Although we're far past the halfway point of the NBA season, the common refrain among the hoops community is that post All-Star is the "second half" of the season. As we enter the declared "second half," a few narratives dominate the league; Luka Doncic in Los Angeles being the biggest one.
But with some tight playoff races in both conferences and some real contenders overhauling important positions, there are plenty of sneakily important storylines to follow as we head into bizarro world, also known as March in the NBA.
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1. Cleveland's revamped wing core
A 44-10 record before the All-Star break plus two potentially important wing additions who will play huge parts of this team's plans down the stretch equals... favorites in the Eastern Conference?
Of course, as the defending champions, the Eastern Conference runs through Boston. But it's hard not to believe in Cleveland as the preeminent contender in the East, especially after adding De'Andre Hunter from the Hawks and Javonte Green from the Pelicans via buyout market.
But before the big question of "can Cleveland beat Boston" is answered, the question of "how do Hunter and Green actually fit?" will be. Theoretically, both fit wonderfully in the Cavs lineup. Green will play the Isaac Okoro role either next to — or in place of — Okoro himself, as injuries have sidelined him a lot of this season. And Hunter, whether he starts or comes in as a "sixth starter," can bring far more volume than Cleveland was getting from that position before. I think it'll be kind of perfect.
2. Joe Cronin's hand is hovering over the button
That "button" is the big red TANK button that every GM has in their office, and the Blazers general manager has not been shy about smashing it down the stretch of the past few seasons. But the Blazers went on a mini-run in the weeks leading up to the All-Star Break, then didn't make any moves at the trade deadline.
Will Cronin prioritize the growth of his young players Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan? Is that still possible if Anfernee Simons, Jerami Grant and DeAndre Ayton (who is currently injured) are still getting the lions share of minutes? Does this team care about winning or lottery odds? I'm never going to fault a team for trying to win... that's why we're all here after all, isn't it?
3. Does a higher volume Ja Morant mean a better Grizzlies team?
Ja Morant, obviously, is still very good at basketball. And in a Grizzlies offense that prioritizes sharing over everything else, a lesser volume Ja (he's averaging 20.7 points per game, his lowest since 2020-21) isn't inherently a bad thing, especially with Memphis being the No. 5-ranked offense in the NBA right now.
Would higher volume from Ja Morant make this offense better, or would it tank the chemistry and togetherness the unit is built on in the first place? I'm not sure, but I'm leaning toward the former. More Ja is seldom a bad thing, so I'll be interested to see if he ramps up down the stretch.
4. Golden State and Phoenix could both implode
In the saddest race of the NBA season, the Warriors and Suns are battling it out for the last play-in spot in the Western Conference. It would feel much more detrimental for the Suns to miss out on postseason play than the Warriors, who seem to be accepting their fate as a dynasty on the tail end of its run — rather stubbornly, but still.
Phoenix, on the flip side, is still deluding itself into thinking there's something in the tank. There's not. This experiment won the franchise two playoff series but I don't see it soaring any higher than that. Devin Booker is a legit star in his prime under contract for the next four years, so there is a way out of this mess without throwing everything away... but it is still a bit of a mess.
5. Figure it out, Philly
I didn't cut and paste this section from an article written four months ago, but I could have. Or one from three months ago... or two... you get it. But there's no more time to play with; Philadelphia needs to pick a direction like, today. If Embiid really needs another surgery, then shut him down for the year — hell, shut Maxey down too and fully lean into praying to the lottery Gods for some luck in May.
Then, extend newly acquired Quentin Grimes, make sure Jared McCain is ready for opening day, trade everyone over 30 years old for whatever teams are willing to give up and embrace a completely new era in South Philly. It's just painful right now.
NBA news roundup
- Victor Wembanyama will miss the rest of the season with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, but the Spurs are confident this is a one-off injury and shouldn't linger after this season. Either way, this stinks. It's not going to hinder Wemby's path to greatness, but it takes away about 40 games of us watching Wemby play basketball, which is a major bummer.
- Bobby Portis was suspended 25 games by the league for using a banned substance, but his agent is claiming that Portis accidentally took a painkiller that was recently banned by the NBA called Tramadol, instead of a painkiller called Toradol, which is approved by the league. If that's the case, this is an outrageously harsh punishment, especially for a league that frequently brushes much more serious actions under the rug.
- The Mark Williams trade saga might never be fully explained, but Williams himself seems just as confused as the rest of us that he failed his physical after playing just a few days before the trade went through.
Let's pump the brakes on Luka's rough start in Los Angeles
No, it's not good that LA lost to Utah and Charlotte in two of its first three games with Luka Doncic on the roster. No, I'm not worried about it at all. Lesser players than Doncic often acclimate quicker to new teams because they aren't expected to carry such a hefty weight on offense. But Luka has been the Sun for years in Dallas, with the rest of the team orbiting around him.
Now, Doncic is more like Jupiter, and LeBron James is Gandymene (the largest moon in our Solar System) and sharing the court with LeBron freakin' James will obviously take some getting used to.
Maybe the Lakers do disappoint a little bit after the mega-trade, but I don't think a sluggish start is evidence of that happening.