The All-Star Game is in the books, and now the focus is put squarely on the second half of the season. If the first half taught us anything, it's that the 2020-21 NBA season has been like no other due to the COVID-19 protocols and restrictions, postponed games and limited fans in the arenas. Even more than that, it's offered some surprising results that no one could've predicted, which should leave us with plenty to watch for as the league resumes action on Wednesday.
Teams we thought would be in the championship conversation struggled in the first half, while other squads have already surpassed expectations at the halfway point. There's still plenty of basketball left to be played, and after the All-Star break is when teams really begin to focus and take games more seriously as they work to make the playoffs as the highest seed possible. Here are 10 storylines to follow heading into the second half of the season.
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At the halfway point of the season, no one could've predicted that the top two seeds in the West would be filled by a team that lost in the first round of the postseason last year, and one that hasn't been in the playoffs in a decade. But here we are, with the Jazz boasting the best net rating in the league (8.5), and the Suns -- surprisingly -- having the third-best defensive rating (108.2).
It won't be easy for either team to hang onto its current ranking, especially as other contenders get locked in ahead of the playoffs, but if we're placing bets on which of the Jazz and the Suns would still be near the top of the West, I'd put my money on Utah. Aside from the Jazz playing incredible defense, they're also the best 3-point-shooting team in the league. Even more, they have the easiest schedule remaining for the rest of the season. The winning percentage of Utah's remaining opponents is 47.5 percent, which ranks last in the league, giving them an easier path to stay near the top of the West rankings. The Suns, on the other hand, have the 11th-toughest schedule remaining in the league, which could play a factor down the stretch.
2. How will Anthony Davis' health impact the Lakers?
The Lakers went 3-7 in their last 10 games before the All-Star break as it was evident that Anthony Davis' absence left a significant hole in L.A.'s offense. Davis' injury also meant the Lakers were incredibly thin in the frontcourt with Marc Gasol serving as the only other true center, which isn't ideal for L.A. in the short or long term if they end up getting to the Finals and have to face either Joel Embiid or Kevin Durant. There hasn't been a recent update on Davis' health, and the Lakers will surely take extra precautions with their franchise star as to not risk any further injury that could jeopardize his status for the postseason in a couple months.
So that raises the question of how the Lakers will attack the second half of the season with Davis essentially in bubble wrap. There have already been reports linking the Lakers to DeMarcus Cousins, and most recently the team is said to be interested in Andre Drummond if he and the Cavaliers agree to a buyout. Drummond would certainly be the more reliable option just based on injury history alone, and if Rob Pelinka is able to pull that off, that won't just solve their issue with Davis out right now. It'll also give them additional depth at the center position with a former All-Star who can still average 17 points and 13 boards.
3. How does Brooklyn balance all its moving parts?
The Nets just added Blake Griffin to an already dominant team, and while it's unclear how much he'll truly impact this squad, the focus still remains on the continued chemistry of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving. Those three stars have only played seven games together, as Durant has been in and out of the lineup with a hamstring injury, including missing the last nine games before the All-Star break. In the moments they've all played together, the Nets offense looks ridiculous. Harden has been given the reigns as the point guard, with Durant and Irving flanking him on the wings. While they've looked incredibly potent in those seven games, posting a 5-2 record, it'll be interesting to see how they continue to play off each other and ensure that all three stars remain involved and happy on offense.
Then there's the defense. Brooklyn has the best offensive rating in the league at the halfway point (118.2), and it has a pretty good shot at finishing the season in the same place. However, the Nets' defense ranks 26th in the league, which will be a significant issue in the playoffs if they can't fix that.
4. Can the Knicks actually finish in the top 5 of the East?
The Knicks will start the second half of the season in fifth place in the East, with just a half-game separating them and the fourth-placed Celtics. However, they've been given just a 33 percent chance of actually making the postseason by FiveThirtyEight. That may seem like the latest anti-Knicks slander, but it's actually not without reason. The Knicks have the fifth-toughest schedule remaining in the league, which is likely a big reason for the low chance at making the playoffs.
There's also the fact that teams like the Miami Heat, who entered the break on a 7-3 run, and the Toronto Raptors who started the season incredibly slow, are poised to make a run in the second half of the season. This isn't to say the Knicks are going to miss the playoffs, and a trade at the deadline could certainly change things one way or the other. Still, finishing as a top five seed in the East is a pretty tall task for the Knicks as there isn't a ton of room separating them and the teams below them in the standings.
5. Will there be a major trade at the March 25 deadline?
It's extremely likely the biggest trade of the season already happened when James Harden was moved to Brooklyn, but this league has certainly showed us that anything can happen. There will probably be some smaller trades for teams looking to add depth or sell off pieces in an effort to tank -- hello, Orlando -- but just looking at the playoff picture there really shouldn't be that many sellers this season.
Only four games separate the eighth-place Raptors and the 14th-place Magic in the East, while five games separate the eighth-place Mavericks and 13th-place Kings. The playoffs are very much still in reach for a lot of these teams, especially with the league implementing the play-in game again, which seems likely to happen in both conferences to determine the final two seeds in the East and West. Unless a disgruntled star gets traded out of the blue, the trade deadline may be a quiet one as teams continue to push toward a playoff appearance.
