NBA Roundtable: Best in the West, tight race for COTY
With just a little more than a month left in the 2023-24 regular season, theScore’s NBA editors answer some of the biggest questions around the league.
Which team is best equipped to win the Western Conference?
Minnesota Timberwolves: Before losing Karl-Anthony Towns to an abrupt meniscus injury, the Timberwolves were rolling in a way we hadn’t seen in some time. Not only were they going blow-for-blow with the Oklahoma City Thunder for top spot in the West, but they were doing so by playing the best defense in the league and finally optimizing their two-big strategy with Towns and Rudy Gobert. Anthony Edwards continues to grow increasingly comfortable as their focal point going the other way, and with six players averaging double digits, head coach Chris Finch can redistribute the scoring load when necessary. They will need Towns, who is out indefinitely, back fully healthy in order to make a deep postseason run, but if defense wins championships, then Minnesota’s deep, experienced roster should provide the recipe to at least compete for one. – Jonathan Soveta
Los Angeles Clippers: This may be the year the Clippers finally break through for their first Finals appearance in franchise history. Kawhi Leonard is as healthy as he’s been in quite some time and delivering on both ends. James Harden has been the elite playmaking threat they’ve lacked in recent years and has provided additional floor-spacing for Leonard and Paul George. They’ve got three quality center options between Ivica Zubac, Daniel Theis, and Mason Plumlee, which could pay dividends in a potential playoff series against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. Even with Russell Westbrook sidelined, the Clippers still boast a potent second unit led by Sixth Man of the Year candidate Norman Powell. Few teams can match their depth, and it’s a major reason why they’re firmly in the title conversation. – Chicco Nacion
Denver Nuggets: Lost in the conversation of West supremacy seem to be the reigning winners of the conference and defending champions. The Nuggets are right in the mix with other rising teams at the top of the standings, and they have quietly continued their winning ways. Denver’s rotation has largely been healthy this season, with seven of its players playing at least 1,000 minutes and 56 games. The notable exception, Jamal Murray, continues to be a reliable and consistent form of offense since his return from a hamstring injury in December. The Nuggets’ starting five remains the most played lineup this season and has produced a 13.6 net rating in 774 minutes together. As long as Nikola Jokic and company are healthy, they can go beyond the WCF and repeat as champs. – Donald Higney
Which team outside the playoff picture has the brightest future?
San Antonio Spurs: Twenty-nine NBA teams do not have Victor Wembanyama. Based on this fact, the 14-50 Spurs have plenty of reason for optimism. The franchise has a habit of parlaying the drafting of generational 7-footers into near-immediate success. The Spurs set the NBA record for quickest turnaround after David Robinson went first overall in 1987, winning 35 more games during the 1988-89 season than they had in the previous campaign. They then broke that record in 1996-97, improving by 36 games in their second season with Tim Duncan. That’s not to say similar fortunes will be replicated next season, but the potential of two 2024 picks inside the top seven and a bunch of team-friendly contracts on the books can’t hurt their cause. – Michael Chandler
Toronto Raptors: Toronto’s future now has more clarity. All-around Swiss Army knife Scottie Barnes emerged from the midseason departures of Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby as the franchise’s new cornerstone, and his skillset will be complemented for years by budding starting guard Immanuel Quickley, rejuvenated hometown favorite RJ Barrett, and young sharpshooter Gradey Dick, who’s looking much more comfortable these days after a dire start to his rookie stint. Assuming Quickley signs a rookie extension this summer, Toronto’s vision board arguably ranks among those with the most upside around the league, regardless of whether it sends the Spurs its first-rounder (top-six protected) this year. – Soveta
Memphis Grizzlies: Between Ja Morant’s 25-game suspension and injuries to several key players, the 2023-24 campaign quickly became a wash for the Grizzlies. The remainder of the season will be an evaluation period for the front office as it determines which players fit alongside a promising core. Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane are each under contract through at least 2025-26. The franchise also has the opportunity to add an inexpensive, young talent through the draft or flip its lottery pick for an established starting-caliber player. Should Memphis choose the latter route, it has three additional second-round picks to offer teams thanks to last month’s Steven Adams trade. – Nacion
Which deadline addition is making the biggest impact?
