Stagnant, steady, or stronger? There are plenty of NBA teams that didn’t seem to notice it was the off-season. Where do these moves, or lack there of, leave them heading into next season?
Stagnant: Chicago Bulls
I guess the Bulls are trying to stay bad. Is that the goal for the new staff? Are they trying to win less games than last season? They haven’t made many moves, and the moves they have made aren’t looking good.
Lackluster Draft Picks
Their first round selection of Patrick Williams was mindboggling to me. He has to find minutes behind Wendell Carter Jr. and Lauri Markkanen, and it’s unlikely that he’ll make a difference buried behind these two players. Even if he wasn’t competing for minutes, he still doesn’t fit the bill of a number four pick. He scored an eye-popping 9.2 points per game in college! He dominated the boards and grabbed 4.0 rebounds per game! What did teams see in him that the rest of the world didn’t? Am I missing something here?
Lackluster Free Agent Signings
They also signed Garrett Temple to a one-year contract. Cool. Temple managed to score a career high 10.3 points per game last year while shooting a lousy 37.8-percent. You know how excited you were as a kid when you’re grandma bought you underwear for Christmas? That’s the level of excitement that this signing elicits. Oh, yeah I’ll use these. Thanks, I guess.
Even less exciting than Christmas underwear is the signing of Noah Vonleh. In his career, Vonleh has averaged 5.0 points per game and 5.2 rebounds. He can score a little, and he can rebound a little. More importantly, he can sit on the bench and cheer for your starters a little.
The Bulls didn’t do anything praiseworthy. In fact, they won’t have a chance at surpassing last season unless everyone steps up. Zach Lavine needs to continue to score twenty-five or more points a game. Otto Porter Jr. will have to do everything in his power to stay on the court. Coby White will have to have a sophomore season for the ages. Everyone has to improve since so little talent was added.
Will they? Probably not. Don’t believe me? Go get a second opinion. Jeremy Macchitelli’s article on the Bull’s inactivity dives even deeper into their offseason.
Stagnant: Miami Heat
The Miami Heat surprised the league when they fought their way to the NBA finals last season. Jimmy Butler proved his worth. He’s hungry, and fans love it. Bam Adebayo played like a young all-star. He’s earned his contract, and we all know it. What could they do to improve? Add a superstar and retain key pieces. Did they accomplish that? Eh, not really.
The Miami Heat drafted a capable big in Precious Achiuwa. They signed Maurice Harkless and Avery Bradley, both players who figure to play minor roles. But you have to remember who they lost. Derrick Jones Jr. and Jae Crowder both moved on. I like Miami’s overall direction, but I don’t think this anemic off-season made them stronger or even helped them remain on course.
If anything, they’ll take a small step back. Tyler Herro, Kendrick Nunn, and Duncan Robinson all have potential to develop and reverse their course. But, if they do improve, they’ll cut into each other’s minutes. Players like Adebayo, Butler, and Dragic will play their parts and play them well, but they may be forced to play a little more since they’ve lost a few capable bench players.
Miami doesn’t project to be much worse, but I can’t imagine them fighting to the finals this year.
Steady: L.A. Clippers
Nothing the Clippers did was especially impressive. Kawhi Leonard is still good. Paul George is still streaky. Lou Williams is still the sixth man of the century. The Clippers added Serge Ibaka and traded for Luke Kennard. They drafted Daniel Oturu and Jay Scrubb. Wow. They are going to be so much better.
Luke Kennard and his questionable knees will chip in 15.8 points per game if he’s given starter minutes. His early career in Detroit showed that he had potential, but it also exposed his inability to stay on the court. After three years of believing in him myself, I was ready to move on. He’s a good piece but he doesn’t move the needle.
Serge Ibaka is capable of leading the league in blocks. Sorry. Serge Ibaka was capable of leading the league in blocks. He averaged 0.8 blocks last year playing 27.0 minutes per game for Toronto. Do his 8.2 rebounds per game make him a game changer? What about his 1.3 three-pointers a game? Can he move the needle? I don’t believe he will.
The L.A. Clippers don’t project to be much worse, but it’s hard to believe they’ll be much better.
Stronger: Memphis Grizzlies
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67021879/21418_960.0.jpeg)
Ja Morant can and will be better this coming season. I believe that a sophomore season similar to Trae Young’s sophomore season is on the horizon. Morant averaged 17.8 points per game on a phenomenal 47.7-percent from the field. His 488 assists were good enough for eighth in the league last year. The team didn’t change much, but did they need to?
According to Coach Jenkins, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Justise Winslow won’t be rushed back into action, but I still anticipate their return early in the season. Brandon Clarke has a ton of potential, and he’d shown flashes of it throughout his rookie season. Mario Hezonja is a capable bench player who at least matches their timeline. The Grizzlies retained a good cast of role players and added four rookies. Desmond Bane and Xavier Tillman Sr. were added via the draft. Killian Tillie and Jahlil Tripp were added after going undrafted.
The team didn’t do much, but that wasn’t part of the plan. They chose not to plant more seeds. Instead, they chose to nurture what they’re already growing. They will be stronger this season.
What do you think? Stagnant, steady, or stronger? What teams did I miss? For more basketball content and sarcastic comments follow me on Twitter. For more sports content check out more recent articles.
