Favorite Storylines and All-NBA Teams from the First Half of the 2021-2022 NBA Season
by Carson Hull
The Memphis Grizzlies Evolving Into Legitimate Threats
I love seeing players fulfill their potential, and that is exactly what we are seeing from 3rd year superstar Ja Morant. To make this jump, Ja improved his 3 point percentage from the low to mid 30s(35.6%). This forces defenders to close out on him just a little bit more, but for such an explosive athlete like Morant who is unstoppable going downhill, that is all it takes. He has one of the best floaters, verticals, and layup packages in the league making him dangerous around the basket. He is this team’s spark. Then you go down the line. Grayson Allen playing for Milwaukee has allowed Desmond Bane to become the perfect backcourt partner for Ja. From year one to two, he has doubled his points per game from 9 to 17 in just 7 extra minutes per game. Despite being built like an All-Pro Linebacker, he is undoubtedly one of the best shooters in the NBA that does not get talked about as such. Dillon Brooks and Jaren Jackson Jr. are elite defenders at a young age. I trust Brooks more on the offensive end, but both have inconsistent games that if they get positives from one if not both, they seem to be unbeatable. In the COVID era, depth seems to be the most important factor for a team, and the Grizzlies are the deepest team in the league. Followed by their core four is a diverse group of different skill sets. Steven Adams, Kyle Anderson, Tyus Jones, John Konchar, De’Anthony Melton, and Xavier Tillman all have bought into their roles and offer shooting, defense, and rebounding that keeps and extends leads, not losing them when Ja is on the bench. They are also developing Ziaire Williams, who is one of the most fascinating rookies. At 6’8 with a 6’10 wingspan, he is a lanky, explosive athlete who has a fundamentally sound jumper. If he fulfills his potential, that gives the Grizzlies a perfect modern wing defender who is already contributing by becoming a great lob partner for Ja in transition. I could see him have a Cam Reddish moment and put it all together for a game or two in the playoffs. The Grizzlies use their youth and athleticism to keep the same identity as the early 2010s Grit and Grind teams. They are currently 1st in the following statistical categories: rebounds, blocks, steals, fast break points, 2nd chance points, points in the paint, deflections, and loose balls recovered per game. They dominate in every hard working and gritty statistical category. They will convert any defensive rebound, block, and steal in transition in the most fun and dynamic way possible. Best of all, along with depth, arguably this team’s greatest skill is their chemistry. Everyone seems to be bought into turning this small market team into a real contender. They play hard on both ends of the ball for each other with a combination of young, homegrown talent and other journeymen that have suddenly found a home. With wins over Golden State, Utah, Phoenix, and Brooklyn, this team is not just young and frisky. They are for real. With any sort of injury to a top guy on the other top three western conference teams, don’t be surprised if this team makes a trip to the Conference Finals or even the NBA Finals.
The Cleveland Cavaliers Being Relevant Without LeBron
Similar to the Grizzlies, the Cavs have a young core that is ready to win now. Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and Isaac Okoro make me very excited for the potential of this young Cavs team. I also do like Collin Sexton, but I see him as a 6th man scorer off the bench for them as he does not fit well with Garland. The Cavs have zagged from the modern NBA small ball approach, deploying seven footers in Mobley, Allen, and Lauri Markannen. It is extremely hard to score in the paint against this team with Mobley and Allen protecting it. As a unit, they have the third best defensive rating in the league. On the other end of the floor, Garland has blossomed into an elite scorer and playmaker in the mold of a Trae Young or much shiftier Steve Nash with two elite vertical spacers to catch his lobs off of drives. Now here comes my Evan Mobley apology note. I did not think he was going to be a bust, but I wasn’t sure what skillset he was great at that would separate him from a good to great NBA player. I knew he was a good defender and passer with a decent offensive game. Turns out I was so wrong, because he has multiple great skill sets. He has future DPOY potential, with elite rim protection and great lateral quickness and nimbleness to play elite defense on the perimeter. He is also a great and willing passer, who is already someone you can run an offense through. His offensive bag is much more developed than I could imagine. This dude is hitting turn around and fadeaway jumpers like a young KG or Durant. I am fully on board the Evan Mobley bandwagon, and will be extremely sad if he does not live up to his calling of being the next KG or Tim Duncan.
Garland and Mobley will hopefully be an elite duo for years to come. They are two players whose skill sets mesh perfectly with one another, and they are around the same age and get to develop together. I already mentioned Allen, but we need to talk more about him as well. Again, an elite rim protector, but also an elite finisher around the basket who has great footwork and an incredible hook shot. The Cavaliers completely lucked out getting him as a throw in from the James Harden trade. If I am a Rockets fan, I am agonizing in pain watching Mobley and Allen play dominant twin towers basketball as they both could have and should have been Rockets. Instead, they get to watch Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. play hero ball and not play any defense. I like both of their offensive talents and hope for them to become elite scorers and playmakers in the future, but right now it is a major learning process.
