As the NBA approaches the quarter poll of the season, teams and individual players alike have provided many reasons to be thankful. Despite a slew of injuries to stars and key players, there are compelling games to catch virtually every night. In the spirit of Thanksgiving this week, the SportsCasting crew teamed up to share some 2024-25 NBA storylines for which they’re thankful.
Let’s get to it.
The Depth Of The Memphis Grizzlies
If I told you during the offseason that the Memphis Grizzlies would be the fourth-best team in the Western Conference and have a top-six offense and defense, your list of assumptions would probably go as follows:
Assumption: Man, Ja Morant and Desmond Bane must be playing out of their minds.
Reality: Morant has only appeared in nine games, while Bane is in the 20th percentile in scoring efficiency, per Dunks & Threes.
Assumption: Huh, well, last season’s breakout studs, GG Jackson and Vince Williams Jr., must have taken another leap.
Reality: They both suffered unfortunate preseason injuries and have only appeared in a combined three games.
Assumption: Jaren Jackson Jr. has turned into Hakeem Olajuwon with a jumper.
Reality: Jackson is actually playing the best basketball of his career, but he is not in the middle of a GOAT peak.
Assumption: Marcus Smart is doing Marcus Smart things?
Reality: He’s also played nine games, and is averaging 9.2 points on 53.2 percent true shooting.
The Grizzlies are thriving because of their Ja-dropping depth. Santi Aldama, Jay Huff (who our own Ben Pfeifer wrote in detail about), Jaylen Wells, Jake LaRavia, Scotty Pippen Jr., Zach Edey and Brandon Clarke are all playing like starting/high-end rotation players.
It’s allowed this sneaky title contender to stay in the mix while their core pieces get back to full strength. Plus, the added repetitions these complementary pieces are getting right now will only make them better equipped to handle their normal roles. –Mat Issa
Jalen Williams
I’m so thankful a player like Jalen Williams exists. I love that dude’s game. Some might say I love it too much. But really, how could you not?
Williams is a volume scorer (91st percentile in points per 75 possession), who gets his buckets in an efficient manner (71st percentile in true shooting). He can score from any area on the floor (63rd percentile or higher in efficiency from the rim, midrange and beyond the arc). When he’s not scoring himself, he’s setting up his teammates (88th percentile assist rate).
That alone is the outline for a low-end All-Star, and that’s before you discuss his defense. Williams is a diligent defensive playmaker (97th percentile in steal rate) and formidable secondary rim protector (74th percentile block rate).
His frame (6-foot-6 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan) unlocks a great deal of matchup versatility for the Oklahoma City Thunder. A quick glance at NBA.com shows that Williams has spent meaningful time shadowing guards like Norm Powell and Fred VanVleet, wings like DeMar DeRozan and Jerami Grant, and bigs like Victor Wembanyama, Ivica Zubac and Dereck Lively II.
Add that up and you have a player with the NBA’s sixth-ranked Estimated Plus-Minus right now (plus-5.1). Thank you, Basketball Gods, for gracing us with such a delightful hooper. –Mat Issa
Pascal Siakam
This season hasn’t been kind to Indiana Pacers fans like myself. Tyrese Haliburton doesn’t look right and injuries have already decimated the team. Despite Indiana’s disappointing 9-10 start, Pascal Siakam’s play has helped keep the team afloat. He’s having his best offensive season since his 2019 Finals run, averaging 20.9 points per game on a strong 64.2 percent true shooting.
Siakam’s diverse scoring arsenal has helped Indiana’s offense avoid the league’s basement. He’s creating from the post, scoring on drives and draining midrange jumpers as he tends to do. Siakam has been especially efficient at the hoop this year, converting a scorching 74 percent of his shots within four feet (84th percentile among forwards). And beyond the arc, he’s made 44.4 percent of his shots this year.
The current Pacers are in a challenging spot, but Siakam’s steady offensive presence has been essential. Pacer basketball isn’t the enjoyable escape it was a season ago, but we can count on Siakam to deliver whenever he takes the floor. I’m especially thankful for Siakam and his long-term contract for keeping my favorite basketball team as relevant as possible. –Ben Pfeifer
2023 Draft Class
A month into its sophomore season, the 2023 draft class is the gift that keeps on giving. Victor Wembanyama will always be the headliner as he continues his ascension toward NBA superstardom. Beyond Wembanyama, the class appears loaded with future stars and key complementary pieces.
Brandon Miller continues to find his groove as a creator, upping his finishing efficiency to 69 percent (61st percentile). Amen Thompson has been the 14-6 Houston Rockets’ X factor, establishing himself as one of the NBA’s best defenders and most electric open floor players.
Bilal Coulibaly and Gradey Dick have broken out in new ways this season, and seem to be carving their own star paths. Toumani Camara has blossomed into one of the NBA’s top wing defenders. We’ve seen flashes from the likes of Jarace Walker, Anthony Black and Scoot Henderson. Dereck Lively II and Jaime Jaquez Jr. remain positive NBA players.
