Pascal Siakam isn’t a superstar, but his wide skill-set and infectious energy have helped the Toronto Raptors be one of the NBA’s best teams this season. Kawhi Leonard may be the do-it-all forward holding down headlines for the Toronto Raptors. But the energy and burgeoning versatility of Pascal Siakam have been just as important to
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The Miami Heat weren’t lauded for signing Derrick Jones Jr., but he seems to be ready to develop into an effective contributor on the wing. Derrick Jones Jr. may not be a household name, or even a name familiar to most NBA fans, but the Miami Heat swingman might end up at that level some
Blake Griffin has a new style of play to match his new team, and it’s unlocked a lot in his game in year nine of his NBA career. Blake Griffin played seven full seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers before they traded him to the Detroit Pistons in his eighth NBA season. Blake was an
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – NOVEMBER 03: Justin Holiday #7 of the Chicago Bulls drives against PJ Tucker #17 of the Houston Rockets at United Center on November 03, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions
Western Conference Player of the Month Tobias Harris has the Los Angeles Clippers at the top of the West, and it’s hard not to be happy for him. This is Tobias Harris’ eighth NBA season. If the Los Angeles Clippers were to trade him this year, he will have as many seasons where he has
The Brooklyn Nets’ process is far from complete, but Brooklyn is already seeing some results in the form of a respectable winning streak. Being in ninth place in the Eastern Conference is not typically anything to get excited about, but the Brooklyn Nets should be thrilled to be one spot away from a playoff berth
His San Antonio Spurs aren’t near the top of the Western Conference, but DeMar DeRozan is still putting together a dazzling season in his new home. DeMar DeRozan had a rough summer. He saw his Toronto Raptors lose yet again to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the postseason, followed by Toronto dealing DeRozan to the San
It would be a metaphoric gut punch to Charlotte’s fanbase, but the Hornets would be better off getting a king’s ransom for Kemba Walker right now. Trading a star is never easy, but it feels nearly impossible for the Charlotte Hornets. Kemba Walker is really all the Hornets have got, and life without him would
The Milwaukee Bucks are already very good, but this team seems like it could improve internally. That’s bad news for the rest of the East. The Milwaukee Bucks have won a very nice 69 percent of their games thus far in the 2018-19 season. A team winning nearly 70 percent of its games is very
The Miami Heat refused to overpay for Jimmy Butler, but maybe being more aggressive would’ve been good for Miami. The Miami Heat very nearly traded for Jimmy Butler before the star guard ended up with the Philadelphia 76ers. Multiple reports came out that Miami and the Minnesota Timberwolves were on the precipice of making a
Death, taxes, and LeBron James making his team into a contender are the three constants in life. The Los Angeles Lakers started the season 4-6, and speculation and jokes flew about how LeBron James might miss the postseason to begin his tenure in the purple and gold. Since then, the Lakers have won 13 of
A smart NBA team could probably buy very low on Kelly Oubre Jr. right now, if they chose to do so. Buying low on an asset is usually a pretty good idea in the NBA. If said asset turns out to be a good player, it’s an obvious win for a franchise. If not, the
Thanks to a light upcoming schedule and some team gelling, the Boston Celtics could go on a winning streak. All of the Eastern Conference teams that aren’t the Boston Celtics were having a whole lot of fun at the Boston Celtics’ expense through the first quarter of the season. Unfortunately for those 14 squads, it
The Los Angeles Lakers’ second-highest paid player isn’t playing well enough at the moment, and it’s hurting the Lake Show. There weren’t super high expectations for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope when he signed his second consecutive one-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. KCP is a fine shooting guard who can hit some 3s and play pretty
Look out, Western Conference, it appears that the Houston Rockets are done losing games for a while. Most teams would have some trouble coming back quickly from a 4-7 start to an NBA season, but the Houston Rockets are not most teams. Houston has won four straight games to improve their record to 8-7, and
Tim Hardaway Jr.’s huge offer sheet seemed like a classic New York Knicks gaffe, but THJ is scoring like a $70 million player should. When the New York Knicks signed Tim Hardaway Jr. to a four-year, $70 million-plus offer sheet in free agency, the Atlanta Hawks were stunned. ESPN’s Kevin Pelton reported that Atlanta expected
He can defend, but Stanley Johnson hasn’t been able to add much else to the Detroit Pistons in his four seasons. The Detroit Pistons are 4-3, neither much better nor worse than anybody would have expected a mere seven games into the 2018-19 regular season. Blake Griffin has been terrific early, which has helped the
The Chicago Bulls need to stop trading away their second-round picks based on how the last couple have turned out so far. The Chicago Bulls rightly took a lot of grief for selling the 38th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft to the Golden State Warriors. As is well known by now, the Warriors
The San Antonio Spurs are banged up and they just lost one of the best players in the NBA. Somehow, they’re still able to win. Death. Taxes. And the San Antonio Spurs grinding out a ridiculous number of regular season wins. These things are all givens. And still, foolish pundits (like this one, in this
The Milwaukee Bucks got their Black Friday deals super early via the signings of Brook Lopez and Pat Connaughton this summer. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe are getting a lot of credit for the Milwaukee Bucks hot 13-4 start, and they should, as those three have been great. New Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer
Victor Oladipo is proving anyone who might’ve been doubting him wrong by proving he’s a legitimate NBA star. Just over three months ago this very column stated that Victor Oladipo needed to prove he’s actually a star this season. Through his Indiana Pacers’ first 14 games, that’s exactly what Oladipo has done. Indiana is currently
The Indiana Pacers have yet to be linked to Jimmy Butler, but if they did swoop in and acquire him they would shift the balance of the Eastern Conference. The Indiana Pacers traded for a dynamic two-way wing player just over one year ago, and that deal ended up working out pretty well for them.
The Oklahoma City Thunder need more capable basketball players, as evidenced by their 0-3 start to the season. The Oklahoma City Thunder’s first two losses this season obviously weren’t ideal for OKC, but they were explainable. Without Russell Westbrook, it makes sense the Thunder could struggle against a really scrappy Los Angeles Clippers team. Even
Steph Curry makes dazzling plays on the floor, but his impact goes beyond his own numbers. Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry can certainly make dazzling plays and stuff a stat sheet when he’s on. Those things have a lot of value and have contributed to the Warriors becoming such a juggernaut over the last