With each NBA team playing at least 20 games to this point, we felt it was the perfect time to drop MIP Scouting’s first quarter season review. This NBA season has already been surprising in a number of ways, and is definitely one of the most exciting in recent memory.
Take the Golden State Warriors for instance. They missed the play-in game for the 8th seed last season and won 15 games total two years ago. That same squad currently holds the number 1 seed in the Western Conference with an 19-3 record. Klay isn’t even back yet people. It’s time to start taking notice.
Stephen Curry is adding to his Hall of Fame NBA career yet again with some of his best play and most energetic leadership since 2016, where he led the team to an all time great 73-9 season. There will be a whole section about MVP candidates through this portion of the season later, but if Steph isn’t your clear cut MVP right now, you might need a new prescription.
There’s been some other great developments around the league, like the Chicago Bulls (currently 15-8) ballooning to the top of the Eastern Conference on the back of the mid range maestro, Demar Derozan. These two are great examples of players who’ve helped take their teams to the next level during this season, but there’s always another side.
Some teams or players haven’t been firing on all cylinders thus far this season, and we’ll get into that as well. In this review we’re going to take a snapshot of the season as it currently stands, looking at the teams on upward trends, but also looking at the teams who’ve underperformed or are treading water. In addition to that, we’ll look at some of the potential award candidates for the season so far, from MVP to MIP. Enjoy…
The Good:
West
As mentioned above the Golden State Warriors have re-emerged at the top of the Western Conference. With the team playing that high volume, jump shooting style, that has propelled them to great levels of success over the last decade. As of right now the Warriors are heavily dependent on Curry performing at a high level so I’m not sure I can make a prediction on where the team will end up. But I will say, if Klay comes back at even 70% of what he once was and James Wiseman continues to develop, especially defensively, with the help of Draymond; this team could go all the way.
The Warriors aren’t the only team to celebrate in the West though, as the reigning Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns are right on their back currently holding a 19-4 record. The Suns are on a mission to prove that last year’s finals run was not a fluke and are off to an amazing start.
Devin Booker and Chris Paul currently lead the league in clutch points scored, and with their ability to create shots off the dribble in the mid range, they present a scary matchup for any team they face. Look for Phoenix to continue to make noise and eventually overtake the Warriors for the number one seed as the season continues on.
The Utah Jazz are still one of the best teams in the Western Conference, currently holding a 15-7 record and playing that signature brand of team basketball they are so well known for. I can’t say I personally expect a whole lot from the Jazz this year, but I expect the regular season excellence to continue.
Also of note, the Memphis Grizzlies (currently 12-10) are in the thick of the Western playoff race, currently above the Mavericks, Clippers and the Lakers. There isn’t much separating any of the teams outside of the top 3, with the 4 through 10th seed being separated by 1.5 games. The Timberwolves sit at 10 with a record of 11-12, but the trio of Karl Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russel and the young star Anthony Edwards show a lot of promise. I think they could win a play-in series and sneak into these playoffs. We will see how things play out as the year goes on.
East
We might have to start calling it the Wild Wild East. Through the first quarter of this season the East is almost unrecognizable from recent years. Both the Bucks and the 76ers, usual mainstays at the top, are middle of the pack playoff teams as it currently stands (the 5th and 7th seeds respectively). At the top there’s some new (ish) blood with a lot of promise.
As mentioned before, the Chicago Bulls have completely transformed. I also drew a kind of parallel between Zach Lavine and Devin Booker in my mind for some reason, and it just seems fitting that basically one year after Book finally got the pieces around him to be successful, Lavine got his as well. The Bulls are a high powered offense with multiple 3 level scorers and are looking like a force right now in the East. Depending on how matchups shake out, they could be one of the dark horses to go to the finals. The Brooklyn Nets continue to dominate the league, with the all-time great Kevin Durant absorbing the brunt of the leg work this season.
Outside of these top teams, we have some new blood in the middle of the pack for this playoff race in the East. The Washington Wizards are currently playing great team basketball and sit at the 4th seed in the East, with a 14-9 record. They’ve moved away from their strategy in past years of using Beal to run the entire offense (he’s currently averaging 22 ppg, his lowest mark since 2018). They’re spreading the wealth really well, with five players not named Beal averaging double figures. (Caldwell-Pope-11 ppg, Kuzma-13 ppg, Dinwidde-14 ppg, and Harrel-16 ppg)
In addition to the Wizards, the Cleveland Cavaliers youth movement is working! The Cavs currently sit at 13-10 and are playing high energy team ball. Darius Garland (19 ppg, 7 apg) is having a breakout year in the absence of Collin Sexton. Jarret Allen, Evan Mobely and Lauri Markanen are all chipping in; helping to keep this team afloat. I am curious to see how long this rally will last for Cleveland and Washington, these may end up as early season feel good stories.
The Bad
West
Whats going on with Dame Time? The Portland Trail Blazers are off to a somewhat slow start this season, and you’re only as good as your best guy. Damian Lillard is averaging his lowest scoring output (21.5 ppg) since the 14-15 season, and with some media controversy, the Blazers look to be in a rough spot. I personally believe the Dame, CJ, Nurk core has run its course, Portland needs a new injection of talent. The team currently sits at 11-13, we will see how they turn things around.
The Sacramento Kings present another disappointing, yet not surprising low tier team. Currently sitting at 9-14 and fresh off firing Luke Walton the team is looking for direction. I’m not sure it’s in the cards for this season, especially with their star player De’Aaron Fox playing some uninspired basketball.
East
The Atlanta Hawks are the 10 seed and if the season ended today the Boston Celtics wouldn’t even be a play-in squad. For both of these teams I can attribute some of their losses to roster adjustment, it’s surprising to see these two young squads that seemed to cement themselves as upper tier teams in the conference sitting right in the thick of it.
MVP
To this point in the season, my pick for the MVP is Stephen Curry. Although numerically this isn’t necessarily his peak season, this stretch by the Warriors is unbelievable. Curry once again is proving that he alone is an all time great. He is currently leading a squad of Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Jordan Poole to the best record in the west. For this dramatic Warriors turnaround, and for the incredible level of play that he has maintained, Curry is my pick at this point.
Most Improved
Tyler Herro has come out as a revelation for the Miami Heat this season. This is what you want to see when you talk about that third year leap. From 15.1 to 21.6 ppg ( good for 6th in the league), along with a career high 40% from 3 and 45% from the field. He is also contributing on the defensive side with 3.7 steals (a slight improvement form last year’s 3.4) and 5.5 boards. Herro is playing the best basketball of his career, while also playing the most minutes and averaging a career high in FGA. Talk about a level up.
I selected Herro also partially due to the recent injury suffered by Ja Morant, who’s enjoyed a meteoric rise this year. Ja is averaging career highs in his efficiency stats along with an increase from 19 ppg to 24 ppg, which is a BIG Jump in the NBA. I’m hoping Ja recovers quickly, if he can play most of the year and lead his squad to the playoffs this pick will definitely change.
An Honorable Mention for this award is Tyrese Maxey of the 76ers. Similar to Herro, Maxey stepped into a bigger role this season and has flourished thus far. No sophomore slump here. Jumping from 15 minutes per game to 35 (in the absence of Ben Simmons) Maxey has answered the call, bringing his scoring from 8 ppg to 17 ppg, shooting 47% from the field and 36% from beyond the arc. He is also adding 3.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists per to this early breakout.