1 Thing on Every NBA Team's Holiday Wish List
The NBA pretty much owns Christmas Day. This year, like every year, will feature a quintuple-header of nationally televised games for hoops heads to enjoy while unwrapping their Star Wars figurines and hoverboards in front of family and friends.
But only 10 teams are "privileged" to play on the holiday. And those 10 don't really have time to open presents, what with all the shootarounds, warmups, interviews and actual games to get through.
It's only right, then, that someone take the time to spread some holiday cheer to all 30 squads around the Association.
We here at Bleacher Report are up to the task. We had some trouble snagging toys during the late rush to the stores, but these roster-related gifts should make the holidays happier for everyone.
Atlanta Hawks: A New Tooth for Dennis Schroder
1 of 30Does Santa Claus have any pull with the Tooth Fairy? If so, the Atlanta Hawks would like to know.
Dennis Schroder, their backup point guard, lost a tooth after his head collided with the knee of Portland Trail Blazers big man Meyers Leonard during the fourth quarter of Atlanta's 106-97 win. Schroder lost the ball on the play—and Tim Frazier turned it into two easy points on the other end—but didn't lose the chomper.
If the tooth is still any good, perhaps Schroder doesn't need a new one. A good dental surgeon might do.
Or at the very least, a better place to store that piece of bone than inside his sweaty sock.
Boston Celtics: A Rug to Tie the Room Together
2 of 30
The Boston Celtics don't need a literal rug, but rather a star to tie their team together the same way the Dude's carpeting really tied his room together.
The C's are loaded with above-average rotation players, none of whom are currently or project to be stars, but all of whom merit minutes. As NBA.com's David Aldridge noted, Boston could look to kill two birds (i.e., free up playing time, find a franchise cornerstone) with one stone in the coming weeks and months:
"The Celtics have been very solid, but Coach Brad Stevens has a minutes problem, as evidenced by the lack of time for David Lee—whose expiring contract is available, per league sources. Danny Ainge has any number of movable pieces that could be packaged; no other teams has the guard inventory Boston has, with young, controllable talent like Marcus Smart, James Young and R.J. Hunter mixing with current incumbents Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas. The logjam is no less severe up front, with Kelly Olynyk and Jared Sullinger and Jae Crowder and Jonas Jerebko and Amir Johnson and Tyler Zeller. And after Boston's inability to move up in the last couple of Drafts, Ainge might be more inclined to make a deal in season.
"
Rumors have long connected DeMarcus Cousins to Beantown, though nothing substantial has yet surfaced on that front. Still, wherever and whenever a superstar should become disgruntled and his team forced to cut ties, the Celtics will have the assets—Boston could have as many as five additional first-rounders coming its way over the next three seasons—and the wherewithal to pounce on a room-transforming opportunity.
Brooklyn Nets: A Big Break in Free Agency
3 of 30
The Brooklyn Nets will need nothing short of a holiday miracle (albeit in July 2016) to stave off what could be an extended stay in the cellar of the Eastern Conference. They're already there and won't have any draft picks of note to lift them out until 2019; their next three first-rounders all belong to the Celtics in some capacity.
Improving Brooklyn's beleaguered roster will be extremely difficult for general manager Billy King but not entirely impossible. Like just about every team in the NBA, the Nets will be flush with cap space this coming summer.
But not every team will be swimming in it to the extent that Brooklyn will be. With Joe Johnson's massive contract finally coming off the books and Jarrett Jack's deal not guaranteed for 2016-17, the Nets could clear enough room to lure two max-salary free agents to the Big Apple's hipster capital.
As Nets CEO Brett Yormark told ESPN's Mike Mazzeo:
"This will be the first time we've been able to test free agency and really realize the power of Brooklyn, the power of our brand and the commitment that ownership continues to make. We've got a good story to tell -- with the addition of our $50 million practice facility and the D-League franchise -- and I think we'll be in a position where we'll be able to add to Brook Lopez, Thaddeus Young, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Bojan Bogdanovic and some of the other younger pieces and bring in the necessary pieces to turn things around quickly.
I'm excited about that opportunity, but obviously we have to make all the right decisions and we have to plan now. ... I think there's a chance here to really build something special.
"
Even more so if Yormark can lure his close friend, Kentucky coach John Calipari, back to the Nets organization to recruit superstars on the team's behalf.
