This section is called League at Large, so let’s do a quick drive up and down the association with some midseason grades.
These are relative to my expectations and my perception of what the team’s goals were at the start of the season. Off-court drama that’s impacted the team will be factored in, and sadly, injuries will often be a demerit, too, unless a team has proved it can overcome them. Is that fair? Probably not, but that’s life!
There’s no grade inflation here. “C” means average, that the team is about where I expected them to be. Don’t worry, there are more than a handful of D’s and F’s if you’re looking for your daily dose of schadenfreude.
Atlanta Hawks: C
The Hawks have been exactly who we thought they’d be, although that does a discredit to how they arrived here. Who’d have guessed that 47 games into the season, and the Hawks would have an above-median defense? (Dyson Daniels, perhaps?). Unfortunately, devastating news that Jalen Johnson will miss the rest of the season due to shoulder surgery has tempered whatever excitement the team’s young core had sparked.
Boston Celtics: C+
It’s hard to argue with 32-15, yet it’s also hard to argue that the Celtics haven’t been slightly disappointing, particularly after an entire offseason promising there would be no championship hangover. It’s really been a tale of two quarters for the Celtics, though, and I covered why the team has struggled of late in-depth here.
Brooklyn Nets: C
I’m torn here because the Nets were far better than they were supposed to be (damn you, Jordi Fernandez, for your excellent coaching!) to start the year, hurting their draft stock, but I don’t want to punish them for playing too well. Really, their grade is a TBD until we know what happens at the trade deadline, but at least they can feel good they’ve found their coach of the future!
Charlotte Hornets: F+
Injuries have piled up for Charlotte (as always), but it’s hard not to be disappointed with the on-court product even when they’re healthy. LaMelo Ball has certainly put up points and highlights but spent the first quarter of the season fouling everyone in sight. Mark Williams and Brandon Miller have shown flashes of improvement, but Miller is now out for the year, which may set him back. Charles Lee is saying and doing the right things, but it hasn’t translated to tangible progress.
Chicago Bulls: C-
Another team whose grade can improve if they actually pull the trigger and trade some of their vets. Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic have played well, boosting their trade value as much as could be reasonably expected. But at the same time, LaVine and Vooch have played well and the team still sucks. That’s as damning an indictment of the roster as we can find. They have to move on from their veterans to try and recoup some value and keep their top-10 protected pick… don’t they?
Cleveland Cavaliers: A+
A recent swoon won’t prevent the Cavs from earning an A+. I liked this team a lot coming into the year, but in a “should be battling for the third or fourth seed” kind of way. Coach Kenny Atkinson has unlocked the Evan Mobley/Jarrett Allen duo, Darius Garland has bounced back, and the Dean Wade/Ty Jerome/Caris LeVert/Max Strus/Isaac Okoro quintet have jointly provided the Cavs with enough out of that fifth spot next to their big four.
Dallas Mavericks: B-
I’m very impressed that the Mavs have gone 13-13 without Luka Doncic this season, and they’ve weathered injuries to other key players (like Dereck Lively, out for a while with a fractured ankle now) as well. 26-22 is only good for eighth in the West, but Dallas is also only 1.5 games out of the fifth seed. They don’t have much margin for error, but I’m optimistic the Mavericks can right the ship if Doncic returns shortly.
Denver Nuggets: C
Fourth is about where I had the Nuggets entering the year, and although Russell Westbrook hasn’t helped with the team’s woeful bench, he has at least fit seamlessly with the starters. Nikola Jokic is otherworldly. I’d like to see the team reward him by making some sort of move at the deadline, although they’d have to get creative.
Detroit Pistons: A-
I thought Detroit was still a year away from making noise, and I was wrong! Cade Cunningham’s star turn (aided by Malik Beasley’s lights-out shooting) has upgraded the Pistons’ hopes from being play-in chasers to becoming an outright playoff team. Coach JB Bickerstaff has done exactly what we expected by imprinting a defense-first identity onto a team that flopped around aimlessly last year. The Pistons are 15th in defensive rating despite a lack of strong defensive personnel (besides the indelible Ausar Thompson and backup big Isaiah Stewart), their highest mark since they were captained by Blake Griffin back in 2018-19.
Golden State Warriors: D+
The Warriors started the season looking like contenders at 12-3, but they’re just 12-20 since then as they battle age, injuries, and obsolescence. A trade for Dennis Schroder has bombed so far, and Jonathan Kuminga’s injury took whatever paltry breeze remained out of the team’s sails. The team seems resigned to their fate. Perhaps there’s one more major move to be made, but it sure feels like we’re in the denouement of Golden State’s epic story.
