We have seen some tremendous basketball lately, which has given us a lot of reasons to get excited about what’s happening on the court. We have the remaining All-Stars being named this week, after the starters were named last Thursday. At the same time, we were reminded this weekend of one of the most shocking and tragic moments in NBA history. We’ll get to it all right now.
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There are a couple of Western Conference teams that the public, outside of understandably biased fan bases, just refuses to accept as a threat in the West. The Houston Rockets and LA Clippers have been proving themselves left and right lately. We’ve seen the defending Western Conference champs struggling to keep it together without their best player. And we’re seeing a couple of teams in the East reverse course. Here are the trends you should know with the latest NBA Stock Market watch.
📈 Houston Rockets (30-14): It’s not just that the Rockets are 8-2 in their last 10 games. They took down Memphis twice during this stretch, dominated the Nuggets by 20 and then beat the Cavaliers twice. Even though the Rockets are struggling to make shots this season (26th in effective field-goal percentage), they’re still ninth in offensive rating because they dominate the offensive boards (first), don’t turn the ball over much (tied for ninth) and get to the free-throw line (11th). Jalen Green is playing great, Alperen Şengün should be an All-Star and Ime Udoka has the role players excelling. People can’t ignore them anymore.
📉 Chicago Bulls (19-27): Things are not going so hot for the Bulls lately. They’ve lost seven of their last eight games and are now in danger of dropping out of the top 10 in the Eastern Conference. They’re now just a game ahead of Philadelphia, which is still trying to figure out how to get some consistency on the court. The Bulls have mostly been falling short on offense lately. Defensively, they haven’t been good, ranking just 21st in the NBA. They’re 26th on offense during the last eight games. Only four teams have been worse at hitting shots during this stretch.
📈 LA Clippers (26-19): The Clippers have won six of their last eight games, and it’s good to see Kawhi Leonard as a part of that action on the court. During this eight-game stretch, the offense has been better. It’s nothing to fawn over, but ranking 18th in the NBA will get the job done because of their elite defense. It’s been fairly unsolvable all season, but the last eight games have seen them give up only 99.4 points per 100 possessions. In these eight games, opponents have a league-worst 47.3 percent eFG, the fifth-highest turnover rate and the sixth-worst offensive rebounding rate. The Clippers have shut the water off.
📉 Dallas Mavericks (24-22): The Mavericks are trying to survive this stretch without Luka Dončić, but it’s not going great. If you count the game in which Dončić got hurt, the Mavericks have lost 11 of their last 16 games. Only the Wizards, Nets and Jazz have been worse during this time. Since Dončić’s injury, the Mavericks can’t hit shots (24th), they’re turning the ball over a lot (tied for 20th) and don’t clear the defensive glass (tied for 22nd). This is mostly an offense issue for the Mavs, as they’ve had guys in and out of the lineup outside of Dončić.
📈 Toronto Raptors (13-32): Yes, the Raptors! They’ve been really good the last two weeks, and it has to be a very encouraging sign for those invested in development happening on the court. Toronto’s endured a brutal season because of injuries and on-court misfortune. In the last two weeks, we’ve seen the Raptors go 5-1 by beating the Warriors, Celtics, Magic and Hawks (twice). RJ Barrett has been unstoppable, the Raptors’ bigs have been incredibly efficient and they are making over half their shots in this stretch. More impressive? The Raptors are second in the NBA in defensive rating over the last two weeks. Not bad for a team ranked in the bottom five in defensive rating on the season.
📉 Miami Heat (22-22): You may have heard that the Heat are going through a bit of a roller coaster right now. Miami has suspended Jimmy Butler twice in the last few weeks. The Heat have also lost five of their last seven games, and some of those have been with Butler. Things have been bad on both ends of the floor, with the Heat ranking 23rd on offense and 23rd on defense. I’m not sure what we’re getting out of Bam Adebayo half the time. And they’ve been far more entertaining on Kevin Love’s Instagram page than on the court. At least Kel’el Ware has been a really fun rookie?
Big Story: Remembering Kobe Bryant
Sunday was a somber day of remembrance for the NBA. It was the fifth anniversary of the tragic death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven other people in a helicopter crash. The Los Angeles Lakers and NBA legend was just 41 years old, not even four years into his retirement after a historic career that few résumés can match. I still remember the initial news slapping all of us in the face, leaving everybody in shock and hoping this was all some awful attempt at an internet hoax. The news came in before noon on the West Coast and incredibly inaccurate details started trickling in.
There were rumors of other people being on the flight that thankfully ended up being safe. There were rumors about the entire Bryant family being safe before we learned they were part of the tragedy. By the time the details were confirmed, we knew the deaths included Bryant, his daughter and six family friends plus the pilot. It was unfathomable and surreal. And then, it was a very sobering reality. Many of us jumped on a podcast to make sense of it all, to reminisce about memories of Bryant and try to grieve together in real time. At the same time, though, nobody knew what to do.