Charlotte Hornets: Al Jefferson as Antidote
4 of 30
According to NBA.com, the Charlotte Hornets have been better without Al Jefferson this season:
| With Big Al | plus-1.9 net rating |
| Without Big Al | plus-5.5 net rating |
That doesn't mean that Big Al's skills as a scorer haven't been missed. The Hornets dropped four out of five games during a recent stretch while Jefferson recovered from a calf injury and subsequently started serving a five-game drug-related suspension.
At 30, the slow-footed center isn't quite the scoring savant he once was. But Jefferson, for all his flaws and signs of decline, might be just the shot in the arm Charlotte's shooters need to get better looks and start racking up wins again once he returns after Christmas.
Chicago Bulls: A Clear-Cut Identity
5 of 30
The Chicago Bulls' ongoing lethargy has left first-year head coach Fred Hoiberg with little choice but to throw things against the wall and see what sticks.
Before the season started, he moved Joakim Noah, who proved a poor fit next to Pau Gasol last season, to the bench. Noah has struggled to adapt—predictably enough, in light of his successes (former Defensive Player of the Year, two-time All-Star, three-time All-Defensive performer, one-time All-NBA selection) and his impending free agency.
Then, when Nikola Mirotic struggled in Noah's stead, Hoiberg bumped Taj Gibson into the starting lineup at power forward. Most recently, the head coach attempted to goose Chicago's lagging offense by inserting Mirotic at small forward, where Mike Dunleavy Jr. remains on the shelf.
None of this has worked particularly well for a team that, in the wake of Jimmy Butler publicly criticizing Chicago's coach, still lacks a coherent sense of self, as Bleacher Report's Sean Highkin wrote:
"This is a team that has struggled to establish an identity under Hoiberg. Beyond that, it's a collection of players for whom the much-coveted notion of continuity has crossed over into stagnation, and there's nothing to suggest that will reverse course.
This is a team at a crossroads, caught between identities at a time when change is desperately needed but not entirely feasible.
"
This isn't all on Hoiberg. The roster he inherited is as talented as it is awkward in its construction.
But until the front office shakes things up, it's Hoiberg's job to fashion an offense that can score at better than a bottom-five rate.
Cleveland Cavaliers: A Completely Healthy Roster
6 of 30
The Cleveland Cavaliers had to wait nearly eight months to see their #FullSquad on the court again. That interminable time finally came to an end during a 108-86 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, when Kyrie Irving made his season debut and Iman Shumpert returned from a groin injury.
The Cavs, though, aren't out of the woods yet. Mo Williams remains sidelined by a sprained thumb. Irving and Shumpert are both working themselves back into proper playing shape after offseason surgeries. The same goes for Timofey Mozgov.
And the destructive starting five of Irving, Shumpert, Mozgov, Kevin Love and LeBron James had yet to play a single minute together as of Game No. 25 in 2015-16.
That being said, Cleveland is getting close to fully operational. Despite all those setbacks, the Cavs remain entrenched atop the Eastern Conference standings. With some better health-related luck, this team has everything it needs to make another run at the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
"We are almost there," James said, per Cleveland.com's Chris Haynes. "It was great because before the game we were in the hallway and I saw so many familiar faces. Having Ky back after the six-month layoff was great because I know he was excited. Shump being back and having almost a full group back once Mo [Williams] returns just feels good."
Dallas Mavericks: Strong Second Halves from Chandler Parsons and Wesley Matthews
7 of 30
Chandler Parsons and Wesley Matthews have performed about as well as the Dallas Mavericks could've expected of two guys coming off major surgeries to their lower torsos.
Parsons, who's been slow to recover from a knee operation, crossed the 30-minute threshold for the first time this season during Dallas' 97-88 win over the Memphis Grizzlies in mid-December.
Matthews worked furiously to return from a torn Achilles in time for the Mavericks' season opener and has had some big games for Big D, including a 10 three-pointer explosion against the Washington Wizards. But on the whole, he's still a work in progress, as his career-low shooting percentages (36.3 percent from the field, 33.7 percent from three) suggest.
Despite the struggles of their two most recent free-agent coups, the Mavs have managed to hold steady in the Western Conference playoff picture. Credit for that belongs as much to Dirk Nowitzki's age-defying dominance, Deron Williams' (pre-injury) resurgence and Zaza Pachulia's surprising potency at center as it does to head coach Rick Carlisle's MacGyver-esque ability to fashion a functional team out of a ball of string and some loose matches.
