Age talk, prayers, weight issues, and relationship advice. The whole New Years shabang.
The New Year is all about optimism.
Everyone has something they want to change, achieve or see happen with the turn of the calendar year: chase money, focus on themselves more, end toxic relationships, and the stereotypical list goes on.
Personally, I'm not the biggest resolutions guy, but I do enjoy mass optimism. With that in mind, I came up with seven resolutions I'd like to see take place across the league.
1. Stop Focusing On LeBron's Age
I enjoy Mark Phillips as much as the next Black anime lover, but he and the rest of RDC World have to answer for their sins one day. Since the above sketch went viral, every Blackfishing media outlet(it's a real thing, read about it) mentioned "36" followed by some emoji or rhetorical question of disbelief for every LeBron James accomplishment.
It's 2022 and LeBron is 37 now — let's leave the age references in 2021. Not because the mentioning of his age is overused(it is) or because LeBron's age:production ratio isn't impressive(it is), but simply because his numbers stand out enough on their own.
In December alone, James scored 30 or more 10 times, and the scariest part about his production wasn't his age or the potential physical toll of the minutes he was playing(this is very scary, please stop Frank Vogel) — it was the fact that the Lakers didn't commit to the best way to optimize LeBron on offense until three games ago.
Following a late comeback against the Nets with LeBron at center, t̶h̶e̶ 3̶7̶-̶y̶e̶a̶r̶-̶o̶l̶d̶ LeBron has since become the Lakers primary center, spacing the floor for himself and others, diving at the perfect time and being the ultimate combination of passer and finisher as a roll-man in pick-and-roll situations.
Since making the jump to center, LeBron is averaging 37.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 2 blocks and 1.7 steals per game while shooting over 57% from the field and over 55% from deep.
Aren't those numbers more impressive than "He's 37!"?
2. Appreciate The Grizzlies More
The Memphis Grizzlies are 4th in the Western Conference, positioning them as the clear line in the sand between contenders like the Warriors, Suns and Jazz(?) and the rest of the field. This resolution isn't meant to label the Grizzlies as contenders because they're not there yet, but they are worthy of a League Pass(nbabite.com, shh) watch whenever possible.
A couple watches and you'll realize that the Grizzlies, while not yet contenders, are on a championship path eerily similar to the trail laid out by the Milwaukee Bucks. The Grizzlies are currently at the "superstar's third season and we just stole the perfect co-star for him"part of the trail.
For the Bucks, that landmark moment occurred during the 2015-16 season when Khris Middleton emerged to average over 18 points per game while shooting about 40% from deep and Giannis Antetokounmpo was one year away from winning the Most Improved Player award.
Here's where things gets scary: The Grizzlies are hiking that small-market championship trail at a much more accelerated pace than the Bucks did.
Ja Morant is in the middle of a 25/6/6 season and is closer to MVP consideration than MIP consideration. The "stolen co-star" Desmond Bane is having Middleton's breakout campaign with two less years of NBA experience. Oh, and the Bucks spent two more years with Jason Kidd at the helm while the Grizzlies already have a perennial Coach of the Year candidate in Taylor Jenkins.
Not mentioned: Jaren Jackson Jr., who, either through his own play or his trade value, ensures that a draft pick-filled Jrue Holiday-type trade won't be necessary to complete a Grizzlies big three.
Again, scary.
3. Appreciate The Young Defense
Five rookies from the 2021 Draft class have All-Defensive Team potential: Evan Mobley, Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham, Herb Jones and Davion Mitchell.
Mobley and Barnes have drawn comparisons to some of the greatest defensive players of all time. Herb "Not On Herb" Jones and Davion "Off Night" Mitchell have already entered the rare space of defense-based nicknames. And Cade Cunningham, well I wrote about his defense.
If you're a fan of defense, today's young crop of players have you covered. Just watch second-year forward Deni Avdija:
4. Pray For The League's Best Centers
Nikola Jokic(December stats): 25.2 points, 14.4 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 1.7 steals
Joel Embiid(December stats): 29.2 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.5 steals
Embiid and Jokic are 1A and 1B for the best centers in the NBA and sit third and first in Player Efficiency Rating respectfully(defund justinlaboy) — neither of them would make it out of the first round if the playoffs started today.
Embiid's Sixers are currently sixth in the Eastern Conference, and if the playoffs started today, they'd play the defending-champion Bucks. Jokic's Nuggets would be equally unlucky if the playoffs started today, matching up against the aforementioned under appreciated Grizzlies. It'd be generous to assume the centers could carry either of their current rosters to a six-game series in either of those matchups.
Watching them play, it feels disrespectful to label Embiid and Jokic as centers — they're unstoppable forces.
Well into their respective primes, Embiid and Jokic's lanes in the NBA are clear. Embiid's offensive bag is fully unlocked and only Kevin Durant can show off a more unstoppable arsenal of moves. Jokic is rivaled only by LeBron in terms of being able to both physically and mentally dominate any game.
