Jayson Tatum has been the driving force behind Boston’s assault on the championship this season. Photo: AP.
The NBA season is at its halfway point so let’s hand out some mid-season grades!
These grades are doled out relative to a team’s expectations, so whilst the Pacers and Hawks sport similar records, their grades will be very different.
Today we’re looking at one half of the NBA’s Eastern Conference.
*All win-loss records are as they were at the time of writing
Atlanta Hawks (24-23 win-loss): C-
The all-in trade for Dejounte Murray was meant to solidify the Hawks’ defence at the point of attack. To that end, it has been a successful move with, improving it from 26th to 16th in defensive rating.
Offensively, Murray was supposed to give the Hawks some flexibility, allowing Trae Young to play off the ball some more whilst giving the team a focal point when Young sat. That hasn’t worked.
The Hawks’ attack has dropped from second to 18th in offensive rating and perhaps they underestimated the impact that Kevin Huerter – the man Murray replaced in the rotation – had on them.
On-court product aside, there is something that isn’t right with this group.
Coach Nate McMillan has reportedly offered to leave his post, whilst the man who assembled this roster, Travis Schlenk, has effectively been let go by the organisation.
If the Hawks don’t find a way to pull it all together, expect some wholesale changes at season’s end.
Brookyln Nets (28-17): C+
Considering the start to the year the Nets endured – much of it of their own making, in fairness – it’s remarkable that they’re sitting in the top three in the conference.
To reach their current heights the Nets have had to lean on Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to an almost unhealthy level given the lack of support they’re receiving from Ben Simmons (very good defensively, to be fair), Joe Harris, Seth Curry and Royce O’Neal. Nic Claxton, though, has been excellent.
Now, with Durant sidelined for the time being, the Nets are struggling again. They lost four straight with ‘KD’ out before a Kyrie masterclass got them over the line against the Jazz.
Assuming Durant comes back soon and they can keep him and Kyrie on the floor, the Nets look something like a cohesive and successful basketball team.
Boston Celtics (35-12): A
Their coach left the club in disgrace; their defensive linchpin missed most of the first half of the season; one of their prized off-season recruits was gone for the season before he even played a minute. Does it matter?
The Celtics have picked up from where they left off last season, with Jayson Tatum playing at an MVP level, Jaylen Brown an elite sidekick, the defence not missing a beat now that Robert Williams is back in the line-up and the offence elite.
Credit to Joe Mazzula who wouldn’t even be the Celtics coach if Will Hardy hadn’t been poached by Utah. He’s steered this ship away from every rocky outcrop and has them positioned as the class of the East and maybe the entire NBA.
Charlotte Hornets (13-34): D-
The Hornets are brutal.
I’m holding off on giving the Hornets an outright F due to some circumstances that are out of their control; namely Lamelo Ball’s intermittent injuries, Gordon Hayward’s not-at-all-unexpected injury concerns and Miles Bridges’ legal issues.
It doesn’t matter which team you are: if you lose your best three players for extended periods, you’re going to struggle. When you’re the Hornets – average at best, even when fully healthy – you’re going to stink.
There is no promise of a better tomorrow for Charlotte, either. Given his brother’s health issues, the team must be concerned with Lamelo’s recurring injuries.
Any games you get from Hayward are gravy at this point while Bridges – with any luck – won’t be returning to an NBA court anytime soon.
The team’s recent draft record is deplorable, as well. James Bouknight and Kai Jones might lead the Shanghai Sharks to glory in 2025, because they’re an afterthought for the Hornets in 2023, while rookie Mark Williams is barely hanging on at the end of the rotation.
It’s unlikely, given their history, but the Hornets could be strong players at the trade table as they hold a raft of veterans that other teams would love to get their hands on. Meanwhile, Kelly Oubre and Jalen McDaniels are having career years, and Mason Plumlee has quietly been excellent.
It’s the Hornets, though. They won’t trade anybody. Mediocrity is the goal, year after year after year.
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Chicago Bulls (21-24): D+
The Bulls are caught betwixt and between.
Are they a veteran team trying to push themselves into the conversation in the East? Are they a team trying to develop youngsters in Patrick Williams, Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu?
Right now, they’re neither.
Their core veterans are not able to get them into the upper echelons of the East (though admittedly injuries to Lonzo Ball and Zach LaVine have scuppered them). Those same vets are standing between the youngsters and the court time needed for their development.
To be fair, the Bulls’ half-court offence is very good, despite the fact that they almost never shoot threes, and their defence is decent despite not playing anything close to a rim protecting big.
The Bulls are a decent team and they could be very good if they get their full roster together.
Time, though, is running out for that to occur. Ball’s injuries look chronic, LaVine hasn’t exactly been a reliable presence through his career, DeMar DeRozan is almost 34 and Nikola Vucevic is an old 32. The latter pair can’t have much left in the tank.
As the Bulls might be about to find out, it’s always later than you think.
Cleveland Cavaliers (29-19): A-
The Cavaliers jigsaw is not yet complete.
Sure, they’ve got four foundational players, even though the fit between those four isn’t seamless. It’s the rest of the roster that still requires upgrading.
The Cavs desperately need a small forward worthy of starting alongside their big four. Isaac Okoro is not it, nor is the delightful Dean Wade, and Caris LeVert consistently flatters to deceive.
The return of Ricky Rubio could give the Cavs another playmaker, though their bigger need in the backcourt is a true defensive ace.
Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley are defensively impassable at times, though the Cavs could do with some more offensive shooting and creativity which, to be fair, Mobley could eventually provide.
That said, the Cavs’ big move for Donovan Mitchell has paid off as they push the Durant-less Nets for a top-four seed.
They’re a long way ahead of schedule.
Detroit Pistons (12-36): B
It could have all gone pear-shaped for the Pistons when Cade Cunningham went down with what turned out to be a season-ending injury. Instead, the Pistons have made the most of their situation.
Detroit knows that without its crown jewel it can tank without pressure, which they’ve done perfectly, sitting at the bottom of the East.
The Pistons have used their low-pressure environment to pump minutes into rookies Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, who have both been very impressive.
Detroit has also turned itself into an island for misfit toys.
Former lottery pick Killian Hayes has stepped into Cunningham’s role and played well, averaging 12 points (including 34.8 per cent shooting from deep), 6.8 assists and 1.4 steals as a starter, and although Marvin Bagley has rightly been supplanted by Duren in the starting line-up, he has been solid, nonetheless.
Detroit has even been able to get the occasional tune out of Kevin Knox!
The Pistons are balancing their lottery aspirations with player development (Cunningham aside, of course) perfectly.
Indiana Pacers (23-25): A-
The hits just keep on coming from Indiana general manager Kevin Pritchard, whose ability to rebuild on the fly is really quite impressive.
Paul George wants out? Let’s turn him into future All-Stars Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.
‘DoMo’ doesn’t quite work alongside your All-Defence centre? That’s fine. We’ll swap him for one of the best young guards in the NBA and one of the NBA’s premier marksmen.
Need some support players? No problem. Let’s pull Jalen Smith and Aaron Nesmith from teams that don’t appreciate them. How about picking a quality player like Andrew Nembhard in the second round?
The Pacers were supposed to be in the tank this season – I was as guilty of buying into that as anybody. What Indiana has produced so far this season has far exceeded what just about anybody could have predicted.
If they can re-sign Myles Turner to a long-term deal, then this team might just have its core sorted out.
Given Pritchard’s record of fiddling around the edges of rosters, the Pacers must be feeling good about themselves right now.
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