Top 10 Triumphs of 2017-18

I’ve already chronicled my biggest disappointments of the season, now it’s time to reflect on some of the most surprising and uplifting stories of the NBA season. From the shoe-in to win Most Improved Player of the year, to some of the most over-achieving teams, and gems from the 2017 draft class … here’s the top 10 triumphs of 2017-18, starting first with a well-warranted Honorable Mention.

Honorable Mention

The 2017 draft class may go down in NBA history as one of the best ever.  It’s way too early to suggest this group will ever surpass what the classes of ‘84, ‘96, and 2003 have done.  But the early hype, combined with on-court success, definitely puts them in the conversation.

Donovan Mitchell made the list below, but I’d like to shout out some other guys here who deserve recognition. (Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball also appear below, with the Lakers’ as a team).  

Jayson Tatum made Celtics GM Danny Ainge look like a genius when Boston traded back in the draft to get him.  The jury is still out on what Markelle Fultz can become. The lottery, as a whole, was loaded with rookies who have gone on to play key roles for their teams this season.  Lauri Markannen, Frank Ntilikina, Dennis Smith Jr, De’Aaron Fox, and Josh Jackson are all key pieces of their respective teams’ rebuilds, and have proven it with their play.

In total, there are 22 rookies, drafted in 2017, who have qualified for the Minutes per Game leaderboard. Of those, Charlotte’s Malik Monk has logged the least minutes at just under 700. The rest of that 22, not already listed, are: Dillon Brooks, John Collins, OG Anunoby, Bam Adebayo, Justin Jackson, Josh Hart, Jarrett Allen, Luke Kennard, Sindarius Thornwell, Semi Ojeleye, Zach Collins, Wesley Iwundu, and Terrance Ferguson.

10. Pacers and Jazz Overcome Small Market Stigma

Last summer was dominated by two big name players leaving the small-market team that drafted them.  Gordon Hayward left Utah in free agency to join the Boston Celtics. Paul George demanded a trade from Indiana, and ended up in Oklahoma City.  The narrative surrounding the the teams they left behind was a story we’ve heard countless times before. Poor small-market cities, they can’t retain their superstars. Everyone expected both the Jazz and Pacers to suffer losing seasons.

However, both teams currently have 40 wins and 30 losses.  Indiana is currently the 5 seed in the East, and Utah is sitting in the 8th seed in the West. While the seeding will probably fluctuate a lot in the last few weeks of the season, both teams are likely to find themselves in the playoffs, when all is said and done.  That is a huge testament to each franchise’s leadership.

Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard was mocked last summer for the returns in the Paul George trade.  But he’s had the last laugh. Victor Oladipo, featured below, has blossomed into a bonafide star in this league.  Domantas Sabonis has shown promise, as well. And the rest of the roster continues to outperform expectations. Don’t overlook Nate McMillan as a Coach of the Year candidate.

Utah has bounced back from the devastating loss of Hayward about as well as anyone could have hoped.  He was their best player, and he walked in free agency. That hurts. GM Dennis Lindsey wasted no time finding a player to replace his production, albeit with a bit of luck, when he landed Donovan Mitchell, also featured below, in the draft. Most of the Jazz’s success, though, should be rightfully attributed to the brilliance of Head Coach Quin Snyder.  The culture he has built in Utah has this team on the brink of their first consecutive playoff appearances since 2010.

9. Kyrie Irving

Kyrie shocked the NBA world when he requested a trade last summer.  Many questioned why any player would want to leave a team that featured the best player in the world and had been to three straight Finals.  But Cleveland has no guarantee that LeBron will still be there next season, and that roster could be in a lot of trouble if he leaves. Kyrie was smart to get out ahead of that drama, and miraculously landed himself in the best possible situation.

Boston is building a dynasty.  They’ve acquired the right veterans to fit their system. They’re loaded with young talent and more draft picks yet to come, and Kyrie is the perfect point guard to build a championship team around. LeBron’s reign over the East will eventually end, and the Celtics will be the prime contender when that day comes.

8. Los Angeles Lakers

After multiple long losing seasons, Lakers’ fans can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. The Los Angeles Lakers have reached 30 wins for the first time since 2012-13, the last time the franchise made the playoffs.  While they won’t reach the playoffs this season, the team has a sense of optimism that has been absent for the last 5-plus years.

