Rumble Pt. 3
Our alphabetical tour through the NBA continues
Welcome back to our rumble across the NBA.
Part 1: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls
Part 2: Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons,
Houston Rockets – The Rockets are entering Year 2 of their total rebuild after James Harden detonated their window of competitiveness. First-year head coach Stephen Silas was dealt a brutal hand by Harden’s trade demand and Houston’s subsequent decision to avoid bringing in any strong players in favor of handing the season over to reclamation projects and youngsters.
Some of last season was fun after the ugly start. Kevin Porter Jr. had a couple of moments and Jae’Sean Tate established himself as a very capable role player. But now the Rockets also have a player they hope can be a star in rookie Jalen Green. And I’ll be honest, he is the player I am most intrigued by because I have truthfully never watched him play. I didn’t watch the G League Ignite. Sue me.
Christian Wood is a very productive player when healthy and should still get the ball plenty. The Rockets could also potentially do some fun 2-big lineups with Wood and rookie big man Alperen Sengun, someone who has earned rave reviews but like Green, I’ve only heard of. I did have a lot of fun watching Usman Garuba in the EuroLeague and he adds great defensive instincts. He also showed in a big spot last season against EuroLeague champion Anadolu Efes that he also has a little bit of big game flavor. Not that Houston will be playing in many big games.
I can’t claim to have come up with this concept, but the Rockets are truly the NBA’s first AAU team. They’ve created a roster of guys that, in theory, should be able to thrive in 1-on-1 situations. However, there will likely be plenty of nights where their inexperience gets exposed. Year 2 for Stephen Silas brings a more talented roster, but it likely won’t result much better than Year 1. The hope is that in Year 3, they will be more ready to compete.
Indiana Pacers – It was a “Grand Opening, Grand Closing” for the Nate Bjorkgren Era in Indiana. But after trying and failing miserably to replace Nate McMillan after a successful run, the Pacers have reunited with an old friend and likely ended up with an overall upgrade at head coach by bringing back Rick Carlisle.
Carlisle was the coach of the Pacers during their infamous Malice at The Palace, in which, as those Pacers tell it, they lost a likely championship due to the fight and subsequent backlash. With Carlisle back, they haven’t gone from a team missing the playoffs to a contender but they will likely return to the same level of consistent playoff-level performance they had under McMillan.
Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner can fit together, but everyone has been trying to break them up for some time. Meanwhile, Malcolm Brogdon produces consistently on both ends despite always being a worry for injury. TJ Warren is still hurt, but the Pacers also have some options without him, including their prize for giving up Victor Oladipo, Caris LeVert. LeVert recovered after having a tumor removed to not only play games but average over 20 points per game. This is also where I have to plug first-round pick Chris Duarte, who starred in his lone season at Oregon and should have no problem creating his own shot at the next level.
The Pacers should be back in the mix with a coach who commands the respect of the locker room and a full season of their pieces playing together. Nobody will confuse them for a contender, but a return to respectability should be expected with Carlisle and better health.
Los Angeles Clippers – Even after losing Kawhi Leonard to an injury during their series against the Utah Jazz, the Los Angeles Clippers reached the Conference Finals for the first time in their franchise’s history. While Leonard’s injury status still looms over the long-term hopes of the Clippers, they proved last season even without Leonard they are good enough to beat almost anyone in the West.
Paul George should still play at near an MVP level and Reggie Jackson’s re-emergence as an All-Star level talent pushed the Clippers to their best finish in franchise history. In addition to Jackson, Terence Mann also had some big moments in the postseason. Nicolas Batum also found an NBA renaissance in L.A. as a small-ball center. But Mann’s precocious excellence and Batum’s utility in an unconventional spot would not have happened without Dr. Ty Lue.
Lue’s ability to throw caution to the wind and try anything in a given match-up is something that truly separates him from his peers. Although other coaches, such as Carlisle and Gregg Popovich are the ones who usually get love from the Twitterati for their chess moves, Lue is Bellichickian in his ability to adapt to his opponents and never be tethered to any singular basketball ideology.
The Clippers were also a couple of big Suns plays away from making the Finals. I’ve disrespected the Clippers for years and thought their hype as a title contender was the product of manufacturing a rivalry between the two teams in L.A. But with Ty Lue at the helm, it’s no longer a fabrication. This may very well be the year we see L.A. vs. L.A. in the Conference Finals.
Los Angeles Lakers - After Bubble Theory and the injuries to Anthony Davis torpedoed any real shot the Lakers had at repeating at champions, they should be once again considered favorites. We still have yet to see any evidence that a team featuring a fully healthy LeBron James and Anthony Davis can be beaten.
Even while I want to pat myself on the back for Bubble Theory being vindicated if Davis holds up maybe they’re able to beat Phoenix. With the addition of Russell Westbrook, they added someone who should be able to take the weight off of both Davis and James during the regular season.
They also brought back Rajon Rondo in the offseason, who while he has beefed with Westbrook in the past, has a special connection with Davis. In both New Orleans and during their lone season together in Los Angeles, Rondo assists to Davis were a mainstay. Even in the Finals, the connection of Rondo and Davis proved fruitful.
Dwight Howard is also back in a Lakers uniform, giving them a solid presence in the middle off the bench. But there still remains some question about whether Davis can hold up physically at center for a whole season. The point-differential when he plays at center speaks for itself, but so do the concerns about making sure Davis is ready to dominate in the paint when things matter most.
There are potential issues with regards to Westbrook’s fit in the postseason. They’ve also been bit by the injury bug and have some issues with wing depth after jettisoning Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma. But a team with LeBron and AD have earned the benefit of the doubt to figure it out.
Memphis Grizzlies – After getting knocked out by the Blazers in the first modern NBA play-in game, the Grizzlies won two play-in games to earn their berth into the 2021 NBA Playoffs. The postseason provided Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Dillon Brooks with their first playoff experiences, with all three providing flashes of brilliance on the pressurized stage.
The Grizzlies are widely expected to ask Jackson to play more exclusively at center, which sounds like a good strategy in theory. But it remains to be seen whether Jackson, a player who already has had trouble staying healthy in his career, can withstand playing center full-time. And while they lost something in the middle swapping Jonas Valanciunas for Steven Adams, the hope is they added more dynamic play on the wing with No. 10 overall pick Ziaire Williams.
While Williams did not shoot the 3 well in college, he was lauded as a shooter in high school at Sierra Canyon and shot nearly 80% from the line during his one season at Stanford. With Morant, Brooks, and De’Anthony Melton handling the ball, Williams should be set up more to thrive from the outside on the bigger NBA floor.
The Grizzlies also have a lot of intriguing young players like Tyus Jones and Desmond Bane that figure to help them off the bench. They’ve surpassed expectations in each of the last two seasons and they have added another intriguing lottery pick. But in losing Valanciunas, I’m afraid they sacrificed some present-day competitiveness to continue building out their young core. And if Morant, Brooks, Jackson, and co. continue to improve, then they’ll once again make me feel stupid for doubting them.