Power rankings system devised and compiled weekly by Stemshul. “Expert” analysis by paradroid.
As we reach the All-star break, the Suns are pulling away from the from the rest of the lead pack, with the Warriors now far closer to the Grizzlies than Phoenix. Golden State has been struggling with Defensive Player of the Year candidate Draymond Green out for the last 6 weeks. Of course, struggling for this team is 13-8 and just being a solid defensive team rather than best when it comes to defensive efficiency. Green has plenty of value on offense as well, thanks to his play-making and incredible pick-and-roll chemistry with Steph Curry. His stats look pedestrian even they demonstrate his multi-faceted abilities (7.9 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 7.4 APG). He’s shooting fewer threes (28.6% on 1.2 attempts per game), which is smart, and his new focus on taking the high percentage shots the defense gives him has him at a career high 53.7% overall (and 60.4% on twos). He was at 38.9% (46.5% on twos and 27.9% on threes) just two years ago, the year when Kevin Durant left for Brooklyn (#15), Curry missed most of the season, and Klay Thompson missed the entire year with his ACL tear.
While Green remains out until some time after the All-star break with a back injury, Klay Thompson has (finally!) returned to the court. Missing two years ago with that ACL was bad enough, but an Achilles tear in the preseason of last year robbed us of a second year of the prime of one of the best shooters in the league, maybe even in the history of the league (his hot streaks rival Curry’s; for visual evidence, check out this highlight of his setting the NBA record for points in a quarter. Or the time he scored 60 points in 29 minutes.). It’s been unsurprisingly up and down for Thompson, but he has shown he still has his best available, as we saw this week in a 117-115 win against the Lakers (#20) where he went 5-9 from three and 12-22 overall for 33 points in 30 minutes. And second year center James Wiseman is also nearing a return from a meniscus injury, so the full strength version of the Warriors is on its way. The rest of the league should probably be worried.
In Detroit, the losing continues, but there was a trade before the deadline! It wasn’t Jerami Grant on the move, which most people expected, but rather Trey Lyles and Josh Jackson, who were shipped out to the Sacramento Kings (#25) in part of a four team trade which also cost the Pistons two 2nd round draft picks. In return for the two players and two picks, Detroit gets former #2 draft pick Marvin Bagley III, who has underperfomed his draft slot considerably. His best year may have been his first, when he averaged 14.9 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 1.0 BPG in 25.3 MPG. He plateaued for the next two years, and this year he’s been relegated to a much smaller role as it became apparent he wasn’t part of Sacramento’s plans for the future. So his 9.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game don’t exactly jump off the stat sheet. But he’s an extremely athletic and bouncy athlete at 6’11”, which is exactly what the Pistons need. He’ll make a great pick-and-roll partner for Cade Cunningham, something the Piston’s haven’t had this year, since Isaiah Stewart (aka Beef Stew) is not a great rim runner and Kelly Olynyk operates much better closer to the perimeter. I am a little ambivalent about this move. The still just 22 Bagley was picked that high for his incredible potential, but he hasn’t shown a whole lot yet to justify being selected ahead of Luka Doncic and Trae Young. He’s unlikely to ever be near as good as those guys, but he can still become a good NBA player. This is a pretty big roll of the dice for Troy Weaver, who has intimated he plans on re-signing Bagley this offseason. Jackson and Lyles weren’t going to be part of the long term future, but draft capital is something you can never get enough of. He’s a great fit for the Pistons, and the Kings are an absolute train-wreck of an organization, so maybe a fresh start (and some work on his defense and three point shooting) will do the talented big man a world of good. I think it could go either way. The rest of the season is an audition for Bagley, and both he, the organization, and Pistons fans are hoping for the best.
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