Buddy Hield: The Philadelphia 76ers have been searching for a dynamic off-ball shooter to pair up with Joel Embiid since the departure of JJ Redick in 2019. Hield might be the answer. The franchise acquired him as part of a three-team trade involving the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs, and the Bahamian sharpshooter has flashed his floor-spacing ability while Embiid is sidelined due to a meniscus injury, averaging 14.9 points with 42% shooting from deep. He’s also shown some of the best playmaking of his career, dropping 4.8 assists over 12 games with Philadelphia. Just envision Hield coming off screens and getting wide-open looks off the double teams Embiid faces. The Sixers’ offense can get even more potent with Buddy Buckets in the lineup. – Higney
Bojan Bogdanovic: The New York Knicks made a splash at the deadline, luring Bojan Bogdanovic and Tom Thibodeau fave Alec Burks to the Big Apple without shedding a vital roster piece or a coveted first-round pick. Bogdanovic is shooting 48% from the corners and has made an instant impact as a court-spacing perimeter threat and shot creator, two areas of need for the Knicks. The Croatian has also been a remedy for the team’s injury issues and is able to play at the 4 in Julius Randle’s absence or slide over to the wing. Further, Bogdanovic can come off the bench and provide depth for a coach who fetishizes running his players into the ground. His $19-million partially guaranteed deal for next season also gives the Knicks enough wiggle room to pursue a marquee free agent in the summer. – Chandler
Royce O’Neale: The Phoenix Suns pulled off a savvy, low-profile move by picking up O’Neale at a low cost from the Brooklyn Nets in a three-team deal that also involved the Memphis Grizzlies. Phoenix was in dire need of a defensive upgrade at the wing, and O’Neale is an ideal fit who can also hold his own offensively as a career 38% shooter from beyond the arc. He’s already made an impact after just 12 games; his 9.4 points-per-game mark with Phoenix would be the best tally over a complete season for his career, and the Suns have been astronomically better defensively with him on the court. He’s been the near-perfect complement to their Big Three, who still can’t seem to be simultaneously healthy. – Soveta
Who’s the favorite to win Coach of the Year?
J.B. Bickerstaff: Cleveland Cavaliers coach Bickerstaff deserves a lot of credit. When Darius Garland and Evan Mobley were both sidelined for over a month, things could’ve unraveled fast. Instead, Cleveland unexpectedly went 14-4, due largely to an increased emphasis on ball movement and 3-point shooting. From Dec. 16 to Jan. 26, the Cavs trailed only the Boston Celtics in threes made per game (15.7) and ranked eighth in assists (29.2). Bickerstaff experimented with different lineups and struck gold with sharpshooting guard Sam Merrill, who averaged 13 points during that span and shot 43% from deep off the bench. If Cleveland manages to secure the East’s No. 2 seed, Bickerstaff’s midseason tactical change will be viewed as the turning point, and it’ll be hard not to consider him for the award. – Nacion
Joe Mazzulla: Another coach that deserves credit for his team’s success, Mazzulla has the Boston Celtics boasting a 49-14 record and looking far better than the rest of the competition. Top five in both points per game and opponent’s points per game, the Celtics hold the best point differential in the league (10.9). If that holds for the rest of the campaign, they could finish with the fifth-highest rating in NBA history, according to Statmuse, behind some of the most notable teams ever: the 1971-72 Lakers, 1970-71 Bucks, 1995-96 Bulls, and 2016-17 Warriors. While credit largely goes to the players, Mazzulla’s stewardship and command of the squad has him as a prime candidate for the award – Higney.
Mark Daigneault: The Oklahoma City Thunder are flirting with top spot in the West, and Daigneault, last year’s runner-up to Mike Brown, deserves heaps of praise. The Thunder boast the best true shooting percentage in NBA history and are led by a young core with foundational pieces in MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 3-and-D savant and sidekick extraordinaire Jalen Williams, and prized two-way star-in-the-making Chet Holmgren. Daigneault is also getting the most from role players like Cason Wallace, Isiah Joe, and Aaron Wiggins, further cementing the 39-year-old bench boss’ status as one of the league’s best coaches. – Chandler
