40.0) have fueled that rise with personal-best marks.
As a result, the Hornets have skyrocketed from 28th to fourth in offensive efficiency, and that hasn't happened at the expense of their defense. For now at least, their visions have become realities.
Grade: A-
New York Knicks: Getting Defensive
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The New York Knicks' 2015 offseason will most likely be remembered for the potentially franchise-altering selection of 20-year-old Kristaps Porzingis. But their lower risk (and lower reward) maneuvers highlighted their summer motive: improving their 28th-ranked defense.
They shipped out three-point gunner Tim Hardaway Jr. to acquire 6'4" defensive point guard Jerian Grant. They gave Robin Lopez a four-year, $54 million pact to anchor the interior. They added perimeter stopper Arron Afflalo on a two-year, $16 million deal. They made a sneaky-good investment in power forward Kyle O'Quinn and retained reserve defensive grinders Lou Amundson and Lance Thomas.
These weren't headline-grabbing, blockbuster moves. But they already look like effective ones. The Knicks picked up their eighth win in their 14th game; they needed 44 contests to reach that mark last season.
Not only are they winning, they're doing it with defense. They've jumped into a tie for 15th in defensive efficiency, surrendering 6.2 fewer points per 100 possessions than they did a year ago. They have the third-lowest field-goal percentage against (42.2) after posting the fourth-highest last season (46.0), and they're holding opponents 4.9 percentage points below their three-point average.
"What's changed? Everything," Newsday's Al Iannazzone wrote. "Many of the players the Knicks have brought in have a defensive mindset and are team-oriented character guys. They've meshed well with the six returning Knicks, and it's helped this group look like a team."
When New York left free agency without a star, the organization's goals shifted to laying a foundation. It's already beginning to take shape thanks to a newfound commitment to the defensive end.
Grade: B
Indiana Pacers: Getting Smaller, Faster and More Versatile
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The Indiana Pacers' bully-ball approach had twice taken them to the Eastern Conference Finals, but it failed to carry them any further. Their offense often sputtered during those trips, and it flatlined last season. With all-world swingman Paul George essentially shelved for the campaign with a broken leg, Indy tipped to 24th in offensive efficiency.
The Pacers were one of many teams shopping for speed and shooting over the summer, but they had a different motivation than those clubs aiming to copy the world champion Golden State Warriors.
"It wasn't even about the Warriors," Pacers coach Frank Vogel told ESPN.com's Zach Lowe. "It was about not being able to overcome LeBron and Miami three straight years. We couldn't even throw the ball inside. We had a lot of turnovers just trying to do that."
Indiana aggressively sought a more versatile offense. The combustible Monta Ellis came on board, and the Pacers laid out plans to deploy George as a small-ball 4. Indy moved on from plodding frontcourt partners David West and Roy Hibbert, drafting a potential stretch-shooter and shot-blocker in Myles Turner and signing the athletic Jordan Hill.
It seemed like the Pacers were gearing up to run, but that hasn't exactly happened. Indy has climbed up in possessions per 48 minutes, but only from 20th to 16th. George has overstuffed stat sheets, but four of the Pacers' top six scorers are shooting below 45 percent from the field.
The offseason moves have helped, though. This club can now attack in multiple ways, either playing George with three perimeter players or keeping two bigs on the court with him. The offense is hitting its stride (119.3 points over last three outings), and the defense has been among the stingiest (96.1 points allowed per 100 possessions, fourth overall).
It's an encouraging start, but the Pacers still need to find reliable scorers to complement George.
Grade: B+
New Orleans Pelicans: Running and Gunning
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New Orleans Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry knows offense.
Last season, he helped the Warriors pump in 109.7 points per 100 possessions (second overall). The year before, he pushed Doc Rivers' Los Angeles Clippers into the top efficiency spot. Gentry's 2009-10 Phoenix Suns boasted one of the highest scoring rates in league history.
So, forgive the basketball world for feeling giddy about giving a mind like Gentry's a weapon like soaring superstar Anthony Davis. On paper, the pair should work magic together.