6. Do the Hawks turn things around with a new coach in charge?
It was evident the players soured on Lloyd Pierce, so the hope is that Nate McMillan, who was named the interim coach, will be able to fulfill this team's goal of making the playoffs this season. Atlanta should naturally improve with most of its roster returning, but a new voice leading the locker room will certainly also help matters.
Bogdan Bogdanvoic finally returned to the lineup for the final two games before the break, after missing 24 games due to suffering an avulsion fracture in his right knee. The Hawks won both games in his return, but returning someone like De'Andre Hunter, who was having a stellar season before injuring his knee, will certainly give them a boost. Hunter was putting up 17 points while being an anchor for Atlanta's perimeter defense, which this team has sorely missed. The Hawks will also be getting back defensive stopper Kris Dunn, who has yet to play this season after undergoing ankle surgery. The coaching should have an impact to smooth over any tensions felt between players and toward the coaching staff, but the Hawks' expected second-half success will be more about getting healthy than anything else. But it still needs to happen, so we'll have to wait and see if they can get it together.
7. Which MVP candidate will pull away from the pack?
In our midseason awards predictions, our CBS Sports staff favored Joel Embiid to win MVP this season, but it wasn't unanimous. Nikola Jokic got some love as well, and then there's other names like Damian Lillard and LeBron James who could also make a push in the second half for the award. Embiid has led the 76ers to the best record in the East, and he'll need to continue his incredible play in the second half to come out on top.
Yet as well as Embiid has been playing, it still isn't to the point where it's his MVP award to lose. If Jokic can push the Nuggets back to the top of the West, he'll certainly get some credit. Same goes for Lillard, who has been carrying an incredible load in Portland with several players injured. Then there's LeBron, who can turn it on at any moment and decide to just take over in the second half, especially if Davis' injury continues to linger. Then there's fringe contenders, like Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who could all insert themselves into the conversation. This MVP race certainly has favorites, but it still is pretty wide open at the halfway point.
8. Can the Celtics live up to expectations?
Boston was one of the hardest-hit teams from COVID-19 restrictions, in addition to the injury to Marcus Smart, whose expected to return soon after missing the last 17 games before the break. After starting the season 7-3, the Celtics are now just 19-17, which luckily has them in fourth place in the East. But two games above .500 was not what many expected from this team that made it to the Eastern Conference finals last season, so the pressure is on to turn things around.
Jayson Tatum looks to slowly be getting back into the swing of things after openly admitting to a tough bout with COVID-19, and Jaylen Brown continues to show glimpses of being more than just a second fiddle in his first All-Star season. But the biggest question still remains around Kemba Walker, who missed the first 11 games of the season and has sat out the occasional game here and there to rest his knee. Walker is averaging the lowest point total (18.5) of his career since his fourth season in the league, and despite shooting 36 percent from deep, he isn't having a particularly efficient shooting season from everywhere else. He's going to be the key to how far the Celtics can go this season, and that all hinges on his health. If Walker is truly healthy, the Celtics will need him to turn it up a notch to be the third star on this team.
9. Which team in the East will be biggest threat to the Nets?
The Sixers may be the top team in the East right now (by half a game), but it's pretty clear that Brooklyn is favored to reach the Finals after trading for Harden. The obvious choice would then be for Philadelphia to be the biggest threat, as it has shown to be the most well-rounded team in the conference. That said, the Sixers have yet to play a fully loaded Nets team, so it's unclear how they match up against them. Then there's a team like the Milwaukee Bucks, who have the second-best offensive rating in the league and a 12th-ranked defense that is better than it has played this season. Oh, they also have Giannis Antetokounmpo. If the Celtics do indeed turn things around, or make a trade that puts them in a better position to adequately challenge the Nets, you can't count them out either.
If last year's Eastern Conference playoffs taught us anything, it's that a team can come out of nowhere and pull off some upsets, so it'll be interesting to see if anyone can pull off what the Heat did a season ago.
10. Will there be a team that makes a surprise run in the second half?
There's several squads that could be candidates for this, either because they started slow or due to players returning from injury. In the East, that could apply to the Miami Heat, who at one point were using their 17th different starting lineup this season with several players being out from injury or COVID-19-related issues. The Heat, currently sixth in the standings, have the fourth-easiest schedule remaining in the league, which could certainly be the catalyst for rattling off several wins in a row to climb up even higher in the East.
In the West, there's a couple teams that could have a surge in them when the season returns. The Mavericks were already righting the ship before the break, going 8-2 in their last 10 games, and having the third-easiest remaining schedule will certainly help their chances to live up to those lofty expectations many set for them before the season began. The Nuggets, who have a legitimate MVP candidate in Jokic, have struggled to be consistent all season, sitting at just the No. 6 spot in the West. Defense is going to be key for Denver to make a run in the second half, and just like the rest of the teams listed here, it'll have a lighter schedule to work with to help it out. There could also be a surprise team in places we're not looking -- the Memphis Grizzlies could be returning key players or the New Orleans Pelicans may finally live up to all that talent. But it's clear that after some unpredictable results from the first half of the season, we should be in store for a similar second half during this unprecedented season.
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Knicks' playoff push, NBA trade deadline, MVP race among 10 storylines to watch in second half of season - CBS Sports
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