The Los Angeles Clippers have been performing well this season, despite Kawhi Leonard being out for more than two months. Their ranking in the Western Conference remains within the top seven, which is better than expected. With Leonard set to return, the Clippers' offensive and defensive capabilities are expected to significantly improve, once again making them contenders for the playoffs. The departure of Paul George has not affected the team, as Powell has had a breakout season, averaging 24 points with a three-point shooting percentage of 44.45%, his best performance yet. James Harden has been instrumental in maximizing the potential of players like Powell and Zubac. Zubac, a second-round pick in 2016, initially played for the Lakers as a substitute, often during garbage time, averaging only 3.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. At that time, Zubac averaged less than 10 minutes per game. However, through hard work and improvement, he gradually increased his averages to 7 points and 4.9 rebounds, then 8.1 points and 7.2 rebounds. The Lakers later traded Zubac to the Clippers, where he became the starting center, receiving more opportunities and seeing an increase in his scoring and rebounding averages. In the 2021-22 season, Zubac averaged 10.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists; in the 2022-23 season, he averaged 10.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assists. After Harden joined the Clippers last season, he helped Zubac improve his efficiency in scoring off screens and in pick-and-roll situations, resulting in averages of 11.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.2 blocks, with both points and blocks reaching…

The NBA has announced that Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault and Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Coaches of the Month for December, respectively. During this period, both the Thunder and the Cavaliers had a record of 12 wins and 1 loss. The NBA has also announced that Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and New York Knicks center/forward Karl-Anthony Towns have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Month for December, respectively. During this period, Alexander played in 13 games, averaging 34.5 minutes per game with 33.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.5 steals, and 1.2 blocks, with a field goal percentage of 56.3% and a three-point percentage of 36.6%. The Thunder had a record of 12 wins and 1 loss (data from the NBA Cup against the Bucks is not included). Towns played in 13 games, averaging 34.6 minutes per game with 23.2 points, 14.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.1 blocks, with a field goal percentage of 56.6% and a three-point percentage of 39.0%. The Knicks had a record of 12 wins and 2 losses. The NBA has announced that Memphis Grizzlies forward/center Jaren Jackson Jr. and Cleveland Cavaliers forward/center Evan Mobley have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Defensive Players of the Month for December, respectively. During this period, the Grizzlies' defensive efficiency ranked third in the West at 108.1, and Jackson was the only player in the NBA to record at least 20 blocks and 20 steals in December. Jackson played in…

Sorry, You Met Record-Breaking LeBron: Wembanyama Scores 35+18+4 Yet Misses Out on Today's Best Player Award On January 4th, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued with a total of 9 matchups scheduled for the day. The specific results are as follows: Hornets lost to the Pistons 94-98, Magic defeated the Raptors 106-97, Celtics won against the Rockets 109-86, Wizards were defeated by the Pelicans 120-132, Knicks lost to the Thunder 107-117, Cavaliers easily defeated the Mavericks 134-122, Spurs narrowly won against the Nuggets 113-110, Grizzlies lost to the Kings 133-138, and the Hawks suffered a crushing defeat to the Lakers 102-119. Harris, Silva, Tatum, CJ, SGA, Mobley Jr., Wembanyama, Monk, and LeBron. So, who will be awarded the title of today's best player? Let's take a look together. In the game between the Spurs and the Nuggets, Jokic scored an impressive 41 points, 18 rebounds, and 9 assists, while Porter Jr. contributed 22 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 three-pointers. Despite trailing by 12 points, they managed to drag the game into the final shot but ultimately fell short. On the Spurs' side, Paul scored 7 points, 8 rebounds, and 11 assists, while Vassell contributed 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. However, they were not the best performers for the team; that honor goes to Wembanyama! In 33 minutes of play, Wembanyama made 14 out of 22 shots (including 4 out of 6 three-pointers) and 3 out of 4 free throws, scoring a luxurious 35 points, 18 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks, with a plus-minus rating…

On January 3rd, Lakers team reporter Dave Mcmenamin reported that the Jazz may want the Lakers to cancel the top 4 protections of the first round in 2027 and add another first-round pick to trade for Kessler. Kessler is currently 23 years old, with an annual salary of only $2.97 million, a height of 213cm + a wingspan of 229cm, possessing strong rim protection capabilities and agile mobility, making him one of the most popular frontcourt players in the league at present. This season, Kessler has started 26 games for the Jazz, averaging 29.8 minutes per game, contributing 10.2 points + 10.9 rebounds + 2.7 blocks, with a shooting percentage as high as 70.6%, ranking second in the league in blocks. If the trade is completed, his combination with Anthony Davis (averaging 2 blocks per game, ranked fourth) will surely form a new "Los Angeles No-Fly Zone." Article by Yuan Jiajun Edited by Yuan Jiajun What do you think about the Lakers' lineup and the potential Kessler trade? Do you think the Lakers can acquire Kessler to form a new frontcourt duo with Anthony Davis? Welcome to leave your active comments in the comment section!

