Post by carlos on Dec 19, 2023 16:35:13 GMT
Early Season Storylines: Western Conference
Link to Eastern Conference Storylines
While the Eastern Conference has dominated headlines with superstars moving to the conference, many of the Western Conference teams have taken the slow and steady approach, building around budding young superstars. Big names also made their way out West, namely Jayson Tatum who formed a new big 3 with Luka and Kyrie in Dallas, most teams seem to have their eye towards the future.
Changing of the Guard
Coming into the team draft the Nuggets, Lakers, and Clippers looked like some of the strongest teams in the league. The Nuggets had perhaps the best player in the league, Nikola Jokic, to go with star PG Jamal Murray and a great third option in Michael Porter Jr. Since then, the Nuggets have added DeMar DeRozan in Free Agency and Kristaps Porzingis via trade. Despite this, they find themselves on the outside looking in to the playoffs and a meager +0.6 point differential. Jokic has held up his end of the bargain, averaging 32, 14, and 5 and Murray has been good to start but the rest of the team has struggled despite starting with a heavy home schedule.
The city of Los Angeles has had a rough start to the league with both the Lakers and Clippers going into unexpected rebuilds despite both coming in with rosters that were ready to compete. The Lakers started out with established superstars Lebron James and Anthony Davis, who both packed their bags and headed East in exchange for Jaime Jaquez, some veteran fillers, and a bunch of picks. The Clippers, meanwhile moved off of their own super team of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden, Ivica Zubac, and Russell Westbrook for a package of picks and young PF Jarace Walker. The Lakers are seeing immediate returns as Jaquez has had a great rookie campaign so far, averaging 15 and 7 on incredible efficiency. Walker came in a little more raw but shows the coveted A potential you look for in young players. Both teams will need a few years before we can determine the success of the rebuild but it’s safe to say LA was expecting to be looking at the top of the standings rather than the lottery odds before the start of the season.
Return of the Big Man
The Western Conference is the land of giants. So many teams in the conference are lead by incredible young big men who are leading a renaissance at the position. The biggest storylines here are the Spurs and Thunder who have a pair of superstar rookie bigs but their not alone in building from the inside out.
The San Antonio Spurs were the #3 pick in the team draft, almost entirely due to Victor Wembanyama, who has lived up to the hype 12 games into his career. Already showing some of the best ratings in the league, Wemby is producing in all the counting stats with an incredible 23, 11, and 2 stocks in his young career. The efficiency isn’t there yet as he’s shooting barely over 40% but his FT and 3 point shooting has been good to start. Wembanyama is off to a good start on his road to becoming the best player in the league.
The Thunder were the first team off the board in the team draft in large part to another Rookie of the Year candidate, Chet Holmgren. Chet comes into the season 2 years older and more polished than Wembanyama, which shows in the early season results. He’s a much more efficient scorer and is already among the best shot blockers in the league. The fun doesn’t stop with Chet for the Thunder as they traded for another star young big man in Paolo Banchero who is a pure scorer, putting in 21 a night on good percentages. Both could be better rebounders, which will come with age, but the combination of defense and scoring should make the Thunder scary for years to come.
The Spurs and Thunder aren’t the only team with star big men, though. Houston has its own stud big man brewing in Alperen Sengun, who looks like a budding Nikola Jokic clone swallowing up rebounds and playmaking from the paint. He has the makings of an all-around scoring game, which hasn’t consistently shown up to start the season.
Turning our attention to the defensive side of the ball, the Western Conference is also home to some of the top young shot blockers. Walker Kessler of the Jazz finds himself among the league leaders with 2.1 BPG while adding 11.5 RPG. He shows an impressive B+ B+ defense and rebounding in just his second year and looks like a DPOY candidate for years to come. Jaren Jackson is the only player highlighted who is not on his rookie contract but needs to be talked about when talking about premier young bigs. At just 24 years old, JJJ is the premier defensive big man in the league, averaging nearly 3 BPG and adding a steal per night. He’s also averaging 25 and 11 while anchoring one of the best defenses in the league and leading a Grizzlies team with major injury troubles to a top 4 seed early in the season. Jackson is the leading DPOY candidate and has shown to be a well-rounded star at the C position.
Steph’s Still Got It
The Warriors were one of the last teams off the board despite some of the biggest names in the game still on their roster. This is a team that has tons of talent, most of which over the age of 30. Chief among these talents is Steph Curry, who is almost single-handedly carrying the scoring burden for one of the most anemic offenses among contending teams. Curry is currently the #3 scorer in the league behind Giannis and Jokic, averaging 31 PPG and knocking on the door of the 50-40-90 club in shooting efficiency. While both Giannis and Jokic have a strong partner to carry the scoring load, Curry is having to depend on a quickly aging Klay Thompson for his only support. The Warriors have managed to fight for the top of the West on the strength of their league-best defense and the talents of one man, Steph Curry.