But for this squad to keep going strong, it'll need Parsons and Matthews to round into something closer to pre-injury form in the coming months. That's as true for Dallas this season as it is for the team's future, as ESPN's Zach Lowe recently wrote:
"If they get back to peak form, the Mavs have an in-their-prime wing duo around Nowitzki that might (finally) attract a stud free agent. Dallas has several paths to max cap space around Nowitzki, Parsons and Matthews, and depending on some variables, the team might be able to use that space and then re-sign at least one of Williams and Pachulia via its Bird rights.
"
Given the Mavericks' mixed track record in free agency, they'd be much better off counting on the guys they have in-house than betting on luring another big fish into their pond.
Denver Nuggets: A New Jumper for Emmanuel Mudiay
8 of 30
Emmanuel Mudiay may be from another era, and not in a good way.
The rookie point guard came to the Denver Nuggets with concerns about his jump shot. Those have only deepened since the 2015-16 NBA season began—and for good reason.
Prior to spraining his right ankle against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Mudiay had converted an abysmal 31.1 percent of his field-goal attempts, including 24.7 percent of his threes. The former marks Mudiay as the worst shooter in the league among players who've averaged at least 20 minutes per game this season, per NBA.com.
Historically speaking, the Association hasn't seen a jumper this broken in 60 years. According to Basketball Reference, the last player to appear in at least five games and shoot under 32 percent from the floor on 10 or more shots per game, as Mudiay has, was Dick Ricketts, who split his rookie campaign in 1955-56 between the St. Louis Hawks and Rochester Royals.
It's a good thing, then, that Mudiay, at 19, is so young and promising in other respects. At this point, the Nuggets can only hope that a sharper, more confident jump shot will drop through their prized prospect's chimney during the holidays.
Detroit Pistons: Brandon Jennings' Triumphant Return
9 of 30
The Detroit Pistons aren't exactly desperate for Brandon Jennings to play the point right now.
Jennings himself described Reggie Jackson, the team's starter, as "the best PG in the East right now." Behind him, the Pistons have Steve Blake, a steady veteran, ready to hold the fort.
Jennings, who came through with a double-double during a D-League rehab stint, is back to dressing for the Pistons, but head coach Stan Van Gundy doesn't anticipate calling his number just yet.
"He's still got some work to do and he knows that," Van Gundy said, per MLive.com's David Mayo. "But if something comes up where we need a third guy, he'll be our guy."
Detroit could certainly use Jennings' skills, regardless of position. According to Hoops Stats, the Pistons bench has been the league's least productive so far this season.
Golden State Warriors: Steve Kerr on the Sideline
10 of 30
To say that Luke Walton has held his own in Steve Kerr's stead as the coach of the Golden State Warriors is akin to claiming that J.J. Abrams merely did no harm to George Lucas' Star Wars baby. In both cases, the steward has taken the product to another level—Abrams, by way of modern technology and record-breaking box-office numbers; Walton, by way of an historic season-opening streak and the league-wide fervor it inspired.
But where Abrams has already handed off directorial duties to his successor, Walton is waiting on his boss to take the reins up in Oakland again. Kerr is still recovering from complications following offseason back surgery.
The defending champs have gotten along fine under Walton, but there are certain aspects of Kerr's leadership that the interim coach can't replace.
"This team respects the message he lays out for them," Warriors assistant Ron Adams told Bleacher Report's Ric Bucher during the team's 24-0 start. "The message is laced with the good and the bad, every possibility. We miss that sorely. My biggest concern with the streak is: Are we growing? I think there is slippage. We're trying to combat it without beating them over the head. Would Steve have managed it better? I think so."
Kerr could be back to spread his message soon enough. To some degree, he already is. He ran one of the team's practices this week while Walton was out sick.
"I'm confident I'll be back on the bench," Kerr said, per the Associated Press. "I wouldn't be here talking to you if I didn't. I wouldn't have been here the last nine days or whatever it's been. Things are moving in the right direction."
Houston Rockets: Some Peace and Quiet
11 of 30
The Houston Rockets have had more than their fair share of internal turmoil this season.
Kevin McHale was fired 11 games into 2015-16. Ty Lawson was a disaster from the start and is now back on the trading block, per Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski. Dwight Howard is reportedly unhappy in Houston. James Harden, for all his offensive excellence, seems to have regressed back to the mean defensively.
