Denver Nuggets

The 2022-23 Denver Nuggets can be defined by hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy for the first time in franchise history.

What did we learn?

Jokic and the Nuggets rose to the top on the biggest stage.

Denver dismantled opponents in dominant fashion throughout the postseason, a 16-4 playoff record not matched since the 2017 KD Warriors.

Jokic was the first player in league history to lead the playoffs in points, rebounds and assists. (Not even Wilt pulled that one off.) The Joker did what he does best: triple-doubles and winning ball games.

The Joker is now the undisputed best player in the game atop the current player pyramid. His playoff averages of 30 points, 13.5 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game is just silly. Classic Joker.

The Nuggets were the best team in the NBA pretty much all season long. Up until the last month of the season, Denver had the No. 2 offense and No. 13 defense and the best home record in the league. But they took their foot off the gas over the last four weeks.

Over the last month, the Nuggets went 7-10 with the No. 23 offense and No. 17 defense. It was enough to throw everybody off Denver’s championship scent. Smoke and mirrors as they got ready for the real battle of the postseason.

It cost Jokic his third straight MVP, but he obviously did not care about that one bit. He was there to go to work and get the job done in the playoffs when it mattered most.

The Jokic and Murray 2-man game was as lethal as ever. The inverted 5-1 pick-and-roll that they ran flummoxed teams all season and playoffs long, putting defenses in a pretzel. The chemistry that Jokic and Murray have from playing together for seven years is flat-out special.

In Denver’s 20 playoff games:

• Jokic led the team in scoring 10 times, assists 13 times and rebounds 17 times.

• Murray led the team in scoring 8 times and assists 7 times.

• The other two scoring leaders were MPJ and Aaron Gordon, who were also the rebounds leaders in the three games that Jokic did not.

MPJ was not always on top of his game, but his 3-point shot is always difficult to defend. And he stayed ready and willing to keep firing. Aaron Gordon was miscast in Orlando as a No. 1 guy, but he’s a fantastic No. 3 / No. 4 and a perfect complimentary player to have around Jokic.

Calvin Booth put the final touches on this roster with the foundation that Tim Connelly laid.

The perimeter defense in KCP and Bruce Brown. The rookie in Christian Braun, who Michael Malone trusted in The Finals (!!). This team was able to win games no matter the style.

The Nuggets made quick work of the T-Wolves in the first round in 5 games. It took OT in Game 4 in Minnesota for the Wolves to stave off the sweep.

The second-round match-up with the Suns went 6 thanks to unreal shooting performances from Booker and KD (and Landry Shamet). Game 6 in Phoenix was an absolute beatdown with the Nuggets up by 30 at halftime.

The Western Conference Finals against the Lakers was competitive, but a clean sweep as Denver’s late-game execution put the Lakers away in four straight. Jokic hit the insanely difficult shots that he always does. KCP had 21 points in Game 1. Aaron Gordon had 22 points in Game 4. Jokic (28/14/12) and Murray (33/6/5) put up staggering WCF numbers.

And in The Finals, the Nuggets used their size, depth and lineup flexibility to finally put out the white-hot Heat. It was the Nuggets’ defense that held the Heat to just 96 points per game in the five Finals games.

When it was all over and the Nuggets brought a championship victory to Denver at long last, Jokic summed it all up perfectly.

“The job is done. We can go home now.”

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Additional Notes

• Shoutout to Uncle Jeff who was still power dunking on people in Year 15 of his career.

• NBA Finals Champion DeAndre Jordan — in Year 15.

• NBA Finals Champion Ish Smith — in Year 13 and team No. 13.

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Did our preseason Over/Under prediction hit?

Jokic with his main dudes is plenty. Over 50.5 wins.

Nuggets 2022-23 record: (53-29)

Yes indeed!

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What’s Next?

• The Nuggets left the draft with Julian Strawther and Jalen Pickett, both of whom seem like perfect fits along the Denver edges.

• Bruce Brown has declined his player option and is a free agent. At the parade, Michael Malone said that Bruce would be back, but he’s not the one cutting the checks.

• Denver has Jokic, Murray, KCP, MPJ and Aaron Gordon — the team’s top-5 players based on win shares — on the roster through at least 2024-25, so the championship core is set.

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Favorite Nuggets Highlight of the 2022-23 Season:

funniest Sombor Shuffle of the seasonhttps://t.co/FQrcifIlQK pic.twitter.com/DMsZAVqDCk

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) May 23, 2023

NIKOLA JOKIC you gotta be kidding me pic.twitter.com/vrxCjDIEwn

— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) May 23, 2023

Miami Heat

The 2022-23 Miami Heat can be defined by making it all the way to the NBA Finals as an 8-seed, just the second team in NBA history to pull that off.

What did we learn?

From the Play-In to the Finals, Jimmy Butler and the Heat did it again.

Heat Culture defied expectations and “basketball logic,” marching through the Bucks, Knicks and Celtics — all the way back to the freaking NBA Finals.

This team was not very good in the regular season. The offense was dreadful, scoring the fewest points per game in the entire league. They did have a top-10 defense but still had a negative point differential for the season.

The Heat did not display any of the normal indicators that this team had a big playoff run in them, save for the name on the front of the jersey and the fact that Jimmy fucking Butler and Eric Spoelstra rep the 305.

Even so, they lost the first Play-In game against the Hawks, and it took a 4th quarter comeback in the second Play-In against the Bulls to squeak into the playoffs.

That’s where playoff Jimmy was reincarnated from the Bubble and the Heat took down the No. 1 seed Bucks like it was 2020 all over again. Jimmy’s numbers were absolutely nutty, averaging 37.6 points in the Bucks series. His 42 points in the Heat’s Game 5 comeback series-clinching win was one of those rare face-melting-out-of-body NBA experiences.

Giannis was playing through an injury, yes, but the Heat burned up the Bucks all the same. They didn’t even have Tyler Herro, the team’s third-best player, who went down in Game 1 in Milwaukee and was lost for rest of the postseason. Oladipo went down, too, lost for the playoffs after Game 3.

But everyone else on the “Zombie Heat” stepped up.

• Duncan Robinson reclaimed a spot in the lineup and reminded us why he was given that $90 million contract in the first place.

• Gabe Vincent and Max Strus went from undrafted to starting every playoff game for Miami. (Except for one ECF game when Vincent was hurt.)

• Even Kevin Love and Cody Zeller, both picked up off the scrap heap, gave Spo minutes when called upon.

And of course, Caleb Martin went from being picked up off waivers before the season to (the real) Eastern Conference Finals MVP.

But before the ECF, the Heat had to take down the Knicks in the second round. Bam put Mitchell Robinson in his place and the Heat won in 6 despite an ankle injury slowing Jimmy B down. Butler still managed to lead the Heat in points in five out of six games.

And in that Eastern Conference Finals rematch against the Celtics, the Heat brought the toughness and tenacity and punched the Celtics in the mouth three straight games. That offense that struggled in the regular season was flying. The Heat caught fire.

Miami’s top-3 scorers in the first three games:

• ECF Game 1: Jimmy 35, Bam 20, Lowry 15, Caleb Martin 15

• ECF Game 2: Jimmy 27, Caleb Martin 25, Bam 22

• ECF Game 3: Gabe Vincent 28, Duncan Robinson 22, Caleb Martin 18

The Heat pulled off the comeback in Game 6 at home, too, until Derrick White pulled it right out from underneath them.

No matter, they stormed right into the Garden in Game 7 and took what was rightfully theirs, a trip back to The Finals to shut up the Bubble naysayers once and for all.

But in The Finals against Joker and the Nuggets, the clock finally struck midnight for this NBA Cinderella. The Nuggets had far too much size, depth and lineup flexibility. And no matter how much he downplayed it, Jimmy’s ankle injury was severe and he just didn’t move the same on the court.

Bam sure held it down and fought his ass off in the Finals. There was also that Game 2 when the Heat did take down the Nuggets in Denver, making us question everything one last time.

The series was over in 5, but the Heat had already cemented their legacy.

From the Play-In to The Finals..

The Bubble and Heat Culture…

They’re as real as it gets.

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Additional Notes

• Shout out to Udonis Haslem’s last dance. 20 years in the league is incredible and it’s awesome that he got to check into The Finals in his final season.

• As if there was any doubt at all, Spo is hands down one of the best coaches in the league.

• It’s long been forgotten now, but remember last season’s turmoil in that one game between Jimmy and Spo and Haslem? Winning cures everything.

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Did our preseason Over/Under prediction hit?

Other teams in the East got decidedly better, but the Heat did not. Under 49 wins.

Heat 2022-23 record: (44-38)

Yes indeed. The Heat didn’t give a lick about the regular season.

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What’s Next?

• With the No. 18 pick in the draft, the Heat selected Jaime Jaquez Jr. from UCLA. Although his suit didn’t scream Miami as much as we had hoped, his game seems like a good fit.

• Free agents here include Max Strus, Gabe Vincent and Kevin Love. Those first two were mighty big players in the Heat’s run to The Finals. But recent reports suggest Max Strus is probably gone and getting a bag.

• Victor Oladipo has opted in to his player option for next season, which means the Heat already have $176 million in salary with 61 percent of that going to Jimmy, Bam and Herro. *whistles* Adjusting this roster too much is going to take some Pat Riley mastery.

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Favorite Heat Highlight of the 2022-23 Season:

Boston Celtics

The 2022-23 Boston Celtics can be defined by going down 0-3 to the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, rallying to win three straight games, but ultimately losing Game 7 at home in the Garden.

What did we learn?

The Celtics did not make NBA history.

The Celtics were not the first team to come back from down 0-3 in a playoff series, but they were the fourth team to ever force a Game 7 after dropping the first three games.

It took a miraculous Derrick White tip-in buzzer-beater in Game 6, a game they had given away, but they lived to die another day.

Way back when, the Celtics started the season on a rip-roaring run, racing out to a 21-5 record with some of the best shooting numbers the game has ever seen. It helped to get past the Ime Udoka scandal that derailed their preseason vibe.

No Udoka, no problem. It looked like 34-year-old Joe Mazzulla stepped in and could fill those shoes on the fly. (Narrator: He could not.) JoeMazz would receive the official title of head coach and was given an extension, but this occurred a couple of months before the playoffs.

The C’s ran through teams at the beginning of the season with an absolutely insane offense and nutty shooting performance that was flat-out unsustainable. The J-Team was clicking on all cylinders like the January 2022 switch had already been flipped.

But the shooting dropped back to earth and the C’s became mere mortal, falling back to the Eastern Conference pack. They did close the season strong again, winning 12 of the last 16 games, but the Bucks had one more win in the end, so it was the 2-seed for a second straight year.

The Hawks made the Celtics sweat a little bit in the first round, a 6-game series that was a lot closer than people thought it would be.

Then the Celtics went down 3-2 in the second round just like they did last year. This time it was against the Sixers, but once again it was Tatum who brought them back to life in Game 6 on the road. He waited until the final minutes of the fourth quarter to catch fire and hit four 3s after starting ice cold. In Game 7, Tatum erupted for 51 points, a new playoff Game 7 record, besting Steph’s 50 from the round prior.

