I straight-up completely forgot that they were even in Orlando, so they couldn't have done anything overly embarrassing. Otherwise, let's pick up where we left off. If you missed Part I: The Losers, you can check it out here. We'll start with those that left the bubble with mixed results, and span all the way to the fringe of the Top 100 (or the top 10 percent).
Today we're taking a look at the bubble's Middle Class.
We're back at it with Part II of the NBA Bubble Power Rankings, counting down - from worst to first - the players, teams and other things that made the bubble special. Rookie of the Year - LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets Envelopes please.Īll-Rookie First Team: LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, Saddiq Bey, Immanuel QuickleyĪll-Rookie Second Team: Jae'Sean Tate, Desmond Bane, Isaiah Stewart, Facundo Campazzo, Cole Anthony These guys brought it though, and so without further ado, let's hand out the Basketball Banter 2020-21 NBA Awards. Between the ongoing pandemic, truncated offseason, and mangled schedule, there existed every plausible reason for someone's head, body, or both to not fully be in the game. Nobody could've blamed a player for having an off year. While all involved deserve a serious kudos – especially the Toronto Raptors, who were forced to effectively spend the entire season on the road – we're here today to honor those who truly stood out. And to have done it on the turnaround that the NBA and its players did is something fairly remarkable. Yeah, this was probably a really dumb year to introduce the modified play-in round.īut this season existed. (All stats as of 4/8.) Most Improved Player: Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies So, in a time-honored tradition, coming to you on tape-delay from a weed-filled basement in Halifax, Nova Scotia, it's Banter's 2022 NBA Awards. It's been a fun ride so far, and things should only get better over the coming weeks, with one of the most wide-open and compelling postseason scenarios that have been conjured up in quite some time.īut before we dive into the playoffs, let's take a quick moment to reflect on those that really showed out during the regular season, with the only column I ever seem to write on this blog anymore (you can catch my regular stuff over at ). And, conversely, the Celtics staged one of the biggest mid-season turnarounds in NBA history. The Wizards were first in the East at one point this season. The Clippers stayed afloat without either of their superstars for much of the season. The Timberwolves are in the thick of the playoff hunt and playing competent defense. The Grizzlies somehow finished second in the league despite being a projected play-in team and their fringe MVP candidate missing 20+ games. Teams like the Cavaliers and Raptors came out of nowhere to make the Eastern Conference extremely competitive, while injuries to squads like the Clippers and Nuggets left voids in a normally very top-heavy West. The early-season adjustments to the new ball and foul rules handcuffed some of the NBA's biggest stars and led to an insane run of Under hits for sports bettors before scoring exploded over the season's second half. Even if you remove the COVID outbreak that had the league on the verge of a shutdown and rolling out G-League rosters for weeks during the Omicron wave, there was plenty of the unexpected afoot.įor starters, the two preseason championship favorites both completely imploded for various reasons, with the Nets clinging for dear life to a play-in spot and the Lakers being eliminated entirely.