Something positive about every NBA team, Part I

The days of the dog are here. Transactions have slowed. The Big Four are in a holding pattern. Summer League is over. The NBA is well and truly on vacation.

But not me! Well, technically I am, but that didn’t stop me from providing a couple thousand words for you all (much to Mrs. Poetry’s dismay).

Continuing a tradition I started back in 2022, I’ve written Something Positive about every NBA team. I’m looking for reasons for genuine on-court optimism; there are no only-half-joking jabs about the heat death of the universe (as I’d typed initially for one team).

To avoid sending you a manuscript, I’m breaking it up into three parts. We’ll do reverse alphabetical order to represent those of us who always got stuck at the end of the line.

Washington Wizards

Reason for optimism: Cam Whitmore

There is no guarantee that Whitmore, whom the Wizards acquired from the Rockets for two second-round picks, will be a star. But there’s also no guarantee he won’t be, and for a Washington team devoid of much scoring punch, that’s something worth investigating.

Whitmore is a high-flying, sweet-stroking wing who found himself buried on a deep Rockets team trying to win now. We don’t know what he’s capable of. He tried too hard to make the most of his scant minutes in Houston, yearning to be free but plunging himself ever deeper into coach Ime Udoka’s doghouse with every bad shot and missed defensive rotation.

But Whitmore needs zero room to launch his three, possesses a rare blend of athleticism and confidence, and has impressive shotmaking instincts:

He is more than worth a flyer for a Wizards team that needs his exact (theoretical) skill set, and I have high hopes he can give this team some offensive oomph.

Utah Jazz

Reason for optimism: Uncharted territory

The Jazz have officially entered “here be dragons” territory. Seven of their top nine players have two or fewer full years of experience: Isaiah Collier, Walter Clayton Jr., Ace Bailey, Keyonte George, Brice Sensabaugh, Cody Williams, and Summer League MVP Kyle Filipowski (and center Walker Kessler only has three).

Lauri Markkanen and Jusuf Nurkic (whom the Jazz bizarrely gave up Collin Sexton and a second-round pick for) are the only veteran rotation players left.

This team is the Process 76ers without the catchy branding. Last year’s awful squad featured heavy amounts of Sexton, John Collins, and Jordan Clarkson, all of whom have left. Depending on who you ask, those players either A) provided veteran leadership and a real NBA-level supporting cast to help the younger players acclimate, or B) blocked playing time for 21-year-olds with more upside.

Generally speaking, “A” is important, but I’m not sure that was the right mix of veterans to provide leadership. I’m actually kind of excited to see what so many hungry young bucks can do with limitless opportunity and zero expectations. Someone will pop, although it’s hard to know who at this juncture. (The Jazz are praying it’s highly-touted but divisive rookie Ace Bailey.)

It will not be pretty basketball in Utah, but it should be interesting!

Toronto Raptors

Reason for optimism: Brandon Ingram really did shoot more threes last year!

I know the trade for Ingram was not a popular one in most pockets of Canada, but I’m choosing a glass-half-full approach here. The biggest knock on Ingram has always been his preference for pull-up twos at the expense of his three-point line, but last year saw him shoot his lowest rate of midrange jumpers since 2020 and the most threes of his career. Previous iterations of Ingram would have passed up this shot to take two dribbles into a contested middie:

If that approach sticks, Ingram will add a little stretch to a Toronto offense that’s too often been static and brittle despite above-average ball movement.

For more on Ingram, check out the article I wrote last summer (a pretty good piece, in my unbiased opinion) on how Ingram needed to adjust his game to get paid. He did (pre-injury, anyway), and he did (to the tune of $120 million over three years). Ingram turns 28 soon. This is his last, best chance to be a real impact player in the league. I think/hope he’s motivated to make the most of it.

San Antonio Spurs

Reason for optimism: One more year to figure things out

The Spurs are in a really fun position right now. Of course, they have Victor Wembanyama, who will be staking his claim as a top-five player in the NBA after a summer spent monking around (not a typo). But San Antonio also has an exciting trio of young guards to try out next to the big fella. Finding the right complementary pieces will be critical to determining this team’s future.

The team just gave De’Aaron Fox a maximum contract yesterday (I strongly, strongly disagree with paying a slightly better than average starting point guard maximum money, but let’s keep things upbeat). They have Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle, a 94-foot try-hard who is one decent jumper away from being an absolute stud (and who sports a killer nickname to go with his French running mate: Area 51, a nod to Wemby’s extraterrestrial nature and their combined jersey numbers). And they just added Dylan Harper, another big, defensive-minded point guard who needs to prove he can shoot at the NBA level.

