As we enter 2023, much is being said about New Year’s resolutions.let’s apply it NBA team. Here are some of the NBA teams’ New Year’s resolutions. One candidate for each department.
The Solution: Stop Playing Competitively
It’s no secret that the Celtics are one of the top teams in the NBA. They are not far from his NBA Finals appearance and have started this campaign aiming for his 21-5 record behind his number for the best offensive in NBA history. But the offense fell back (predictably) and Boston went 5-6 after that. The Celtics have cooled off a bit, but still lead the Eastern Conference with a 26-11 record.
Still, the Celtics record should be better. You can analyze Boston’s schedule to see where they struggled.loss to cleveland When Denver Certainly not worth hanging yourself in the street, but maybe some others are. Miami, Indiana When Orlando (Twice). Some of these losses can be chalked up to the fatigue the team endured throughout the 82-game slate or just a bad stretch, but that embarrassing performances and no-shows were brought to the underdog rather than the top team. is no coincidence.Tiawan.
If the C can fix that problem, they should finish the season first in the conference.
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Solution: Get Healthy
If you’re just a standings observer, you’ll find the Bucks well positioned. They’re third in the East, where he’s only 2.5 games behind the No. 1-seeded Boston Celtics. But when you really get a handle on what the Bucks have been up to this season, it turns out to be less impressive: Milwaukee got off to his 9-0 start while the Bucks quietly went 14-13. , have lost five of their six games, most recently to the league’s elite.
Milwaukee’s offense has been hit-or-miss since the start of the season, and their defense has been pretty weak lately. We know the Bucks have a high cap on his four core players (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jules Holiday, chris middleton, Brooke Lopez) when available (think 2021 NBA Finals).
Clearly, the injured Middleton, who has played in just seven games this season, is a key cog in what the Bucks do on both ends of the court, and without his services they are far inferior versions of themselves. But he wasn’t the only one to miss time. Antetokounmpo’s absence of his six games is notable, and Drew’s absence of his ten games on his holiday has also played into Milwaukee’s recent funk. And as the top of the East continues to improve, Milwaukee will need to be healthy at some point to start building the rep they need.
miami heat
Solution: Find another title
This solution is vague, but the words feel apt. In short, the Heat just need more help, and it’s hard to figure it out. PJ TuckerThe absence of is the only real difference between this roster, which is currently the 7th seed in the East, and a roster that finished last season with the conference’s best record.
And, as you can see in Tucker’s previous roles, the added pieces don’t have to be flashy. Caleb Martin He’s been playing really well and doing a solid job filling the remaining starting spots, but he excelled in a similar role last year.miami needs Added Instead of exchange production, production as simple as trading with someone like Jay Crowder, correct? Perhaps. Or maybe there’s a difference-making free agent out there who can plug into the Heat’s rotation and play right away.
Either way, the halfway point of the season is approaching and Miami needs to do something with this roster and get on the run in the second half.
Denver Nuggets
The Solution: Fortify Your Defenses
Blaming a team for being bad without a two-time MVP winner on the court seems like a trifle, especially when that team is sitting at the top of the conference. So I instead turned my attention to another area that truly stands out when evaluating the Nuggets. It’s that you can’t defensively find an answer.
You may not realize how troublesome Denver’s defense is. The Nuggets play a fun brand of basketball led by the Westerns, where he is #1 on the conference standings. Nikola Jokic It certainly masks shortcomings. But that doesn’t change how uninspiring the defense is—Denver is currently the NBA’s 24th-ranked defenseman (his rating of 114.2 defensively). To put it into perspective, the 2000-01 season was the only 21st-century NBA champion not to have a top-10 regular-season defense. lakers (22nd) and 2017-18 golden state warriors (11th).
Recent history suggests that if this Nuggets team is serious about winning the title, it will ultimately need to raise its defense a few notches.
The Solution: Don’t Go Overboard With Small Balls
I’m not sure the NBA coach likes playing as small as Ty Lue. The first thing that comes to mind when relating Lou and the Clippers’ small his ball is how they will downsize and play in his conference semifinals in 2021. utah jazz nightmare. So it’s no surprise these Clippers have him one center on his 15-man roster (Ibiza Zubak).
When Zubak sits down, Nicholas Batum Or Marcus Morris, who often nods as the “center” for these smaller lineups. Paul George, Kawai LeonardSuch. But as the Clippers get healthier, some lineups are getting smaller. Last week we saw the 4 guard lineup. John Wall, Norman Powell, Luke Kennard When Terrance Mann, a similar smaller unit centered around George can also be seen. Results have been mixed, especially when the second half defensive needs his stop. However, due to injuries the team has dealt with over the years, it can’t knock Lou too much to experiment with a roster he’s dedicating little time to.
That said, LA probably doesn’t need to get that too Small there. Whether that means picking more wings than guards or adding a second legitimate center to the roster, there’s a happy medium the Clippers need to find.
Solution: Find another perimeter shooter
Memphis don’t have many flaws, but what seems to stick out like a thumb is how often their poor perimeter shots lead to losses.
With 13 losses, the Grizzlies are making fewer than 10 threes per game and converting only 28.9% of those looks. Perhaps my take on these inconsistencies is an overreaction to seeing Memphis play indiscriminately for most of their games this season. desmond bane, a career 42.8% shooter from the deep, with almost 6 attempts per game. He’ll certainly help, but whether he’s in the lineup or not, the Grizzlies could use another player to get the opposing defense’s attention.
Given the big picture, another knockdown shooter threat could potentially come to life. Ja Morant It’s much easier while still unlocking more Memphis attacks.
(Photo Jason Tatum: Ron Chenoy / USA Today)