All of these factors, along with the team's interminable search for a healthy and productive power forward, have contributed to the Rockets' failure to launch back into the league's elite.
In spite of all that, J.B. Bickerstaff's squad is still in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race. When (or if) the chaos in Space City pipes down, the Rockets may yet be able to reach the full potential inherent in their talented team.
Indiana Pacers: More Production out of the Starting Backcourt
12 of 30
As great as Paul George has been, he can't do everything for the Indiana Pacers—especially when he's being hounded by Tony Allen and Kawhi Leonard. Against the Grizzlies, George racked up 29 points on 8-of-22 shooting, but the Pacers lost 96-84. Opposite the Spurs, the Palmdale native mustered a mere seven points on 1-of-14 from the floor in a 14-point defeat.
Nary a peep was heard from George Hill and Monta Ellis in either of those games. The Pacers' starting backcourt combined for 21 points in each of those defeats.
Not only is that not enough, but it's also not far off from what Indy has gotten out of Hill and Ellis this season. Those two have averaged a total of 23.9 points on 41.7 percent shooting.
That's not enough out of a duo that, along with George, was supposed to drive the Pacers' sudden shift toward small ball. As head coach Frank Vogel explained to the Indianapolis Star's Candace Buckner:
"The plan was never to go full time with the starting lineup as a spread lineup. The plan was to use it on occasion. That's where you had some unclear moments (with) Paul George being uncomfortable with how much we were going to use that.
When David [West] opted out, we pushed forward with it as a full-time thing by signing Monta (Ellis).
"
Indy has bounced back nicely from an abysmal 2014-15 season, but if the Pacers are going to be more than just a nice story in the Eastern Conference, they'll need Hill and Ellis to hold up their end of the offensive bargain next to PG-13.
Los Angeles Clippers: A Win over an Elite Team
13 of 30
Four times the Los Angeles Clippers have gone up against teams with records better than theirs this season. Four times the Clippers have owned significant leads in the fourth quarters of those games.
And four times L.A. has slunk away in defeat following those instances this season.
Two of those losses came to the rival Warriors during their epic 24-0 start. Another came at the hands of the similarly scary San Antonio Spurs. The latest meltdown came opposite the Oklahoma City Thunder, sealed by Kevin Durant's go-ahead jumper in the waning moments.
In some respects, the Clippers can take comfort in the way they've played against the West's best. They're hanging tight against, and have had golden opportunities to beat, their toughest conference competitors.
But for a star-studded, veteran squad like these Clippers, who've fallen short of the conference finals four years in a row, moral victories are about as useful as lumps of coal in their stockings. If they're ever going to take that all-important next step as a team, they'll have to figure out how to beat the elite eventually.
Los Angeles Lakers: More Quality Kobe
14 of 30
Don't adjust your TV sets, folks. That is, in fact, Kobe Bryant looking like...well, Kobe Bryant.
At long last, the Mamba seems to have shaken free of the depressingly poor start to his farewell tour. Through his first 17 games of the 2015-16 campaign, Bryant averaged 15.9 points on 29.6 percent shooting, including 21.8 percent on 7.8 threes per game. In his next seven games, he poured in 20.6 points on 48.2 percent shooting (33.3 percent on 6.0 threes), including a season-high-tying 31 points on 10-of-22 from the field in a rare Los Angeles Lakers win over the Denver Nuggets.
"I just feel good. My legs feel fine. I feel like me," Bryant said, per ESPN's Baxter Holmes. "I feel good. I feel like I can control the game. I feel like I can read everything. I can get to the spots I want to get to -- not as quickly as I want to get to them. [But] I can get to them."
Better yet, Bryant's shown signs of life on the defensive end as well. In Denver, Bryant held Will Barton, who torched the Lakers for 23 points in the first half, to two points after the break.
"I felt like I could do one. I didn't know if I could do both," Bryant added, per ESPN. "It felt good to be able to do that."
It'll feel even better, for the Lakers and their fans, if he can keep this up. The Purple and Gold may still be destined to finish in the Western Conference cellar, but at least a more Kobe-like Bryant will make watching this squad worthwhile.