And so, it was the Celtics and Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals for the third time in four years.

The Celtics quickly found themselves staring at an 0-3 hole as they continuously shot themselves in the foot by taking ill-advised 3s and constantly turning the ball over, their calling card in these playoffs. Execution on the court belongs to the players, but many called out JoeMazz for his lack of player accountability and refusal to call time outs.

Either way, the C’s buckled down the hatches and were able to pull out three straight wins. Forcing a Game 7 after going down 0-3 is certainly a valiant effort, but the reliance on 3-point shooting and turnover issues were still there.

The Celtics shot 9-of-42 from 3 (21.4 percent) and had 15 turnovers in Game 7.

It’s tough to win any game with those numbers. It was disheartening that it happened in the biggest game of their lives with another trip to The Finals at stake. The C’s chances in Game 7 also dropped precipitously when Tatum rolled his ankle on the first play of the game and never looked the same.

The Heat rolled to a 19-point win in Boston. It was the Celtics’ sixth loss at home in the playoffs where they finished with a 5-6 losing record.

Brad Stevens and the Celtics have a big decision looming in the Tatum-Brown conundrum. On one hand, Brown — who is eligible for the max after his All-NBA selection — does not seem like a $50 million player. (Brown shot 16.3 percent from 3 in the ECF with 3.6 turnovers per game but did have a hand injury.) And some have asked the question, how far do Tatum and Brown really get you as your No. 1 and No 2?

But the answer to that is a 2-1 lead over the Warriors in the Finals last year and three trips to the Eastern Conference Finals in the last four years.

Perhaps that’s not enough.

It’s Championship or bust in Boston.

And the J-Team has yet to deliver.

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Additional Notes

• Brodgon was the Sixth Man of the Year, but he was injured during the Heat series, scoring 2 points over the last five games. Injuries have unfortunately always been present in the Brogdon conversation.

• Al Horford had an insane year shooting the ball. 44.6 percent from 3 on 5.2 attempts per game.

• Marcus Smart’s defense was not the same level as last year when he was Defensive Player of the Year, and the Celtics’ defense as a whole took a step back. Apparently that was all the Boston brass needed to see.

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Did our preseason Over/Under prediction hit?

This number is just too ridiculously high in a gauntlet East. Under 53.5 wins.

Celtics 2022-23 record: (57-25)

Nope. The number was high for a reason.

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What’s Next?

• Marcus Smart is OUT and Kristaps Porzingis is IN. The Celtics definitely needed some more size, but now they say goodbye to Smart, the heart and soul of the C’s and the longest-tenured Celtic.

• Brogdon was the one traded for Porzingis until he wasn’t, supposedly for his physical. So if Brogdon stays in Boston, that might be a little bit awkward.

• The Celtics still need somebody to steer and guide the offense. Derrick White will probably become more involved, but they’ve never had a true table-setting point guard.

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Favorite Celtics Highlight of the 2022-23 Season:

DERRICK WHITE FOR THE WIN 😱 pic.twitter.com/hinMigekhp

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 28, 2023

Los Angeles Lakers

The 2022-23 Los Angeles Lakers can be defined by overcoming a 2-10 start, overhauling the roster at the trade deadline and making the Western Conference Finals — where they were ultimately swept by the eventual champion Nuggets.

What did we learn?

This season started off looking a lot like last season.

After a 2-10 record to begin the year, along with one of the worst shooting starts in NBA history, the Lakers were written off early by just about everybody.

But the Lakers would find their way.

AD turned into a monster, the Bubble AD version of old, wreaking havoc on defense and scoring in bunches in the paint. Over a 9-game stretch from Nov. 13 to Dec. 4, AD averaged 35 points, 15.6 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per night while shooting 64.8 percent from the field, capped off by 44 points against the Bucks and 55 points on the Wizards. A switch had been flipped.

Alas, the injury bug came calling for AD as it seems to always do, causing him to miss five straight weeks of ball until late January. Except for this time, the Lakers were able to stay afloat without him because LeBron was able to stay healthy during that stretch, averaging 35/8/8 while AD was out — absolutely ridiculous numbers for somebody in Year 20 of the most historic career.

Austin Reaves emerged as arguably the Lakers third best player this season. He was the exact type of guy they needed: a ball-mover that could get to the line, create offense and knock down open 3s. Reaves was third on the Lakers in win shares, just a shade behind LeBron.

Westbrook was better at times. He wasn’t great, but sometimes he was good. However, the Lakers’ season officially turned a corner at the trade deadline when they moved on from Russ and brought in D-Lo, Vando and Beasley. And the acquisition of Rui Hachimura before that was also huge.

Suddenly the Lakers had a fully competent roster with an assortment of players who could actually shoot and rebound and defend, complimenting Bron and AD in the best way. But just when AD was back from injury and the new-look Lakers were rounding into form, it was LeBron’s turn to go out for a few weeks with a foot injury.

Except again, the new-look Lakers were able to contend and win ball games without one of their shining stars. After the All-Star Break, the Lakers went 15-7 with the No. 13 offense and No. 6 defense. The opposite of last year, they were able to take care of a lot of the teams they were supposed to, and they were able to close out close games down the stretch.

LeBron returned for the final two weeks, and the Lakers finished the season winning 6 out of 7 games, carrying momentum into the Play-In game vs. Minnesota.

Against the Wolves, the Lakers were down by 15 but rallied to pull off the dub in OT behind 30 and 10 from LeBron, 24 and 15 from AD and 21 points off the bench from Dennis Schroder.

That Play-In dub meant the 7-seed and a first-round date with Memphis, who the Lakers rolled. Dillon Brooks poked the bear and the Lakers rallied around their Goat. LA blew the absolute roof off the Grizzlies’ doors in Game 6 by 40.

In the second round vs. the defending champion Warriors, the Lakers again flexed their size, depth and lineup flexibility, handling the Warriors in 6 games with another close-out win at home. LeBron has gone into many postseason battles against Steph, Klay and Dray, and this was another win for the King. Afterward, there were whispers that LeBron ended the pre-KD Warriors and now he has ended the post-KD Warriors, too.

However, in the Western Conference Finals (the Lakers were in the freaking Western Conference Finals!) the Nuggets with Joker and Murray’s two-man game were on another level. The Lakers were in every game, but they just couldn’t finish the Nuggets off. Jokic hit too many crazy shots. Too many Denver role players stepped up.

KCP had 21 points in Game 1. Aaron Gordon had 22 points in Game 4. Jokic (28/14/12) and Murray (33/6/5) put up staggering WCF numbers.

LeBron went for it in Game 4, scoring 31 points in the first half, his most in a postseason half ever, and he played all 48 minutes. But the Joker had another 30-point triple-double and the Nuggets’ firepower was too much. It was a clean 4-0 sweep.

LeBron and the Lakers play for championships, of course, but it’s important to remember that they went from last year’s embarrassment and a 2-10 start to this season all the way to the Western Conference Finals.

It was not the ending they wanted, but it was redemption all the same.

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Additional Notes

• The Lonnie Walker Game. Game 4 of the second round vs. Golden State, Walker scored all 15 of his points in the fourth quarter to help the Lakers overcome a 10-point 4th quarter deficit.

• The Rui Hachimura Game. Game 1 of the first round vs. Memphis, Hachimura led the Lakers in scoring with 29 points off the bench by way of 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc.

• The Matt Ryan Game. He was eventually cut from the team, but on Nov. 2, Matt Ryan hit a game-tying corner 3 at the buzzer to send the game to OT. The Lakers beat the Pelicans in overtime for their second win of the season.

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Did our preseason Over/Under prediction hit?

After going through last year, and with Westbrook still on the roster… thought this was going to for sure be an Under, but fuck it. Laaaaakers. LAKERS! Over 45 wins.

Lakers 2022-23 record: (43-39)

Nope. Not quite, but it was close in the end.

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What’s Next?

• With the No. 17 pick, the Lakers drafted Jalen Hood-Schifino from Indiana. KOC described JHS as a “big, cerebral guard who thrives as a playmaker from the midrange.”

• That could be beneficial for the Lakers considering that D’Angelo Russell is a free agent, as well as Dennis Schroder and Lonnie Walker — and then Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura are restricted free agents.

• Year 21 loading…

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Favorite Lakers Highlight of the 2022-23 Season:

HISTORY.

With this bucket, LeBron James moves past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer! pic.twitter.com/N6V5RxPe6r

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 8, 2023

Philadelphia 76ers

The 2022-23 Philadelphia 76ers can be defined by another loss in the second round.

What did we learn?

Embiid finally got his MVP.

But the playoffs were a different story once again.

During the regular season, Joel Embiid went on another scoring rampage, leading the league in scoring for a second straight season. This time he was up to 33.1 points per game and 58.7 percent on 2s, to go along with 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 10 free throws a night.

Embiid was a menace with three 50-point games and a whopping 13 40-point outings, including a monster 47 points and 18 rebounds against Jokic, a game that saw the Sixers beat the Nuggets behind a huge second-half comeback.

It was all enough to get Embiid his coveted MVP at long last.

In the second round of the playoffs, however, Embiid and the Sixers were not able to get over the second-round hump for the fifth time in the last six years. (The outlier was a loss in the first round.)

They were right there, too.

Up 3-2 on the Celtics with Game 6 in Philly. Leading by 2 with six minutes left. And then an ice-cold Tatum drilled four 3s while the Sixers made one field goal the entire rest of the game.

That momentum carried over to Game 7 as the C’s walloped the Sixers with Tatum scoring 51 and a 33 to 10 third quarter burying Philly’s season. Embiid scored 26 points in Game 6 and just 15 points in Game 7. He was banged up with a sprained knee that kept him out of Game 1 entirely.

Harden had two magnificent games in the Celtics series. His 45 points in Game 1 and his 42 points in Game 4 both led to Philly wins. But he no-showed in the elimination games once again. Harden went 3-for-11 in Game 7 which is actually an improvement from his usual 2-for-11 elimination game performance.

Doc couldn’t close out a 3-2 lead AGAIN. It was the 10th time that Doc has lost a Game 7. (You know it’s bad if Ben Simmons is trolling online.)

Doc was fired a few days after the Game 7 blowout loss in Boston.

In the end, it was the same old Sixers story, which brings forth changes and uncertainty.

Regular-season accolades are cool and all, but legacies are defined in the postseason.

Embiid got his MVP, but was it worth it?

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Additional Notes

• Tyrese Maxey had some fantastic games and moments. He does have his deficiencies and might not be a playoff guy yet, but he has the talent and drive to keep getting better.

• P.J. Tucker, as always, was about that life. He was the only one keeping the Sixers in the first half of Game 7 with those corner 3s.

• Tobias Harris… A good role player, but not a $37 million player.

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Did our preseason Over/Under prediction hit?

Philly seems destined to roll. Over 51 wins.

