NBA Weekly Vision Nov. 7 - Nov. 14
Photo cred: Houston rockets Instagram
NBA Weekly Vision is a recap and analysis of the NBA each week. Each team will get a very brief overview weekly even if nothing much is coming from the team's news or statistics. A few games may be occasionally highlighted that need to be mentioned such as the season openers or marquee games for example. Sources: ESPN, Bleacher Report, NBA.com.
At this point in the season, we are starting to see teams shape up to what they will become for the season. The bad teams are looking bad and the great teams come as a surprise. Then there's the middle bunch of teams still adjusting to the changes done in the offseason. Only about four teams have found the separation from the rest of the bunch so a confusing offseason is still contributing to a confusing season. The NBA is fun to watch currently though, with the fans second guessing who will win or lose a matchup. Here's week 4 in the NBA.
Atlanta Hawks (2-12): Atlanta did not win this week. We as fans might as well get used to that statement. Dennis Schroder is doing all he can and John Collins looks great for the future but the Hawks looks like they might only grab 15 wins this year. Lowballing of course.
Boston Celtics (13-2): Even when the Celtics lose, they win. The Celtics lost Kyrie Irving due to small face fracture and won a game and a half in his absence. Al Horford made his return also during this week and Kyrie will be back wearing a protective mask versus the Nets. Boston is currently on a 13-game winning streak.
Brooklyn Nets (5-9): Brooklyn picked a win this week against the Blazers and dropped three games. There was more unfortunate news coming out of BK was that D'Angelo Russell will miss several games due to a left knee contusion. Look for Spencer Dinwiddle's number to increase during Russell's absence.
Charlotte Hornets (5-7): The Hornets lost two games this week and are now on a 4-game losing streak. Nicolas Batum is making his season debut versus the Cavaliers so things might be looking up for Charlotte.
Chicago Bulls (2-9): The Bulls have dropped games straight even with Bobby Portis making his return. Portis has been providing the offense but Chicago is still lacking the talent to win games. Some bright spots are on the team (Lauri Markkanen, Jerian Grant, Zach Lavine coming back) but still not enough to be a threat.
Cleveland Cavaliers (7-7): The Cavs have fought back to .500 behind LeBron James. They have won two straight thanks to the heroics of LeBron and Cleveland seems to have finally got things in order. Let's give the Cavs another chance to see if that is true.
Dallas Mavericks (2-13): The Mavericks picked up a win against the Wizards which is impressive. The Mavs are bad but they do compete, usually keeping games close. While Dirk Nowitzki is looking on the decline, Dennis Smith Jr. has shown quite the opposite.
Denver Nuggets (8-6): The Nuggets are back over .500 and Nikola Jokic looks to have found the rhythm that will keeps the team afloat. Jokic is currently averaging a double-double and is knocking at the door of the MVP conversation. Just knocking though, they’re not letting him in just yet.
Detroit Pistons (10-3): Backing up their early season performance, the Pistons have won 8 of their last 10 and are on a 5-game winning streak. Four of the five starting players are playing phenomenal basketball together with Stanley Johnson being the odd man out due to injury.
Golden State Warriors (11-3): After a bumpy start, the Warriors are back in business. Currently, on a 7-game winning streak and winning 9 of the last 10, Golden State is back in playoff form. The Warriors even won without Steph Curry due to a thigh contusion, lead by Kevin Durant. The road to the Finals begins for the Warriors.
Houston Rockets (11-4): James Harden has been keeping the Rockets one of the best (if not the best) team in the West. After just snapping a 6-game win streak, Houston has looked great with Harden and Eric Gordon playing all-star basketball. Plus, we can't deny that Clint Capela looks great too. Things will be interesting for Houston as Chris Paul will make his return this week.
Indiana Pacers (6-8): Welp the Pacers took a slide dip last week. Only winning 1 of the last 6, the Pacers might be feeling the Paul George fatigue. Even so, Victor Oladipo is picking up the slack while Myles Turner finds his groove. Turner needs to hurry that process up.
LA Clippers (5-8): Sheeeeeesh. Those 6 E's equal how many losses the Clippers have in the row. After starting out 4-0, LA has gone 1-8 since. Blake Griffin has been playing ok but Deandre Jordan hasn't been looking too hot especially when Joel Embiid showed him up.
LA Lakers (6-8): Only picking up one win this week, analysis' have been very critical of Lonzo Ball. Ball did pick up a triple-double in the loss against the Bucks, becoming the youngest player to ever do so. The next game Ball was benched in the 4th quarter in the win versus the Suns. During the mist of the Lonzo talk, Kyle Kuzma is getting the shine while Larry Nance Jr. is out.
