With Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey as their fulcrum, the Sixers are looking sharp to open 2023-24.
The 2023-24 NBA season is at the quarter-pole. Reputations are rising and falling, contenders are forming, pretenders are fading and a picture is starting to crystalize.
And so, here’s what we’ve learned from a glass one-fourth full:
1. Morey did the Sixers right
Daryl Morey did right by the Sixers. You know, the team that’s paying him to make decisions in its best interest.
The Sixers president shipped James Harden essentially for Tyrese Maxey. Yes, the trade to the Clippers set Maxey free and the young guard is playing his way into the All-Star Game (as a bonus, Philly got goods from LA, of course).
Rather than give a gazillion-dollar extension to an aging former superstar, Morey has two franchise cornerstones, a contending team and more cap space.
2. Gobert and KAT can coexist after all
Look what’s going on in Minnesota: a team is embracing big men, a trend counter to the rest of the NBA, and sitting high in the West.
That’s because three-time former Kia Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert is pushing for a fourth and meshing with Karl-Anthony Towns, the self-proclaimed best-shooting big man in history.
Sure, Anthony Edwards is pretty good, too, but this season is really about a (defensive) dog and KAT. Gobert and Towns never really had the chance to state their case together last season because of injuries to Towns.
And now? Minnesota leads the NBA in defensive rating, Towns is prospering, Edwards dominating and, after giving up a ton for Gobert, the Wolves are breathing a sigh of relief.
3. Haliburton makes All-NBA case
Making the All-Tournament Team is cool, but Haliburton is on pace for bigger individual honors. What more do you need to see? The man can shoot from 3 and score in bunches. He sets up teammates and he protects the ball.
He has the Pacers’ offense on a historic level. He took them to Las Vegas and the championship game of the In-Season Tournament. He’s a do-it-all floor leader staking a claim for being top 10 regardless of position. Next step, First Team All-NBA if this keeps up.
4. Wemby is a work in progress
Understood. Victor Wembanyama is, after all, still a teenager and getting his first taste of Americanized basketball. He’s inconsistent and unable to lift the Spurs from the basement.
That means Wes Unseld and Wilt Chamberlain will still be the only players to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season when this one is over. At least Wemby’s dropping enough hints, especially defensively, to keep his star prospects high.
5. LeBron vs. time, again
Check out the best plays from the 2023 In-Season Tournament MVP.
The NBA’s all-time scoring leader is having a career season shooting-wise (his 55.3% is his best in 10 seasons) while averaging 25 points per game. He’s a Top 10 player in the game who also leads the Lakers in scoring, assists and steals. And he turns 39 in a few weeks. Let that marinate.
He exceeded the hype when he entered the league, and he’s not getting enough hype here in his, ahem, twilight. He won the first In-Season Tournament because, after all these years, he wanted it more than anyone. It showed.
He was once the youngest player in the league and is now the oldest. This must never be taken for granted. What we’re seeing is Tom Brady-like, and really, that’s the only athlete in American team sports who’s comparable.
A season that began with a slight toward his age — he was minutes-restricted in the opener — has become a salute to his age.
6. Morant will have to be Superman in return
He hasn’t given himself or his team much room for error when he returns this month. The Grizzlies have been a mess without him — Desmond Bane being the exception.
Not only must Memphis dig itself out of a crater to give itself a better chance of even making the Play-In Tournament, but the Grizzlies must do so with a star player who might be rusty. He hasn’t played since last spring. It’s shaping up as a throwaway season — and a hard lesson for Morant.
7. Bulls seem headed for a breakup
It should’ve happened at last season’s trade deadline. Or last summer. Or before this season tipped. But it didn’t, and now the Bulls haven’t given themselves any choice.
The breakup must happen between now and the February trade deadline. And it might surprise who might be staying and going. Zach LaVine, because of his bloated contract and shrinking results, might stay. Alex Caruso, on a reasonable deal with rising play, is their best trade asset.
8. Magic’s drafting paying off
The Magic have eight of their own first-round picks still on the roster, the most in the NBA. This draft-and-hold strategy isn’t new, but it’s paying off in Orlando, which is perhaps the surprise team of the quarter-pole.
Just look at the growth of Paolo Banchero, off to a solid second season. And Franz Wagner (fearless shot-maker), Cole Anthony (signed to an extension) and Jalen Suggs (leader of the revamped defense). Orlando looks like last season’s Sacramento.
9. Warriors confront painful truths
Only one reliable scorer, no home dominance, a middle-of-the-pack defense and a seat on the Play-In fringe. This isn’t what the Warriors are made for, or actually, maybe that perception is the problem. Maybe this is their reality.
Are they still considered serious contenders? Not at this pace. Stephen Curry can only do so much. Without star-level play from Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins, the Warriors will see their aura vaporize.
10. In-Season Tournament gets postseason buzz
The newest innovation is certainly here to stay because the tournament was a hit right out of the gate, with players, teams and NBA fans.
This was the adrenaline shot the league needed for the regular season, a shakeup that reduced if not eliminated the whine about players resting and/or coasting during the 82-game grind.
With a generous boost from tournament MVP LeBron James to launch this project, the Tournament checked most if not all the boxes. Suddenly, the NBA season, to paraphrase a common wisecrack, no longer begins on Christmas Day.
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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