Basketball Intelligence for 1/25/24
The Thunder defense, midseason grades, Doncic's frustration, and more!
LEAGUEWIDE STORIES
NBA midseason grades: Who is ahead of the curve and who needs extra work
Kevin Pelton, ESPN+
VIDEO: Smartest Plays of the 2023-24 Season So Far
Ben Taylor, Thinking Basketball/NBA
NBA Storylines: Thunder winning with youth, Suns succeeding with vets
John Schuhmann, NBA.com
What is the NBA’s game-protest process and has a team ever been successful?
Lukas Weese/John Hollinger, The Athletic
Heat’s Terry Rozier move signals the limits of this year’s NBA trade market
John Hollinger, The Athletic
G League: TBP Live from Chiles Center
[Norris Cole] is a bench player in the G League more than a decade after reaching the peak of basketball success, and I sincerely believe that someone scraping along, working every day in the field they love after a career that started off perfectly then quickly tailed into obscurity requires a will that few people have.
I also think that a situation like Cole’s should make us, as fans, reevaluate what we think success means in sport. Because Norris Cole “made it.” He won two NBA Finals rings in his first two seasons. And then a few years later he was 27 and unable to find work in the NBA. He disappeared from our TV’s so he ceased to exist in our minds before he even turned 30.
TEAM STORIES
WAS: Marvin Bagley III is taking advantage of his opportunity with Wizards
Ava Wallace, The Washington Post
WAS: Wes Unseld Jr. out as Wizards coach amid 7-36 season, will move to front-office role
Jenna West, The Athletic