Best Second-Half Storyline
Errol – Bottom of the West
Who’s in, who’s out at the bottom of the West?
Seems like this narrative floats around once or twice every single year in regards to the Western Conference and this year isn’t any different. The eighth seed currently held by the Memphis Grizzlies is tenuous as they sit with a 20-23 record.
The Spurs are ninth and chasing a 23rd STRAIGHT appearance in the playoffs at 18-23. The Phoenix Suns had one of the hottest starts to the season and have fallen back to 18-24 on the season due to several problems arising from Deandre Ayton missing a portion of the start to other players like Kelly Oubre Jr. dealing with injuries.
Both New Orleans and Portland have nearly identical records and both have enough weapons capable of helping each team go on win streaks.
Minnesota and Sacramento both have 15 wins each and could find an ignitor to get them rolling.
And the Warriors, well unless the basketball higher-ups find a way to give them a chance, let’s just call this the forgotten year for the Dubs.
Paul – Trade Deadline
This is the best part of the season really. The NBA All-Star game is the beginning of the real season. After the All-Star game teams put the push on for the playoffs. Teams start to put in place rotations for the playoffs and the game goes to another level. The trade deadline is approaching and this will be a deciding factor for many teams.
So do the Lakers pick up another shooter? Do they trade Kyle Kuzma? The Lakers and other contenders, what they do in the trade scenario or not will make the second half story. Also, will the San Antonio Spurs continue their streak of playoff appearances? What will Popovich do after this season? I can not wait to see how the rest of this season goes, for if it is as good as it has been at the NBA midseason point (and we know it will be better) then we are in for a treat.
Lamarr – Trade Deadline
At the trade deadline, it will be exciting to see what the Clippers and Lakers try to do. Also, it will be interesting to see what happens with Andre Iguodala and Darren Collison. Both players would be able to help a contender with their defensive and offensive skills. I also want to see who will get the bottom seeds in the Western Conference. The Grizzlies are the eighth seed right now, but there are six other teams in striking distance. With Zion Williamson making his debut Wednesday, the New Orleans Pelicans feel they can make a run for the playoffs at the NBA midseason point.
Andrew – Emergence of Luka Dončić
After being drafted by the Hawks at number three, and later traded to the Mavs in a deal involving Trae Young and a first-round draft pick, Luka burst onto the scene as a rookie in the 2018-2019 season. It was quite frequent that Luka put up godly stat lines and he averaged 21/8/6 to prove it. That was good enough to lead the Mavericks to 33 wins and run away with Rookie of the Year.
As a result, it was obvious that there was a potential star in the making. But man, it happened quickly. In his first 38 games of the 2020 season, Luka has done some amazing things: only 4 times has he scored less than 24, 28 games with a positive +/-, tied for 7th in double-doubles with 26, and leads the league in triple-doubles with 12.
But now we get to the real selling point. The Mavericks have the best offense in league history. That’s right. Better than the MJ Bulls, the Larry Bird Celtics, and even the super squad Warriors. The offensive rating statistic (ORtg) is an estimate of points produced or scored per 100 possessions. The Mavericks are first in ORtg with a whopping 117.5 points, comfortably beating out last year’s Warriors squad (115.9). The Mavs offense thrives through Luka Dončić. The Slovenian star has averaged a massive 29/10/9 this season and has made the jump from ROY to the MVP consideration in shockingly quick fashion.
That being said, Luka could be the next mega-superstar in this league and all eyes should be on him down the stretch. We could be witnessing the beginning of something truly spectacular down in Dallas.
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