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Time’s Up

The Golden State Warriors (11-14, 1-2)

Remember when the Warriors started the season 5-1? Pepperidge Farm remembers. But seriously, this is just like that first Lightning McQueen scene in Cars 3.

The Warriors are McQueen, the experienced veteran with multiple titles. Whereas teams like the Thunder, Timberwolves, Mavericks, and Kings are Jackson Storm, the new kid on the block.

When you compete, it doesn’t matter how many accolades you’ve won in the past. The only thing that matters is how good you are right now and simply put; the Warriors just aren’t good anymore.

At this point, they should just swallow their pride and properly think about the future. We thought they had a plan for the future when they won their last ring in 2022.

They were going to keep contending with Steph, Klay, Wiggins, and Draymond for many years to come while nurturing Poole, Wiseman, Kuminga, and Moody.

But reality is very different from expectations. Now, Poole and Wiseman are gone, Kuminga and Moody are still not getting the minutes that they deserve.

Klay and Wiggins are playing the worst basketball of their lives, and Draymond Green is supposedly auditioning to become a WWE superstar in the middle of NBA games.

His punch last year started the Dubs’ downward spiral, and his punch this year could signal the end of this era.

And what is the result? The entire burden falls on the shoulders of 35-year-old Stephen Curry, who has had to carry the team on his back since KD left.

Fans love to talk about Curry’s defense, his struggles in crunch time, or his poor plus/minus stats.

My answer to that is: What more do you expect from a (comparatively) small 35-year-old guy who has played over a thousand total (regular season + playoffs) games in his career?

He can’t do it all by himself because he isn’t a genetic freak like LeBron. This team just isn’t a contender anymore, so the Warriors should just let Steph play with the young guys and tell him to have fun.

Maybe they’ll grow in a year or two and help him win, or maybe he’ll move on after his contract expires.

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Hot Streak

Dante Exum

In my final 2023 offseason update column, I talked about Dante Exum’s journey back to the NBA after spells with Barcelona and Partizan Belgrade.

He played great in the preseason and it looked like the Mavs would give him a spot in the starting five, but he had to wait for his opportunity.

He averaged just 10.6 minutes a night in his first 16 games before the Mavs finally decided to start him.

And wouldn’t you know it, in his second game as a starter Kyrie Irving goes down with an injury, and someone has to step up alongside Luka Doncic.

No one could have guessed that Exum would be the man to step up, but he’s playing the best basketball of his life right now.

Since Kyrie’s injury, the Aussie is averaging 19.4 points on 67.9% shooting from the field and 65% shooting from three. The Mavs have gone 5-1 with Exum as a starter, so you could expect them to keep him in the starting five even when Kyrie comes back.

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Sophomore Slump? No Way!

Keegan Murray

NBA fans (and sports fans in general) just love to make grand declarations about players.

Just a few weeks ago, everyone kept talking about how Keegan Murray’s rookie season was a fluke and how he’s having a sophomore slump.

Sure, his percentages were way down compared to last year, but you don’t judge a player like that. Murray showed some guts in the playoffs last season and when a player can do that, that means they are legit.

Murray averaged 15.2 points on 47.8% shooting in his first six games after coming back from an injury, but he really went off in his seventh game.

He dropped an astounding 47 points while making 12 three-pointers.

Here are some notable players who managed to score more than 45 points in a game during their sophomore season: Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Trae Young, Devin Booker, and Anthony Edwards.

And only four men (Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Zach LaVine, and Klay Thompson) have made more than 12 threes in a game.

That puts Murray in elite company and proves that he’s one of the best young talents in the NBA today.

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Young Defense

The Houston Rockets (13-9, 3-0)

I like the Rockets’ young core, but I heavily criticized their offseason moves since I didn’t think they were ready for contention.

I’m still skeptical about them due to their offensive woes but I’m impressed with what they’ve been able to do defensively.

The Rockets used to be known as a poor defensive team in the Harden era, but things have changed a lot since then. Now, the Rockets have allowed the fewest points per game to opposing teams in the entire NBA.

They’re currently on a five-game winning streak since December 5, and this is even though all of their main offensive pieces are struggling.

Since December 5, the Rockets have had the third-lowest points per game, the lowest assists per game, the worst field goal percentage, and the third-most turnovers in the league.

With stats like these, they should have gone 0-5, but instead, they managed to beat teams like the Thunder and the defending champion Nuggets.

You need a mix of offense and defense to win in the playoffs, but you can win in the regular season with a good defense, and the Rockets are doing just that.

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Best Team of the Previous Week

The Los Angeles Clippers (15-10, 4-0)

Last week the Lakers were my Team of the Week, but this week we’ll be talking about their neighbors. The Clippers have gone 12-3 since their big losing streak and they’re looking very scary.

The big three of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and James Harden have already played in more games together than the Nets’ ill-fated big three and now they’ve figured everything out.

James Harden averaged 18.3 points and 10.3 assists a night last week while shooting 45% from three.

Russell Westbrook is the outer facilitator off the bench, and Norman Powell is averaging 17 PPG on elite shooting splits to help out the bench even more.

That leaves Kawhi and PG to do whatever they want on offense and defense. After some growing pains, this is looking like the perfect formula for success.

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MVPs of the Previous Week

Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)/Kawhi Leonard (Los Angeles Clippers)

This was a stacked week in terms of top performers, but it ultimately came down to two men: Luka Doncic and the reigning Player of the Week Kawhi Leonard.

Luka carried the Mavs to a 3-1 record while putting up ridiculous numbers without Kyrie Irving, but he also got blown out against Minnesota and Kawhi was more efficient.

So, I ultimately decided to go with both men.

Luka averaged 36.8 points, 11.5 assists, and 8.5 rebounds a night while shooting 49% from the floor, while Kawhi put up 32 points per game while shooting 66.2% from the floor and 57.1% from deep.

When these two are locked in, no one can stop them.