It’s officially March which means the NBA season is heating up and barreling full steam ahead towards the NBA playoffs. The contenders are clear. The lottery teams are racing towards the bottom to capture the Flagg. And everyone else is somewhere in between looking to separate them from the pack.
We still have about 20 games left for each team to play but that didn’t stop the Fantom insiders from getting on our soapbox and presenting you guys with some of our takes on the current state of the NBA.
So without further ado, here’s Fantom’s midseason NBA hot takes!
The Golden State Warriors will finish Top 5 in the West
The Warriors currently sit at 33-28 on the season, good enough for the sixth seed in a Western Conference that is the definition of depth. They only hold a half-game lead over the Clippers, Kings, and Timberwolves. They hold a one game lead over the 10th seeded Dallas Mavericks. But the odds seem to be in their favor.
The Dubs are 8-2 in their last ten games, including an 8-1 record since the acquisition of Jimmy Butler from Miami. Butler has sent this team into a different level on both sides of the ball and reinvigorated the play of Stephen Curry. Since coming back from the all-star break, Curry has been averaging 28.5 points and 7.5 assists per game on 54.8% from the field and 43.9% from three.
Not to mention turning back the clock dropping 56 points and 12 threes against the Magic last week.
It’s very possible that they can ride that momentum to catch up to the top five seeds, Houston only sitting four games ahead of them.
-Shane
Jalen Brunson should win the Clutch Player of the Year Award
In full transparency, this shouldn’t really be a hot take. Jalen Brunson has singlehandedly been keeping the New York Knicks afloat in late-game situations. On the court it’s apparent and the stats cement that statement even further.
In the clutch this season, he’s scored 132 total points, second only to Trae Young. He’s also shooting 52.4% from the field in the clutch and has an impressive 22 assists to only seven turnovers and a clutch record of 16-7. The Knicks have also went 10-0 in their last ten clutch games, three of which were just last week.
Brunson has stepped it up late in the fourth more than anyone else in the league and I feel like it would be a disservice for anyone other than The Conclusion himself.
-Jayden
Jaden McDaniels should be in the Most Improved Player Race
Jaden McDaniels is one of the key role players for the Minnesota Timberwolves and, outside of Rudy Gobert, has been the cornerstone for their defense.
But McDaniels has taken large steps on the offensive end of the ball too and is now one of the more consistent options for them on a nightly basis. He’s averaging 12.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game shooting 46.7% from the field.
We know the Most Improved race has been more star-oriented in year’s past but McDaniels fits the more traditional definition of the award and frankly should be in the running due to his astronomic jump in offensive production.
-Zander
There’s only four title contending teams: Thunder, Cavs, Lakers and a distant Celtics
Simply put, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers have been the best regular season teams, and the Thunder are entering the playoffs this year with true experience and another true big in Isaiah Hartenstein to take on the giants out West.
The Cavs have shown that they can overcome adversity, showcased by the huge comeback last week against the Boston Celtics. With them splitting the season series 2-2, I think Cleveland has the advantage come playoff time especially with home court advantage in a potential Eastern Conference Finals matchup. Boston’s health and bad losses to inferior opponents make them look more beatable than years prior.
Los Angeles is the wildcard. Currently, they sit at second in the Western Conference with a 38-21 record and six straight victories. When you’re led by the guy who willed his team to last year’s NBA Finals in Luka Doncic and the guy who has ten Finals appearances on his resume in LeBron James, it’s hard to count them out. Not to mention that James looks like he’s 28 again, averaging 28.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game on 54.0% from the field and 42.4% from three in the last month.
I think OKC is better than LA but with two of the best playoff risers in NBA history on one team you can’t rule out the possibility. And the storyline is almost too good to be true. The arguable greatest player of all time being rejuvenated by the next in line.
-Nic
Evan Mobley should win Defensive Player of the Year
The Cleveland Cavaliers are as great as they are for a multitude of reasons. They have one of the deepest teams of any playoff hopefuls. They have a backcourt averaging 40 points a night with Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. But above all else, they have one of the best defenses in the NBA, and that’s been spearheaded by Evan Mobley.
On the season, the Cavs have the seventh best defensive rating in basketball. In February, they had the best defense in their conference and a 10-1 record, outscoring opponents by an insane 17.8 points per game. Mobley took home Defensive Player of the Month honors for February, anchored by his 2.27 blocks per game in that span.
With Victor Wembanyama out for the season, Mobley stands out against his opponents. likely being Jaren Jackson Jr. in Memphis and Dyson Daniels in Atlanta.
-Jayden
The Dallas Mavericks will miss the playoffs
Anthony Davis has played one game as a Dallas Maverick. Dereck Lively II hasn’t suited up since January 14. Daniel Gafford hasn’t played since February 10. P.J. Washington has been in and out of the lineup since January 31. Now sure, this take was sent before the unfortunate news was revealed this morning, but now Kyrie Irving is out for the season with a torn ACL.
Oh and NICO HARRISON THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO TRADE A 25 YEAR OLD LUKA DONCIC ENTERING THE PRIME OF HIS CAREER.
Everything that could’ve possibly went wrong for the Mavs has gone wrong, and they’re currently sitting at tenth in the West with a 32-30 record. They do have a three-and-a-half game cushion on the Phoenix Suns, so the play-in could still be within reach. But with the state of their health, even that would be more of a participation trophy than anything.
-Shane
Norman Powell should win Most Improved Player
The NBA shouldn’t overthink this award. The textbook definition of Most Improved Player is Norman Powell.
Cade Cunningham is a former first overall pick that averaged 22..7 points and 7.5 assists per game last year. Now sure, Detroit’s team improvement has been remarkable, and Cunningham is a huge part of that, but the award should be reserved for players that didn’t have high expectations entering the league. Players like CJ McCollum in the 2015-16 season, who went from 6.8 points to 20.8 points per game and increased all of his shooting splits.
Powell isn’t as extreme of a jump as that, but is still going from 13.9 points last year to a career-high 23.8 points per game on a playoff team. Dyson Daniels and Trey Murphy have great cases as well, but the Most Improved Player award needs to stop going to Top 3 picks. Natural progression of players touted as elite draft prospects should be the BARE MINIMUM EXPECTATION.
-Nic
The Lakers will fall back down to Earth
They’ve got all the media attention from the Luka Doncic trade. They’ve got all the media outlets talking about their championship pedigree or whatever else they want to say to boost LeBron’s legacy.
Don’t let any of it fool you.
Doncic is still a defensive liability. James is still 40 years old and running out of gas. Austin Reaves won’t be a trustworthy third option for a deep playoff run. And they still don’t have a legitimate Center to matchup against the other powerhouses out West.
The Lakers are not Finals bound, they will plateau and a deep playoffs run is not in their future.
-Shane
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