Community Shootaround

Now that the season is more than halfway through, it’s time to do another check-in on the MVP race. After a terrific start to the season, it seemed like Warriors star Stephen Curry might be a lock for his third trophy if he maintained his production — unfortunately, he’s been in one of the worst slumps of his career the past couple of months.

Through his first 20 games of the season, running through the end of November, Curry was averaging 27.8 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 6.6 APG, and 1.9 SPG on .452/.412/.943 shooting. From the start of December until now, a span of 21 games, those numbers have fallen to 25.0 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 5.6 APG, and 1.1 SPG on .395/.359/.900 shooting. Curry recently had a stretch of nine straight games of shooting below 50% from the field, unheard of for the greatest shooter ever.

After starting the season 24-5, the Warriors have gone 8-8 over their last 16 games, so the team has cooled off recently as well. However, at 32-13, Golden State still holds the second-best record in the league, only trailing the 35-9 Suns. There’s still time for Curry to turn things around, but other players have certainly performed better lately.

The NBA’s leading scorer, Kevin Durant, looked like a top contender for the award prior to suffering a sprained MCL in his left knee on January 16, which is expected to sideline him for four-to-six weeks. Through 36 games, he’s averaged 29.3 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 5.8 APG on .520/.372/.894 shooting. The injury and missed games could ruin his MVP chances, but he’s been excellent for the Nets, who hold a 29-16 record in the East.

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, the reigning MVP, has been carrying his team in the absence of several injured players, including the teams second- and third-leading scorers from last season, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. Although Denver is just 23-21 (1-4 without Jokic), he has been completely dominant, averaging 25.9 PPG, 13.9 RPG, 7.4 APG, and 1.4 SPG on .569/.367/.789 shooting. Jokic leads the league in several advanced stats, including win shares, box plus/minus, and value over replacement player, per Basketball-Reference.

Over the past five-plus weeks, Sixers center Joel Embiid has arguably been the best player in the league, putting up 33.1 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 1.5 BPG on .550/.380/.837 shooting in just 32.3 MPG (15 games) — more than a point per minute, and nearly 12 free throw attempts per game. His season averages are quite impressive too, but he’s played just 33 games to this point, which is always a concern with the injury-plagued big man. There’s no denying his impact when active, as Philadelphia holds a 23-11 record when he plays, and is just 3-8 in games he’s missed.

Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is another top contender, stuffing the staff sheet with 28.6 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 6.1 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 1.5 BPG while playing strong defense for the defending champion Bucks, who hold a 29-19 record.

Lakers superstar LeBron James continues to impress in season 19 at 37 years of age, putting up stellar numbers yet again, but Los Angeles has struggled and sit at 23-23 through 46 games. Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan is having an outstanding season and should at least be in the conversation — Chicago is 28-16, second-best in the East.

Suns guards Chris Paul and Devin Booker deserve recognition as the two best players on the league’s best team, although they figure to take votes away from each other and don’t have the same type of numbers as other candidates. Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant is having fantastic third season and could garner some votes. Memphis is 32-16 after defeating Denver Friday night.

We want to know what you think. Who’s been the MVP so far? Who do you think will end up winning the award? Are there any dark-horse candidates you like? What would your five-man ballot look like at this point?

Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

With the lone exception of the Spurs, all of the NBA’s teams have played between 18 and 20 games so far this season (San Antonio is at 17), meaning we’re just about at the one-quarter mark of the season. With that in mind, we’re taking stock today of the top performances of 2021/22 to date.

The NBA’s top scorer so far is the same player who finished atop the leaderboard last season: Stephen Curry. Curry’s 28.2 PPG is nearly four full points below his 2020/21 average, but it looks like he’ll have a much stronger case for Most Valuable Player consideration this time around based on his team’s performance.

The Warriors, who finished just a few games above .500 and didn’t make the playoffs last season, have a league-best 16-2 record this season — and they’re still waiting to add Klay Thompson and James Wiseman to their rotation. Curry has led the charge, knocking down 41.8% of an eye-popping 12.9 three-point attempts per game, while chipping in 6.8 APG and 5.8 RPG. Golden State plays like an average team when Curry sits (-0.3 net rating) and an all-time juggernaut when he’s on the court (+20.4).

As the top scorer on the NBA’s best team, Curry would almost certainly win the MVP award if the season ended today, but if he or the Warriors slow down, there are plenty of other contenders to consider, starting with last year’s winner.

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has matched last season’s scoring average (26.4 PPG) while establishing new career-highs in RPG (13.6), FG% (.593), and 3PT% (.410) in the early going. He also leads Denver in APG (6.4), and the gap between the team’s net rating when he’s on the court (+12.6) and off it (-14.6) is even bigger than Curry’s.

Unfortunately, that net rating with Jokic off the court may be the thing that ultimately sinks his chances. The injury-plagued Nuggets have been brutal whenever the reigning MVP sits and it’s led to a middle-of-the-pack 10-10 record so far. Like Curry a year ago, Jokic isn’t going to win another MVP award if his team finishes in play-in range.

How about another star on a No. 1 seed then? The 14-5 Nets, who have a two-game cushion in the Eastern Conference, have been led by a version of Kevin Durant playing at the height of his powers. He’s right behind Curry for the scoring lead (28.1 PPG) and has posted a career-best .556 FG% to go along with 7.6 RPG and 5.3 APG. Brooklyn has a +6.0 net rating when he plays, compared to +0.3 when he sits.