Houston Rockets: A
It’s hard to argue with the results: 32-14, second in the West, and an impressive recent stretch beating Cleveland (twice) and Boston in three straight games. They get a straight A, and few teams this side of Oklahoma City are set up as well for the future. In the short term, however, I can’t help but wonder if the team will ever make a shot on their first try. An offense that relies entirely on offensive rebounding to generate points feels hollow, and the playoff jackhammer might smash it open.
Indiana Pacers: C+
The Pacers have settled in; they’ve climbed up to fifth in the conference. Andrew Nembhard came back from injury with Tyrese Haliburton’s three-point shot in his backpack, and their return has Indiana looking far scarier. They’ve been a top-seven offense and defense since December 1st. I am still worried about Haliburton’s burst — only 11% of his shots are coming at the rim, exactly half of last season.
Los Angeles Clippers: A-
The Clippers have ridden an ironclad defense and a good-enough offense to a sixth-seed berth at present. Kawhi Leonard is back and rounding into form. This is a much more enjoyable team to watch than they should be, and while their ceiling is ultimately determined by Leonard’s health, I sure wouldn’t be excited to play them in the playoffs — if they can get there.
Los Angeles Lakers: B
Some of the advanced stats suggest that the team is overplaying its talent level (even more basic ones like net rating suggest this is a .500 team), but you’re only as good as your record. Right now, the Lakers’ 26-19 record is pretty good! I don’t know that they’re a piece or two away from contention, as LeBron and AD perennially believe, but I do think they might emerge from this deadline better and more dangerous.
Memphis Grizzlies: A
Although I and many others expected the Grizzlies to be good, I don’t think many of us would’ve pegged them as a comfortable top-three seed with Ja Morant missing nearly half of the team’s games. As of this writing, they’re fifth in offense and sixth in defense. Jaren Jackson Jr. might be an All-Star, Jaylen Wells might be Rookie of the Year, and Scotty Pippen Jr. has a chance at making the ballot for Sixth Man of the Year. They’ve also made waves for their innovative, cutting-based offense.
Miami Heat: D+
It’s disappointing that the Butler stuff has so completely overshadowed all of the Heat’s smaller, fun stories. Nikola Jovic’s emergence, Tyler Herro’s possible All-Star turn, the fast start to Kel’el Ware’s NBA career. It’s a superstar league, though, and the superstar stuff has gone about as poorly as should have been expected once Miami refused to back up the Brinks truck. Perhaps Pat Riley can pull a rabbit out of a hat and get back some sort of haul for an aging superstar; the return for Butler will heavily influence end-of-year grades.
Milwaukee Bucks C+
The Bucks have been much better since their NBA Cup win, but they aren’t quite looking like contenders just yet. Khris Middleton is a hot trade candidate, but Milwaukee needs him to regain his form to reach their ceiling. That said, Giannis and Lillard are holding up their end of the bargain, and the emergence of AJ Green has been a fun find on the margins.
Minnesota Timberwolves D+
Even acknowledging the risk of the financially-motivated swap of Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, I still thought Minnesota should be better than seventh. Anthony Edwards’ three-point explosion has been encouraging, but someone else on the team (paging Jaden McDaniels) needs to learn how to shoot for Minny’s offense to have a prayer of postseason success.
New Orleans Pelicans F
It’s not New Orleans’ fault that everything has gone so dramatically awry, but what else can you say? Everyone’s been hurt, but even when healthy, the Pelicans have rarely looked like world-beaters — I’m not impressed by a four-game win streak over the Jazz (twice), Mavs without Doncic, and Bulls, particularly when it’s followed up by losses to Charlotte and Toronto. It’s a bummer because I had pretty high hopes for this team coming into the year, but nearly everything that could go wrong, has.
New York Knicks B+
The Knicks are third in the East, more or less where most expected them to reside. Quietly, though, they’ve posted a top-five defense to go with their third-ranked offense since December 1 — that’s a 29-game stretch of two-way dominance. They’d be even better if it weren’t for some surprising struggles in the clutch, where they have a -3.4 net rating. One of the league’s most difficult second-half schedules will help us get a better sense of just how good this team really is.
Oklahoma City Thunder: A+
The Thunder have the best record in the league, depth that can be measured in fathoms, and a top MVP candidate — and they haven’t even shot all that well! OKC might also have the widest, most well-paved boulevard to future success. Yeah, I’d say it’s an A+ year so far.
