20. Atlanta Hawks
Starting Five: Trae Young, Kevin Huerter, DeAndre Hunter, John Collins, Clint Capela
It's understandable why the Hawks traded for Clint Capela. Young has complained for months about the lack of talent that surrounds him, so trading for a center who's been practically raised in a lab to catch alley-oops and pick-and-roll passes makes a lot of sense.
But let's not get too excited just yet.
The big question with this trade is how Capela will fit with Collins. The Wake Forest product ranks in the 73rd percentile as a roll man in the pick-and-roll, and though he is an improving shooter, he would not be best served as a pure floor spacer, making Capela seem a bit redundant. Perhaps coach Lloyd Pierce will stagger the duo's minutes, but then that leaves Young in the same predicament he was in previously—without a lot of supporting talent.
To be fair, Huerter and Hunter should not be left totally in the lurch. Huerter is a lights-out gunner with solid secondary playmaking instincts, while Hunter has improved in each month of his rookie season. But given Young's great leap forward this season, Atlanta could make the playoffs in the right circumstances next year, and that duo, unfortunately, is not yet ready for those bright lights.
19. Phoenix Suns
Starting Five: Ricky Rubio, Devin Booker, Kelly Oubre Jr., Dario Saric, Deandre Ayton
It's been a tale of two years for the Suns. After starting out 7-4 and beating such teams as the Clippers and Sixers, Phoenix has fallen out of the playoff picture, losing 27 of its last 40 games and dropping to a tie for 11th place in the Western Conference.
There's a strong case to be made that Suns coach Monty Williams should bench Ayton for Aron Baynes. The current starting lineup has a minus-4.2 net rating in 87 minutes, while the same group with Baynes instead of Ayton has a 6.4 net rating in 245 minutes.
It could be a tough sell to the fanbase and ownership to demote the first overall pick in his second season, but the fact is that Phoenix's starting lineup with Baynes on the floor is more amenable to modern basketball.
The worst part about Phoenix's recent struggles is just how good Booker has been. Thanks to solid play from Rubio, the first real point guard the Suns have had in two years, and improvement from Oubre, Booker has been free to do what he's best at, and he's exploded. Hopefully, he'll get an All-Star berth as well next year.
18. Brooklyn Nets
Starting Five: Kyrie Irving, Caris LeVert, Joe Harris, Taurean Prince, Jarrett Allen
It's a testament to the strangeness of Brooklyn's season that this lineup, despite Kyrie and LeVert each missing at least 25 games, is the Nets' second-most used quintet thus far. And for some reason, much like the Nets overall, it has underperformed.
Brooklyn's current starting group has a minus-2.2 net rating, an assist percentage of 57.1 (which would rank 24th in the NBA) and a 115.3 defensive rating, which would be second-worst in the league. In summary, they don't pass the ball well and don't defend well. Sound familiar?
Yes, the Nets, after an extremely fun 2018-19 season that featured an All-Star campaign from D'Angelo Russell and standout seasons from LeVert, Allen and Harris, are slowly taking the shape of their point guard's preferred style of play, warts and all.
It would take more injuries or a collapse of unprecedented proportions for Brooklyn to miss the playoffs entirely, but they are virtually guaranteed a quick first-round exit at this point, which may have not been the case had they stuck with Russell and last year's group.
Hopefully, Kyrie becomes more team-centric and LeVert starts to shake the injury rust off more quickly than he currently is because before too long, Kevin Durant will have to be the savior instead of the greatest failsafe in league history.
17. Sacramento Kings
Starting Five: De'Aaron Fox, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Harrison Barnes, Nemanja Bjelica, Richaun Holmes
After a fun 2018-19 season that saw the Kings come closer to a playoff berth than they have in years, they have flown far under the radar this year.
When Sacramento started 0-5 and Fox missed over a month, most fans likely tuned them out. However, coach Luke Walton has made this team nearly as interesting as last year's club, just with a slightly worse record.
This current Kings lineup is merely a projection because it has not played one single minute this season. But Holmes is set to return from injury Friday, and Walton recently swapped Buddy Hield and Bogdanovic's roles, so this seems the most logical (and interesting) arrangement for now.
After stealing the starting center spot away from Dewayne Dedmon, Holmes has been a standout for Sacramento. Bogdanovic has been similarly productive, and Bjelica is quietly becoming an indispensable floor spacer. And let's not forget Fox, who's still lightning-quick and an All-Star in waiting.
The Kings are just three-and-a-half games away from the West's eighth seed and boast an average strength of schedule over the rest of the season. A playoff berth is unlikely, but it's definitely not out of the question yet.
16. Portland Trail Blazers
Starting Five: Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Trevor Ariza, Carmelo Anthony, Hassan Whiteside
He's really leveled up in recent days, but this entire Portland Trail Blazers season has been a testament to the brilliance of Damian Lillard. The Blazers are currently outside the playoff picture, but without their leader giving 100 percent each and every night, they might be nearing Warriors territory in the standings.
This time last year, three of Portland's current five starters were not only not on the roster, but they were not even necessary. Sure, Lillard and McCollum have recruited Carmelo Anthony for years, but he would have been a luxury item alongside Al-Farouq Aminu, Maurice Harkless and Rodney Hood.
It's truly unbelievable that despite various factors—Whiteside, Anthony and Ariza were all acquired due to various stages of injury-related desperation and only Ariza has been particularly good in his six games—this team is still hanging onto the ninth seed in the West, three games away from a playoff spot.
Underrated for years in the shadow of Stephen Curry, Lillard has finally gotten his chance to shine with Curry hurt—but his own team's terrible injury luck has squandered that opportunity. As Dame presumably continues to keep this team afloat, let's try to appreciate him much more often.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiZ2h0dHBzOi8vYmxlYWNoZXJyZXBvcnQuY29tL2FydGljbGVzLzI4NzUyMTUtcmFua2luZy1ldmVyeS1uYmEtdGVhbXMtc3RhcnRpbmctbGluZXVwLXBvc3QtdHJhZGUtZGVhZGxpbmXSAXdodHRwczovL3N5bmRpY2F0aW9uLmJsZWFjaGVycmVwb3J0LmNvbS9hbXAvMjg3NTIxNS1yYW5raW5nLWV2ZXJ5LW5iYS10ZWFtcy1zdGFydGluZy1saW5ldXAtcG9zdC10cmFkZS1kZWFkbGluZS5hbXAuaHRtbA?oc=5
2020-02-07 16:15:45Z
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