A huge reason why they’ve survived this rebuild has been their success in the draft. That’s something new for the this organization.  After the draft day acquisition of Kobe Bryant, not much has gone right for the Lakers in the draft. From 2000-2013, Andrew Bynum was the only draft pick who played a significant role with the team.  The rest were bench-warmers or burnouts. Los Angeles drafted Marc Gasol in 2007, but famously traded him for his brother Pau.

This new batch of Lakers’ rookies is different, not to mention the development of Ingram and Randle. The young talent in Los Angeles has many dreaming of a return to prominence for one of the league’s most storied franchises.  

Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and Josh Hart have all played significant roles with the team this season.  All three have been brilliant. Lonzo generates the most hype, Kuzma puts up the flashiest stats, but over the last two months Josh Hart has provided the most consistency.  All three rookies figure to be key pieces for this team moving forward, although a lot of questions still await Los Angeles this offseason.

7. Trust The Process

The now famous, or infamous, slogan of the Philadelphia 76ers rebuild elicits a vast range of emotions depending on who you talk to.  Sixers’ fans have learned to love it, and now embrace the mantra on an almost obnoxious level. The haters can’t stand it and mock it relentlessly.  Who knows how Sam Hinkie feels about it these days; but one thing’s for certain, the process is paying off.

Sam Hinkie envisioned a team that had multiple high lottery picks year after year, trusting that at least one or two of those picks would blossom into elite-level talent.  And two of them have. Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are two of the best players in the world, and have taken the league by storm.

Simmons has dominated from day one (after sitting out a year).  His first game saw him put up 18 points and 10 rebounds against the Wizards. Less than a week later he dropped his first triple-double (21p/12r/10a) on the Detroit Pistons. He has 9 total triple-doubles on the season, a rookie record.  His latest, arguably his most impressive performance, included 11 points, 12 rebounds, 15 assists, and ZERO turnovers. This kid is truly a new breed of point guard. Standing 6’10”, with a game modeled after the likes of Magic Johnson and LeBron James, the sky is the limit for Simmons.

Simmons will be a finalist for Rookie of the Year this season, much like his Embiid was last year.  Embiid, the player who nicknamed himself “The Process”, would have won ROY had he been able to play in more games.  That concern was put to rest this season, as he has appeared in 58 of his team’s 69 games so far, and improved in almost every statistical category in the process. (pun intended)

6. Donovan Mitchell

The biggest surprise of the 2017 draft class deserves individual recognition on this list. Donovan Mitchell has far surpassed anyone’s expectations as a rookie.  A season that was supposed to be a downer for Utah has instead been anything but. Mitchell stepped in day one and gave Jazz fans reason for optimism, despite losing their franchise player last summer.

Averaging 20.3 points per game, along with 3.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.5 steals, Mitchell has made waves across the NBA all season.  He’s poured in 40 points twice, and five other times scored more than 30. Because these numbers grab headlines and attention, many think all Mitchell does is score.  This is far from the truth. He has often been used as a facilitator in Coach Quin Snyder’s offense, and excels at creating offense out of pick and roll situations.

Donovan Mitchell will be a finalist for Rookie of the Year, but he is not my pick to win it.  I think Ben Simmons will, and rightfully should, walk away with the hardware. So why is Mitchell on this list and not Simmons? Well, honestly, I expected Simmons to dominate this season.  Mitchell’s sudden rise has been a pleasant surprise.

5. Portland Trailblazers

In one sense, the Western Conference standings look much as everyone predicted they would.  Houston and Golden State hold a sizable lead over the rest of the competition. But in another sense, there’s still a shock within the current playoff seeding.  Portland currently holds the 3 seed, and has for a few weeks.

The team many expected to be the third best in the West, Oklahoma City, currently trails Portland by just two games; but is also just two games out of 8th place.  The Spurs and Timberwolves were also expected to be in the hunt for a home-court playoff series, but are now both in danger of falling out of the playoffs completely.

How did Portland get here? The easy answer is Damian Lillard.  He’s been outstanding. In his sixth season, he isn’t doing anything revolutionary. He’s just been better, specifically on defense. Portland ranks in the top 10 in defensive rating, and Lillard’s improvements on that end are a huge reason why.  Dame is also posting career-bests in PER, true shooting percentage, win shares, and box plus-minus. He’d be a serious candidate for MVP, if the Beard didn’t exist.

4. Victor Oladipo

The man who saw himself become the butt of the jokes last summer is now the one having the last laugh. Victor Oladipo has put together the ultimate revenge season, and is a lock to win this year’s Most Improved Player award. It must be something about the state of Indiana that brings out the best in him.