Orlando Magic: C-
The Magic have fought the good fight against the injury demons. With Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner back, though, they need to start stacking up some wins. They need a trade for a shooter like plants need the sun, and before all you backyard botanists come at me with technicalities, no, the Magic aren’t, like, cave-dwelling lichens or something. They need the sun! They need shooting! Please, Orlando, do something!
Philadelphia 76ers: F+
The injuries, man. I get that there’s not an easy way out of having a player like Joel Embiid or, sadly, Paul George. Those contracts are such distressed assets (and I’m sure the human players are distressed, too — despite what memes tell you, players want to play, I promise! And constantly battling knee and foot and hand and face pain sucks from, like, a living perspective.); who would want to pay anything of value for them? The best bet is just to hang on and hope that one day, you get lucky.
It’s a pretty s***** bet, though. I guess two nice things for Philly fans are that A) the team is still very much in the hunt for the play-in, and B) the Paul George/Tyrese Maxey combo has been pretty solid in its Embiid-less minutes, which was the whole idea. The 76ers just need guys to play.
Phoenix Suns: D+
Phoenix’s year has not gone according to plan. Despite the presence of Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, the team has gone just 1-9 in the ten games Durant has missed (they’re 23-13 with him — quite good, but not elite). Overall, they’re 24-22 with a slightly negative point differential. That’s not what Matt Ishbia is spending Estonia’s GDP for. Jimmy Butler may fix a few problems they have, if they can land him, but even his addition will not likely make the Suns top-tier contenders.
Portland Trail Blazers: B-
I don’t really know how to grade Portland. On the one hand, they’ve won too many games already to get a top lottery slot, which is bad for the long-term outlook. On the other hand, it’s nice that some of their young guys have played well of late, including some real signs of life from Scoot Henderson (14/3/5 in his last 15 games on 49% shooting from the field and 43% from deep!).
Sacramento Kings: D
I originally had them as a C, but news that De’Aaron Fox wants out before the trade deadline has to hurt. Then again, if this is the harbinger of a total rebuild in which they deal away other veterans to try a rebuild, that might end up being what’s best in the long run — neither Fox nor Domantas Sabonis is good enough to be the best player on a team trying for a deep playoff run. However, my bet is that the Kings fall for yet another get-rich-quick scheme and bring back a motley mix of veterans to chase the play-in. Don’t forget, the Kings owe their first to Atlanta, top-12 protected. They could try to keep their pick with a Fox deal fairly easily, which feels like the right move. I just don’t think that’s the path they’ll choose.
San Antonio Spurs: B-
Wembanyama has been as good as I expected (and I made a case for him to be First Team All-NBA in the preseason, so that’s really saying something), although I’m still not in love with the rest of the roster. Luckily, that might change! Although the De’Aaron Fox fit isn’t particularly clean in too many places, San Antonio would be a perfect landing spot if they can avoid giving up the farm for him.
Toronto Raptors: D-
Injuries have crushed this team, but even when healthy, they haven’t looked particularly fearsome. Scottie Barnes hasn’t been good enough, Jakob Poeltl is struggling, and Immanuel Quickley hasn’t looked remotely like himself in his scant appearances. The silver lining: the team has been so abysmal despite efforts to the contrary that they’ll still end up with a very good draft slot this year. Perhaps we’ll look back in five years, and this will be a blip in the team’s success story. But we can only judge what we’ve seen to this point, and what we’ve seen has been eye-gougingly horrible.
Utah Jazz: D+
The Jazz certainly weren’t trying to win games this year, and boy, have they accomplished that mission. So I suppose it’s a success from that perspective. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen much growth or promise from the team’s youngest players, either, although at least rookie Isaiah Collier has made things more interesting since entering the starting lineup. And as much as I like coach Will Hardy, this is year three of the Jazz having an utterly inept transition defense (which probably bothers me more than it should). It’s great they’re chasing the pick, but I want to see glimpses of a happy future for the current players, too.
Washington Wizards: C
Maybe you’re surprised by the 6-and-infinity Wizards’ “C” grade here, but isn’t this exactly who we thought they’d be? If anything, I’m more intrigued by their trio of fun rookies (Bub Carrington, Kyshawn George, and Alex Sarr) than I expected to be. You can’t be disappointed if you expected desolation, and if anything, I thought about a higher grade before common sense reached over and smacked me in the face — this team is absolutely gawdawful, rookies or no, and the Kyle Kuzma situation is weirding me out.
