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Hot This Month

Evan Mobley (Cleveland Cavaliers/USC)

Many NBA analysts predicted big things for Evan Mobley after a great rookie season. Mobley averaged 15.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting behind Scottie Barnes.

Mobley just needed to add a three-point shot and become a more efficient shooter to become a dominant superstar.

Unfortunately, those same analysts expected Mobley to make those additions to his game too soon, which did nothing but create unrealistic expectations and extra pressure for Mobley.

Mobley took some time to become a more efficient scorer from the floor and began to add a consistent shot from deep last season. Now, he’s in his fourth season and has turned into the dominant force everyone expected him to become.

Over the past 11 games, Mobley has averaged 20.3 points while shooting 60.1% from the field and 51.4% from three in just 29.7 minutes a night.

The Cavs have won six games in a row, including a big win over the Denver Nuggets to prove they’re legit.

Mobley also had the best performance of his career this month, dropping 41 points on the Hornets earlier this month.

“He’s an elite player in this league,” Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson said after Mobley’s career night. “I mean, to me, [he’s] top 20 and could be in the top 10 easily.”

T.J. McConnell (Indiana Pacers/Arizona)

NBA veteran T.J. McConnell has been the definition of steady and reliable throughout his career.

McConnell has always been a hard-working defender and solid playmaker, which is why he’s currently playing in his tenth consecutive NBA season despite going undrafted in 2015.

He averaged 10+ PPG for the first time in his career last season and put up 11.8 points and 5.1 assists in the playoffs. His performances earned him a four-year, $45 million contract extension with the Pacers in the offseason.

Some thought paying $45 million for a 32-year-old backup point guard was a mistake, but McConnell has proven his doubters wrong and is having an awesome year.

December 2024 was the best month of his career, as he scored over 10 points in 11 games out of 13 while shooting 56.2% from the field.

One game after giving up 41 points to Evan Mobley, the Hornets saw another player drop a career-high on them, as McConnell went off for 30 points on 14-19 shooting.

McConnell is very similar to Patrick Beverley, as both are undersized and aren’t as gifted as the rest of the athletic freaks in the league.

But, they always find a way to make a positive impact on the floor with their energy and hard work, and every team craves players like these.

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Rookie Report

Tristan da Silva (Orlando Magic/Colorado)

Tristan da Silva had a rapid rise at Colorado, going from the end of the bench as a freshman to the team’s leader in his two final seasons in college.

The former Buff was drafted 18th overall by the Magic in the 2024 NBA Draft, becoming the third German-born frontcourt player on the team next to the Wagner brothers.

Unfortunately for da Silva, his fellow countrymen initially made it very hard for him to get some playing time on the floor.

He finally got his first big break after Franz Wagner got hurt, and recorded his first 20-point game on December 15 against the Knicks.

His role grew even more once Moe Wagner was ruled out for the rest of the season, as the rookie put up 18 points against the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics before following that up with another 18-point game against the Heat.

da Silva is still not a finished product and is prone to having bad games, such as a zero-point outing against New York on December 27. But these bad games are natural for a rookie, and his good games have shown that he has tremendous potential.

Isaac Jones (Sacramento Kings/Washington State)

If you’re not a Sacramento Kings or Washington State fan, you probably have no idea who Isaac Jones is. But the undrafted forward has shown that he’s capable of having a solid pro career.

Jones has been lights out in the G-League so far, and the Sacramento Kings have given him a bunch of chances to showcase his talents at the NBA level.

Jones scored 33 points in his first three NBA games of December and has shown flashes of good play in limited minutes since then.

Now that Doug Christie is the new (interim) head coach of the Kings, Jones will have to prove himself to the organization that he belongs in the NBA.

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Opportunity Knocks

Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Miami Heat/UCLA)

In one of the biggest shocks of the NBA season so far, ESPN insider Shams Charania revealed that the Miami Heat were looking to trade Jimmy Butler.

Butler has led the franchise to two NBA Finals appearances since his arrival in Miami, but his departure could be a blessing in disguise for some players.

Players such as Jaime Jaquez Jr., who had a great rookie season and instantly became a fan favorite. Unfortunately, Jaquez Jr. has struggled with minor injuries this season which have caused his production to drop.

A Butler trade seems inevitable at this point, and it could benefit Jaquez Jr., who has averaged 10.7 PPG in his last three games as a starter with Butler out of the lineup.

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Top Veterans

Domantas Sabonis (Sacramento Kings/Gonzaga)

The Kings are in a crisis right now. They have lost six games in a row and recently fired their head coach Mike Brown, who won the Coach of the Year award in his first season with the team in 2022-23.

All the uncertainty surrounding the team hasn’t stopped Domantas Sabonis from balling out this month. Sabonis has averaged 21.6 points, 14.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists while shooting 56.1% from the floor and 44.0% from deep since the start of December.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs also haven’t forgotten about Sabonis’ contributions to the program, as they will hang Sabonis’ jersey in the rafters on January 18.

Jakob Poeltl (Toronto Raptors/Utah)

We end things by covering another European center drafted in 2016. As of the time of writing, Jakob Poeltl is dealing with a groin injury that has kept him out of action for four games.

But he was playing some of the best basketball of his life before the injury, putting up 17.3 points and 9.0 rebounds a night on 64.1% shooting from the field in his last six games before getting hurt.

The 29-year-old is having a career year, and many contenders are currently interested in his services.