What do you think the league will be talking about in the months ahead? What do you think has been the biggest story so far?
Link to Eastern Conference Storylines
While the Eastern Conference has dominated headlines with superstars moving to the conference, many of the Western Conference teams have taken the slow and steady approach, building around budding young superstars. Big names also made their way out West, namely Jayson Tatum who formed a new big 3 with Luka and Kyrie in Dallas, most teams seem to have their eye towards the future.
Changing of the Guard
Coming into the team draft the Nuggets, Lakers, and Clippers looked like some of the strongest teams in the league. The Nuggets had perhaps the best player in the league, Nikola Jokic, to go with star PG Jamal Murray and a great third option in Michael Porter Jr. Since then, the Nuggets have added DeMar DeRozan in Free Agency and Kristaps Porzingis via trade. Despite this, they find themselves on the outside looking in to the playoffs and a meager +0.6 point differential. Jokic has held up his end of the bargain, averaging 32, 14, and 5 and Murray has been good to start but the rest of the team has struggled despite starting with a heavy home schedule.
The city of Los Angeles has had a rough start to the league with both the Lakers and Clippers going into unexpected rebuilds despite both coming in with rosters that were ready to compete. The Lakers started out with established superstars Lebron James and Anthony Davis, who both packed their bags and headed East in exchange for Jaime Jaquez, some veteran fillers, and a bunch of picks. The Clippers, meanwhile moved off of their own super team of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden, Ivica Zubac, and Russell Westbrook for a package of picks and young PF Jarace Walker. The Lakers are seeing immediate returns as Jaquez has had a great rookie campaign so far, averaging 15 and 7 on incredible efficiency. Walker came in a little more raw but shows the coveted A potential you look for in young players. Both teams will need a few years before we can determine the success of the rebuild but it’s safe to say LA was expecting to be looking at the top of the standings rather than the lottery odds before the start of the season.
Return of the Big Man
The Western Conference is the land of giants. So many teams in the conference are lead by incredible young big men who are leading a renaissance at the position. The biggest storylines here are the Spurs and Thunder who have a pair of superstar rookie bigs but their not alone in building from the inside out.
The San Antonio Spurs were the #3 pick in the team draft, almost entirely due to Victor Wembanyama, who has lived up to the hype 12 games into his career. Already showing some of the best ratings in the league, Wemby is producing in all the counting stats with an incredible 23, 11, and 2 stocks in his young career. The efficiency isn’t there yet as he’s shooting barely over 40% but his FT and 3 point shooting has been good to start. Wembanyama is off to a good start on his road to becoming the best player in the league.
The Thunder were the first team off the board in the team draft in large part to another Rookie of the Year candidate, Chet Holmgren. Chet comes into the season 2 years older and more polished than Wembanyama, which shows in the early season results. He’s a much more efficient scorer and is already among the best shot blockers in the league. The fun doesn’t stop with Chet for the Thunder as they traded for another star young big man in Paolo Banchero who is a pure scorer, putting in 21 a night on good percentages. Both could be better rebounders, which will come with age, but the combination of defense and scoring should make the Thunder scary for years to come.
The Spurs and Thunder aren’t the only team with star big men, though. Houston has its own stud big man brewing in Alperen Sengun, who looks like a budding Nikola Jokic clone swallowing up rebounds and playmaking from the paint. He has the makings of an all-around scoring game, which hasn’t consistently shown up to start the season.
Turning our attention to the defensive side of the ball, the Western Conference is also home to some of the top young shot blockers. Walker Kessler of the Jazz finds himself among the league leaders with 2.1 BPG while adding 11.5 RPG. He shows an impressive B+ B+ defense and rebounding in just his second year and looks like a DPOY candidate for years to come. Jaren Jackson is the only player highlighted who is not on his rookie contract but needs to be talked about when talking about premier young bigs. At just 24 years old, JJJ is the premier defensive big man in the league, averaging nearly 3 BPG and adding a steal per night. He’s also averaging 25 and 11 while anchoring one of the best defenses in the league and leading a Grizzlies team with major injury troubles to a top 4 seed early in the season. Jackson is the leading DPOY candidate and has shown to be a well-rounded star at the C position.
Steph’s Still Got It
The Warriors were one of the last teams off the board despite some of the biggest names in the game still on their roster. This is a team that has tons of talent, most of which over the age of 30. Chief among these talents is Steph Curry, who is almost single-handedly carrying the scoring burden for one of the most anemic offenses among contending teams. Curry is currently the #3 scorer in the league behind Giannis and Jokic, averaging 31 PPG and knocking on the door of the 50-40-90 club in shooting efficiency. While both Giannis and Jokic have a strong partner to carry the scoring load, Curry is having to depend on a quickly aging Klay Thompson for his only support. The Warriors have managed to fight for the top of the West on the strength of their league-best defense and the talents of one man, Steph Curry.
What do you think the league will be talking about in the months ahead? What do you think has been the biggest story so far?
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