Sixers 2022-23 record: (54-28)

Yes indeed.

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What’s Next?

• If it seemed like the Sixers were quiet on draft night, it’s because they did not make a selection.

• Free agents here include Shake Milton, Georges Niang, Jalen McDaniels and player options for Montrezl Harrell and Danuel House. Paul Reed is a restricted free agent along with Slam Dunk Champ Mac McClung.

• Doc is out and Nick Nurse is IN. Both Doc and Brett Brown before him got three shots at the playoffs with Embiid with no Eastern Conference Finals to show for it. Let’s see if Nurse can get Philly over the hump.

• The Harden predicament. Will The Beard return for another go at it, or will he bail for Houston, choosing fun over the Philly pressure? And how much money and years is the right amount?

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Favorite Sixers Highlight of the 2022-23 Season:

JOEL EMBIID FOR THE WIN 🔥 pic.twitter.com/l285wCCTFt

— NBA TV (@NBATV) March 11, 2023

Golden State Warriors

The 2022-23 Golden State Warriors can be defined by losing in the second round of the playoffs to the Lakers, the earliest playoff exit in the Steph-Klay-Dray-Kerr-Bob Meyers era.

What did we learn?

The Warriors never figured out this season’s iteration of themselves.

And they couldn’t win on the road.

The glaring signs were there all season long with insanely drastic home/road splits. Away from the Chase Center, their defense dropped off a cliff:

• Warriors at home: (33-8) No. 10 offense and No. 3 defense

• Warriors on the road: (11-30) No. 11 offense and No. 28 defense

They were the worst defending champion team on the road in the history of the sport.

Even so, the Warriors were still able to fight through Game 7 of the first round in Sacramento to advance. But it took Steph going into Supernova mode, scoring 50 points (!!), the most in a Game 7 at that point ever.

There were no such dice in the second round vs. the Lakers, a bigger and vastly more experienced team than the Kings (who were in the playoffs for the first time in 17 years).

The Warriors just did not have the athleticism, size or depth to hang with the Lakers. It’s ironic that old-school post-up ball was what took the Warriors out in 6 games. It was their earliest playoff exit since their 2014 first-round loss to the Clippers.

Klay never got going in the playoffs. He missed a bunch of wide-open 3s that the Dubs surely could have used. Klay had a crazy stretch from Feb. to the end of the regular season, averaging 43 percent on 10.8 3s per game. Klay even led the entire league in made 3s this season. But that sharp-shooting Klay did not make it to the postseason. In the last four games against the Lakers, he shot 10-of-36 from beyond the arc. (Although he deserves a shoutout for 8-for-11 in Game 2, a 27-point Warriors win.)

Jordan Poole regressed mightily. He was wildly inefficient and careless for most of the season. Poole still had some big games here and there, but they were far less often than last season when he burst onto the scene.

Wiggins being away from the team for two straight months definitely didn’t help. The chemistry and flow here was off. Draymond’s preseason punching of Poole threw the vibes off. They never got it back.

Kuminga looked promising at the end of the regular season when Wiggins was out. But when Wiggins returned in the playoffs and GP2 entered the mix, Kuminga was pulled from the rotation entirely. Moses Moody averaged 13 minutes per game. They gave up on Wiseman to get GP2 back.

Where it once looked like they had a clear bridge to the future with Wiseman, Kuminga and Moody, the Warriors’ future now is as murky as ever.

Bob Meyers has stepped down. Draymond has declined his player option and is a free agent.

Draymond says he wants to ride it out with the same guys that he rode in with, but does everyone else feel the same? Does he really mean it in the end?

This is how it usually goes for the perennial contenders. Eventually, they become old and expensive, making it difficult to proceed.

The new CBA with the second tax apron does not do the Warriors any favors. It might actually be the final nail in the coffin. Their upcoming luxury tax bills are going to make things increasingly complicated.

We have always said that the Warriors Dynasty cannot be pronounced dead so long as Steph, Klay and Dray are repping the blue and gold.

From light years ahead — to the brink.

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Additional Notes

• Before the season started, the Warriors were lauded for their depth, but then we looked up to see Ty Jerome and Anthony Lamb playing tons of minutes.

• Donte DiVincenzo had his best shooting season yet. He also played the most games of his career at 72.

• Speaking of games played, Kevon Looney was an NBA Iron Man for the second straight season, and Jordan Poole joined him in playing all 82 games for the Dubs. (That won’t be the case next season.)

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Did our preseason Over/Under prediction hit?

Rollin’ with the Champs on their quest for back-to-back. Over 52 wins.

Warriors 2022-23 record: (44-38)

Not quite.

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What’s Next?

• Mike Dunleavy has taken over for Bob Meyers and has enormous shoes to fill. He’s gotten off to a spicy start.

• Jordan Poole is OUT and Chris Paul is IN. CP3 is a high-IQ player, which checks out, but he’s not exactly going to be able to run around and do all that movement that the Warriors’ offense is predicated on. Perhaps he’s some Draymond insurance?

• With the No. 19 pick in the draft, the Warriors selected Brandin Podziemski from Santa Clara. He seems to be highly regarded. Podziemski said he was looking forward to playing against Steph, but now he gets to play with him.

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Favorite Warriors Highlights of the 2022-23 Season:

16 of 38 in the 4th for Steph Curry. and a ‘night ‘night.https://t.co/QblR3B2nzP pic.twitter.com/LizjUaTqos

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) November 12, 2022

STEPH DOING STEPH THINGS 👨‍🍳 pic.twitter.com/te2zDCKexm

— ESPN (@espn) April 30, 2023

New York Knicks

The 2022-23 New York Knicks can be defined by making the playoffs and getting to the second round for the first time in a decade.

What did we learn?

Jalen Brunson is the newest king of New York.

His arrival to the Knicks absolutely transformed this offense in the best way.

Brunson was even better — WAY better — than he showed in Dallas. His recently laughed-at contract now looks like a bargain. One that any team would be so lucky to have.

With Brunson, the Knicks’ offense was so much more organized and free-flowing. 

However, the 3-point shooting and defense struggled at the beginning of the season, leaving the Knicks empty-handed in a lot of games down the stretch. The Knicks started 10-13 and Thibs had to make some necessary changes. That’s when he actually played and trusted the young guys!

Immanuel Quickley’s minutes increased and Quentin Grimes became a full-time starter. Grimes started 66 games, an enormous breakthrough for a coach previously stubborn and unwilling to trust the youngins. Grimes was a quintessential 3-and-D guy and Quickley emerged as a Sixth Man of the Year candidate.

Quickley’s bench output helped put the Knicks over the top on many occasions. His 3-point shooting and playmaking spark were vital to Knicks Ws. After All-Star, Quickley averaged 21-4-4 and his defense took a major step forward.

The Knicks closed the season strong for the second straight year. Over the last two months of the season, the Knicks won 20 of 30 games while rocking the No. 2 offense in the league.

Brunson was the lead man as aforementioned. His 24 points and 6 assists per game with 41.6 percent accuracy from beyond the arc were the exact main ingredients this team needed.

It helped alleviate life for Julius Randle, who had a bounce-back season — until he didn’t in the playoffs. Randle was actually the lone All-Star for the Knicks. Although that sure seems like a silly notion in retrospect. (But it was understandable at the time.)

Randle just isn’t a player suited for the playoffs. He stunk up the joint vs. ATL in 2021 and did more of the same in the second round against the Heat, shooting 4-of-15 in Game 3 and 3-of-14 in Game 6. The worst part of it, again, is all the moping and bad vibes when things are not going his way. His inconsistent play and moody vibes are a detriment to the team.

Speaking of inconsistency, RJ Barrett remained a consistently inconsistent player. A really good-looking player when playing well and a really lousy player when off his game. Barrett could pop off for 30 just as easily as he could shoot below 30 percent from the field.

Obi Toppin was a force in transition, benefitting from the removal of the take foul probably more than anybody in the league. Isaiah Hartenstein became a boon for the second unit and insurance for injury-prone Mitchell Robinson. Hartenstein was also an Iron Man, playing in all 82 games this season.

When healthy, Robinson was a force inside and capable of blocking just about anything. He finished top-10 in total blocks despite playing 59 games.

The Josh Hart acquisition at the deadline was huge. Hart is a player that breathes what Thibs preaches on the court. His rebounding and defensive intensity were the final touches for this roster.

It all led to the Knicks racking up 47 wins, the 5-seed in the East and a first-round match-up with the Cavs.

The Knicks outclassed the Cavs in the first round, flexing their defensive chops. The Knicks held the Cavs to 94 points a game as Mitchell Robinson dominated the Cavs’ big men and controlled the paint. It was a wrap in 5 quick games.

Against the Heat, however, Robinson no-showed, Randle was way off and Quickley missed the last three games with an injury. Even Brunson was dealing with an ankle. The Knicks’ offense was 10 points per 100 possessions worse than their mark during the regular season. The Heat took care of business in 6.

But the Knicks were not even supposed to be there. It was their first time in the second round of the playoffs in a decade and the second time since freakin’ 2000.

The Knicks found their guy in Brunson and that’s what matters the most.

The Garden was rocking and this team was fun.

And they even beat Donovan Mitchell in the playoffs.

_____________________________________

Additional Notes

• Evan Fournier was paid $18 million this season to play in just 27 games. That contract was a blunder.

• Derrick Rose did not have the same quick first step or success as two years ago after returning from injury.

• His baseline numbers don’t show it, but Jericho Sims had a solid sophomore campaign for what the Knicks needed out of him. He stepped up in January and February when Robinson missed time.

_____________________________________

Did our preseason Over/Under prediction hit?

The Knicks feel like a .500 team. Over 38.5 wins.

Knicks 2022-23 record: (47-35)

Yes indeed! The Knicks were even way better than a .500 team.

_____________________________________

What’s Next?

• If it seemed like the Knicks were quiet on draft night, that’s because they did not make a selection.

• BUT the Knicks currently have both financial flexibility and future first-round picks which is uncommon territory for the franchise.

• Josh Hart has a player option, and if he declines, resigning him should be priority 1.

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Favorite Knicks Highlight of the 2022-23 Season:

JULIUS RANDLE POSTERIZES DANIEL GAFFORD 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ELIzZ8g6JN

— KNICKS ON MSG (@KnicksMSGN) January 14, 2023

The Return of Power Dunk City. Coming Soon.

Phoenix Suns

The 2022-23 Phoenix Suns can be defined by trading the farm for Kevin Durant but losing in the second round in embarrassing fashion all the same.

What did we learn?

The Suns and new owner Matt Ishbia went all in for KD.

It was a hefty price to pay, but they got him.

For this season, there just was not enough time.

Zach Lowe has always said that KD is the most malleable superstar ever — and it’s hard to argue against that — but only eight regular season games while dealing with injuries was not sufficient. The depth here was unquestionably an issue.

