The big stories from the past week are that the Kings’ fall could be disastrous, the Hawks are shining without their star, and Nikola Jokic continues to amaze.
Team of the Week: Atlanta Hawks
This was one of the X-factors expected this season. The Hawks revamped their roster, brought in Kristaps Porzingis, and got their injured players back, but the start of the season was disappointing; the team was searching for its identity and the defence wasn’t convincing. Then, when Trae Young got injured, everything changed.
Atlanta have gone 7-2 without their supposed franchise player. Even better, the Hawks are riding a five-game winning streak, led by Jalen Johnson, who put up an incredible performance against the Jazz this week: 31 points, 18 rebounds, 14 assists, and 7 steals!
The offence is firing on all cylinders, and in a surprising twist, Atlanta now lead the league in average assists - without the player who’s been the NBA’s top assist man over the last five seasons!
The Hawks are now fourth in the East, with a relatively manageable schedule ahead. Of course, "Ice Trae" will be back soon, and the team will need to make sure his return doesn’t disrupt their newfound momentum. Unless this hot streak sparks the trade rumours that have been swirling for a while.
For now, Atlanta are back to being a team to fear.
Underperformers of the Week: Sacramento Kings
A roster full of proven, talented players, but that’s just not enough in today’s NBA. Sacramento is in free fall, and this time it might be for good. The team that thrilled fans in 2023 and made a dramatic playoff return (losing in an epic series) against the Warriors now looks lifeless and on the verge of collapse.
No one really knows why or how. They’re 27th in defensive rating, and 25th in offensive rating—even though everyone on the team is capable of scoring 20 points a night. The result: six straight losses and second-to-last in the West. Now (finally) there are rumors of a roster blow-up. Domantas Sabonis will surely draw interest, as will DeMar DeRozan, but in the end, you have to wonder what the goal is for a franchise that’s only made the playoffs once in the last 20 years...
Player of the Week: Nikola Jokic
The season has barely started and we’re already running out of superlatives for the three-time MVP. In three games this week, he was averaging 39 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists, with a masterpiece against the Clippers: 55 points on 18-of-23 shooting, and a clinic in attacking a defence from every possible angle.
People keep searching for weaknesses, but there are none. And everyone on his team is following his lead. Aaron Gordon, of course, but also the bench, which is the third-best in the NBA.
As for the Joker, currently the league’s top rebounder and passer, it’s hard to see what could stop him from claiming a fourth MVP trophy and cementing his place among the all-time greats...
Play of the Week: Tre Mann
Poster alert: it’s always more impressive when the “little guys” go up against the big men. So seeing Tre Mann, at 1.91 meters, rise up over Myles Turner, who stands 2.11 meters tall, made for a truly spectacular moment. Charlotte probably won’t win many games this season, but at least they’ll put on a show.
Story of the Week: Nico Harrison
The end of the ordeal for the Mavericks: nine months after a historic trade - though not in a good way - Nico Harrison has been dismissed from his role as Dallas’ General Manager.
To recap, he traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis and a first-round pick. He was widely mocked for the move, but kept insisting that “defence wins championships” and that basically, everyone was too clueless to understand why he dared to send Dallas’ beloved star to a rival.
It’s probably the end of his GM career, because even if he can’t be blamed for Davis (still sidelined) being injured, he is responsible for bringing in one of the most injury-prone players in the NBA.
But current owner Patrick Dumont has taken little responsibility, even though he approved all of Nico Harrison’s decisions. And his apology letter doesn’t really sound like an apology, suggesting he made the move just to calm the fans, not out of any long-term vision.
Now, the roster is likely to be blown up and the team rebuilt around Cooper Flagg. But 2025 will probably go down as one of the worst years in Dallas Mavericks history. And we’ll always wonder how it ever came to this.