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What Did They Want For Christmas?

The Phoenix Suns (16-15, 2-1)

Looking back at my article from this time last year, I talked about Victor Wembanyama potentially going to the Spurs, the Lakers’ woes before they turned things around.

I also talked Jordan Poole’s chance to prove himself as a key piece in Golden State which sadly didn’t happen.

It looks like a cool time capsule, but despite all the time that has passed since then, one thing has remained the same:

The Phoenix Suns have an injury-prone big three and all they wanted for Christmas was for all of them to stay healthy. The personnel might have changed but the issue remains the same.

Last year, Devin Booker struggled to stay healthy alongside Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton. And now, Bradley Beal is struggling to stay healthy alongside Booker and Kevin Durant.

They’re easily the most expensive trio in the entire NBA this year (with salaries over $130 million this season), but they’ve only played in two full games together. Let that sink in.

The Suns are paying three players almost 96% of the entire salary cap ($136 million) and they have only started and finished less than 7% of the Suns’ 31 games this season.

They were within reaching distance of their first NBA championship in 2020-21 and 2021-22, but now it seems like their chances of winning a title are dwindling.

They did a fine job in their last game, which was a 133-119 win against the Hornets.

Beal couldn’t get his shots to fall but he did a good job as a passer and a facilitator, something that he has been doing since the 2021-22 season in Washington.

Durant and Booker looked good, but it’s clear that they need more time together. They can still compete for a top-four seed, but they have to get their act together quickly.

The NBA world moves fast and now the Suns look inferior to teams like the Nuggets, Timberwolves, Thunder, Kings, and both LA teams.

If the trio can stay healthy and if the other guys like Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, and Eric Gordon keep playing well there’s still a chance for them to contend, but those are a lot of ifs.

The New Orleans Pelicans (18-14, 1-2)

It’s very clear what the Pelicans wanted for Christmas: A fit and motivated Zion Williamson.

The Pelicans have gone 8-5 since Trey Murphy III’s return on the first day of December, but only one of those losses was by more than 10 points.

Three of these losses were by two points or less. And it’s not hard to blame the former number-one overall pick, because he only averaged 19.9 points a night during this stretch, which is way down from his usual averages.

This must hurt Pelicans fans. They have a generational talent who can score around 20 points a night in his sleep, but he could do so much more. We all know how good he can be and we’ve all seen it before.

In his last 14 games of the previous season, Zion averaged 29.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 5.2 assists a night while shooting 63.6% from the field and keeping his squad in contention for the first seed.

And even back then fans weren’t satisfied with his work ethic. If he takes things seriously, he can legitimately be the best player in the NBA.

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The Forgotten Squad

The Utah Jazz (13-19, 2-1)

Remember when everyone was talking about Lauri Markkanen and the Utah Jazz in the first month of the 2022-23 NBA season?

It seems like so long ago, but they are quietly making a comeback over the past few weeks.

After starting the year off 7-16, they have gone 6-3 despite not having Jordan Clarkson for the first six games of this stretch. In his absence, Collin Sexton stepped up, and even after Clarkson returned, he continued his hot streak.

Ever since becoming a starter, Sexton has averaged 23.2 points a night while shooting 49.7% from the field and 40% from three, which caused Clarkson to move to the bench.

Clarkson is putting up 21.3 points and 6.7 assists in his new role, while Lauri Markkanen continued to be the star man, averaging 28.3 points and 10.3 rebounds a night last week.

They are getting a lot of help from other players too.

Walker Kessler is finally shaking off his sophomore slump (71.7% field goal percentage over his last eight games), and Kris Dunn is averaging eight assists and a plus/minus of +7 since becoming a starter.

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Ja’s Quest Continues

Ja Morant

Ja Morant’s mission to get the Grizzlies to the playoffs continues, but he will face a lot of ups and downs in his quest.

First off, this Grizzlies team desperately misses Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke, who are both injured. Adams won’t come back this season while Clark is looking to return in mid-February.

Luke Kennard is also hurt but he’s expected to return at the end of the month. Without Adams and Clarke, the team can’t rebound, and without Kennard, the spacing gets worse.

But let’s look at the positives.

Marcus Smart is playing some of the best basketball of his life on the offensive end, as he has averaged 17.3 points a night alongside Morant.

Desmond Bane also looks very comfortable just like he did at the start of last season, averaging an efficient 26.3 points last week. Morant himself led the way, averaging 26.7 points and 9.3 assists on 48.5% shooting last week.

They went 2-2 last week, and if they can win 50% of their remaining games, they have a chance to sneak into the Play-In Tournament.

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Best Team of the Previous Week

The Oklahoma City Thunder (21-9, 3-1)

Are the Thunder the best team in the West now? Their transition over the last four seasons has been mind-blowing.

They tanked relentlessly for two years after trading Chris Paul to Phoenix and then came out of nowhere last season to almost steal a playoff spot. And now here they are, beating the top two teams in the West in one week.

They started the week off with a loss against the Lakers, but then they followed it up by dominating the Timberwolves in a game where four of their starters scored over 20 points.

Then, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams both dropped 36 points on the Knicks, and they ended the week with SGA scoring 40 points in a blowout win against the defending champion Nuggets.

If luck is by their side, they can genuinely get the top seed in the West this season.

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MVPs of the Previous Week

Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers)

When Anthony Davis is healthy and on his game, no one can stop him.

The Lakers are still getting used to their new starting lineup with D’Angelo Russell on the bench, so seeing them snap their losing streak against the Thunder of all teams was a pleasant surprise.

AD put up 26 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists in that game, and he followed it up by scoring 40 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in a loss against the Celtics.

Davis then had a defensive masterclass against the Hornets, blocking four shots and also getting two steals while also scoring 26 points in just 26 minutes of action.

Davis is at his best when LeBron James is the primary ball handler, so we can expect a dominant run of form from him if he can stay healthy.