Long before the trade deadline, it’s easy to forget that this Suns team was actually rolling at the beginning of the season, looking like the same ole regular season Suns of the last couple of years. On Dec. 1, Phoenix was 15-6 and sitting atop the Western Conference with the No. 2 offense and No. 6 defense.

The Suns’ hot start was all fueled by Devin Booker, cooking up some of his best work yet with 44, 51 and 41 points in three straight games. Book was in any MVP conversation a month into the season, continually hitting tough shots and maintaining complete control of the game on offense.

That’s when a groin injury derailed this Suns’ season like a black hole. Booker missed nearly two consecutive months. Without him, the Suns went 11-14 with the No. 28 offense (!!) and the No. 8 defense.

Chris Paul was not the same Point God. He looked old and was susceptible to highly inefficient games. CP3 set a career-low in points and usage for a second straight year. And he ultimately got injured in the playoffs once again and was unavailable — to the surprise of nobody.

The vibes remained off with Ayton. His intensity was questioned and his consistency stayed an issue. But then when you least expected it, he’d go out and get 30 and 10.

Mikal Bridges stepped up in the biggest way with Book out and CP struggling. Bridges took his scoring up a level while continuing to take on the toughest defensive assignments night in and night out. How was he rewarded? By being shipped to Brooklyn at the deadline for KD, along with Cam Johnson and a boatload of first-round picks, depleting the Suns’ depth and future.

KD was still hurt when the Suns traded for him, and he got hurt again during warmups. That led to only 8 regular season games for KD in a Suns uniform, but the results were good. The Suns were 8-0.

In the first round, the Clippers’ status was even worse off than the Suns with no PG and then no Kawhi. But the Nuggets in the second round were a completely different beast.

That did not stop KD and Book from going absolutely bonkers in Games 3 and 4 to the delight of the Phoenix crowd. They proved that depth be damned, if you have two of the best scorers in the league playing at the top of their game simultaneously, you can win playoff games against the best team. Combining for 86 points behind two players is absurd, and that’s what Book and KD pulled off in Game 3.

But in the end, it was a sight all too familiar for Suns fans as the Nuggets ran up the score in Game 6 in Phoenix. The Suns got trounced — a 30-point deficit at halftime of an elimination game stared them in the face all the same.

Monty Williams was fired, a decision made just two years after a magical trip to the Finals, and the Suns have already made another big trade. It’s safe to say that New Owner Syndrome is out in full force in Phoenix.

If it seemed like the Suns were about to freefall after last year, they are right back in the mix. But the end game might be harsh.

They used to be the bright future Suns.

But the future is now and time is of the essence.

_____________________________________

Additional Notes

• Damion Lee deserves a shout out for his 3-point shooting this season. His 44.5 percent from beyond the arc was by far a career-high.

• Torrey Craig and Josh Okogie also deserve a shout, playing the most games this season for the Suns at 79 and 74 games.

• He’s already been traded, but never forget the Landry Shamet Game. He didn’t play in Game 2 of the second round against the Nuggets, but in Game 4, Shamet drilled five 3s — a huge reason why the Suns got that W.

_____________________________________

Did our preseason Over/Under prediction hit?

Can’t trust an Over with these vibes. Under 52 wins.

Suns 2022-23 record: (45-37)

Yes indeed. This one was no sweat at all.

_____________________________________

What’s Next?

• The Suns actually left the draft with a selection! That would be Toumani Camara from Dayton at No. 52. It was the Suns first draft pick since Day’Ron Sharpe at No. 29 in 2021 (!!), who was immediately traded to Brooklyn for Landry Shamet.

• Monty Williams is OUT and Frank Vogel is IN. Always liked Vogel in LA and felt like he got thrown under the bus for the Westbrook situation he was put in.

• Chris Paul is OUT and Bradley Beal is IN. Big 3s have been so dead, but the Suns went from waiving CP3 to flipping him for Beal. At the same time, the Suns’ financial future is going to be like staring into the actual sun.

• Fill out the rest of the roster with complimentary role players. An Ayton trade seems all too likely. The Suns need a reliable big and a facilitator. Really, this whole operation is going to be starting from scratch.

_____________________________________

Favorite Suns Highlight of the 2022-23 Season:

Sacramento Kings

The 2022-23 Sacramento Kings can be defined by not only making the playoffs for the first time in 17 years but also by being the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.

What did we learn?

THIS WAS THE YEAR.

This was the year that the Kings finally broke through.

This was the year that the Kings were THE Young Surprise Team that was promised.

With a preseason Vegas Over/Under win total of 34 games, the Kings were supposed to spend another year in the cellar of the Pacific Division.

Instead, the Kings blew preseason expectations out of the water, blowing past opponents with the best offense in the entire league. The Kings weren’t in the cellar, they were at the top.

Not the defending champion Warriors. Not the Lakers. Not the Suns. Not the Clippers.

It was the Sacramento Kings who won the Pacific Division for the first time since 2002-03, making the playoffs for the first time in 17 long years.

Golden 1 Center was a party all season long. That’s where the Kings ran up the points and lit the beam.

The Fox and the Ox two-man game was stout and potent. Fox and Sabonis were both All-Stars and third-team All-NBA, two of the best 15 players in the league this year. For as gut-wrenching as the Haliburton trade was last year for Kings fans, the results so far speak for themselves.

De’Aaron Fox's mid-range game was absolute butter. He was smooth as can be in the clutch, leading the NBA in crunch time points en route to being crowned the Clutch Player of the Year. Time and time again Fox came up big when the Kings needed him most.

Sabonis finished the season with 14 triple-doubles, second-most in the NBA. He was a rebounding machine, leading the league in total rebounds with 70 more than second place and 156 more than third (!!).

Keegan Murray was a rookie who was wise beyond his years.  Kayte Christensen said it best: “He has big shots in his blood.” Keegan shot 41 percent from 3 on 6.3 attempts per game, making the most three-pointers by a rookie ever at 206.

Headband Huerter was right behind Keegan with 205 made 3s of his own. Huerter was an offseason steal and the perfect compliment for this offense on the wing.

Malik Monk was the sixth-man gunner, always ready to explode off the bench. In the 22 games that Monk scored 17+ points, the Kings went 17-5.

Iron Man Harrison Barnes played all 82 games and led the team in free throws made.

Davion Mitchell brought energy and perimeter defense on a nightly basis. Even Trey Lyles was a reliable and helpful role player, playing 74 games and providing lineup flexibility for Mike Brown.

Speaking of coach, Mike Brown was the 2022-23 NBA Coach of the Year, instilling confidence and trust in this group. It took just two games for Mike Brown to put Keegan Murray into the starting lineup.  It would have taken Luke Walton two months just like it did with Haliburton.

The first round of the playoffs against the Warriors was a battle. The Kings won the first two games of the series at home and you’ve never seen a fan base so elated. The Kings deserve a lot of credit for winning Game 6 on the road at the Chase Center.

However, they were not able to get the job done in Game 7 as the championship-DNA Warriors experience ultimately staved them off.

But for the first time in forever, at least the Kings were there.

_____________________________________

Additional Notes

• In some playoff games, Terence Davis was trusted as the 8th man, and he hit some big 3s. In other playoff games, he didn’t make it off the pine.

• Two years ago, friend of the blog Richaun Holmes was the Kings’ main big man, leading the team in rebounds per game and starting in all 61 games he played. This season, Holmes played the fewest minutes per game of his career at just 8 a night.

• It is wild that the Kings not only have a Chimezie Metu but they also have a player named Chima Moneke. Chimezie and Chima!

_____________________________________

Did our preseason Over/Under prediction hit?

Like the Magic, hammering this Over and taking the Kings to make the play-in. Over 34 wins.

Kings 2022-23 record: (48-34)

Yes INDEED. Fuck the play-in, the Kings were the THREE-SEED.

_____________________________________

What’s Next?

• The No. 24 pick in tonight’s draft. KOC’s latest mock has Jett Howard from Michigan. A “slick offensive threat who could shine next to a lead playmaker” sounds fantastic per usual.

• The list of free agents here includes Harrison Barnes, Trey Lyles, Terence Davis, Chimezie Metu and Alex Len. It feels like this group would want to stick together as much as possible.

• Adding some defense around the edges wouldn’t be the worst idea.

_____________________________________

Favorite Kings Highlight of the 2022-23 Season:

KEVIN HUERTER!@KevinHuerter | #RoarWithUs pic.twitter.com/WB5Wbci8TN

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) December 31, 2022

That roar was something fierce.

Memphis Grizzlies

The 2022-23 Memphis Grizzlies can be defined by a turn to the dark side and losing to the Lakers in the first round.

What did we learn?

The Grizzlies quickly transformed into the villains of the NBA.

It’s always amazing to see how fast things — and our perception of things — can change.

This was very recently one of the NBA’s premier up-and-coming teams, a fun and shiny new toy. Everyone’s league pass darling. But actions and words can alter everything in a significant way.

First on The Rise and Fall of Ja Morant — a possible silver lining here is that maybe all of this coming to light now will save him from further darkness. But the fact remains that he has tarnished his legacy and has to earn our trust back.

The fact also remains that he is a fantastic player, one of the best and most fun, electric athletes in the entire game. We all want to see him play. We all want him to be okay.

Next on Dillon Brooks — poking bears ain’t it, dawg. You come at The King, you best not miss. D-Brooks missed with another brick.

Now to Jaren Jackson Jr. — thankfully, talking just ball here. The Defensive Player of the Year completely transformed this defense once he made his season debut. The Grizz had one of the worst defenses without him at the beginning of the year but finished the season with the No. 3 defense. JJJ led the league in blocks per game for the second straight year, this time swatting 3 (!!) per game.

The Grizzlies were definitely better with Steven Adams in the lineup. Losing Adams to injury was tough and then losing Brandon Clarke was on top of it was detrimental. When it rains, it pours.

Desmond Bane was solid, but he also dealt with injuries that hampered his third season and caused him to miss 24 games. Tyus Jones remains one of the best (if not THE) best backup point guard in the league.

The Grizzlies still rang up 51 wins, unlocking the 2-seed in the Western Conference for the second straight season. They profiled as the same team with the most points in the paint, and top marks in fast break points (#2) and second-chance points (#6).

But the Lakers were out for blood in the first round.

The Grizz riled up the wrong beast.

Hopefully, it was one of a few valuable lessons learned.

_____________________________________

Additional Notes

• Between Bane and trade-deadline acquisition Luke Kennard, Memphis has two of the best 3-point snipers in the game. (Oof, that word choice is questionable here now.)

• Gotta love what we saw from David Big Body Roddy and Kenny Lofton Jr. The Thicc Bros!

• The unsung heroes for the Grizz include John Konchar and Santi Aldama. The ole reliables, Aldama played 77 games and Konchar played in 72.

_____________________________________

Did our preseason Over/Under prediction hit?

Even though it feels like the Grizz won’t be as good this season, they don’t have to be. Over 49 wins.

Grizzlies 2022-23 record: (51-31)

Yes indeed. It was kinda close with the Grizz sneaking over in the last week.

_____________________________________

What’s Next?

