Approaching the two-month mark of the NBA regular season, key summer additions have begun to establish grounding in their new homes. It’s gone more swimmingly for some than others. Not every signing has proven thus far to be a smash hit, though that doesn’t mean free agency is without its early success stories.
Let’s look at how four notable offseason moves are enjoying (or not enjoying) their fresh digs.
Paul George
The Philadelphia 76ers signed Paul George this offseason to thrive as their third All-Star-level player en route to a title run. Philadelphia’s season has taken a disastrous turn since then and we can attribute a small piece of it to George’s decline. He’s no longer a superstar and has played just 12 of 22 possible games this season.
With Joel Embiid back and the Sixers hopefully finding some sustained health, George has settled nicely into his off-ball, secondary scoring role. He’s averaging 16 points per game on a 52.2 percent true shooting mark, the lowest of his career. Much of that results from his uncharacteristically cold 3-point shooting (31.2 percent on 6.4 attempts per game), which should rebound with time, given his history.
George struggles to create clean advantages downhill without the burst and explosion he once enjoyed. He hasn’t been an excellent isolation creator, but his scoring via off-ball actions inside the arc has been strong. His scoring touch is still elite and George’s size helps him access shots most can’t.
His current assist rate (30.1 percent) would be a career-high, as George’s secondary playmaking has been critical for Philadelphia’s offense. His handle unlocks windows in pick-and-roll, where he can make all necessary reads. The team’s lack of high-end passing talent limits them, so George’s presence is welcomed there.
As always, he’s been a stout wing defender, guarding the ball, switching onto bigs at times and jumping passing lanes (3.0 percent steal rate). Philadelphia’s future is murky and George’s continued aging factors in there. But he is lifting this current team in more ways than many may realize. Embiid and Tyrese Maxey returning to MVP and All-Star form will only magnify George’s two-way prowess. –Ben Pfeifer
Isaiah Hartenstein
Isaiah Hartenstein has been exactly what the doctor ordered for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite playing in just eight of OKC’s 26 games so far, he’s made his presence felt on both ends.
With Chet Holmgren sidelined, Hartenstein has been the perfect backline presence for the Thunder’s aggressive and surgical point-of-attack defense. Not only can he act as a sort of safety blanket — with defenders shooting just 53.8 percent at the rim against him this season — he’s also helping limit how often teams even get there.
Per Cleaning The Glass, the team allows nearly 9 percent fewer shorts at the basket with Hartenstein on the floor. It helps that he also closes out possessions for them, averaging a career-high 12.8 rebounds per game, three of which are offensive.
On the other side of the floor, Hartenstein is nothing short of a conduit to enhance Oklahoma City’s star engines in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. His screening and sealing abilities have helped clear driving lanes, and passing and shooting windows, while his skill as a high-post playmaker is a welcomed change-up in offensive identity.
During Williams and Hartenstein’s 192 minutes together, the Thunder have a plus-22 net rating. Similarly, they’re enjoying a plus-17.7 net rating in 180 minute with Gilgeous-Alexander and Hartenstein on the floor.
They’ve simply dominated with those three. A huge part is the extra windows Hartenstein creates with his incredible offensive awareness, and he’s been a tremendous two-way boost for the West-leading Thunder. –Es Baraheni
Chris Paul
Now in his 20th season and playing for his third team in three years, Chris Paul continues chugging along. He’s no longer an MVP-caliber, All-NBA-caliber or All-Star-caliber floor general like his prime, but the future Hall of Fame point guard has provided a tremendous lift on an ascending San Antonio Spurs squad that desperately needed more steady-handed guard play a year ago.
Although his waning athleticism and quickness have sapped most of his scoring volume (career-low 13.6 shots per 100 possessions), Paul remains a tremendous ball mover, eagle-eyed, frugal facilitator, viable floor-spacer and menace pilfering away steals.
He still sports a shiny 4.7:1 assist-to-turnover ratio, sits in the 74th percentile in steal rate (2.1 percent) among point guards and is 66th (plus-1.7) in Estimated Plus-Minus. As talented rookie Stephon Castle assumes more initiating duties, he’s even adapted fairly well to a heavier off-ball role with a career-high .644 3-point rate and converted 35.2 percent of those outside looks.
San Antonio is 16.1 points better per 100 possessions with Paul on the floor (8.0 points better offensively, 8.1 points better defensively), per Cleaning the Glass. Victor Wembanyama of course drives this team’s postseason hopes, but they wouldn’t be possible without The Point God’s services. He’s been a wonderful complementary fit and persists as a productive NBA player nearly two decades after entering the league. –Jackson Frank
DeMar DeRozan
DeMar DeRozan is a metronome. You always know what you’re going to get. Another 20-point season (22.5 this year)? Check. Efficiency that shits above the league average (63rd percentile true shooting)? Check. The ability to endure high-volume minutes (35.7 minutes per game)? Check.
Unfortunately, that also means that the bad is still there. An inability to knock down threes (27.9 percent)? Check. Below average defense (minus-0.3 Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus)? Check. An uninspiring on/off rating (The Sacramento Kings are only plus-0.9 points better per 100 possessions with him on the court)? Check.
That on-off is a big reason why DeRozan has failed to make a meaningful difference on the scoreboard for this King team. His skill-set creates a redundancy on the roster.
Among DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis, De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk, the Kings have a bounty of on-ball players who aren’t great floor-spacers aside from Monk. So, whenever DeRozan sits, they hardly miss him since his contributions are so easily imitated. And because assets in the NBA are limited, the Kings have very little left to put toward rim protection, perimeter defense and shooting, all of which are big reasons for their 12-13 start.
It’s easy to play revisionist history. At the time, many saw the DeRozan sign-and-trade as a huge win for Sacramento. But now that we have some data to digest, this doesn’t appear to be the ceiling-raising move the Kings initially hoped. –Mat Issa