Memphis Grizzlies: Some Shooting
15 of 30
Desperate times call for desperate measures, as they have for the Memphis Grizzlies. To spark his team's sagging, space-deprived offense, head coach Dave Joerger moved Zach Randolph and Tony Allen, both franchise stalwarts, to the bench in favor of Matt Barnes and Courtney Lee.
"After six-and-a-half seasons playing down there, it's obviously a big change," Marc Gasol told ESPN's Zach Lowe. "The whole league is going through the same direction. It's going to take some time to adjust. We know we are still going to play together."
The adjustment has, indeed, been slow so far. According to NBA.com, the new starting five has scored just 1.6 points more per 100 possessions than the old one, but has let up nearly six points per 100 possessions more on the other end.
As such, the search for shooting and overall offensive flow in the River City continues. Perhaps Gasol, as skilled a 7-footer as there is in the NBA today, can lend a hand from beyond the arc.
"I can. But it's not my job," Gasol explained to ESPN. "If I were demanded to do that and I was asked, I'd work on it for a while and see how I feel. If it feels normal and the team has confidence in the shot -- that's the key for everything. It has to feel good for the team."
When nothing else has, maybe this will.
Miami Heat: Better Balance Between Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic
16 of 30
It's one thing to have multiple playmakers in the same backcourt. It's another to have two guys who play at drastically different paces.
Just ask the Miami Heat, who've paired Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic to mixed effect since last season's trade deadline. As ESPN's Michael Wallace described the not-so-dynamic duo:
"Dragic wants to get out and run whereas Wade wants to methodically dissect. Neither player intends to step in the other's way. But both endure challenges adjusting to the other's style. Some nights, like Sunday [vs. the Grizzlies], Wade proves he's still one of the best closers in the league when he takes over the offense. And other nights, like Monday [vs. the Hawks], Dragic shows the potential the Heat have when they defend, get into transition and convert stops into early scoring opportunities on the other end.
"
This being Wade County and all, Miami's longtime franchise face has gotten the better end of the bargain more often than not. Through the first 26 games of 2015-16, Wade averaged 18.5 on 45.6 percent shooting for the league's second-slowest squad, while Dragic dragged his way to 11.3 points on 43.7 percent shooting.
The truth of the matter is, even if Wade wins out over Dragic individually, he and the Heat will both lose out on their full potential if Dragic doesn't find his groove on South Beach.
"It's very important to get Goran going," Chris Bosh told ESPN. "We just knew that the effort had to be more. We just had to give more, and it's going to continue to have to be like that. It's important to set the pace, set the tone, play hard and just see what happens."
Milwaukee Bucks: Shooting and Veteran Leadership...so Caron Butler
17 of 30
Last season, the Milwaukee Bucks were the NBA's most pleasant surprise, improving from the league's worst record in 2013-14 to a sturdy .500 mark and a spot in the playoffs.
Jason Kidd's squad hasn't lived such a charmed life this time around. Only the Nets and Philadelphia 76ers have started off worse in the Eastern Conference than the Bucks. There's still tons of talent in Brew City, but the youthful exuberance of this crew hasn't always worked to their advantage. Case in point: Three nights after ending the Warriors' historic streak in Milwaukee, the Bucks got their butts handed to them by the Lakers in L.A.
It's one thing for their offense, which was largely anemic last season, to remain so. But their defense, the second-stingiest in the league a year ago, has slipped into the bottom five, per NBA.com.
None of this looks good on its face—even worse when factoring in the team's late-night escapades ahead of its loss to the Lakers.
Clearly, this young club could use a veteran voice, preferably one who also wields a respectable outside shot and some defensive know-how.
Enter (potentially) Caron Butler. According to ESPN's Marc Stein, the Bucks are ready and willing to take the Racine, Wisconsin, native off the Sacramento Kings' hands. The 35-year-old, who has played sparingly in California's capital, could be just the font of wisdom Milwaukee needs after parting ways with Zaza Pachulia and Jared Dudley this past summer.
And given Butler's past partnership with Kidd on the 2010-11 NBA champion Mavericks, the man known to many as "Tuff Juice" should fit in just fine in his home state.
Minnesota Timberwolves: A Decent Return for Kevin Martin
18 of 30
The Associated Press' Jon Krawczynski recently reported that the Minnesota Timberwolves had made Kevin Martin available in trade talks.