• The Ja Morant suspension. 25 games is a lot. The Grizz were 40-21 with Ja this season and 11-10 without him.

• The No. 25 pick in the draft. GM Zach Kleiman has quite the track record with these.

• Dillon Brooks is gone, so that spot will need to be filled. [UPDATE: As a part of the 3-team Porzingis to the Celtics trade, the Grizzlies have traded Tyus Jones and the No. 25 pick for… Marcus Smart!]

_____________________________________

Favorite Grizzlies Highlight of the 2022-23 Season:

JA MORANT HAMMER 🔨 pic.twitter.com/VHx7vP0pif

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 5, 2022

JA MORANT POSTER OVER THE BLAZERS 😱 pic.twitter.com/TwC0OZuESf

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 5, 2023

The Return of Power Dunk City. Coming Soon.

Atlanta Hawks

The 2022-23 Atlanta Hawks can be defined by a mid-season coaching change, taking down the Heat in the first play-in game and pushing the Celtics to 6 games in the first round.

What did we learn?

More turmoil within the Hawks organization made it clear a systematic change was needed.

Before the calendar flipped to March, both the Hawks GM and head coach were gone.

Travis Schlenk stepped down in December and Nate Mac was fired two months later, two years after the Hawks run to the Eastern Conference Finals in which they were two games away from the NBA Finals.

It’s all about getting Trae Young to buy in. Quin Snyder was hired in February, and that relationship by all accounts appears to have started well.

Ice Trae was not an All-Star this season, putting up some smoke-and-mirrors numbers: 26 points and 10 assists, but 42.9 percent from the field and 33.5 percent from 3. He was aided by a constant bevy of free throws on a nightly basis. He could still get hot from long-range distance by all means. Ice Trae bombs away was still a bit. But this was Trae’s lowest 3-point percentage since his rookie season.

The Trae Young and Dejounte Murray fit was not the best on the court, better on paper. Too much of the your-turn, my-turn offense that can be so predictable. Murray’s numbers dropped from his All-Star breakout season last year in San Antonio with fewer rebounds and assists. He still got his points, though.

John Collins, forever on the block, did not get traded. But he did shoot a paltry 29 percent from 3, by far the worst mark of his career. His numbers have unfortunately been trending down for years.

De’Andre Hunter has not shown much progression after being the No. 4 pick in the draft. He’s a good but not great player about to be making $20 million a year.

Bogdan Bogdanovic got signed to an extension in March, but he has continuously dealt with knee issues. He’s missed an average of 25 games over the last three seasons. People forget he’s 30. But Bogey helps out the Hawks’ bench unit tremendously and gives them much-needed shooting when he’s available.

Speaking of shooting, getting rid of Kevin Huerter last summer was a bad look. However, we love the trade for Saddiq Bey at the deadline, especially considering the inexpensive price they paid. So far, Bey is a dependable and durable player. Those don’t grow on trees and that is exactly what Atlanta needs.

The big-man situation in the A was back and forth. Capela missed a large chunk of December and January while Okongwu played 80 games but was only given more than 30 minutes in 11 of them. Capela did shoot 65 percent from the field. And Okongwu was right behind at 64.

As usual, the Hawks’ offensive and defensive splits were a flip-flop. A top-10 offense with a bottom-10 defense is their calling card.

There was the craziest stat floating around about how mid the Hawks were in terms of their record:

Hawks this season:

13-13
14-14
15-15
16-16
17-17
22-22
24-24
25-25
26-26
27-27
28-28
29-29
30-30
31-31
32-32
33-33
34-34
35-35
36-36
37-37
38-38
39-39

This is an NBA RECORD for most times in a single season with an exact .500 record. The most Mid team in NBA History. pic.twitter.com/F2WD0Npjxs

— NBA World (@NBAW0RLD24) April 3, 2023

The Hawks finished right at 41-41. Pure insanity.

And yet, the Hawks soared in the play-in game, getting revenge on the Heat for the first round of the last year’s playoffs. And they made Boston sweat a little in the first round, too. Ice Trae’s game-winner in Game 5 was a reminder that he can show out in the playoffs.

Having a head coach that Trae believes in is the first step.

Getting Trae to move off the ball and utilize his catch-and-shoot 3 is next.

Quin Snyder’s time is now.

_____________________________________

Additional Notes

• Rookie AJ Griffin’s welcome to the NBA moment occurred in November, hitting a game-winning buzzer-beating shot in OT to beat the Raptors. Griffin replicated the exact feat a couple of weeks later against the Bulls on a turnaround shot from a perfect inbound pass from sophomore Jalen Johnson.

  • In the seven games that AJ Griffin scored 16+ points, the Hawks went 6-1.

  • Jalen Johnson’s career-high is 16 points. He has not been much of a scorer yet.

• The Holiday Bros. did not do much here. Really thought that Nate Mac would be able to utilize them like he did in Indiana, but that just was not the case.

_____________________________________

Did our preseason Over/Under prediction hit?

Too many questions in a loaded East for that many wins. Under 46.5 wins.

Hawks 2022-23 record: (41-41)

Yes indeed! Never a doubt about this one.

_____________________________________

What’s Next?

• The No. 15 pick in Thursday night’s draft. KOC has Gradey Dick in his latest mock draft and that sounds perfect for ATL.

• Is this the summer that John Collins finally flies out of Atlanta?

• The Hawks are already over the salary cap and looking at the luxury tax next year without having a full roster on the payroll yet. Gulp.

_____________________________________

Favorite Hawks Highlights of the 2022-23 Season:

WELCOME TO THE NBA pic.twitter.com/kk7js988V8

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) November 20, 2022

AJ GRIFFIN AT THE BUZZER IN OVERTIME FOR THE WIN

AGAIN pic.twitter.com/zDy02jm2yL

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) December 12, 2022

Trae in the clutch: 11 PTS
Celtics: 6 PTS

He's as cold as ice 🥶 pic.twitter.com/svVtwBgPL5

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 26, 2023

Milwaukee Bucks

The 2022-23 Milwaukee Bucks can be defined by losing in the first round of the playoffs as the No. 1 seed to Jimmy Butler and the 8-seed Miami Heat in 5 games.

What did we learn?

Just two years after hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy, Coach Bud is out as head coach of the Bucks.

The decision was made after multiple blown 4th-quarter leads to the Heat where Bud neglected to put the Bucks in the best position to win. The icing on the cake had to be Grayson Allen dribbling out the clock on the Bucks’ season in front of a stunned Milwaukee crowd.

More than anything, it has everything to do about Giannis believing and trusting that his coach is giving him and his team the best chance to win.

The Bucks did not win. They did not make it out of the first round. They won just one game against the 8-seed Heat, which does indeed make his season an absolute failure.

It’s not about life. This is sports — where wins and losses result in failure and success. It’s not all or nothing. It’s just a game after all.

It must be duly noted that Giannis was injured. (It probably should be noted earlier.) He didn’t play in Games 2 or 3 and just 10 minutes in Game 1. The Bucks one win over the Heat was actually in Game 2 without him.

But Giannis was in there with the Bucks when they melted away in those fourth quarters — a flashback and redux to the Bubble where Jimmy and the Heat ripped the 1-seed right from underneath them. Giannis only had a 26-13-10 triple-double in Game 4 and only 38 points and 20 rebounds in Game 5.

Giannis and the Bucks earned the 1-seed in the East and had the best record in the NBA thanks to a fantastic finish to the regular season. It wasn’t all gravy this year, dealing with injuries for a lot of the season, most notably to Khris Middleton. But others rose to the occasion.

Brook Lopez was amazing, playing in 78 games after just 13 last year. Splash Mountain was OPEN for business all year, splash splashing away while also anchoring the defense. Lopez’s 193 total blocks were a career-high, the most in the NBA, and landed him on first-team All-Defense.

Jrue Holiday joined Lopez on first-team All-Defense, his fifth All-Defenseive selection. Holiday was also top-10 in the NBA in assists per game and scored his most points per game since 2018-19, stepping up in Middleton’s absence. Middleton played just 33 games, averaging 15 points and 24 minutes per game.

Bobby Portis was in early-season talks for 6th Man of the Year, averaging a 14 and 10 double-double while shooting a career-high 55 percent on 2s. Portis sprained his MCL in late January, missing 11 straight games, but he only missed one other game all season.

The Bucks’ bench unit got additional help later on in the form of Joe Ingles’ playmaking and shooting and Jae Crowder’s wing defense. All of a sudden, the Bucks had their missing ingredients and looked like a complete team.

Milwaukee galloped to a 16-game winning streak from Jan. 23 to March 1, ripping their way to the best record in the league and cementing themselves as the clear Vegas Championship favorites going into the playoffs.

But they lost to the Heat in 5 in the first round.

And that’s precisely how this season will be remembered.

_____________________________________

Additional Notes

• An unsung hero for Milwaukee this season was Jevon Carter, who played in 81 games and totaled the sixth-most minutes on this team. He’s a capable 3-point shooter, yet Bud didn’t trust him in the playoffs with a 10-foot pole.

• Pat Cannaughton’s six 3s off the bench in Game 2 vs. the Heat were mighty helpful for the Bucks to get their first and only win of the series. He hit five combined 3s in all the other games.

• Rookie MarJon Beauchamp had some moments this season where he piqued our interest. He seems like a potential sniper, but he was another one that Bud did not trust at all.

_____________________________________

Did our preseason Over/Under prediction hit?

Feels like another season that Giannis will destroy. Over 52.5 wins.

Bucks 2022-23 record: (58-24)

Yes indeed! As we like to say: Giannis pulverized the regular season to smithereens.

_____________________________________

What’s Next?

• The Bucks do not have a first-round pick, but they do have a new head coach in Adrian Griffin, previously an assistant coach for the Raptors. It will be interesting to see the schemes that he rolls out next fall. A lot of pressure for a first-time head coach.

• The list of free agents here is a lengthy one: Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, Jae Crowder, Joe Ingles, Wesley Matthews and Jevon Carter. Middleton and Carter both have player options.

• Milwaukee will be in the mix, this we know. It’s all about prioritizing lineup flexibility in the playoffs, setting up Giannis for success.

_____________________________________

Favorite Bucks Highlight of the 2022-23 Season:

GIANNIS 😳 pic.twitter.com/dfyt8glPF1

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 30, 2023

The Return of Power Dunk City. Coming Soon.

Los Angeles Clippers

The 2022-23 Los Angeles Clippers can be defined by more Kawhi and PG injuries and another early playoff exit.

What did we learn?

In four years with Kawhi and PG, the Clippers have had one playoff run with both healthy and on the court the entire time.

That one playoff run was the Bubble where the Clippers blew a 3-1 lead to the Nuggets in embarrassing fashion.

Kawhi and PG were back and forth with the missed games all season long. We never knew who has going to be available and playing for the Clippers. It was so bad that head coach Ty Lue didn’t even know.