"Entering his fourth season, Davis should only get better from here, and the marriage with Gentry should be the final piece of the puzzle, taking him from a budding superstar to the league's most valuable player—and its best player," Tim Bontemps of the New York Post wrote in October.
Nearly a full month into the season, the Pelicans' plan isn't working.
Davis has taken hits in several statistical categories, including sizable declines in field-goal percentage (46.9, down from 53.5) and player efficiency rating (25.1, down from 30.8). New Orleans' offense is trending in the wrong direction, and the defense is hemorrhaging points at the league's worst rate (108.8 per 100 possessions).
Now, the Pelicans are generating nearly seven extra possessions per 48 minutes (100.43, up from 93.70), which should better take advantage of this roster's athleticism. And the rotation has (once again) been torn apart by injuries, as all but five players have already missed time and Tyreke Evans hasn't yet made his season debut.
In other words, this could get better as the year progresses. But New Orleans will fight an uphill battle trying to make up ground in the loaded Western Conference.
Grade: D
Toronto Raptors: Balancing Act
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The Toronto Raptors were too lopsided to contend last season. Their third-ranked offense kept them near the top of the Eastern Conference standings, but their 23rd-ranked defense proved impossible to cover during a second consecutive first-round exit.
That dictated the direction of Toronto's offseason. It spent nearly $100 million in free agency on the defensive trio of DeMarre Carroll, Cory Joseph and Bismack Biyombo. It left draft night with a pair of defensive-minded freshmen: Delon Wright and Norman Powell.
The investments are already providing promising returns.
Only five of the Raptors' first 15 opponents have cracked the century mark. They are surrendering 4.4 fewer points per game than last season (96.5, down from 100.9), and they've jumped from 26th to eighth in field-goal percentage against.
They're allowing just 99.5 points per 100 possessions, a number that ranks eighth now and would have been third last season. They've also done a better job of closing out possessions, climbing from 25th to 11th in defensive rebound percentage.
"It is great that we are coming out and playing every night, playing every possessions hard, and defensively we are doing whatever it takes and that's the key for every win," Carroll told Kendrick E. Johnson of Today's Fastbreak.
Toronto has to prove this level of defensive success is sustainable. And it's still figuring out how to make this surge meaningful, as the Raptors have nearly the same net efficiency rating (plus-3.8) as last season (plus-3.2). But two-way balance is an integral part of any full-fledged contender, and Toronto is taking significant steps toward finding it.
Grade: B
Washington Wizards: Pace and Space
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The Washington Wizards' transformation started in the spring.
After clinging to an antiquated offense that shunned three-point shots and welcomed long twos during the regular season, head coach Randy Wittman seemingly modernized overnight. Come playoff time, Paul Pierce was suddenly dazzling as a stretch 4, triples were raining in downpours and the Wizards had some extra zip in their step.
By the start of this campaign, the Wizards were all in on 21st-century hoops.
They're racing up and down the floor, averaging more than six extra possessions per 48 minutes than last year (102.11, up from 95.96). They're launching 24.5 triples a night after attempting just 16.8 last season (and converting those shots at a higher rate, 36.3 from 36.0). They fielded a below-average attack in 2014-15 (19th in efficiency) and now they have the league's 10th best.
The system has worked wonders for budding ballers Bradley Beal and Otto Porter Jr., who are both scoring more and shooting better than ever. John Wall's statistics haven't taken off—though, admittedly, they were already at All-Star levels—but anything that accentuates his athleticism should be a positive.
All of that said, this hasn't been the smoothest transition. Washington has one of the league's highest turnover rates (16.3 per 100 possessions, tied for sixth). And this defense is springing leaks that didn't previously exist, tumbling from fifth in defensive efficiency to 22nd.
"We're not mentally tough. We've given into being tired too much," Beal said, per Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post. "We've given into all the little excuses, and there should be none. There's no reason why we shouldn't still be a top defensive team."
If the Wizards rediscover their defensive tenacity without slowing down the offense, they could cement themselves among the NBA's elite. But there's plenty to iron out between now and then, as the revamped attack currently carries some unintended side effects.
Grade: C+
Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com and current through games played Nov. 24.