Not that anyone should be surprised. After two-and-a-half seasons in Minneapolis, Martin had become a clear redundancy on the team's roster. And with the T-Wolves slipping considerably from their surprising 8-8 start, the time is ripe to shift minutes away from the veteran Martin and toward young wings like Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine and Shabazz Muhammad.
The departure of the 32-year-old Martin could pay particularly big dividends for LaVine—and all those clamoring to see the UCLA product spend more time at shooting guard. As Krawczynski detailed:
"He has primarily been backing up Ricky Rubio at point guard, a decision [head coach Sam] Mitchell has employed in part for LaVine's long-term development and in part because the team has a log jam on the wing with Martin, Wiggins, Muhammad and Tayshaun Prince all seeing time.
"
If Minnesota could swap Martin for something of value—say, a second-round pick or another veteran mentor whose voice would fit next to those of Kevin Garnett, Andre Miller and Prince—the team would have plenty to celebrate during the holidays. If not, the Wolves would still benefit from finding Martin a more playoff-competitive home while freeing up more room for their Timberpups to roam.
New Orleans Pelicans: Better Health for the Whole Roster
19 of 30
The first two months of the 2015-16 season couldn't have gone much worse for the New Orleans Pelicans. A slew of injuries to nearly every player of note on the roster left Anthony Davis and company in second-to-last place in the Western Conference.
The good news is the Pelicans might finally be turning the corner in that regard. Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday and Eric Gordon are all healthy and contributing on the perimeter. Omer Asik is back to manning the middle for Davis. All the while, Davis and Ryan Anderson, two players perpetually prone to showing up in street clothes, have avoided major injuries and remained productive throughout.
Not that New Orleans is entirely out of the woods. Quincy Pondexter remains out indefinitely with a knee injury. Alexis Ajinca, Davis' most effective frontcourt partner, is on the shelf with a calf strain. The rest of the team's injury-prone rotation will always be at risk of regression.
And with the way this team has tumbled into the tank, trades involving impending free agents like Anderson and Gordon could be on the horizon.
But if the Pelicans decide to stick it out with the squad they have, they just might find better success in 2016 once all their key cogs are firmly in place and functioning properly.
New York Knicks: Rest for Kristaps Porzingis
20 of 30
The Kristappening seems to have hit a snag in the Big Apple. Since his inspiring start, which practically peaked with a 28-point performance opposite Dirk Nowitzki, Kristaps Porzingis' productivity has nearly been sliced in half.
Through his first 22 games with the New York Knicks, Porzingis averaged 14.6 points and 8.9 rebounds while shooting 46 percent from the floor and 36.1 percent from three. Since then, he's managed a mere 7.9 points and 5.4 boards while hitting 29 percent of his field goals overall and just 14.3 percent of his three-pointers.
Porzingis, though, isn't sure he's hit the proverbial rookie wall, in part because he's not familiar with it.
"I don't really know what a rookie wall is," he told the New York Post's Fred Kerber.
He'll find out soon enough, if he hasn't already. And when he does, that athletic king-sized bed of his will come in extra handy to help him regain his early form.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Wood for Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook to Knock on
21 of 30
The loud clap you just heard? That's the sound of thunder—namely, the Oklahoma City Thunder stampeding their way back into title contention. The Thunder won 11 of their first 14 games after Kevin Durant returned from a hamstring strain. The three losses therein came by a combined 12 points to three of the East's top teams, including a four-point shortfall in Cleveland.
In short, OKC looks like a legitimate threat to win it all now that Durant and Russell Westbrook are back and better than ever. According to NBA.com, the net rating of the Durant-Westbrook combination has reached its highest point yet:
| Season | Durant-Westbrook Net Rating |
| 2008-09 | minus-7.3 |
| 2009-10 | plus-5.7 |
| 2010-11 | plus-3.7 |
| 2011-12 | plus-7.6 |
| 2012-13 | plus-12.5 |
| 2013-14 | plus-7.8 |
| 2014-15 | plus-9.3 |
| 2015-16 | plus-17.4 |
More than anything, what the Thunder need to reach their full potential is for their dynamic duo to stay healthy. That's been a challenge in recent years between Westbrook's knee woes in 2013-14 and Durant's faulty foot last season.
But if those two can avoid significant injures (knock on wood), OKC will be every bit as lethal in the Larry O'Brien Trophy chase as Golden State, San Antonio and Cleveland regardless of what Billy Donovan does with the rest of the roster.