The Chicago Bulls Hitting on Every Free Agent Signing
Zach LaVine has been giving us highlight plays and going toe to toe with the best players in the league for a few years now on a subpar Bulls team. Then he pushed the front office into trading for another All-Star caliber player which turned out to be Nikola Vucevic. Then the Bulls TRIPLED down on backing their athletic scoring freak by signing DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso in free agency. Now, they finally have the contender they always wanted to give Zach LaVine. I commend him for staying patient with the organization allowing them to build this team organically and smartly. DeMar DeRozan has been a revelation who has earned every penny so far of a contract that consensus deemed “over-paying”. We knew he was a killer in the mid range, but he is DOMINATING there having one of the best shooting seasons from that section of the court EVER. Him and LaVine can trade buckets with the best of them, being the only duo in the league to both average 25+. He has also improved on the playmaking he showed in San Antonio and bought into becoming a solid team defender. Two major reasons he and LaVine have bought into playing better defense are the other two free agent signings: Ball and Caruso. These two are scary on the defensive end. They can lock up any guard and read passing lanes like no other. They create so many opportunities for their team by jumping passing lanes and running in transition. In the half court, both are very good three point shooters that play amazing off of LaVine and DeRozan drive and kicks, as well as Vucevic’s underrated passing for a big man. When fully healthy, can 100% compete with the Nets, Bucks, and Heat in the East. The only downfall I see for them not being able to do this is their lack of interior defense. Vucevic is a below average rim protector, and Giannis will be able to cook this team. I think if they can bolster the rim protection behind Vucevic, they have the perimeter defense and scoring ability to beat anybody.
The Stars are Shining
The NBA is a star driven league. That is a cliche way to describe it, but it is true. We are being blessed by having all time great, current players playing some of their best basketball. We are truly witnessing the peaks of a number of great and potential all time players. Let’s start with the biggest star of them all: LeBron James. Stuck on a clunky Lakers team that does not fit his skillset at all, that has not mattered for LeBron who at the age of 37 is still playing some of if not his best basketball. Averaging 29 PPG to go along with almost 8 APG and 6 RPG, he might just win the scoring title as he has been rattling off 30 point game after 30 point game for the past few weeks. Before his injury, Kevin Durant was right there with him also averaging 29 PPG playing 36 MPG. He has never looked better, and the two titans of basketball give buckets out EVERY SINGLE GAME. On a random night in Detroit, KD will go out and score 50 just because he can. These two love the game so much, and to quote KD they will die out on that court because they love the game so much. Someone who is having a better all around season than both of those guys however, is Nikola Jokic. January 19th vs. the Clippers was one of the best offensive performances I have ever witnessed. In the second half, Jokic positively impacted every single offensive possession. There is a great video by Thinking Basketball that details this that I will leave here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JguEU0GGe0c . If he isn’t drilling 3 pointers at a high clip, he is using that leverage to pump fake into a drive where he can kick out or hit a floater or get to the cup using his great footwork for a layup. He will hit a turn around fade, or back you down and punish you in the post. If you come to double, then he will pick you apart with his best skill: his passing. He is one of my favorite players because he is a dominant force on offense that does everything for this below average Nuggets team. Best of all, he has rounded out his game becoming an above average defender that you can trust to protect the paint and compete on switches out on the perimeter. I’ll leave you with his ridiculous stat line: 26/14/7 on 57% FG, 36% 3PFG, and 80% FT. Insane. Then we got Giannis, who is playing just like he did in his two MVP seasons. Then we got Curry, who is actually statistically in a massive shooting slump, but any other player would kill to have his numbers. Despite his struggles, he probably has the best team out of all the players I just listed and lord knows how much scarier they will look once he actually starts shooting like Chef Curry again. Finally, we have Hakeem Olajuwon 2.0 in Joel Embiid. One of his best and healthiest seasons being wasted away by front office ineptitude and a terrible Ben Simmons situation is such a shame, because this man deserves to be competing for a title. In his last ten games, Embiid is averaging 35/11/4 on 54% FG, 34% 3PFG and 84 % FT. He is putting up numbers that match or exceed the other great big men of the history of the NBA, including Hakeem, Shaq, and Kareem. The 1st Team All NBA might be one of the most stacked in NBA history this year, as we are lucky enough to be getting top notch performance from the players that drive our league: the stars. That leads us into my All-NBA teams. This was very tough considering what I just laid out: that a lot of great players are playing really great right now. Before you go any further, these are FOR THE FIRST HALF ONLY and do not reflect my predictions for the actual teams at the end of the season. I blended guards and forwards because the NBA is a position-less game, but tried to keep the center position consistent. I did not really care because it is my list and I can do whatever I want. Here we go:
1st Team: Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetekoumpo, and Nikola Jokic
This is what I am talking about. On paper this is one of the most star studded, dominant 1st team All-NBA teams ever. DeMar should be on this list, but I could not pass up the opportunity to create this insane 2k team.
2nd Team: Ja Morant, Devin Booker, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Joel Embiid
It was only right both of the Bulls are on the same team, as I value each of them equally towards their team’s success. Poor Embiid would be 1st team 100% in an alternate timeline that did not include Jokic.
3rd Team: Donovan Mitchell, Chris Paul, Trae Young, Draymond Green, and Rudy Gobert
The theme of this team(besides Trae who is doing the opposite but I could not leave him off due to his eye boggling offensive stats) is not eye popping stats but contributing to winning. CP3 and Draymond are the heart and soul of two of the best teams in the NBA. The Jazz have been right there as well, and deserve two players on any team despite my hatred(strictly basketball hatred) towards Gobert.
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