Filed under:The NBA is overflowing with transcendent talents like LeBron, Giannis, and Zion, but none of them can hold a candle to the Warriors’ fire-shooting star when he’s perfectly aflameThe 2020-21 NBA season hasn’t been devoid of delight, exactly. There’s been stuff to savor: the overwhelming brilliance of and , the ascent of and , the surprising resurgence of and , a galaxy of stars shining brightly on any given night, etc. For the most part, though, this season—conducted in the throes of a pandemic, abbreviated and accelerated, with injury, illness, and overarching anxiety suffusing...…Filed under:The NBA is overflowing with transcendent talents like LeBron, Giannis, and Zion, but none of them can hold a candle to the Warriors’ fire-shooting star when he’s perfectly aflameThe 2020-21 NBA season hasn’t been devoid of delight, exactly. There’s been stuff to savor: the overwhelming brilliance of and , the ascent of and , the surprising resurgence of and , a galaxy of stars shining brightly on any given night, etc. For the most part, though, this season—conducted in the throes of a pandemic, abbreviated and accelerated, with injury, illness, and overarching anxiety suffusing...WW…

Filed under:Nikola Jokic is the odds-on favorite to win the award, but the Sixers center has been arguably this season’s greatest force, albeit in fewer games. Can Embiid make up the ground?What stood out, I think, was the tone.Joel Embiid on his MVP candidacy: “As far as MVP, I’ve been dominant all season. When I get the ball, it’s either a foul or a bucket. I feel like I’m right there.” — Sergen (@sergenkumas)After the 76ers’ 123-117 win over the Nets (well, a version of them, anyway, as Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Blake Griffin all missed the contest) last week, Joel Embiid fielded a...…Filed under:Nikola Jokic is the odds-on favorite to win the award, but the Sixers center has been arguably this season’s greatest force, albeit in fewer games. Can Embiid make up the ground?What stood out, I think, was the tone.Joel Embiid on his MVP candidacy: “As far as MVP, I’ve been dominant all season. When I get the ball, it’s either a foul or a bucket. I feel like I’m right there.” — Sergen (@sergenkumas)After the 76ers’ 123-117 win over the Nets (well, a version of them, anyway, as Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Blake Griffin all missed the contest) last week, Joel Embiid fielded a...WW…

Filed under:LaMelo Ball may have Rookie of the Year wrapped up, but the Wolves rookie is beginning to deliver on his immense hype and offer last-place Minnesota a glimmer of hopeFor more than a decade, the Timberwolves have been a franchise in need of a direction—a defined road map to building the sort of and sustained success that has proved elusive ever since Kevin Garnett became a Celtic. Almost three-quarters of the way through another dreadful season marked by , more disastrous injuries and illnesses, and a league-worst record that , it remains unclear whether the Wolves have found...…Filed under:LaMelo Ball may have Rookie of the Year wrapped up, but the Wolves rookie is beginning to deliver on his immense hype and offer last-place Minnesota a glimmer of hopeFor more than a decade, the Timberwolves have been a franchise in need of a direction—a defined road map to building the sort of and sustained success that has proved elusive ever since Kevin Garnett became a Celtic. Almost three-quarters of the way through another dreadful season marked by , more disastrous injuries and illnesses, and a league-worst record that , it remains unclear whether the Wolves have found...WW…

Filed under:RJ Barrett has made noticeable improvements in his second season, but can he ever be the face of the franchise? And if not, what does that mean for his and New York’s futures?Ninety-five games into his NBA career, it’s tough to know quite what to make of RJ Barrett. That’s due in part to the fact that the 2019 NBA draft’s no. 3 pick often tends to be defined by what he isn’t—namely, the no. 1 or no. 2 pick in that draft.Zion Williamson just started in the All-Star Game, looking like some unholy reimagining of . Ja Morant is thriving as the high-end pick-and-roll conductor of one...…Filed under:RJ Barrett has made noticeable improvements in his second season, but can he ever be the face of the franchise? And if not, what does that mean for his and New York’s futures?Ninety-five games into his NBA career, it’s tough to know quite what to make of RJ Barrett. That’s due in part to the fact that the 2019 NBA draft’s no. 3 pick often tends to be defined by what he isn’t—namely, the no. 1 or no. 2 pick in that draft.Zion Williamson just started in the All-Star Game, looking like some unholy reimagining of . Ja Morant is thriving as the high-end pick-and-roll conductor of one...WW…

Filed under:Little was expected of Charlotte’s patchwork roster, but the disparate parts have all fit together, altering the team’s trajectory this season and changing the perceptions of its maligned players along the wayNot many items on were actually defective. OK, so maybe there aren’t many kids who’d be psyched to play with a boat that can’t float or an airplane that can’t fly. But a spotted elephant isn’t broken; it’s chic. A bear with wings isn’t faulty; it’s magic. A is, objectively, dope as hell.That’s the lesson of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: That which is different is not in...…Filed under:Little was expected of Charlotte’s patchwork roster, but the disparate parts have all fit together, altering the team’s trajectory this season and changing the perceptions of its maligned players along the wayNot many items on were actually defective. OK, so maybe there aren’t many kids who’d be psyched to play with a boat that can’t float or an airplane that can’t fly. But a spotted elephant isn’t broken; it’s chic. A bear with wings isn’t faulty; it’s magic. A is, objectively, dope as hell.That’s the lesson of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: That which is different is not in...WW…