Orlando Magic: No Scott Skiles Burnout
22 of 30
Scott Skiles has fashioned a formidable coaching career out of turning young teams into winners. The same act he authored in Phoenix, Chicago and Milwaukee is now on full display in central Florida, where the Orlando Magic are in the thick of the playoff race for the first time since Dwight Howard last suited up for them in 2012.
Magic forward Andrew Nicholson told Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix what has changed this season:
"There is a lot more discipline. There is a lot more accountability being held by the players. We trust each other more. There is definitely a lot more of that. We're just playing the right way.
"
But how long will Skiles be there to guide (and goad) this team back into contention? As Mannix noted, Skiles has scarcely stayed in one place for very long.
"Skiles can be tough; he's never coached a team longer than four full seasons, in part because his relentless style can be grating," Mannix wrote. "But the Magic are keenly aware that after an ugly end to the Jacque Vaughn era, they needed that type of structure."
There may well come a time when the Magic have no choice but to move on from Skiles in search of someone to take them to the next level. Those transitions can be treacherous, though. At this point, Orlando can only hope that Skiles will be the right person to start and finish the job.
Philadelphia 76ers: Another Win
23 of 30
There's bad, there's awful, there's blindingly terrible, and then there's whatever the Philadelphia 76ers have been this season. With a 104-90 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, the Sixers set the record for most losses in a team's first 30 games with their 29th.
To put it another way, Philly—with its threadbare roster comprised almost exclusively of rookies and sophomores, drafted and undrafted alike—has stumbled through more than a third of a campaign with just one win. Yahoo Sports' Michael Lee crunched the numbers and found that this tanktastic team is on track to win 2.7 games this season.
For Philly's sake, let's hope win No. 2 comes soon. Otherwise, Santa Claus could find himself on the wrong end of that city's sports vitriol.
Phoenix Suns: A New Home for Markieff Morris
24 of 30
The writing's been on the wall for Markieff Morris and the Phoenix Suns for months now. Ever since the Suns traded Marcus Morris to Detroit and Markieff publicly demanded a trade, a divorce between player and team has been all but inevitable. Morris' recent string of healthy scratches only further cemented that eventuality.
The Rockets would reportedly be happy to oblige. According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, Morris might already be in Houston if not for some tricky trade restrictions on Corey Brewer's contract. Come Jan. 15, the Rockets will be free to send Brewer and Terrence Jones to Phoenix in exchange for Morris.
Assuming, of course, that the Suns haven't found another taker before then or that Houston hasn't reconfigured its own offer.
Either way, Phoenix shouldn't have too much trouble finding a taker for its resident headache, especially since said headache is a skilled forward who's locked into an $8 million salary through the 2018-19 season.
Portland Trail Blazers: C.J. McCollum, Bona Fide Star
25 of 30
The Portland Trail Blazers were fortunate to find a guard, Damian Lillard, with the skills to follow in the footsteps of Stephen Curry as a mid-major marksman who morphed into an NBA All-Star. In C.J. McCollum, the Blazers seem to have found a second strike of lightning.
The Lehigh grad has been a revelation in Rip City so far this season. After turning in a slew of eye-opening performances in Wesley Matthews' stead down the stretch in 2014-15, McCollum has kept the roll going to the tune of more than 20 points per game on better than 40 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
To hear the No. 10 pick in the 2013 draft tell it, this explosion was merely a matter of time, health and opportunity. As McCollum told NBA.com's David Aldridge:
"I've always had had (sic) confidence in my game. It was just me needing an opportunity, and me needing the freedom to play through mistakes. As a young player, you're going to make mistakes, but it's always magnified when you're in the playoffs. Once I got the opportunity to play through mistakes, and I had the trust of the staff, and my teammates, everything else was going to be on me, and I was prepared for that. It felt normal.
"
McCollum's scoring exploits should feel normal to the Blazers by now, too. So long as his rise to stardom is secure, Portland can take comfort in its backcourt being filled and focus its team-building efforts on finding long-term solutions at other positions.
Sacramento Kings: Peace Between DeMarcus Cousins and George Karl
26 of 30
It's been more than 77 years since Neville Chamberlain, then the prime minister of England, declared "peace for our time." The Sacramento Kings seem to have been pining for the same for about that long, and with about as much success.