Generally speaking, NBA No. 1 picks are all gifted individuals, basketball geniuses, like LeBron James and Anthony Davis. They are super No. 1 picks, the pride of heaven, and they have shown off their impressive stats and strength right from the start. There are very few No. 1 picks in NBA history who have appeared to be "busts," such as Kwame Brown and Bennett. These two No. 1 picks are famous "busts" who were quickly left without a team to play for and were eliminated by the competition in the league. What level has the new No. 1 pick reached? 50 points + 48 points! First in history, the super No. 1 pick has gone crazy, creating the strongest record in history. In the 2024 NBA Draft, the Atlanta Hawks selected Lisha Xie as the No. 1 pick. Lisha Xie has played 34 games this season, averaging 23.9 minutes per game, scoring 10.9 points + 3.4 rebounds + 1.2 assists + 0.8 steals + 0.6 blocks. This data seems a bit mediocre. Lisha Xie's shooting percentage is 40.3%, three-point percentage is 28.4%, and free throw percentage is 69.7%. This efficiency level is not high, no wonder fans say that the performance of this year's No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 picks is not good. The No. 1 pick of the 2023 draft, Wen Ban Yama, is completely different from Lisha Xie. Wen Ban Yama is a super No. 1 pick, his basketball talent is at the strongest level in NBA history, comparable to James and Jordan. Wen Ban Yama…

In the current NBA league, only superstar players are worthy of a supermax contract. Players who haven't even made it to the All-Star game and receive a supermax contract will only face criticism and doubt. For example, Jamal Murray received a supermax contract worth $208 million over 4 years during the offseason, but his efficiency has declined this season. There are also guards like Beal and LaVine, who are strong on offense but weak on defense, and their max contracts are very overpriced. Superstars like Jokic and Antetokounmpo, on the other hand, are undoubtedly deserving of their supermax contracts. The best team in the Western Conference is the Thunder, with a record of 27 wins and 5 losses, far ahead of other teams. The Thunder recently won 12 consecutive games and have a chance to catch up to the Cavaliers' longest winning streak of the season (15 games). Although Holmgren has not yet returned, the Thunder are getting better and stronger. This is because the Thunder's star player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, has recently exploded with MVP-level stats and skills. Additionally, Harten has been playing exceptionally well for the Thunder, serving as a pillar in the paint and compensating for Holmgren's absence. According to NBA data experts from American media, the Thunder have a record of 16 wins and 1 loss in the games that Harten has played this season. This indicates that the system of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Harten, and Dort is improving and becoming more cohesive. In the last five games, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 36.6 points with a…

In the NBA, a player's fate is often determined by their talent. Some become superstars through their natural abilities, while others, despite constant injuries and low attendance rates, continue to receive the favor of teams and lucrative contracts. Take Jonathan Isaac as an example. This talented forward, selected sixth overall in the 2017 draft, has had a bumpy career so far but remains viewed by the Magic as a "future cornerstone." What is puzzling is that Isaac's career attendance rate is extremely low, even struggling to complete a full season. However, the Magic still have faith in him: from a four-year, 80millioncontractextensiontoanotherfive−year,80 million contract extension to another five-year, 80millioncontractextensiontoanotherfive−year,84 million deal this summer, keeping him with the team. Why is the Magic willing to invest $160 million in this "glass man"? Let's delve into the reasons. Jonathan Isaac was highly anticipated from the moment he entered the league. Standing at 2.11 meters tall with an impressive wingspan and agile movement, he possesses both offensive and defensive talents. However, health issues have always been his biggest enemy. Throughout his career, he only played more than 70 games in the 2018-19 season; in other seasons, his appearances never exceeded 35 games, and there were even two seasons where he did not play at all. Especially since the 2019-20 season, Isaac suffered serious injuries consecutively. He first tore his left knee ligament and then reinjured himself during pre-season training in 2021, missing two entire seasons. Even after recovering, his playing time was strictly limited, averaging only 16 minutes last season, which undoubtedly raises…

