Adding an All-Star Starter at the Trade Deadline seems like the sort of unequivocally positive move a team should celebrate, but that’s not quite the right emotion when discussing Kyrie Irving. Offensively, the Mavs have moments of brilliance with the Luka Doncic – Kyrie pairing, and other moments of growing pains. Defense is going to be the real question mark, and right now Dallas is 22nd in defensive rating, hardly the stuff of a contender.
De’Aaron Fox is having a remarkable season, thriving in the increased spacing the Sacramento Kings are offering him this year. The No. 1 offense in the league is thriving on spacing, motion and the creativity of Fox and Domantas Sabonis. The Kings’ double-overtime win over the LA Clippers the other night was the second-highest-scoring game in NBA history, which speaks to how fun and absolutely insane this team is this year. Sitting a comfortable third in the West, they have all but punched their ticket to the playoffs.
The New York Knicks have been known recently for overachieving, with more national spotlight than their record has earned and a better record than their true play deserves. That is not the case this year, as (1) the national media has been firmly fixed in nearby Brooklyn and far-flung Los Angeles, and (2) the Knicks have very strong metrics, good for seventh in the entire league. They are deep, and deadline acquisition Josh Hart is playing well for them.
The Memphis Grizzlies have had a very up-and-down season. Early on they were on fire offensively but shaky on defense; the return of Jaren Jackson Jr. righted the ship defensively, but their offense has slowly unraveled over the course of the year. They added the sharpshooting Luke Kennard at the deadline and hope to get Steven Adams and his offensive rebounding back soon.
The wait to see Kevin Durant in a Phoenix Suns uniform is nearly over. After adding Durant at the deadline, the Suns have continued to play well even without him; DeAndre Ayton has stepped up, and Devin Booker is finally looking healthy. Durant has a great chance to play in the Suns’ next game, and if everyone is healthy the Suns will be co-favorites in the West.