Their latest and biggest source of internal turmoil, the relationship between DeMarcus Cousins and George Karl, turned sour before the latter ever officially joined forces with the former and has yet to reach equilibrium.
And in the estimation of NBA.com's David Aldridge, it never will:
"I think you're naive in the extreme, or a hardcore Kings fan, if you think it's going to work long term between DeMarcus Cousins and George Karl. But that doesn't mean the Kings have to make a lopsided deal to satisfy some artificial deadline. It would be better for Sac to get through the trade deadline intact. ... For this franchise, continuity matters. The Boogie Situation (not a 70s sitcom) will work itself out one way or another.
"
The Kings have cycled through eight coaches since 2006, so they'd probably rather not have to find a ninth anytime soon. Boogie, meanwhile, says he loves Sacramento, and general manager Vlade Divac says he's "off the table," per ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
Perhaps it's time, then, for Cousins to put on his Santa hat again and see if he can help broker peace for a franchise that hasn't seen the light of postseason in nearly a decade.
San Antonio Spurs: A Return to Form for Danny Green
27 of 30
There haven't been many flies to be found in the San Antonio Spurs' potent ointment this season, but Danny Green's shooting is one of them. Through his first 29 games of 2015-16, the North Carolina product converted a career-low 33.9 percent of his field goals and an abysmal 29.5 percent of his three-pointers.
This after signing a four-year, $40 million deal to stay in San Antonio this past summer, no less.
Green, though, doesn't seem overly anxious about his early struggles, as he told the San Antonio Express-News' Jabari Young:
"You're expected to perform every night at a high level on any team when they sign you to a contract like that. But on this team, not so much. We're all playing together. We're all playing well. Pressure? Not as much as you think it is, especially here where they make it easy and encourage you. Just keep playing. Keep shooting. Keep doing what you do.
"
For Green, that means playing stellar defense on the wing opposite Kawhi Leonard and continuing to shoot the ball until he finally catches fire.
Toronto Raptors: A Healthy Jonas Valanciunas
28 of 30
Bismack Biyombo has acquitted himself well as the Toronto Raptors' starting center. Since subbing in for the injured Jonas Valanciunas, the native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has averaged 11.7 rebounds, bolstered by a 20-board bonanza against the Mavericks.
But Toronto's best bet to be a force in the Eastern Conference rests on the shoulders (and left hand) of Valanciunas. According to Yahoo Sports' Marc J. Spears, the Lithuanian big man is back in practice with the Raptors after sitting out 15 games with a fractured metacarpal.
Considering the team's recent struggles (losers of three out of five) and Valanciunas' ownership of Toronto's highest net rating, the Raptors should be pleased to see their 23-year-old center in the lineup again, where he can help to relieve Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan of their outsized offensive burdens.
Utah Jazz: The Return of the Stifle Tower
29 of 30
Speaking of sorely missed centers, the Utah Jazz will have to wait a while longer before Rudy Gobert can get back to putting a lid on their rim. The 23-year-old Frenchman isn't expected back from his knee injury until mid-January.
In the meantime, the Jazz will have to hold their own without him. That hasn't gone all that well so far, with Utah losing six of its first 10 games of Gobert's latest absence.
The Jazz's struggles have hardly disqualified them from postseason contention in the mushy West. But the longer the team has to trudge on without Gobert's long arms patrolling the paint, the more perilous its playoff prospects could become.
Washington Wizards: Bradley Beal Back
30 of 30
Another year, another leg injury for Bradley Beal. For the fourth time in as many seasons, Beal's right fibula has landed the gifted shooting guard in street clothes.
As a rookie, Beal missed the last eight games of the season—and had to rest another two-and-a-half months thereafter—while dealing with a stress injury in his right leg. In his sophomore season, the same issue cost him nine games. In his third year, eight more. His latest setback could keep him out until the second or third week of 2016.
"I try to stay as positive as possible, and I still am," Beal said, per the Washington Post's Jorge Castillo. "It was disappointing to hear officially, but it's a peace of mind at the same time, not always wondering, 'OK, is this really back again?' And it is."
Like this persistent problem, Beal will be back in action soon. The Washington Wizards will miss him until he is. They're currently on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture looking in, with a losing record at home to boot.
Beal, on the other hand, can only hope his latest setback won't dash his dreams of landing a max contract with the team that drafted him.
All stats are accurate as of games played on Dec. 22, 2015.
Josh Martin covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.