No matter how deep of a team you are, you have to get your reps in to build chemistry and familiarization. And you have to have your stars to reach your highest potential. It has been damn near impossible to do with this Clippers team. The worst part is that we know this is a good team when actually healthy.

Paul George was an All-Star this season. (A questionable selection, sure, but an All-Star nonetheless.) PG played 25 more games than last season, averaging his usual 24-6-5. But he didn’t play a game after March 21, out with a knee sprain.

Kawhi was eased back into playing time this season at a snail’s pace, cautionary measures after his torn ACL. He played in just five of the first 24 games. But then he got going and looked like the same Robot Kawhi of old. In the 16 games that Kawhi scored 30+ points, the Clippers went 13-3.

And then in the first round against the Suns, Kawhi tore his meniscus and did not play after Game 2.

Norm Powell missed chunks of the season as well, 10 straight games in Dec. and 11 straight in March, but he looked like a potential 6th Man of the Year when playing and averaging 17 points off the bench.

The Clips brought in Russ who was actually helpful and a contributing player. He led the Clippers in assists in four of their five playoff games. He also had games where he led the team in points and rebounds.

It was wild to see the Clippers running out lineups with Russ, Eric Gordon and Mason Plumlee in the playoffs, all of whom just got to LA.

The Clippers did at least get a game on the Suns, but they did not stand a chance without PG or Kawhi in the playoffs.

Trading SGA and the farm for PG and Kawhi is a move you have to do, but it’s one now that completely stings.

Expectations were so sky-high four years ago, but now they are bleak.

_____________________________________

Additional Notes

• Terance Mann not getting consistent minutes was frustrating. The Clips traded Luke Kennard which depleted their 3-point shooting. The Clippers’ best 3-man lineup last season was with T-Mann, Kennard and Isaiah Hartenstein.

• The Marcus Morris contract is a tough look. $16 million a year for his fewest points per game (11.2) since 2014-14 when he was on the Suns.

• The John Wall experiment did NOT work. Offseason acquisition Bones Hyland was also buried on the bench.

_____________________________________

Did our preseason Over/Under prediction hit?

The depth here is just too strong. Over 52.5 wins.

Clippers 2022-23 record: (44-38)

Nope. Turns out that the depth was not nearly strong enough.

_____________________________________

What’s Next?

• The Clippers actually do have a first-round pick! The last one at No. 30.

• This roster returns 13 players. The free agents are Westbrook and Plumlee.

• Per Bobby Marks, “The Clippers are over the tax for the fourth straight season, making them a repeater tax team. With $202 million in salary, including Eric Gordon's $20.9 million non-guaranteed contract, LA is projected to pay a $175 million penalty.” *whistles loudly*

_____________________________________

Favorite Clippers Highlights of the 2022-23 Season:

HE BACK. Kawhi. GAME.https://t.co/zE0dh7x7ZN pic.twitter.com/Gp3QkkHboj

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) December 6, 2022

KAWHI WITH AUTHORITY 🔨 pic.twitter.com/n1OxpbMsMg

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 9, 2023

The Return of Power Dunk City. Coming Soon.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The 2022-23 Cleveland Cavaliers can be defined as a solid regular-season team that got beat up in the 1st round of the playoffs.

What did we learn?

This became Donovan Mitchell’s team real quick.

It helped that Garland suffered a severe eye poke in the first game, causing him to miss five straight, instantly inserting Mitchell into the Garland role as the Cavs’ main facilitator and scorer.

Mitchell’s numbers to start the season were terrific, averaging 32 and 7 in October. The Cavs charged out to an 8-1 record, ripping off an 8-game winning streak after an opening-night loss.

When Garland returned, he and Mitchell coexisted nicely. 50 points and 12 assists a night from your backcourt is quite the luxury, and both are good free-throw shooters at 86 percent.

Adding Mitchell to this group not only added an All-Star and All-NBA level player, but it also gave them a leader who has played in a lot of big games in his 6-year career. Props to Garland for being cool with handing the keys over. Garland seems like the best teammate.

With an undersized backcourt, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley sure held it down for the Cavs on D, rim-protecting terrors roaming the paint, ready to block and alter any shot in sight. Mobley was so versatile and everywhere on defense that he finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting in just his second year in the league.

Behind the foundation of the Block Brothers, the Cleveland Cavaliers finished with the No. 1 defense in the entire league. It’s such a stark turnaround from 2018 to 2021 when the Cavs had the worst defense in the NBA.

The Cavs were actually a streaky team, fairing much better at home.

• A 5-game winning streak in December was followed by a 3-game losing streak.

• A 7-game winning streak in February was followed by another 3-game losing streak.

• The Cavs were 31-10 at the Rock and 20-21 on the road.

The Cavs closed the season by winning 12 of the last 17 games, finishing with 51 wins and the No. 4 seed in the East.

In the first round against the Knicks, Mitchell Robinson surprisingly worked Allen and Mobley, who did not seem quite ready for the bright lights of the playoffs. The Cavs’ offense also could never get going, scoring a lowly 94 points per game in the series. And Thibs outcoached J.B. Bickerstaff to the point that it was all over the timeline.

Trading for D. Mitch still looks like the right move (even despite Markkanen’s ascension), but there is still work to be done here.

This franchise is still heading in the right direction, though. It’s important to remember that despite high expectations this was their first trip to the playoffs in five years.

Cleveland is still out from the darkness post-LeBron, already in much brighter days and with more to come.

_____________________________________

Additional Notes

• The Kevin Love situation was so bizarre, but it’s easy to forget that he had fallen out of the rotation and was having a rough season in Cleveland. It just looks so much worse when he was starting in the freaking NBA Finals.

• Isaac Okoro’s scoring dipped, but his shooting numbers were actually up. Defenses still leave him be, wide open in the corner. That’s a problem in the playoffs. Especially with Mobley and Allen on the floor. Bickerstaff opted for more of Cedi Osman, but that did not work out so well either as the Knicks attacked him on defense.

• Ricky Rubio eventually debuted in January after his torn Achilles last season. He understandably lost a step. A summer of getting back into shape and having an actual backup point could do wonders for the Cavs.

_____________________________________

Did our preseason Over/Under prediction hit?

This is one of the most exciting teams in the league, but the number just feels too high. Under 47.5 wins.

Cavs 2022-23 record: (51-31)

Nope. The number was not too high.

_____________________________________

What’s Next?

• No first-round pick. They would rather have Donovan Mitchell anyway.

• The Cavs have 10 players under contract for next season, so the roster is mostly set outside of working any trades. Caris LeVert is the one big free agent question.

• It felt like Jae Crowder, or at least a Jae Crowder type on the wing, would be a helpful piece. Anybody and everybody could use another wing, but especially the Cavs.

_____________________________________

Favorite Cavs Highlight of the 2022-23 Season:

The craziest part about Mitchell’s 71 points is not that it only took him 34 shots, but that he also had 11 assists!

Minnesota Timberwolves

The 2022-23 Minnesota Timberwolves can be defined by squeaking into the playoffs via the play-in and losing to the eventual champion Nuggets in 5 games.

What did we learn?

The Gobert trade was even more dismal than we thought.

From the jump, the fit between Towns and Gobert and the new-look Wolves was wonky. The Wolves played like a team missing their high-energy and culture guys from last season (Pat Bev and Vando).

It didn’t help that KAT got hurt (again), a calf strain at the end of November that caused him to miss nearly three months. Towns played in just 29 games this season.

On the contrary, Anthony Edwards played in 79 games, increasing his numbers across the board with a jump in usage. Ant-Man is a fiery competitor. We love that he cares about playing as many games as possible and being available for his team.

Sure, he was visibly annoyed at this team at times this season. Can you really blame him? The dude is 21 years old and already has had to carry the team night in and night out. He has the star power and the one-on-one game to pull it off, but it’s still a draining task.

Rudy Gobert’s arrival to Minnesota could not have started worse. His numbers were down across the board and it stung considerably more given the fact that rookie Walker Kessler’s per-36 numbers were on par with Gobert’s. You could easily argue that you would rather have Kessler over Gobert right now straight up. (And when you consider the contracts, it’s a no-brainer.)

Then you remember everything else the Wolves gave up to get him and you hope Wolves fans are okay if they are reading this.

The T-Wolves salvaged the season at the trade deadline by saying goodbye to D-Lo and hello to Mike Conley, who helped out Gobert tremendously. The previous rapport that Conley and Gobert built in Utah translated to Minny. Conley set the table for the Wolves on offense, giving them much-needed structure and organization.

For the second straight season, the calendar flipping from December to January sparked something inside the Wolves.

• Oct. 18 - Dec. 31: (16-21 record)

• Jan. 1 - April 9: (26-19 record)

Ant-Man found his groove and had seven 30-point games in January after having eight over the first 2.5 months of the season, igniting the Wolves to close out strong.

The T-Wolves finished a shade over .500 and with the No. 8 seed in the West, losing the first play-in game to the Lakers, blowing a 15-point lead. But they handled the undersized Thunder in the second play-in game, winning by 25 to get in the postseason.

For the most part, the Nuggets rolled, but the Wolves were able to win Game 4 in OT after nearly blowing another late lead. Ant-Man was about the playoff life, putting up 31-5-5, and it’s important to remember that the Wolves were missing Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid and Kyle Anderson, three of their top-7 players.

Going foward, it’s all about maximizing the talent and roster around Anthony Edwards. Chalking the Gobert trade as an epic failure and cutting your losses this early would be a tough look, but Gobert’s value is not going to go up. Moving on from Towns would also be difficult, but the Wolves don’t have many other avenues to make upgrades. That’s the position they have put themselves in.

The T-Wolves say they are committed to the two big-man game with Towns and Gobert…

But with Ant-man:

You don’t want another KG in Minnesota situation all over again.

Additional Notes

• When KAT was out and Gobert also missed time, Naz Reid really held it down. An underrated power dunker and 3-point shooter, sometimes the Wolves looked their best with Reid at the 5, giving Anthony Edwards the most room to work.

• For being deemed “untouchable” last season, Jaden McDaniels had an underwhelming season on the surface, averaging 12 points in 30 minutes per game. But McDaniels played 79 games, put up good shooting numbers and was tremendous on defense. Somehow he was left off the All-Defense teams. But he was the only player in the league with at least 75 steals and 75 blocks. He was not available in the playoffs, breaking his hand after punching a wall that was supposedly behind a curtain.

• Kyle Anderson was a beneficial player to have around this season, starting 46 games and helping Chris Finch with lineup flexibility. However, Anderson’s season will be remembered most for the fight with Gobert.

_____________________________________

Did our preseason Over/Under prediction hit?

The playoffs are another story, but this team seems built to excel in the regular season. Over 48.5 wins.

T-Wolves 2022-23 record: (42-40)

Nope. But it ended up being a lot closer than we thought after the first two months.

_____________________________________

What’s Next?

• No draft picks is tough. Well, the Wolves do have the No. 53 pick in the second round. So there’s that.

• Take care of the lesser teams on the schedule. The Wolves were 6-12 this season against the Hornets, Spurs, Rockets, Pistons, Wizards and Blazers.