All three of those players are flawed but tantalizing (Fox has proven the most, but now has the most to prove). This is probably the last season where the Spurs can get away with experimenting in the lab at the expense of harvesting Ws. That sounds crazy, considering how young Castle and Harper are, but Wembanyama is simply too good. The Spurs have little time to waste.

Sacramento Kings

Reason(s) for optimism: Nique Clifford and Isaac Jones

Clifford looked like one of the best rookies in Vegas during his Summer League stint, particularly in his first four games, when he averaged 18.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists. Clifford also showed some dogged defense, although it’s hard to analyze how anyone fits into a team concept in the ragged Las Vegas heat.

Clifford’s ability to contribute a little bit of everything gives him the kind of positional malleability the Kings desperately needed. Although he’s slotted in as a wing, he’ll likely see some backup point guard minutes behind Dennis Schroder if the Kings ship out Malik Monk (as they seem determined to do, for some reason).

The second-year Jones, meanwhile, was arguably the Kings’ best player in the summer. The big man crushed the offensive glass and showed some touch around the rim, even flirting with the three-point line a little bit.

The Kings have more depth than people realize, so I urge coach Doug Christie to make sure that the two summer standouts don’t get lost in the regular-season shuffle.

Portland Trail Blazers

Reason for optimism: Scoot Henderson

It won’t necessarily jump off the page, but Scoot Henderson was far better in his second go-round. Despite a paucity of surrounding offensive talent, Henderson dramatically improved his finishing (a merely haunting 56% at the rim compared to a ghastly 46% as a rookie), three-point shooting (35% compared to 32%), turnover rate, and defense. His passing was his best skill as a rookie, and that became more sophisticated, too, even if teammates weren’t always ready to capitalize:

Henderson is not yet the superstar fans hoped he’d be, but as we’ve covered exhaustively, he couldn’t be in a better situation. Damian Lillard is reduced to a teaching role for at least a year, Jrue Holiday is one of the league’s most beloved teammates, and coach Chauncey Billups has improved dramatically (and hasn’t shown a hesitance to hold his young would-be star accountable).

I’m not quite ready to say Henderson’s ready to explode, but the Blazers have done an admirable job of setting him up for success next season.

Phoenix Suns

Reason for optimism: Ryan Dunn looking for his shot?

Ryan Dunn had an aggressive and ultimately successful second stint in Summer League. He looked for his three-ball early and often, finishing 6-of-16 across about 75 minutes.

Dunn’s defense would be legitimately game-changing if he could simply find a way to survive offensively. On a team with Jalen Green and Devin Booker, Dunn will mostly be stashed in the corner to lurk for baseline cuts and shoot threes. Being the barest level of threat is enough.

(Sorry, Suns fans, that’s about all I got. Green will give you all some fun highlights, at least!)

Philadelphia 76ers

Reason for optimism: A sneaky-decent young core

There’s a lot of doom and gloom amongst 76ers fandom, and I get it. The team’s championship equity relies entirely upon the fragile knees and cartilage of Paul George and Joel Embiid. That’s a bad place to be.

But don’t let the storm clouds distract from the fact that the 76ers have a far more intriguing young core than any all-in veteran team should! Jared McCain was a lock for Rookie of the Year before he got hurt, Tyrese Maxey is an anthropomorphic lightning bolt, and third overall pick VJ Edgecombe is an athletic marvel who could supercharge the team’s wing defense from day one. Restricted free agent 3-and-Der Quentin Grimes showed the potential to shed that label last year, and he’s just 25 himself.

It's nice to know that if/when the 76ers are forced to blow things up, at least they aren’t starting from ground zero!

Orlando Magic

Reason for optimism: Real shooting

Long, long ago, the Orlando Magic blitzed the league with a four-out offense that featured three-point bombers everywhere surrounding Dwight Howard in the middle. Eons have passed since those halcyon days. But now, for the first time in millennia, they have shooters worthy of the name.

If Desmond Bane, Tyus Jones, and rookie Jase Richardson can stretch defenses out a little further, perhaps Paolo Banchero can turn some of those fifteen-footers into layups and free throws. Perhaps seeing the guards put the ball in the hoop will inspire Franz Wagner to do the same. Perhaps some of the young guys on the roster (Tristan da Silva, Anthony Black) can improve their all-around games enough to become genuine contributors.

The Magic are finally bringing a gun to a gun fight.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Reason for optimism: *gestures broadly*

Thunder fans couldn’t possibly have it better. OKC are the champs, they’re heavy favorites for next season, and they’re set up for the future as well as any team in the league. If the entire Thunder roster decided to retire today, and the team had to start from literal ground zero, I’d still rank their future brighter than several other teams.

Everything’s coming up Oklahoma.