Maybe if enough prayers get sent up we can see Embiid and Jokic get some star teammates back and square off against their forward doppelgängers in the playoffs.
5. Manage The Weight Of Superstars
*Stands on soap box*
This resolution is directed at the three core groups that keep the NBA going: league members, the media and fans. The weight of athletes was never a bigger topic than in 2021. Like a lot of things in the social media/maximize clicks era(share this article btw), the conversation started lighthearted and fun, became mean-spirited and then ended in an alarmingly weird space.
Somehow jokes about Lil Baby gifting James Harden honey buns, Zion Williamson's resemblance to Booger McFarland and Luka Doncic morphing into Hookah Doncic turned into photoshopped pictures, sensationalized journalism and widespread fatphobia.
League Members
Criticism surrounding Doncic, Harden and Williamson's weight didn't come out of thin air.
Harden and Doncic start every season playing like lesser versions of themselves and it's not farfetched to assume Williamson's weight has played a role in his lack of availability for two of the first three seasons of his career.
Teams have professionals dedicated to player diets and fitness training, and stars as important as the aforementioned likely have a personal arsenal of similarly focused professionals.
But if three of the league's top-15 players(excluding Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid, two more superstars who have had noted weight issues), at what point does the quality of the game come into question and managing player weight become a league issue?
Media and Fans
This is a two-in-one resolution that can be summarized into one timeless question used to express bewilderment: the fuck is wrong with y'all?
In one weeks time, an unsupported report by Tim MacMahon on Zach Lowe's podcast listed Zion Williamson at 330 pounds, a picture of a visibly slim Zion was then posted days later and within 48 hours the image was photoshopped to make the injured 21-year-old look larger, all while MacMahon's report served as the "credible" caption that legitimized the altered image.
This resolution should have kicked in for most decent people around 10-years-old, but stop being weird about other people's weight in 2022.
*Steps off soap box and into negativity*
6. Let This Era Of The Trail Blazers End
In a year when the NBA set the record for most players in one season, the Portland Trail Blazers are somehow running away with the "team that looks like they don't want to be there" award. They capped 2021 off with four straight losses: 14 points to the 13-23 Pelicans(nice), 15 points to a Luka-less Mavericks team, 15 points to the Jazz and an embarrassing 33-point New Year's Eve loss to the Anthony Davis-less Lakers.
CJ McCollum's absence with a collapsed right lung explains some of the team's struggles, but if a season filled with Health and Safety protocols has any positives(no pun intended), it's that the constant roster turnover has shown the fight of each team. Kevin Durant and what was essentially the Long Island Nets beating the Toronto Raptors may mean nothing on the surface, but it speaks volumes to how the team views themselves.
The Trail Blazers don't seem to view themselves highly and they haven't shown much life as a team since their fight to make the bubble playoffs in 2020. Two years later, it's time to let the Damian Lillard-CJ McCollum era of the team end.
7. Breakup Already @ (Celtics, Rockets, Knicks, Pacers, Kings)
Speaking of calling it quits, each of the above teams should move a franchise player or key starter in 2022.
Rockets
(Believe it or not, this was written before the Christian Wood-Kevin Porter Jr. incident.)
Since they're in the early days of a rebuild, the Houston Rockets are in the least toxic relationship of NBA franchises that need a change in direction, but it's clear a Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green backcourt isn't the one they should commit to long term. No matter how many highlights the two are guaranteed to create, their skills overlap too much to be anything sustainable.
Celtics
Which brings me to the Boston Celtics.
Just do it already. The moment Danny Ainge drafted Jayson Tatum it was clear that the Celtics would have to trade him or Jaylen Brown eventually. Five years later, Boston's indecisiveness has the team trapped in mediocrity, unwilling to trade an extra door for a key.
In a situation that essentially has no wrong choice, the Celtics are somehow losing by wasting both of the forwards' early prime years.
Knicks
Unlike the Celtics, the New York Knicks have no doors to escape basketball purgatory.
Julius Randle is at best a crack in the wall that allows the franchise to gasp in enough air to continue talking themselves into hope. Despite what their seemingly impossible plus/minus shows, the Knicks have enough quality veterans to flip into a good chunk of draft capital or an interesting young player with potential *cough, Cam Reddish, cough*.
It's time for the Knicks to start a committed multi-year rebuild in 2022.
Pacers
Kings
No one should pity the Sacramento Kings.
Firing Luke Walton mid-season after multiple seasons of watching Luke Walton coach is one thing, but firing your poor late-game management, no defensive concern, generally aloof coach mid-season then replacing him with Alvin Gentry is worthy of investigation.
Lucky for the Kings they have three quality point guards, an elite shooter, a starting forward with Finals experience and the hype of Marvin Bagley III on roster. They're the team most well-equipped to land essentially any player/pick that's available.
But if I know the Kings like I think I know the Kings, they'll keep their roster as is, fall five games short of a play-in spot, land a late lottery pick and take the one player whose potential they can waste while simultaneously misusing them to make their team worse.
Like I said, no pity for the Sacramento Kings in 2022.
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