Truthfully, though, his path to MiP began before the trade.  After last season ended disappointingly for Vic and his MVP teammate in OKC, Oladipo committed to transforming his body and taking his game to a new level.  Being traded from the Thunder to the Pacers only served to fuel that fire even further. [see my article on Oladipo from back in December]

Oladipo’s scoring jumped from 15.9 points per game last year up to 23.2 this season.  He more than doubled his free throw attempts, while improving his percentage from the stripe.  His three point percentage started out hot, but settled back to around 36%, similar to last year.  His two point field goal percentage climbed above 50% for the first time in his career. Defensively, his 2.3 steals per game is also a career high, and indicative of the massive leap he’s made on that side of the ball.  He has also hit career-highs in virtually every advanced metric.

When Oladipo came into the league, I thought he’d hit this level much sooner.  Just as I was ready to admit that I was wrong about him, this season happened. I’m a sucker for a good success story, and I’m happy to see Vic succeed in the league.

3. Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors have the East’s top seed all but locked up.  Their retooled and, somehow, improved bench has been one of the feel good stories of the year. Demar DeRozan has asserted himself as a truly elite guard, and figures to be a candidate for All-NBA and possibly even MVP.  Dwane Casey is the Coach of the Year (if he isn’t, shame on the voters).

This season’s Toronto Raptors are different than in years past, and Casey is the biggest reason why.  Despite seeing sustained success throughout his tenure here, he recognized a change needed to be made.  After back to back 50 win seasons ended at the hands of LeBron James, it became clear that the status quo would never give this team a chance to truly compete for a championship.

Toronto is top 5 in defensive rating, which isn’t overly surprising. But what if I told you they also have the third best offensive rating in the league, behind only Houston and Golden State?  That is where this Raptors team differs from past versions. Coach Casey has this team playing with an entirely new pace and energy. I’m surprised that such a veteran team, who has had success, bought into changing their style.

This is the best Toronto Raptors team in franchise history.  Led by candidates for Coach of the Year, Executive of the Year, and MVP … and, yet, the guy who is next on this list will likely still end their season …

2. LeBron James

The greatest player of this generation, and arguably the greatest of all time, is still getting better.  It’s crazy to even think about. But, here we are. In his 15th season, at age 33, LeBron James is still, somehow, in his prime.  This season has been a surprise to pretty much everybody, except the King himself.

While we marveled at how his body has seemingly defied the aging process (except for his notoriously receding hairline), LeBron has been hard at work maintaining his empire. His pregame routines are now famous.  After Brian Windhorst’s article, we now know LeBron spends $1.5 million a year on his body. Money well spent, I’d say.

The results are as impressive as the work that goes into it, quite honestly.  LeBron’s 27.5 points per game is slightly higher than his career average. Again, it’s worth noting that he is 33 years old! In his 15th season, he is raising his career scoring average.  That’s insane!

James is also averaging career highs in assists (9.1), rebounds (8.6), field goal percentage (55), and is on pace to play in all 82 games while averaging 37 minutes per game.  This dude is 33 years old. He’s an MVP candidate. And he’s still the best player in the world.

1. James Harden

James Harden is, and will win, the MVP of the NBA this season.  He is the catalyst, the igniter, and the undisputed leader for the best team in the league.  He has helped orchestrate one of the best offenses in the history of the sport. And he has done so while simultaneously improving his strengths and correcting his flaws.

Harden’s 30.7 points per game leads the league, over a point and a half per game better than a season ago.  His 62 true shooting percentage this year is his highest since his last season in OKC, on a vastly different usage rate.  He leads the league in three pointers and free throws, both the number of makes and attempts. All of the things that we know Harden to be great at, he is somehow even better at.

Even still, he’s better at the things he’s been criticized over for years, too.  Harden is on pace to finish with over 100 less turnovers than last season, averaging 1.4 less per game.  He’s also improved his defensive effort and consistency and is no longer the liability he once was.

Harden’s true brilliance lies in his isolation bag of tricks.  He is the best isolation scorer in the world today, and his arsenal of moves is constantly evolving.  He’s shooting the fewest deep two’s of his career, and converting in the paint as efficiently as he’s ever been.

Of course, there is still the fabled step-back jumper … just ask Wesley Johnson

No offense to the King, but James Harden deserves to be named MVP this season.  The Beard should have won it last year, and he came back even better. Give this man the hardware.