The NBA had to process it. We saw videos of players finding out during warmups, before getting on flights and reacting on social media. Then, we saw impromptu moments on the court to recognize the tragedy and pay tribute in some way to Bryant and those who lost their lives. Eight-second violations and 24-second shot clock violations to begin games were nods to both numbers Bryant made historically relevant during his career.
I don’t know if Bryant’s impact on the game of basketball can be overestimated. Between 1995 and 1999, Bryant, along with Kevin Garnett, helped legitimize the jump from high school to the NBA. He endured the embarrassment of coming up short in a big moment as a young player before channeling his talent alongside Shaquille O’Neal to eventually bring the Lakers organization back to championship glory with a three-peat (2000-02), which remains the NBA’s most recent. You also can’t tell Bryant’s story without the controversy between him and O’Neal as their run ended, along with the very serious sexual assault allegations in 2003. Those defined his story for many people, even as his historic career continued to flourish.
After O’Neal was traded from the Lakers to the Heat, and once the sexual assault charges were dropped in 2004, Bryant set out on the chapter of his career in which he learned what it’s like to need the help of other star talent. Eventually, he led a very successful era with Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher, Andrew Bynum and others when he once again won championships in 2009 and 2010. In 2013, Bryant tore his Achilles tendon. He came back a year later, and, while the final two-plus years of his career weren’t close to the standard he set for himself, he reminded everybody what he was capable of doing. That included the final game of his career, when he dropped 60 points on 22-of-50 shooting.
The story of the greatest players in NBA history. In 100 riveting profiles, top basketball writers justify their selections and uncover the history of the NBA in the process.
The story of the greatest plays in NBA history.
Bryant’s 20-year career inspired so many players, and it’s why you have so many players of today who happily tout him as their favorite player of all time. He ended up with the following:
- 33,643 points (fourth all-time) | 25.0 points per game (sixth all-time) | 81-point game (second all-time)
- 6,306 assists (36th all time) | 1,944 steals (16th all time) | Sixth all time in field-goal makes | Fourth all time in field-goal attempts
- Fourth all time in free throws made | Sixth all time in free-throw attempts | 15th all time in games played | Eighth all time in minutes
- 18 All-Star selections | 15 All-NBA selections (11 first teams) | 12 All-Defense selections (nine first teams)
- Five-time champion | Two-time Finals MVP | 2007-08 MVP | Four-time All-Star MVP | Two-time scoring champ
He also made the Hall of Fame (duh) and won an Academy Award for Dear Basketball, an animated short film, in 2018. On top of that, Bryant was very vocal and instrumental in helping grow the women’s game of basketball. He set a standard for work ethic, competitiveness, and skill development (both physical and mental) that will permeate the game of basketball for generations. He helped influence the stars of the mid-to-late aughts, creating a standard and attitude with the Redeem Team in the 2008 Olympics, as Team USA Men’s Basketball returned to the glory that is expected of the program.
Every aspect of basketball, Bryant made better. He grew the game in a way so few superstars are ever capable of imagining, let alone accomplishing. Even five years later, his tragic passing doesn’t feel real. It still feels as much like a hoax as the moment we were all informed it happened. But his legacy will live on forever. His impact will always be felt.
The Week Ahead: Who will be an All-Star reserve?
This Thursday, we’re going to get mad! We should schedule it in our calendars: Jan. 30, get angry. That’s when TNT will announce the All-Star reserve selections, voted on by the coaches in each conference. Seven spots in each conference. In the East, they’re joining Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Brunson, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum and Karl-Anthony Towns. In the West, they’re joining Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Steph Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Nikola Jokić.
These would be my picks for the East and West reserves if I could hack into the voting system and stuff the ballots. I didn’t want you to have to wait to get mad about reserve selections, so I present mine to you now.
Eastern Conference
It feels like in most seasons, we don’t have real snubs or controversy when it comes to the East All-Stars. We might have a conversation or two about a tough call, but it’s nothing like the West. This year? The East is surprisingly decent in the middle of the pack, and there have been some great individual performances throughout the season. These would be my picks for the All-Star reserves in the East:
Backcourt: Damian Lillard, Milwaukee Bucks | Lillard is averaging 25 and 7 with a 62 percent true shooting mark. We’ve seen him build his 3-point prowess as the season has gone on, and he’s a big part of the Bucks’ recent turnaround.
Backcourt: Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks | This is the least efficient shooting we’ve seen from Young in a long time, maybe ever. But this season also might be giving us the best overall basketball we’ve seen him play. He’s competed a little more on defense, and he’s played well while also leading the league in assists by a wide margin.
