Philadelphia's borderline delusional confidence is what makes them such a compelling team. Harris is a sweetheart, but Butler, Embiid, and Simmons are all brash and chippy and ornery. Read more »

Kyle Lowry has shown that it is possible to elevate all the right aspects in the business of putting a player's career first without sacrificing loyalty and contribution to the team. Read more »

Nikola Vucevic does everything well, just a shade less well, and a few shades less engagingly than his peers. Read more »

At the edge of NBA relevance, all Isaiah Thomas can do now is fight like hell to hold down a job. And he'll forever be aggrieved about what he didn't get. Read more »

LeBron James had a grand vision for himself when he chose the Lakers, but that got in the way of the day-to-day. Read more »

As everyone rightfully paid attention to the absolute insanity of the must-see James Harden watch-a-thon, it was guys like Kenneth Faried and Austin Rivers arriving in the night and immediately revitalizing a team that needed it badly. Read more »

The Kings provide a space where Harrison Barnes can operate at something like a happy medium, become the player he was meant to be rather than the one he and others have spent nearly a decade telling us he might become. Read more »

The Nuggets have discovered that surrounding him with shooters and cutters means double-teaming Nikola Jokic at any spot on the floor will be chaos for any kind of defense. Read more »

Myles Turner hasn't been an All-Star but he's a Defensive Player of the Year candidate and he's an archetype of the NBA's modern big man. Read more »

When we talk about the NBA being a players' league where the players appear to have more power than ever before, we need to be more conscientious of firstly, just how limited that power is relative to ownership and secondly, how few players we're talking about. Read more »

The Bucks are not cute, and they're not a fluke. Yet it remains unclear exactly what they are. Read more »

The business of the NBA, it seems more and more every year, is business rather than basketball, and the second thing- the reason we're all here in the first place- is suffering for it. Read more »

Kevin Huerter had been enjoying life in the NBA to the point he forgot he was going to be paid. Read more »

A team is more likely to acquire a superstar through the draft or trade than they are using outright cap space. Read more »

After drifting around the league for six-and-a-half seasons, Harris is finally being given a chance to show what he can do playing consequential basketball. Read more »

We extoll NBA offense simply for the scoring- no nicknames, pop star girlfriends, or on-court histrionics necessary. That's because it's so American, so individualistic. Unlike defense. Read more »

Kyrie Irving may have backtracked on his public commitment to the Celtics, but any criticism of his waffling is unfounded. It's simply how the modern-day NBA works. Read more »

Dirk Nowitzki has a ring. There is nothing left for him to accomplish. Which does not mean the work is not enjoyable, or that he does not savor it, at this late stage. Read more »

We know how awesome Davis can be because he has to do so much for the Pelicans, but we also do not have a solid idea of how awesome Davis can be when everything is a little bit easier on him. Read more »

There's no getting around how disappointing it is to lose Victor Oladipo, but the Pacers are well-equipped to muddle through the disappointment with some dignity. Read more »