• Naz Reid is a free agent, and Minnesota would be silly to let him go. Then again, a lot of their money is already tied up…

_____________________________________

Favorite T-Wolves Highlight of the 2022-23 Season:

Holy Shit, Ant, what a sequencehttps://t.co/XuvuQcaDCd pic.twitter.com/1zdYsxWd7L

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) April 9, 2023

This space is usually reserved for an Ant power dunk, but this time it’s a power block.

Brooklyn Nets

The 2022-23 Brooklyn Nets can be defined by the fact that KD and Kyrie are gone.

What did we learn?

The KD and Kyrie era is over in Brooklyn.

And with one trip to the second round of the playoffs to show for it.

To the surprise of nobody, this season got off to a rocky start. The Nets started 1-5 and Steve Nash was canned on Nov. 1, barely making it past Halloween before being put out of his misery.

Two days later, Kyrie was suspended from the team. Not because of a vaccine mandate, but this time it was because of a tweet. Just another chapter in the book of Kyrie just can’t help himself from off-the-court antics that are a distraction to the team.

Kyrie did his time (2 weeks) and after he returned, the Nets were the best team in the league, ripping off a 17-3 record in a 20-game stretch with the No. 1 offense in the NBA in December. Kyrie even stayed away from drama for the next two months. But we heeded a warning in our early-Feb. power rankings:

Kyrie has stepped up in Durant’s absence, averaging 31.4 points per game since Jan. 12, No. 6 in the NBA over that span. Even more impressive is the fact that he’s stayed on his best behavior for this long. (As always, what could be around the next bend?)

Four days later, he requested a trade.

The Nets granted Kyrie his wish, more than elated to be out of the Kyrie business like all of the other teams before them.

Soon enough, KD was traded as well and the 16 games that KD, Kyrie and Harden played together will go down in infamous folklore, an old wives tale that was actually true for the blink of an eye.

And so, Ben Simmons is the lone survivor of the 2022-23 Nets “Big 3” that was the biggest joke. When he actually played, Simmons was still afraid to shoot. He was fine on defense and passing in transition, but he couldn’t score or stay healthy. (The Nets got fleeced in Harden trades twice.)

However, the new-look run-and-gun Nets with Mikal Bridges leading the show were a breath of the freshest air. Brooklyn got to see what a real team that likes each other looks like.

This iteration of the Nets had wings galore: Bridges, Cam Johnson, DFS, Royce O’Neale, Joe Harris and Cam Thomas.

Bridges, with the highest offensive freedom and usage of his career, erupted into a 26 points per game scorer, taking almost 19 shots a night.

The new-look Nets were 12-15 after the trade deadline, able to hold on to the 6-seed in the East and avoid the play-in.

They did get swept by Philly in the first round, but they hung in and were competitive in those games.

In the end, this season was all about moving on from another disastrous attempt to bring superstar talent to Brooklyn.

It’s a risk on paper you have to take.

But was it really worth it?

_____________________________________

Additional Notes

• Right at the trade deadline, there was a three-game stretch where Cam Thomas went bananas, scoring 44, 47 and 43 points in consecutive games. BANANAS. Three 40-point games in a row!

• Nic Claxton’s progression this season definitely got swept under the rug with everything else happening in Brooklyn. He would have gotten a vote from this here blog for 2nd-team All-Defense.

• Spencer Dinwiddie’s return to Brooklyn also did not get enough love. From March 1 to the end of the season, Dinwiddie averaged 16 points and 10 assists.

_____________________________________

Did our preseason Over/Under prediction hit?

There are just too many questions here. Under feels like the safe bet. Under 50.5 wins.

Nets 2022-23 record: (45-37)

Yes indeed. This Under was safe.

_____________________________________

What’s Next?

• The Nets currently have back-to-back picks at No. 21 and No. 22 in the 1st round.

• Jacque Vaughn will be shoring up his coaching staff this offseason. Some have suggested hiring former Hornets head coach James Borrego, whom Vaughn knows well from their time spent together in San Antonio, and assistant coach Joe Prunty, previously of the Hawks.

• Get the vibes from the pre-KD, pre-Kyrie 2018-19 Nets back.

_____________________________________

Favorite Nets Highlight of the 2022-23 Season:

New Orleans Pelicans

The 2022-23 New Orleans Pelicans can be defined by missing the playoffs after starting the season 18-8 as the hottest team in the West.

What did we learn?

The injury bug came for Zion and the Pellies again.

This season began on the right foot and in such a promising way.

Zion looked better than ever, a lean bulldozer in the paint, shredding the league on a nightly basis. Big Z matched his 2020-21 All-Star numbers, averaging 26 points and 7 rebounds on 61 percent shooting. He even increased his assists to 4.6 per game.

Two months into the season, the Pelicans were 18-8 and in 1st place in the Western Conference after a 7-game winning streak was capped off by Zion’s 360-windmill in garbage time against the Suns. On Dec. 30, New Year’s Eve’s Eve, the Pelicans were 23-12 and still No. 1 in the West, tied at the top with the Denver Nuggets.

That’s when things came crashing down.

Zion injured his hammy two games later and the Pelicans were never the same.

• Oct. 18 - Dec. 30: (23-12) No. 6 offense and No. 6 defense

• Dec. 31 - April 9: (19-28) No. 25 offense and No. 12 defense

Big Z never returned, which has very unfortunately become an all too common occurrence with him. He just can’t stay healthy and on the court. An unbelievable player, just not one that’s available.

Brandon Ingram also injured his toe (severely), an injury that kept him out for two straight MONTHS.

The Pels did still have CJ, but without Zion and B.I., they just didn’t have the firepower to hang in a lot of nights in such a talented league. Even Jose Alvarado got hurt and was missed dearly, his energy and tenacity forever contagious.

The Pels were much better when Ingram returned at the end of January, ending the season on another strong run similar to last season. Over the last three weeks of the regular season, no team won more games than the New Orleans Pelicans, boasting a top-10 offense and the No. 2 defense over that stretch.

It was good enough to get the Pelicans the No. 9 seed and a home play-in game. But they fell short against the Thunder, losing by five and missing the playoffs altogether.

It was a lackluster ending to a disappointing season.

There is a good team here. This is a good roster.

They just need Zion.

_____________________________________

Additional Notes

• Trey Murphy III was probably the brightest part of the entire Pelicans season. Murphy played 31 minutes per game and tripled his scoring output, shooting 40 percent from 3 and 61 percent on 2s. (90 percent on free throws as well.)

• J-Val did very J-Val things. He played less minutes but still averaged a double-double.

• Dyson Daniels saw limited action but was a pretty good defensive-oriented rookie. The trade for Josh Richardson and sending Devonte’ Graham’s shooting to San Antonio was a peculiar one.

_____________________________________

Did our preseason Over/Under prediction hit?

This one feels too easy and like a Pure Lock. Over 44.5 wins.

Pelicans 2022-23 record: (42-40)

Nope. It’s the ones that feel too easy that don’t be hitting.

_____________________________________

What’s Next?

• The No. 14 pick in the draft. KOC recommends Baylor’s Keyonte George to shadow CJ and eventually take over his spot. Not a bad idea considering CJ will be 32 next season with 10 years in the league.

• Per Bobby Marks, “Year One of Williamson's $194 million extension has New Orleans $1.3 million above the luxury tax when including its lottery pick. To get under the tax, the Pelicans have the option of waiving Garrett Temple and signing a minimum free agent as a replacement.” That’s going to be a yes from us.

• Someway. Somehow. Get. Zion. Healthy.

_____________________________________

Favorite Pelicans Highlight of the 2022-23 Season:

The Suns weren’t happy with Zion’s windmill dunk at the end of the game 😯 pic.twitter.com/N2NyLb2q9b

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 10, 2022

Toronto Raptors

The 2022-23 Toronto Raptors can be defined by winning seven fewer games than last season and missing the playoffs.

What did we learn?

Nick Nurse is out as head coach of the Raptors.

It’s only been four years since the Raptors won the 2018-19 Finals under Nurse, but that’s how Masai operates. And that’s what happens when the vibes of the team are off.

For as much as the Raps overachieved last year, they underwhelmed this season. We kept waiting for them to get hot and make a big run like they did post-All-Star last year, but it never happened.

Toronto’s style of play was too dependent on forcing turnovers and scoring in transition. The Raptors did those things very well, better than anybody, but they could not score in the halfcourt — which, turns out, is a very important part of the game.

There was too much isolation. Not enough playmaking or shooting. A look at the Raptors’ shooting accuracy on Cleaning the Glass shows a lot of blue. Blue is bad. Blue means cold.

The spacing was poor, a result of not having many shooters and your good shooters not shooting well. The driving lanes were clogged.

Fred VanVleet’s struggles this season heavily plagued the Raptors.  FVV shot 39 percent from the field and had too many games where he couldn’t buy a bucket. In the 15 games that he shot less than 30 percent, the Raptors went 2-13.

Scottie Barnes had a bit of a sophomore slump. His base numbers were actually about the same as his Rookie of the Year campaign, but his efficiency and shot regressed. Barnes’ assists increased as he was used more as a power guard.

Pascal Siakam shined in the midst of a career year, averaging his most points and assists per game while playing the most minutes per game in the league.  He did not make All-NBA, but he was an All-Star for the second time in his career.

OG Anunoby quietly had a good season. He shot the ball less, but more effectively, back up to 39 percent from 3. OG remained a stout defender, leading the NBA in steals. But he also turned the ball over and fouled at career-high rates.

Precious Achiuwa was a bellwether player for the Raps. Achiuwa missed three weeks in November and all of December with an ankle injury. The Raptors had a December record of 5-10, only the Hornets and Pistons had fewer wins in the last month of 2022. With Achiuwa in the lineup this season, the Raps had a winning record of 30-25.

The deadline trade for Jakob Poeltl was a surprising one, but having a true 5 helped the structure. It was not enough to get the Raptors over the hump.

Toronto closed the season out by winning 6 out of 9 games, granting them the No. 9 seed and home court for the first play-in game against the Bulls. But the Raptors blew a 19-point lead while missing 18 free throws as Mari DeRozan screamed away their chances at the playoffs.

Masai and the Raptors are once again at a crossroads, probably more now than ever.

A trade this summer seems all too likely.

FVV has already opted out and will be a free agent.

North of the border, changes are in the wind.

_____________________________________

Additional Notes

• Gary Trent had an up-and-down season, consistently inconsistent. Capable of torching 3s and going off for 30, but just as capable of looking like a chucker.

• The average fan probably has never heard of him, but rookie Christian Koloko started 19 games this season, looking like a block machine at times with thunderous rejections.

• The Otto Porter Jr. experiment did not go as planned. OPJ played just 8 games this season. Delano Banton also played half the games he did last season as a rook. Banton has to work on this 3-point shot, though. That was an area where we thought OPJ would help.

_____________________________________

Did our preseason Over/Under prediction hit?

This one feels like a Pure Lock. Over 46.5 wins.