Frontcourt: Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers | The ascension of Mobley has been impressive and made him worthy of being a starter. This one is a no-brainer.
Frontcourt: Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics | I know he’s often listed as a guard, but he’s playing alongside two guards most of the time. So, I’m using that to put him in the frontcourt to make this an easy decision.
Frontcourt: Pascal Siakam, Indiana Pacers | I struggled a little with this third frontcourt spot. A healthier season from Franz Wagner or Paolo Banchero would’ve had them fighting for the spot instead of Siakam. However, the Pacers forward has been pretty good, and I’ll slot him in over Nikola Vučević for a third frontcourt spot. Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen was also in consideration here.
Wild card: Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons | This would be the first selection for Cunningham, which would do two things. It would reward the Pistons, whose turnaround has been tremendous with a coach actually trying to make them better. And it would also recognize Cunningham, who is making a lot more winning plays than we’ve seen from him.
Cade Cunningham should make his first All-Star team. (David Reginek / Imagn Images)
Wild card: Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers | Selecting a third Cavalier was easy, and this would mark the second selection for Garland. He’s averaging 21.7 points and 6.8 assists with a career-best 63.5 percent true shooting mark. This is a super easy call here.
The biggest issue is likely the fact that I don’t have LaMelo Ball in the mix. And he is a tough omission from the reserves in my selections. The one argument I don’t love in his favor is when people say that he’s a great type of player for the All-Star Game. Yes, he’s a lot of fun, shoots from anywhere and has a great flare on the basketball court. However, aren’t we trying to make this thing more competitive? Is putting another player who doesn’t guard going to solve the issue of the All-Star Game not being competitive?
I also don’t think that should keep Ball out of it. His stats are impressive. He’s averaging 28.9 points (second in the East), 7.5 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 3.8 turnovers. His shooting percentages aren’t very good with 41.9/33.4/82.4 splits. He’s absolutely chucking shots most nights, and his attempts per game are 2.5 more than second place. He’s also on the second-worst team in the East, so, when it felt even between two players, the tie has gone to the player doing it on a better team.
Western Conference
While we have a ton of guard options in the East, I’d say we’ve got a real logjam of frontcourt options in the West. Most of the time, we’ve got an absurd number of options in the West — anywhere from 16-20 real considerations for 12 spots. That’s no different this year, but it’s balanced a bit differently than we’re used to in the West. Injuries to Dončić and Ja Morant took away some guard options, but let’s dig into the rest:
Backcourt: Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves | While the Wolves have struggled, Edwards has added one of the best 3-point shots in the NBA. He’s struggled with playmaking, but his scoring and defense have held strong.
Backcourt: Norman Powell, LA Clippers | You could argue he’s not the best guard on the Clippers this season, but I do believe Powell should get the selection here. On a good team that struggles to score, his boost has been a monster part of their success. It’s time for his first selection.
Frontcourt: Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs | Of course. He nearly gained a starting not and is more than deserving of his first selection.
Frontcourt: Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder | I thought Williams should have been an All-Star last year, and I feel the same this season. He’s the second-best player on the best team in the West, and he’s great on both ends of the floor. The 23-year-old also doesn’t really have a flaw in his game.
Frontcourt: Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers | You could make an argument for him starting, and Davis’ production continues to impress, even more than a decade into his career.
Wild card: Alperen Şengün, Houston Rockets | The Rockets have the second-best record in the West, and Şengün is the biggest reason for it. He’s their best player, and he’s very deserving of his first selection. Everybody makes the mini-Jokić comparisons, and there’s a reason. He competes on defense and is a jump shot away from being unstoppable.
Wild card: Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings | It’s a tough call between Sabonis and his teammate De’Aaron Fox here, but I’m giving the slight edge to Sabonis for the overall production. Fox hasn’t been quite as consistent as Sabonis, but both are deserving of heavy consideration.
The biggest guard omissions here are Fox, James Harden, DeMar DeRozan, Kyrie Irving and Devin Booker. Maybe you’d throw Jamal Murray into that because he turned around his season pretty well. Harden, Fox and Booker have been really good, although Booker struggled to make shots for a good chunk of the season. Irving has been covering as much as he can in Dončić’s absence. Also, Jalen Green has been pretty good and on a tear, but he has not been consistent enough to be considered over these guys.
As for the frontcourt options, I’m not sure who else would be thrown into the mix. Jaren Jackson Jr. is having a good season, and not having any Grizzlies selected is a tough pill to swallow. I actually think Ivica Zubac is more of a candidate than people might expect. Rudy Gobert has been pretty good at times, but not enough to get it over anybody else in the frontcourt.
(Top photo: Harry How / Getty Images)