On January 2nd, Beijing time, a player exploded for 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks, single-handedly crushing the dark horse! Isn't this exactly what Liaoning Men's Basketball needs? However, under Yang Ming's leadership, they let him go. Liaoning Men's Basketball recently suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Beijing team. Why did they lose to Beijing? On one hand, they were defeated by Beijing's accurate three-point shooting, and on the other hand, Liaoning's rebounding was completely dominated. There was a huge gap in the number of rebounds between the two teams throughout the game. A simple data comparison shows that two players from Beijing had double-digit rebounds, with Solomon grabbing 11 rebounds and Zhou Qi grabbing 10. However, no one on the Liaoning team had more than 6 rebounds, with Han Dejun's 6 rebounds being the most, leaving the interior completely undefended. If there was a top power forward who could step up and share the burden with Han Dejun and Li Xiaoxu, grabbing a few more rebounds, the situation would not be as it is now. This is because since Zhang Zhenlin's injury, Liaoning Men's Basketball has lacked a strong frontcourt player. Fu Hao often plays too soft, his offense is fine, but he can't grab rebounds. At this moment, when we look back at today's CBA peak battle and witness Jilin, Liaoning's northeastern brothers, winning, we suddenly see the figure of someone, Zhang Zhenlin's close friend, the 24-year-old, 2.03-meter-tall frontcourt behemoth Wu Changze. Wu Changze started for 41 minutes and 37 seconds for the Jilin…

The San Antonio Spurs faced off against their old rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers, at home. Despite the absence of superstar Kawhi Leonard, the shadow of their first-round matchup remained. The coaching staff relied on excellent teamwork to expand the lead in the first half of the first quarter, but James Harden's sudden outburst helped stabilize the situation for the Clippers. However, the visiting team, playing back-to-back games, experienced fatigue issues, with many open shots failing to convert into points. This allowed the Spurs to execute fast breaks and dazzling ball movement, easily securing 37 assists and laying the groundwork for victory. Despite Tyronn Lue sending bench-end role players into the game in the middle of the third quarter, Spurs assistant coach Mitch Johnson had to keep Wembanyama on the court to ensure the win. This change exposed the true potential of the 20-year-old French center. In less than 26 minutes, he scored 27 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, dished out 5 assists, made 1 steal, and recorded 3 blocks, with a +22 plus-minus and a 55% shooting percentage. Such an efficient offensive and defensive performance left opponents in awe. Over the past eight games, Clippers center Zubac has averaged double-doubles in points and rebounds. However, when matched up against Wembanyama, he set a humiliating record of 5 points and 7 rebounds, reducing his $58 million value to that of a blue-collar worker. While acknowledging the team's poor record, one must also recognize Wembanyama's terrifying and unparalleled natural talent. As a sophomore rookie, he has not yet received many honors but…

As the world's highest level of basketball competition, almost every player entering the NBA carries tremendous pressure, especially those selected in the lottery. Even with their outstanding physical talents and personal abilities, it is their first time entering a high-intensity league, so stage fright during their debut can be a big problem for many players. However, there are also those who start their careers with ease from their very first game, showing no signs of nervousness and ultimately leaving behind impressive debut statistics. Today, let's take a look at the top five debut performances in NBA history. Lamar Odom - 30 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks Odom is undoubtedly a player who transcends his era. As a forward, Odom's skills are quite comprehensive. He can dribble and organize, has a decent outside shooting touch, and is equally imposing on defense. Whether it's top defense against ball handlers or targeting off-ball opponents, Odom can make significant contributions to his team. Such a player would undoubtedly shine in today's league, as long as they have stable shooting and good defensive capabilities, they are already very popular. However, Odom still managed to play in the league for 14 years with his all-around skills and solid fundamentals. In the 1999-2000 season, Odom started his career with an eye-catching performance. In his debut against the Seattle SuperSonics, Odom unleashed his firepower, going 10-for-18 from the field to score 30 points, showcasing his all-around scoring ability. He also grabbed 12 rebounds, dished out 3 assists, and completed 2 steals and 2 blocks, contributing to…