Filed under:San Antonio’s second unit is absolutely crushing opponents, fueling an unlikely playoff push in the West and offering a glimpse of what the next iteration of the Spurs will look likeThe list of often maps fairly neatly to the top of the standings. These carefully curated five-man units represent the cream of the league’s crop—all marquee names and central-casting role players anchoring teams with a real shot of hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy. This season, for example, the lineups that have outscored opponents by the largest number of points are the preferred starting fives of...…Filed under:San Antonio’s second unit is absolutely crushing opponents, fueling an unlikely playoff push in the West and offering a glimpse of what the next iteration of the Spurs will look likeThe list of often maps fairly neatly to the top of the standings. These carefully curated five-man units represent the cream of the league’s crop—all marquee names and central-casting role players anchoring teams with a real shot of hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy. This season, for example, the lineups that have outscored opponents by the largest number of points are the preferred starting fives of...WW…

Filed under:Ja Morant is the obvious headliner, but the list of reasons to love these Grizzlies is as long as their bench. Memphis might be low on household names, but it’s chock-full of promising talent.Nobody would’ve batted an eye if the Grizzlies had fallen apart. Memphis was 0-2 and struggling to score when with an ankle injury that sidelined the reigning Rookie of the Year for weeks. Without Morant to ignite the offense, and without rising frontcourt star Jaren Jackson Jr. and expected starter Justise Winslow as they rehabilitated injuries of their own, it seemed eminently reasonable...…Filed under:Ja Morant is the obvious headliner, but the list of reasons to love these Grizzlies is as long as their bench. Memphis might be low on household names, but it’s chock-full of promising talent.Nobody would’ve batted an eye if the Grizzlies had fallen apart. Memphis was 0-2 and struggling to score when with an ankle injury that sidelined the reigning Rookie of the Year for weeks. Without Morant to ignite the offense, and without rising frontcourt star Jaren Jackson Jr. and expected starter Justise Winslow as they rehabilitated injuries of their own, it seemed eminently reasonable...WW…

Filed under:LeBron James and Joel Embiid are worthy MVP front-runners, but Denver’s 7-footer putting up prime Russell Westbrook numbers—with staggering efficiency—deserves a seat the tableThe Suns had fought long and hard, leading most of the way and coming several times within a hair’s breadth of victory despite playing without star Devin Booker. But it was getting late, and Nikola Jokic—having just played 40 minutes the night before to beat this same opponent—was getting kind of sleepy. So, as double overtime opened last Saturday, the Nuggets center decided the best thing for everyone was...…Filed under:LeBron James and Joel Embiid are worthy MVP front-runners, but Denver’s 7-footer putting up prime Russell Westbrook numbers—with staggering efficiency—deserves a seat the tableThe Suns had fought long and hard, leading most of the way and coming several times within a hair’s breadth of victory despite playing without star Devin Booker. But it was getting late, and Nikola Jokic—having just played 40 minutes the night before to beat this same opponent—was getting kind of sleepy. So, as double overtime opened last Saturday, the Nuggets center decided the best thing for everyone was...WW…

Filed under:Indiana has the same players as last season, but they are looking—and fitting together—a lot better so far under Nate Bjorkgren. How did the Nick Nurse disciple reinvent the Pacers?It just reached the point where everyone had enough, really. Five strong regular seasons had produced five straight dispiriting playoff exits, including multiple sweeps. The postseason woes laid bare just how large a gap there was between them and the conference’s best teams—in both the talent at the top of the roster and their coach’s in-game strategies. It felt cold, but it was time for something...…Filed under:Indiana has the same players as last season, but they are looking—and fitting together—a lot better so far under Nate Bjorkgren. How did the Nick Nurse disciple reinvent the Pacers?It just reached the point where everyone had enough, really. Five strong regular seasons had produced five straight dispiriting playoff exits, including multiple sweeps. The postseason woes laid bare just how large a gap there was between them and the conference’s best teams—in both the talent at the top of the roster and their coach’s in-game strategies. It felt cold, but it was time for something...WW…

Filed under:What happens when you squeeze the draft and free agency into the same chaos? The league looks drastically different a few days later. Here are five teams that dared to dream big for 2021.If the state of the NBA economy is in dire straits, you sure as hell wouldn’t know it from Finally allowed to conduct business again, albeit without nearly as much cap space available around the league as last offseason, many teams acted as they always do, spending freely and swinging big to try to improve their rosters—some more successfully than others.With the bulk of the big names (for this...…Filed under:What happens when you squeeze the draft and free agency into the same chaos? The league looks drastically different a few days later. Here are five teams that dared to dream big for 2021.If the state of the NBA economy is in dire straits, you sure as hell wouldn’t know it from Finally allowed to conduct business again, albeit without nearly as much cap space available around the league as last offseason, many teams acted as they always do, spending freely and swinging big to try to improve their rosters—some more successfully than others.With the bulk of the big names (for this...WW…