Especially given a slightly underwhelming 2024 Draft, these sophomores are a joy to watch. I can’t wait to see how their careers all unfold. I’d bet that the 2023 class will alter the NBA landscape in a way that most classes can’t. –Ben Pfeifer
The Tari Eason And Amen Thompson Duo
Do you remember the Disgusting Brothers from “Succession”? That’s basically what Tari Eason and Amen Thompson do off the bench for the Houston Rockets. It takes more than just two players to pull off the second-best defense in the league, but Thompson and Eason are still playing a major part.
They use their length and heightened activity to disrupt opposing offenses at the point of attack. There’s a high level of focus and awareness required to pull this off, digging and poking the ball out on drives, jumping the gap in passing lanes and staying attentive to their man as well.
What makes this duo so incredible and why I’m thankful for them, is they’re also evolving offensively. Eason has been more controlled attacking closeouts and is getting to the rim at will. Thompson is improving as a shooter (30 percent from deep now on low volume after 14 percent last season), but is also more patient on drives and has particularly thrived as a lob threat working off advantages Fred VanVleet and Alperen Şengün create.
Not to mention, both of these guys are incredible in the open floor, which has propelled the Rockets to become the third-most prolific transition team in the league.
I’m thankful for the disgusting duo. –Es Baraheni
Old Stars Still Kicking
“Not so fast,” says the Old Guard. The NBA is undoubtedly going through a “pass the baton” phase as some of their longstanding stars enter the final stages of their careers and new stars are blossoming. But… it doesn’t mean the old guys are done yet.
The 36-year-old Kevin Durant has been the Phoenix Suns’ MVP this season. They went 1-6 when he missed seven games due to a calf strain, but he’s averaging a calm 27 points, six rebounds and three assists on 55-44-82 shooting splits, all while being the anchor for them defensively. The Suns go as Durant goes. That comes with its own warts for their postseason aspirations, but it’s great to see the Slim Reaper still dominating.
Ditto for Stephen Curry, who’s helped the Golden State Warriors to a top-three seed in the West. Although he’s taking his fewest shots per game since 2011-12 (15.6), he’s been surprisingly excellent defensively and still commands immense attention on offense.
The oldest of the bunch, LeBron James, is finally showing some moderate signs of aging (he turns 40 next month!), but that’s only for his GOAT-level standards. He’s broken a few triple-double records, hit a barrage of threes to beat the Sacramento Kings earlier this month and still propels the Lakers’ offense nightly.
But perhaps why I’m most thankful for their performances is that’s my generation of stars. And I’m happy they’re still around dominating. –Es Baraheni
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Swarming Defense
Despite Chet Holmgren being sidelined the past eight games (plus, most of another) and Isaiah Hartenstein only playing three contests this season, the Oklahoma City Thunder have solidified themselves as the league’s best defense. They even spent a handful of games with the 6-foot-6 Jalen Williams anchoring the middle. While they missed a beat during that stretch, they treaded water and have maintained their domain at the top.
The Thunder’s 103.9 defensive rating is 10.1 points lower than league average, according to Cleaning the Glass. That’s the most drastic mark in the site’s database, which spans to 2003-04.
In nine full games with Holmgren, Oklahoma City’s defensive rating was 97.6(!!!). Since Hartenstein entered the lineup, it’s 105.2. Give this team a bona fide center and it puts the clamps down defensively.
This group swarms to the ball, loots takeaways at an unrivaled frequency (first in opposing turnover rate by nearly two percentage points), rotates on a string, excels playing angles in help and is unbelievably dominant. Everyone who sees the floor can defend; second-round rookie Ajay Mitchell has immediately stepped into minutes and subtly, smartly plugs gaps during his runs like it’s nothing.
This Thunder defense is an absolute joy and pacing toward history. I’m certainly grateful to watch it. –Jackson Frank
LaMelo Ball’s Audacious Shooting
Averaging a career-high 31.1 points per game, LaMelo Ball is having quite the funky, spectacular season. Ball has always adhered to his own distinguishing brand of hoops, and that’s no different this year.
With an elite handle and Twister-style flexibility, he slithers around the court however he pleases to hunt scoring and playmaking opportunities. Despite this, Ball is something of a rigid bucket-getter. He’s a poor finisher (34th percentile or lower around the rim every season) who hardly operates in the midrange beyond floaters. Inside-the-arc ventures aren’t often a kind experience for him.
To counter that, he’s emerged as one of the league’s most versatile and prolific outside shooters. It’s how he’s shouldering a preposterous, league-high 40.9 percent usage rate without being a reliable finisher or midrange maven. After averaging 11.6 3-point attempts per 100 possessions throughout his first four years, Ball’s exploded to an NBA-high 18.9 this year.
He leads the Association in long-range attempts (second-place Anthony Edwards has taken 37 fewer), sits second in makes and is jacking 13.1 triples per night while hitting 35.6 percent of them. His superpower is his ability to generate this level of volume; it’s bewilderingly fun to witness.
He can shoot from any angle or platform he wishes and moves like he’s on ice skates. It leaves defenders stumbling, bumbling and fumbling. His NBA peers are even trying to emulate him now! He’s somehow the most audacious, fearless shooter in a league featuring Stephen Curry, and I’m happy to see it unfold. –Jackson Frank
