WE have officially reached the midway point of the 2016-17 season. Some teams are living up to the hype and exceeding expectations, others not so much as they plummet towards the bottom of the lottery. Teams will be reviewed at the quarter, halfway and three-quarter mark of the year. Let’s quickly wrap the second portion of the season so far for the teams from the Central division.
Cleveland Cavaliers (29-11)
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THE perennial favourites in the East continue to stroll through the regular season and seem to be doing it with ease. Cleveland’s ability to shoot the three has been a big factor this year as they hit 12.6 a game (2nd best in the league) and convert at a lethal clip of 38.2% (4th best in the league).
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MUCH like their counterparts out West it’s tough to pick a problem with a team who is leading their conference. The Cavs aren’t perfect however, with the team lacking playmakers outside of their ‘Big 3’. They also rank 28th in bench scoring, which isn’t an ideal trait for a championship team.
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ADDING sharpshooter Kyle Korver for basically spare parts was a pretty good deal for the Cavs. Or was it? LeBron has publicly said the team needs another PG and GM David Griffin has said they are in the market to trade for another playmaker. While adding Korver puts another lethal shooter on the court with James, further expanding their offensive potential, it may just create more questions and defensive uncertainty. Especially when J.R. Smith returns from injury.
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Indiana Pacers (21-19)
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JEFF Teague has been a borderline All-Star for Indiana since joining them in the off-season. He is averaging a career high eight assists each game and provides the Pacers with a consistent reliable scoring source every night.
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THE definition of average in most major statistical categories, it’s hard to pin point where it all goes wrong for Indiana. It’s no secret that outside of Paul George (sorry C.J. Miles) they have no one that can score from deep in a high volume. They aren’t great at defending the three ball either, giving up over 30 three point shots a game (3rd worst in the league). The way that today’s league is trending they need to fix both of those issues if they are going to be a playoff team in 2017.
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IN the 1st quarterly review I touched on Myles Turner’s potential to have an All-Star season. He is currently 4th in the league in blocks a night (2.4) and is one of only two players putting up 17 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks each night so far in January. Any time you are doing something not even Anthony Davis, Karl Anthony-Towns or Joel Embiid is doing, you know your clicking. Can Myles Turner be good enough to convince Paul George to stay though?
Milwaukee Bucks (20-20)
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I already payed homage to Jabari Parker’s development in the 1st quarterly review, and obviously Giannis Antetokounmpo is a superstar, but I’m now equally impressed with Malcolm Brogdon. The 36th pick in last year’s draft dropped a triple double on New Year’s Eve and since then hasn’t scored under double digits while dishing out five or more assists in all but one game. The future is bright in Milwaukee.
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ANTETOKOUNMPO leads the team in rebounding at 8.6 a night and apart from him the Bucks lack a true rebounder. Monroe contributes solidly off the bench with close to seven a night, but if they want to take the next step in their development their next draft/trade/free agent target should be someone who can rebound.
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DEFENDING the three point shot was something the Bucks established as a strength early on in the season however over the past half a dozen weeks they have slipped in that area. It makes you wonder if they will slip in other areas too as this young squad gets tired. Can they grind it out through the entire season and make a post-season appearance?
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Chicago Bulls (21-22)
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THEIR rebounding dominance has continued over the 2nd quarter of the season, but it hasn’t translated into any elevated success for the Bulls. They are the best in the league at rebounding the ball with a hair under 48 a game. Can they turn that dominance into more W’s though?
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CHICAGO ranks dead last in points per game from three. Bobby Portis is the only dude shooting over the league average from behind the arc, and he barely counts with just 16 made three’s. Putting it blankly they need to fix that area if they are going to stay relevant in today’s NBA.
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THE Rajon Rondo saga continues to be an entertaining storyline for everyone in the league to watch, that is unless you’re a member of this franchise. Rondo was benched for five straight games as per coach Hoiberg’s decision and has since returned off the bench in their past few games. Can Rondo accept his bench role and be beneficial to the franchise? Or will this drama continue to plague their success?
Detroit Pistons (19-24)
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AMAZINGLY despite being five games under .500 the Pistons are allowing the 5th fewest points to opponents on a nightly basis (101.0). The take care of the ball as well on average giving up just 11.4 turnovers a night. They do struggle to assist on plays however due to a lack of ball movement, but locking down on defense and taking care of the ball are two desirable traits of a winning team.
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REGGIE Jackson’s return was meant to boost the Pistons not do the opposite. After starting 10-11 since Jackson’s return Stan Van Gundy’s group has a 8-14 record. Part of their decline can be attributed to poor ball movement a lack of deep shooting capability. Much like their division rivals Chicago the Pistons are terrible at scoring points from three, scoring the 2nd fewest points from that area per game.
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THE Pistons are stuck in a rut, unable to find consistency in their play at the mid way point. Part of me is waiting to see the axe fall and someone cop the blame for under achieving so far, but it’s unlikely that someone is Drummond or Van Gundy. And while it’s not his fault the team is struggling, could Jackson be ditched for other players/future picks?
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