Raptors 2022-23 record: (41-41)

Nope. All of the ones that felt like Pure Locks did not hit lol

_____________________________________

What’s Next?

• The No. 13 pick in the draft. The Raptors need to use their draft pick to have a rookie-scale contract. Future firsts are gone to San An. Speaking of, they should probably re-sign Poeltl to make that trade worth it. And to have an actual center on the roster.

• New head coach Darko Rajakovic. Rajakovic was an assistant coach for the Grizzlies. Some have suggested this hire points to future moves toward a rebuild.

• The rumor mill has floated Siakam to Portland for Simons and the No. 3 pick. Honestly, that has the potential to work out for both teams.

• VanVleet declined his $22.8 million player option and is officially and unrestricted free agent. If he’s not back on the Raptors, a sign-and-trade seems very much in the cards.

_____________________________________

Favorite Raptors Highlight of the 2022-23 Season:

Scottie Barnes over Mason Plumlee 😤 pic.twitter.com/yrUg0Rcw7L

— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 11, 2023

SCOTTIE BARNES OH MY GOODNESS 🤯 pic.twitter.com/MhSSkU8v9D

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 8, 2022

The Return of Power Dunk City. Coming Soon.

Oklahoma City Thunder

The 2022-23 Oklahoma City Thunder can be defined by being one of the Young Surprise Teams that was promised and making the West play-in despite not having the No. 2 pick in the draft.

What did we learn?

SGA is even better than we thought.

Not only is he so good that you can’t tank with him out there — something that we have shouted from the mountaintops for years — but he blossomed into a bonafide All-Star and one of the best players in the game.

SGA scored the 4th-most points in the entire league, averaging 31.4 a night, and was a no-doubt first-team All-NBA selection. He led this young Thunder team (the second-youngest team in NBA history) with a calm and poised demeanor, yet a relentless attack. SGA drove to the basket all night long and lived at the free throw line, shooting 90.5 percent on 10.9 attempts per game.

Taking the baton from Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams was an electric rookie with fabulous hair. J-Dub is bigger than you think thanks to his 7-foot-2 wingspan. He made a late push for Rookie of the Year and finished second.

Giddey continued what he started last season as a rook, scoring more (16.6 points) with higher usage while still getting his rebounds and assists (8 and 6 a night) with some huge games thrown in. Triple-doubles are very much in Giddey’s bag, notching four this season to go along with 28 double-doubles.

Giddey’s 3-point shot improved considerably but his percentage was wildly inconsistent on a month-to-month basis:

• October: 30.8

• November: 23.8

• December: 43.2

• January: 32.6

• February: 22.2

• March: 38.2

Need more of December and March, for sure.

January was actually the best month of the season for the Thunder, ripping off a stretch of winning 8 out of 11 games. With the No. 3 offense and a top-10 defense in January, the only team in the NBA to have a better net rating than OKC in the first month of 2023 was the Denver Nuggets.

The Thunder’s defense was sneaky good, active and fast. Top 10 in steals. Lu Dort did Lu Dort things. Dorture Chamber defense and moonball 3s.

Most of all, the Thunder played as a team, a well-connected unit that could rip off a run at any time. And they never gave up on games, they made you beat them until the final buzzer.

They beat the Pelicans in the first play-in but fell short against the T-Wolves. This season was still a wild success and quite a surprise. OKC won 16.5 more games than their preseason Vegas win total, cementing them as a no-doubt Young Surprise Team.

They did this all without a big man and they have one waiting in the wings in Chet to go along with that treasure chest of draft picks that’s still loaded and ready to be unleashed.

The foundation is set:

SGA, Giddey, J-Dub, Chet

And don’t forget about Poku.

_____________________________________

Additional Notes

• The other Jaylin Williams was pretty good for a rookie, too. (But this here blog will never advocate that it’s a good idea to have two guys with the same name on the same team.) The Arkansas Jaylin Williams quietly started 36 games for the Thunder.

• Tre Mann played less this season but still had some big scoring games, including 25 early in the season against the Clippers and a 24-12-12 triple-double on the last day of the season.

• Big shout out to Isaiah Joe, a Philly castaway who showed up to OKC and lit it up from 3, 40.9 percent on 5.4 attempts per game. And they picked him up off waivers! Sam Presti is a wizard.

_____________________________________

Did our preseason Over/Under prediction hit?

The threat of the tank is once again quite severe, but this could be a redux of last season. Over 23.5 wins.

Thunder 2022-23 record: (40-42)

Yes indeed! The Thunder soared over, achieving win No. 24 on Jan. 27!

_____________________________________

What’s Next?

• The No. 12 pick in the draft. The Thunder already have so many young guys, perhaps it’s time to cash in some chips? Fun fact: No. 12 is where Jalen Williams was selected last year, where Steven Adams was selected 10 years ago, and where Nick Collison was drafted 20 years ago.

• More shooting would be great to optimize driving lanes for SGA.

• Free agent signings have not exactly been common for OKC, but the Thunder could have up to $30 million in cap space.

_____________________________________

Favorite Thunder Highlights of the 2022-23 Season:

SGA DOES IT AGAIN.https://t.co/RiLgckgYK0 pic.twitter.com/XyWZUvYpAL

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) December 20, 2022

Jalen Williams keeps the Thunder’s playoff hopes alive with the putback game-winnerhttps://t.co/gEVUVzNhYR pic.twitter.com/0R2cCYlLfn

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) March 30, 2023

24 seconds of season-saving defense by The Dorture Chamber. Thunder win. https://t.co/OVTMZOsT4x pic.twitter.com/izIPmzOvzo

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) March 22, 2023

Chicago Bulls

The 2022-23 Chicago Bulls can be defined by winning six fewer games than last season and missing the playoffs.

What did we learn?

The Bulls were mid, finishing as the 10-seed in the East.

Chicago did win the first play-in game in Toronto, completing a 19-point comeback thanks in large part to Mari DeRozan, DeMar DeRozan’s daughter, sitting courtside and screaming so shriekingly loud that the Raptors missed 18 free throws.

The Bulls then lost to the Heat in the second play-in game, melting away in the final minutes after having a 6-point lead with seven minutes left. It was a sight all too familiar for Bulls fans as the Heat ended the game on a 15-1 run over the final 3:47. The Bulls missed their final eight shots.

Crunch time was an issue all season long. Chicago held the 4th-worst clutch record in the NBA at 15-23 after being 25-16 and No. 4 last season with all of DeRozan’s late-game heroics.

DeRozan still played his heart out and gave it everything he had, an All-Star for the second straight season. But the Bulls had a negative net rating with DeRozan, LaVine and Vooch on the court together. A “big 3” that doesn’t appear to be getting them anywhere.

LaVine put the knee injury that plagued him at the beginning of the season behind him, increasing his burst and scoring as the season progressed. His numbers ended almost identical to last season. LaVine’s 3-point shot was absolutely crucial to Bulls wins this season. In the 33 games that LaVine shot better than 37 percent from 3, the Bulls were 27-6. In all other games, the Bulls went 13-36.

Vooch was an NBA Iron Man, playing all 82 games for the Bulls. His base numbers somehow were identical to last season. He improved both his 3-point and free-throw percentages. It was an all-around good season for him.

But the bigger big-picture problem is that 23-year-old Wendell Carter Jr. is basically just as good as 32-year-old Vooch already, and the price the Bulls paid for Vooch includes the Bulls’ first-round pick in this year’s draft (No. 11) in addition to the fact that the Magic already selected Franz Wagner with another lottery pick recouped in the trade. (Not to mention that former Bull Lauri Markkanen just turned into an All-Star and the NBA’s Most Improved Player.)

Patrick Williams joined Vooch as an 82-game Iron Man. He constantly guarded the opposing team’s best player and shot 41 percent from 3. However, Williams was not always trusted by Billy D to play in crunch time, and he would go through stretches of bewildering unaggressiveness.

Patrick Beverley showed up in late February off the buyout market and instantly made a difference, a defensive spark that was contagious. Caruso had another season as an excellent role player, providing elite perimeter defense that earned him a spot on first-team All-Defense.

Opposite of last season, the Bulls actually had a lot of momentum going after the All-Star break and were a good team for the last three months of the season. They rocked a 14-9 record after All-Star and the No. 1 defense after January 1st. Yes, you read that correctly — the Bulls finished with a top-5 defense on the season.

It was the Bulls’ offense and their choice of shot selection that was a huge hindrance. Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Artuas Karnisovas said it best, “It will be a priority for us to change our shooting profile because it’s very difficult for us to go into every game with such a deficit. We’re last in 3-point rate. We’re last in 3-point field goals made. It’s almost like we’re going into every game with an eight-point deficit to make up.”

If the Bulls seemed to have a strong foundation after the Vooch trade and splash of the 2021 offseason, that foundation has crumbled with Lonzo’s absence and withered with aging DeRozan and Vucevic.

The evidence is clear and suggests that the Bulls are stuck in the middle and need to make a change.

Vooch is an unrestricted free agent, but how can this team expect any different results by bringing back the same team?

The Bulls did nothing last offseason. The Bulls did nothing at the trade deadline.

More than anything, it’s time to make a move.

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Additional Notes

• Ayo was a great find in the second round of the draft and is a fine role player. He does have some turnover tendencies, but he is a winning player any team would be lucky to have.

• A lot of Bulls fans will tell you that if Billy D did not sub in Pat Bev for Coby White at the end of the second play-in game vs. the Heat, the Bulls would have won that game. White had 14 points off the bench and drilled 4-of-6 3-pointers. Pat Bev went scoreless in 27 minutes.

• Javonte Green only played 32 games this season, and the Bulls missed his energy and speed.

• We sure did not see much from the No. 18 pick in last year’s draft, Dalen Terry, who played just 38 games and averaged 5.6 minutes.

• Last, but not least, Goran Dragic was here for 51 games. And for the first three months of the season, he was No. 4 on the team in usage.

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Did our preseason Over/Under prediction hit?

Really hope the Bulls are fun again, but just can’t take their Over in the loaded East. Under 42.5 wins.

Bulls 2022-23 record: (40-42)

Yes indeed. It was a little sweaty with the Bulls’ late push, but it was never too much of a concern.

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What’s Next?

• No first-round pick is a tough look. Again: perhaps more than any team, the Bulls need to make a trade.

• The Bulls could use a floor general and shooting. For the latter, how about Seth Curry?

• Vooch is a free agent and the biggest question here. They can’t afford to lose him for nothing, but the Bulls also cannot be a tax team for 40 wins and missing the playoffs. Right? Right.

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Favorite Bulls Highlight of the 2022-23 Season:

DEMAR DEROZAN@DeMar_DeRozan | @NBCSChicago pic.twitter.com/pVAVN4l7IC

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 24, 2022

DEROZAN. 45 and counting. 30 since halftime in this must-win.https://t.co/Ps4OkwEXgN pic.twitter.com/VAzJfiuaIC

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) March 18, 2023

Still a mid-range master.