Something positive about every NBA team, Part II

A superstar's new weapon, guys who can dribble, and quiet improvements from Jaden McDaniels and Bennedict Mathurin

We’re back with the middle of the alphabet! Part I, which was 100% free, can be found here; this one and Part III will be (mostly) pay-to-play, so consider supporting your favorite NBA blogboi with a paid subscription to unlock access to this and all past and future articles. I’ve got some fun stuff in the hopper for the rest of the summer!

New York Knicks

Reason for optimism: A new voice

The Knicks are the embodiment of the “New hair, don’t care” meme from basketball gods know how long ago. They’ve been a bit of a punching bag for their bizarre coaching search in which they called up half the league’s currently-employed jefes looking for someone, anyone ready to take millions of dollars to come to the Big Apple. Despite all that, I don’t hate where they ended up!

The Knicks’ most pressing issue was updating an offense that’s been far too Brunson-centric. Mike Brown, with his Golden State-inspired emphasis on off-ball movement and sharing, will bring in something entirely different. His system does require heady passers and quick decision-makers, and it’ll stretch players like OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, but it should be an upgrade overall (although don’t be surprised if the Knicks struggle to score out of the gate as they adjust). I’m particularly interested to see how Karl-Anthony Towns does in more of a hub-type role.

New Orleans Pelicans

Reason for optimism: Jeremiah Fears’ dribble-drive game

The rookie Fears lived in the lane as a collegiate freshman. He has a KFC-certified Original Crispy handle, yo-yoing the ball around until he’s manipulated defenders a touch out of position. Then, he attacks the basket:

Fears drew a ton of free throws both in college and in five Summer League games, and although he might struggle to finish at the rim as he adjusts to NBA rim protection (which is the expectation for a 19-year-old guard), he should fill up the highlight reel.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Reason for optimism: Jaden McDaniels’ glow-up

McDaniels didn’t make a massive scoring leap last season (with Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle, and Naz Reid on the team, there are only so many points to go around), but he quietly improved the two weakest parts of his game.

McDaniels had always been allergic to box outs, posting some of the lowest defensive rebounding rates of any forward in the league. Coach Chris Finch has also publicly called him out for not attacking the offensive glass hard enough despite his spring heels and elastic arms.

Last year, his rebounds per game nearly doubled, going from 3.1 to 5.7 (and the change was just as noteworthy on a per-possession basis). You know how sometimes you’ll physically jolt when you suddenly remember something important, your body reacting to your brain’s surprise? You could see that with McDaniels as he’d watch a ball get launched, wait a beat, and then belatedly recall that rebounding is part of his job description. That might sound like a backhanded insult, but it represented genuine growth!

McDaniels has also been a foul machine in his young career, but last year saw him decrease his foul rate from 4.6% to 3.6% — still worse than the positional median, but far better. More impressively, he fouled less while stealing and blocking more, turning into a bona fide defensive playmaker.

McDaniels has always been a lockdown perimeter defender, but the Wolves experimented with the near-seven-footer in more of a Jaren Jackson Jr.-esque lurker role. Finch began stationing McDaniels as a secondary rim protector when the team went small with Naz Reid at center. Predictably, McDaniels showed a knack for it:

McDaniels will likely never be the 20-point scorer or deadeye shooter that many hoped he’d become, but that doesn’t mean he’s a static figure. McDaniels’ consistent improvement (and underrated ability to rise like homemade bread in the playoffs!) has turned him into a foundational piece of a Wolves team looking for a third straight Western Conference Finals appearance.

Milwaukee Bucks

Reason for optimism: Giannis’ middie