Giannis Antetokounmpo is once again having a stellar season for Milwaukee, putting them right in the frame for another title. Photo: Getty Images.
Well, that all happened pretty quickly!
We’re already at the quarter mark of the NBA season and that means that we can start to make some definitive calls on how teams are travelling that are absolutely guaranteed not to come back and bite this writer on his posterior!
Today we’ll look at the remaining seven teams from the Eastern Conference.
The Western Conference will receive their grades soon as well.
**A note that these grades are weighted against a team’s pre-season expectations.
Miami Heat (12-14 record at the time of writing)
Grade: C-
The Heat were not widely expected to repeat as conference top seeds, but to be playing sub .500 ball? Not many would have predicted that, either.
The defence, for so long the #HeatCulture calling card, has been at best mediocre this season, despite Bam Adebayo continuing to be a switchable monster, while their offence has cratered down into the bottom 10.
The Heat have had next to no line-up continuity with somebody of importance always sidelined.
You have to wonder, with Kyle Lowry aged 36 and Jimmy Butler 33 (though with ‘Thibs miles’ ground into his early years in Chicago), if that is the norm for this team now.
The core four of Lowry, Butler, Adebayo and Tyler Herro, with either the sharpshooting Max Strus or defensive wing Caleb Martin, is a strong line-up.
The problem is depth, where the Heat are seeing the impact of so many years drafting late and/or giving rotation minutes to undrafted project players.
Milwaukee Bucks (18-6)
Grade: A
Ho-hum for many people’s (including this writer’s) championship favourites.
Milwaukee’s already air-tight defence has only improved this season, now denying above-the-break three-pointers without losing any of their vaunted rim protection – that’s quite the trick!
Giannis Antetokounmpo remains a defensive skeleton key, Jrue Holiday swallows callow guards whole and Brook Lopez is the clubhouse leader for Defensive Player of the Year.
On the other side of the ball, the Bucks are yet to really click, which is scary.
Khris Middleton only made his season debut a week ago after off-season wrist surgery, but as he gets back up to speed, expect Milwaukee’s offensive efficiency to make a notable jump from its current rank of 21st in the league.
New York Knicks (12-13)
Grade: C
The Knicks were in need of direction and the big-money deal thrown at Jalen Brunson was supposed to provide that on-court leadership.
To be fair, Brunson has played fairly well individually, though he’s not nearly good enough to act as the saviour of a franchise that appears to be forever doomed to mediocrity.
No other Knick has made any significant stride forward this season.
Julius Randle’s sole All-NBA campaign looks increasingly like a fluke, RJ Barrett has plateaued and Quentin Grimes – deemed too valuable to be included in any potential Donovan Mitchell deals – has looked terrible since returning from injury.
Knicks gonna Knick.
How long, by the way, until Tom Thibodeau’s job is in question?
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Orlando Magic (6-20)
Grade: B+
The Magic probably expected to have garnered a few more wins by this stage of the season, though they won’t be too disappointed at the chance to luck into another top two pick.
Should Orlando, currently sporting the league’s worst record, land pick two and take Scoot Henderson, they’ll finally have the point guard to round out their line-up – the man who can step in where Jalen Suggs, Cole Anthony and Markelle Fultz have all failed.
Should they get the top pick in back-to-back years? Oh my …
Last week I wrote about the death of ‘small ball’ citing the Magic as a portents to what the team of the very near future could look like.
Dear reader, I’m literally salivating like a Pavlovian canine over the thought of this line-up:
PG – Franz Wagner (6’9”)
SG – Bol Bol (7’2”)
SF – Victor Wembanyama (7’4”)
PF – Paolo Banchero (6’10”)
C – Wendell Carter Jr (6’10”)
May the basketball gods have mercy on us all.
Philadelphia 76ers (12-12)
Grade: C
An even record is not where the Sixers expected to be after stocking up with former Houston Rockets who, in theory, would fit snugly around the Joel Embiid/James Harden pairing.
The Sixers do have some mitigation, though. Embiid, Harden and exciting youngster Tyrese Maxey have missed significant portions of the young season.
Without those three on the floor, the Sixers are merely an average side.
Philadelphia has put up a sterling defensive effort without their offensive stars available and the much-maligned Tobias Harris has also stepped up as a go-to scorer.
Embiid is now back and playing at a borderline MVP level, and with Harden easing his way back into shape and Maxey due to return shortly, the Sixers could go on a bit of a run, here.
Or, given it’s the Sixers, they could lose seven of their next nine.
Nothing is off the table with this team.
Toronto Raptors (13-12)
Grade: B-
As you might expect from a team made up of long, rangy wings and a serial pest in Fred VanVleet, the Raptors are a menace on defence.
Their one genuine weakness – rim protection – looks to have a developing solution in rookie big man Christian Koloko, while OG Anunoby has turned into prime Kawhi Leonard, scaring the daylights out of his mark.
A 13-12 record, though, is not quite what the Raptors would have hoped for at this point of their campaign.
Star man Pascal Siakam, who has taken another huge leap this season, has missed time, and Gary Trent Jr has also failed to live up to his usual standards to the point where he is now coming off the bench after having his effort levels publicly questioned by coach Nick Nurse.
The Raptors should be fine, assuming they maintain decent health. This team is stacked and will want to push for a top-four place in the East.
Washington Wizards (11-14)
Grade: B-
I’m genuinely torn as to how to grade the Wizards.
Should I be pleased that they’re finally back to some level of respectability? That Kristaps Porzingis finally looks healthy and is playing excellent ball? That Kyle Kuzma is in career best form? That Monte Morris looks better than expected as a starter? That Brad Beal – when not sidelined with various niggles – looks something close to his formidable best?
Alternatively, should I be concerned that Washington’s solid start to the campaign will only fuel ownership’s belief that winning between 37 and 42 games every season from here to eternity is a good thing?
I’m going to shade towards the former, simply because I really like these players. I enjoy watching them and they all seem like really good dudes – Kuzma, especially.
Even the youngsters (Rui Hachimura, Corey Kispert, Deni Avdija … though not Johnny Davis) are fun to watch!
It’s superficial, I know, but I’m going to let Wizards fans (another group that deserves a little bit of happiness) enjoy their relative success without me hashing their collective buzz.
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