The NBA has just passed the halfway point of the regular season, and both conferences are competitive outside of the runaway leaders.
The Cleveland Cavaliers lead the East by 6.5 games and the Oklahoma City Thunder are 7.0 games ahead of the second-place Western Conference team. OKC and the Cavs recently played their two head-to-head games of the season and each team won one apiece.
Outside of those two top-tier teams, just seven games separate second place from 11th in the West, and 6.5 games separate third and ninth in the East.
There are a pair of teams moving in opposite directions in the East, and we'll cover those two teams, as well as the close race for the Rookie of the Year Award.
The Philadelphia 76ers are 15-27, 2-8 in their last 10 games, and are three games back from a spot in the Play-In Tournament. Joel Embiid has played in just 13 games this season, and major offseason free agent acquisition Paul George is averaging 17.0 points - his fewest since 2011/12 - on 35.5 percent three-point shooting.
None of this is promising. And, it's compounded by the fact that rookie guard Jared McCain, who was the team's best player amid its awful 2-12 start, is out for the season.
So, should the Sixers pack it in and, at the very least, attempt to be so bad that they hold onto their top-six protected first-round pick? The odds indicate that they're more likely to miss the playoffs (-240) than make the playoffs (+190), so they could benefit from moving some pieces if Embiid won't be healthy for the postseason.
Embiid is the only 76er with a trade restriction, meaning every other player on the team can be moved. The Sixers are not going to give up McCain or All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey, but everyone else could be sent elsewhere.
Guerschon Yabusele, who worked his way back to the NBA this season after a spell in Europe, could be an attractive trade target since he's on a one-year deal and is shooting 40.9 percent from three. Kelly Oubre could also draw trade interest as he's a solid wing on a one-year deal with a player option for next season.
As for the Sixers, they're on something of a parallel pathway when considering how the play styles of young guards McCain and Maxey are different from ball-dominant veterans Embiid and George. Philly plays at the NBA's second-slowest pace despite the speed and shooting ability of the two guards.
While it's unlikely any teams would be happy to trade for Embiid or George's contracts, it could make sense for the Sixers to, in the future, embrace a pace-and-space style of play that suits the guard tandem.
If Philly decides to tank the rest of the season and holds onto its pick, general manager Daryl Morey could draft BYU point guard Egor Demin, who is 6-foot-9, a decent three-point shooter, and can make seemingly impossible passes. That would provide Philly with a talented young core with the right playmaker to create open shots for Maxey and McCain.
The Indiana Pacers went 47-35 last season while playing super fast-paced basketball, and it led them to the Eastern Conference Finals. They've slowed down by an average of two possessions per game compared to 2023/24, and while they're just 24-19 overall, they're 8-2 in their last 10 games.
So, what's changed?
Under head coach Rick Carlisle, the Pacers have focused more on getting to the hoop and playing strong defense this season rather than running and gunning as they did last season.
They've been active defensively, holding opponents to just 35.2 percent shooting from beyond the arc in their last 10, which is 1.7 percentage points lower than their defensive three-point percentage for the season. The Pacers held both the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers below 30.0 percent three-point shooting in their recent wins over both teams.
On offense during this span, Indy is shooting at the sixth-highest effective field goal percentage (56.3) and have dominated inside the arc, making 53.1 percent of their shots in the paint and 72.4 percent of their shots in the restricted area. Plus, forwards/centers Thomas Bryant, Myles Turner and Jarace Walker are all shooting at least 44.0 percent from three in the last 10 games.
It seems the change in style is finally clicking halfway through the season. While it may not be as fun to watch as last season's Pacers team, it may be more effective at preserving the players for a long playoff run.
Remember, point guard Tyrese Haliburton wasn't the same after he rushed back from a hamstring injury last season. Hali's numbers are down this year (17.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 8.8 apg, 35.5% 3PT) compared to last year (20.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 10.9 apg, 36.4% 3PT), but he has stepped it up to 18.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 9.2 assists on 38.3 percent three-point shooting in the last 10 games.
While it's unlikely the Pacers will continue winning at an 80 percent rate for the rest of the season, they could make a deep playoff run if they keep playing at a high level, stay healthy, and perhaps move up a spot in the standings to host a first-round playoff series.
With the small number of rookies playing important roles for their teams in the 2024/25 season, there have been times when it seems that someone might win the award by default just for appearing in 65 games.
Now that we have a greater sample size, that will not be the case. But none of the four favorites in the market have blown fans and analysts away, and the fifth-favorite has missed 14 games - players can miss no more than 15 games to be eligible for awards.
Just over halfway through the regular season, Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr is the favorite (+210), followed by San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (+240), Memphis Grizzlies guard/wing Jaylen Wells (+300) and Miami Heat center Kel'el Ware (+500). Grizzlies center Zach Edey is a slightly distant fifth (+1000).
Sarr is averaging 11.6 points, 6.7 boards, 2.2 assists, 1.6 blocks and 0.7 steals on 39.9 percent shooting in 27.0 minutes per game. Opponents shoot 62.3 percent against him within six feet of the basket, meaning he is statistically a better rim protector than Bam Adebayo, Karl-Anthony Towns and Nikola Jokic this season.
Castle averages 11.6 points, 2.5 boards and 3.6 assists while shooting 40.3 percent overall and 25.8 percent from three in 25.2 minutes per game. He has worked his way into the starting lineup and had a streak of three games with 20+ points in mid-January.
Wells, who started his college career at Sonoma State before transferring to Washington State, is the least-heralded player on this list. The 2024 second-round pick averages 11.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists, and he's the most efficient player among the favorites as he shoots 44.1 percent overall and 38.6 percent from three.
Ware is the backup center for the Heat, and he averages 7.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.0 block in 14.9 minutes per game.
Edey will be ruled ineligible if he misses one more game, despite his averages of 9.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.0 block in 20.6 minutes per game while shooting 58.3 percent overall.
As a result, fans should wonder if the NBA will reconsider its player participation policy that requires players to appear in at least 65 games to win an award.