Memphis Grizzlies (7-6): From being the hot Grizzlies to the polar bears, Memphis has cooled off from their hot start. The Grizz went 1-2 this week and slowly dwindling down the Western Conference totem pole.
Miami Heat (6-7): Amongst the middle, close to .500 club, Miami has had inconsistent play as of late. They did get two wins this week so the pieces are there to win but it looks like the team is relying on Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside all the time. Dion Waiters is a spark sometimes and sometimes is not consistent.
Milwaukee Bucks (7-6): After dropping 4 straight, the Bucks tightened up and won 3 in a row. The addition of Eric Bledsoe has proved to boost the Bucks immensely. Averaging 13 points to so far, Bledsoe has immediately showed that his presence was needed. The combination of Khris Middleton and John Henson have worked well since losing Greg Monroe in the trade. Oh, and Giannis Antetokounmpo is still great.
Minnesota Timberwolves (8-5): After a bumpy start, Minnesota seems to have gain control of the ship. The Wolves did drop two this week but those losses were looked at as more of a heat check for the squad. Look for the T-Wolves to go on another streak soon.
New Orleans Pelicans (8-6): The Pelicans have looked great these two weeks. Only losing to Toronto, Demarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis are handling teams that are in their way. The unsung hero of the week though is E'Twaun Moore. It may be hard seeing him come off the bench if Rajon Rondo returns completely healthy.
New York Knicks (7-6): The Knicks just lost a heartbreaker against the Cavs which would have been a spectacular win. Kristaps Porzingis is still playing at an MVP level and while the talent around isn't the greatest, the squad is enough to win games and that's good enough. Also, Tim Hardaway Jr. has finally shown up consistently.
Oklahoma City Thunder (6-7): After losing 4 straight, the Thunder decided to have a player's meeting and have won two straight since, one without Carmelo Anthony. The key seems to be Paul George, changing his role as a shooter to more of a slasher. It is obvious OKC needs more time together but this week proved that something good is brewing for the Thunder.
Orlando Magic (8-6): Orlando has literally been up and down all season. Winning two, dropping two, winning two, dropping two. We might need to give the Magic a couple more weeks to harden their mold.
Philadelphia 76ers (7-6): The 76ers 5 game winning streak was snapped but the streak was impressive itself. After losing two, they beat the Clippers, with Joel Embiid making a mockery of the Clippers big men. Ben Simmons is balling and Embiid is having fun, the 76ers are going to be dangerous now and DEFINITELY in the future.
Phoenix Suns (5-10): The post-Eric Bledsoe started off well until the Suns dropped five straight. Devin Booker is an animal on the court but some animals need a better pack. Phoenix did pick up a win against the streaking T-Wolves with T.J. Warren dropping 35 along with Booker. Once Greg Monroe gets back from injury, the Suns will see some change but until then, the Suns might look more like the moon.
Portland Trailblazers (7-6): Portland has been up and down so far this year. With probably one of the best backcourts, the inconsistent play of Jusuf Nurkic might be a source of some of the losses. We might see a shift with Meyers Leonard getting back healthy.
Sacramento Kings (3-10): The Kings won two games back to back against two good teams. Other than that, not much good can be said about the Kings. De'Aaron Fox is getting that experience though and Garrett Temple found new life in Sacramento so to state again, the Kings future is bright.
San Antonio Spurs (9-5): The Spurs have won 5 of their last 6 and LaMarcus Aldridge is leading the way. As San Antonio waits for Kawhi Leonard to get back, Aldridge is keeping the Spurs in contention until the star makes his return.
Toronto Raptors (8-5): Probably one of the more consistent teams in the East, Toronto is playing just as good as they did last year. DeMar DeRozan has been playing like an all-star and waiting on Kyle Lowry to get on board with him. Lowry's getting there though, just a slow start.
Utah Jazz (6-8): The Jazz dropped a bit since last week but that's not the only bad news. Rudy Gobert will be out 4-6 weeks due to a bone bruise in his right leg. Very far from good news, Derrick Favors and other bigs need to step up immediately before Utah slip to the bottom of the West during Gobert's absence.
Washington Wizards (8-5): Washington is currently on a 3-game winning streak, lead behind the great backcourt duo. John Wall and Bradley Beal are leading the Wizards in scoring and playing great defense at the same time. One blip on their record is the loss to the Mavericks which the Wiz would rather leave in the past.
