It was a short week in the NBA due to the All-Star break, but that didn’t stop some teams from performing. Here are the standouts:
It’s their second week in a row on the standout podium and for good reason. The Pistons went 3-0 on the week and are carrying a 4-game winning streak for the home stretch. Highlighted by a repeated drubbing of the Chicago Bulls, the Pistons have found their formula: let Cade Cunningham run the offense, and let the tertiary pieces provide the needed defense, shooting, and rebounding.
Second-year forward Ausar Thompson has noticeably been in a groove. After missing the first 18 games of the season, he has quietly ramped up his production to match the effectiveness of his twin brother in Houston. He’s scored in double digits in his last seven games (14.6ppg), and has shot a ridiculous 69.5% from the field. Look for him to continue his stellar play.
Life’s good when you have the best player in the NBA. Nikola Jokic—averaging 30.1 points, 10.9 rebounds and 11.1 assists over the winning streak—and the Nuggets have ripped off eight straight into the break, punctuated by the Serbian’s consistent mastery, immense production from Michael Porter Jr. (three straight 30-point games before injuring his hamstring), and resurgent play from Jamal Murray.
Murray’s 55-point bomb against the Portland Trailblazers marked a career-high and was especially impressive given the Blazers’ run of form defensively (second in defensive rating the prior 10 games). Since the turn of the new year, Murray has reignited the spark that saw him carry the Nuggets to the 2023 championship, slashing 22.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 5.8 assists on over 50% shooting from the field and 38.6% from 3.
Look, it’s not a team shoutout, but he has to be commended for the way he carried himself. With all the deserved rhetoric behind the horrific product of what is now called the All-Star game—with the rampant commercialization, unwanted proddings of Kevin Hart, and torturously long pauses in between games—Wembanyama went out there and backed up his intention of bringing energy.
The All-Star game, in its current form, undoubtedly needs a serious overhaul. But major changes don’t have to come from sweeping alterations to the game’s format or public admonishment from former President Barack Obama. Sometimes it can be a string of small, concerted efforts from the game’s most venerated that spurs momentum. And Wembanyama, for as young as he is, carries the mantle as the league’s most promising player since Lebron James—and he’s using his position to carry the movement.
Collectively, we all want the All-Star game to be cool; it’s a one-time exhibition where the NBA’s best can coexist and bounce off each other in ways only conceivable in video games. And in order to get there again, we need more Wembanyamas; we need those who will attempt chase down blocks and run hard on fast breaks. If the players buy in, audiences will follow suit—and Wembanyama has to be praised for buying in all the way.
Stay tuned for more NBA content, including midseason moves, contract updates, and more pieces about every team.
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