Durant’s case will be hurt a little by the fact that he has another former MVP – James Harden – helping him out, but if the Nets finish atop the East without Kyrie Irving playing at all, that’ll be a point in Durant’s favor.

Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Clippers forward Paul George, Heat swingman Jimmy Butler, Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, Suns guards Chris Paul and Devin Booker, and Bulls wings Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are some of the other stars who would be in the conversation if the season ended today. Sixers center Joel Embiid and Lakers forwards LeBron James and Anthony Davis are among the others who could force their way into the conversation if they stay healthy and their teams move up the standings.

We want to know what you think. Is Curry the MVP so far? Who is the biggest threat to take the award from him if everyone stays healthy? Are there any dark-horse candidates you like? What would your five-man ballot look like at this point?

Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

Luke Walton became the first head coach to be let go during the 2021/22 NBA season earlier this week, but he may not be the last.

Although coaching changes happen most frequently in the spring once a team’s season has ended, some clubs decide not to wait that long, preferring to get a head-start on the transition midway through the year. Given the success Nate McMillan had in turning the Hawks’ season around when he took over for Lloyd Pierce in March, it’s possible we’ll see a couple more teams besides the Kings try to replicate that reversal of fortune with an in-season change.

With that in mind, we want to know which head coaches you believe will be most at risk during the 2021/22 season.

A report earlier today from Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report suggested that Stephen Silas of the Rockets may be the next coach to find himself on the hot seat. Houston has been the NBA’s worst team so far this season, with a 1-16 record, a 15-game losing streak, and a last-place ranking in several important offensive categories.

Still, the Rockets didn’t enter the season with postseason aspirations, and Silas has another year left on his contract after this season. Would a team on track to finish at the bottom of the NBA standings really be in a rush to make a midseason change and commit to paying two coaches for the next year-and-a-half, with a playoff berth seemingly multiple years away?

Sports betting site BetOnline.ag has Silas listed third in its odds for the next NBA head coach to be fired. Pistons head coach Dwane Casey, whose team is off to a 4-13 start, is atop that list. Like Silas, Casey wasn’t expected to lead his club to the playoffs this season, but there was an expectation that the Pistons would perhaps be a little more competitive than they have been.

On the other hand, with the exception of a blowout home loss to the Kings, the Pistons have been beaten by good teams so far, and all indications are that the organization thinks highly of Casey. In fact, he signed a contract extension just six months ago, locking him up through 2023/24. If things really go south in Detroit this season, maybe he finds himself on the hot seat, but I’m skeptical we’re at that point yet.

BetOnline.ag lists Frank Vogel of the Lakers between Casey and Silas as the second-most likely candidate to be the next coach fired.

The Lakers entered the season with championship aspirations but have underachieved so far, posting a 9-10 record. LeBron James‘ absences due to injuries and a one-game suspension have contributed to Los Angeles’ struggles (the team is 4-7 without him), but even with James in the lineup, the club has looked disjointed and inconsistent.

Like Casey, Vogel received a contract extension earlier this year. However, that extension didn’t really represent a massive vote of confidence. Entering the final season of the three-year contract he signed in 2019, Vogel had just one year tacked onto his deal, despite winning a title in 2020. Since his one-year extension only covers 2022/23, it wouldn’t necessarily preclude the Lakers from making a change if their struggles continue.

What do you think? Are Silas, Casey, or Vogel in any real trouble yet? Is there another head coach whose job security looks more tenuous to you? Do you think we’ll get any more in-season coaching changes in 2021/22?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

During the 21st century, Eastern Conference teams have had a winning record in games against Western Conference teams just once in 22 seasons. That happened in the 2008/09 campaign, when the East put up a 231-219 record (.513) vs. the West.

In every other season since 1999/2000, Western teams have had a winning record against Eastern opponents, often by a wide margin. The East’s second-best result came in 2015/16, when it posted a 218-232 (.484) mark vs. the West.

These numbers are a simple way of illustrating what most NBA fans view as common knowledge: For at least the last two decades, the West has been the stronger and deeper of the two conferences.

In the early going of the 2021/22 season, however, there’s reason to believe that the tide might be shifting. Even after Western teams won all three games against Eastern opponents on Monday night, the East has a 22-19 record in inter-conference games so far this season.

It’s obviously way too early in the year to draw any conclusions, but it’s not too early to start making some predictions based on what we’ve seen so far.

Among the East’s current top eight teams, the Sixers, Heat, Knicks, and Nets were expected to be here, but the Bulls, Wizards, Cavaliers, and Raptors have exceeded expectations so far. Some of those clubs might slow down, but some of their gains could be for real, and they all at least look capable of remaining in the play-in mix.

Further down the standings, the Hornets (5-6) are about where we expected, while the Bucks (4-6), Celtics (4-6), Hawks (4-7), and Pacers (4-7) are actually underachieving so far — we can probably expect more from most or all of them.

The Magic and Pistons, at the bottom of the conference standings, will likely remain there and lose a lot of games. But even so, that leaves 13 teams in the East with realistic playoff or play-in aspirations.

The West looks pretty deep too, but it may not have as many obvious breakout teams — its top nine clubs so far are identical to last year’s, albeit in a different order. There also aren’t as many underachievers in the West that we can count on seeing improvements from. The Lakers have been a little disappointing, but they’re still above .500 at 6-5.

With all that in mind, we want to know what you think. Has the Eastern Conference finally caught up to the Western Conference this season, or is the West still the more dominant conference overall? Do you expect the East to post at least a .500 record against the West this season for just the second time this century?

Head to the comment section to weigh in with your thoughts.