Purple Knights

Everyone who loves the NBA looks forward to filling out an All-Star ballot, and this particular columnist waited until the day after Groundhog Day because the same old, same old does not cut it this season.
Yes, there are names on my ballot that are there year after year. That list begins with LeBron James, who is finally back in Los Angeles following a two-week road trip in which he drew inspiration from hecklers at two stops -- in Cleveland from an overzealous Cavs&rsquo; front-office employee, and in Atlanta from a woman whom he believes may have had more than a drop too much of alcohol.
This is a season unlike any other with all of the COVID-related restrictions and postponements, but the James Harden trade made January quite worthwhile, and we should expect a J.J. Redick move any day now as the Pelicans clearly look to go in another direction. His playoff experience will be valued by someone, as 20 teams (counting play-in games) are headed to the postseason. So stay tuned on that one.&nbsp;
Back to the ballot.&nbsp;
We shall start with the Western Conference. As has been the case for the past several seasons, voters are required to select two backcourt players and three frontcourt players &ndash; a nod to the positionless nature of the NBA in an era where the three-pointer is more valuable than ever. Just ask the Utah Jazz, who have three-balled their way into first place in the West. They only made nine last night in a victory over Detroit, but the Pistons do not require anyone&rsquo;s A-game on most nights.
So here we go... 
WESTERN CONFERENCE STARTERS
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers: "Dame Dolla" has let us all know that Hulu has live sports. So props to that smart TV service for latching on to the best player folks on the East Coast rarely get to see. We have been watching him bury 30-footers for so long now that he has surpassed Steph Curry as&nbsp; Player Most Likely To Hit From 38 Feet. Lillard is third in the NBA in scoring at 29.1 points per game, and his 11-9 team is the second-highest scoring team in the West despite the losses of CJ McCollum (fractured foot) and Jusuf Nurkic (fractured wrist). Lillard ranks eighth in the league in assists (7.2) and seventh in minutes per game (36). He also is making 94.7 percent of his free throws, only behind Jordan Clarkson, Chris Paul and Irving.
Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz: The temptation here is to give this spot to Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors, who is fifth in the NBA in scoring. But Mitchell is the best player on the West&rsquo;s best team, leading Utah with 23.3 points per game on a three-point-centric team getting double-figure scoring from six players. We all saw when <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-shaq-donovan-mitchell-shaquille-oneal-neal-utah-jazz-inside-tnt-turner-joe-ingles-rudy-gobert-mike-conley" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal interviewed Mitchell on TNT to produce one of the season&rsquo;s most uncomfortable moments</a>, and we should expect the Jazz to continue to feed off that disrespect. They own the longest winning streak in the NBA this season at 11 games, and their 285 threes in January marked the most in a single month in NBA history. Mitchell has reached 600 career three-pointers faster than any player in NBA history...including Steph.
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LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers: He never ages, does he? Some of his stats are down just a little from last season (most noticeably his assists) but the guy is making threes at a career-best 40.9 percent clip, and nobody has advocated more vociferously for allowing fans back into the arenas, something we are seeing more and more teams do. The Lakers have played only eight home games as opposed to 14 road games, and 11 of their next 14 will be at Staples Center. Remember last February and March when LeBron was starting to make a run at Giannis Antetokounmpo for MVP consideration before the pandemic shut down the season? Well, he is currently the 7-2 favorite for the award, just ahead of Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid and Kevin Durant. (Why the books have Lillard at 25-1 is perplexing.) Just as he never ages, it never gets old watching LeBron.
Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers: He will never win any Most Quotatious awards, but his game does his talking, and he is at 26.3 points per game while also flirting with a 50-40-90 season. The Clippers are just a half-game out of first place in the West, and Leonard has played in 18 of 22 games as Ty Lue seems to be weaning the team&rsquo;s two superstars away from the load management that robbed them of team chemistry a year ago; they have used just seven different starting lineups after using 33 a season ago, and of Leonard&rsquo;s four missed games, two were for COVID protocols and two were for a mouth laceration. The Clippers lead the NBA in three-point shooting, with Kawhi hitting them at a 39.8 percent clip, his best in five years. He also is third in the NBA in steals, and get this: Leonard is the winningest player in NBA regular-season history with a 407-135 (.751) record.&nbsp;
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets: The Joker went for 22 in the first quarter against the Jazz on Sunday and finished with a career-high 47points, and he is fifth in the NBA in assists at 8.6 per game. To put that in perspective, just behind him in the league-leader rankings are Ben Simmons, LeBron, Lillard, Kyle Lowry and Malcolm Brogdon. Slimmed down significantly after recovering from COVID-19, Jokic is the NBA&rsquo;s only player in the Top 10 in points, rebounds and assists, plus he is 11th in field goal percentage and 13th in minutes played a night -- a career-high 35.8. He also is averaging career-highs in field-goal percentage, rebounds, assists and steals. Jokic is currently on a streak of 11 straight games with at least 20 points, too. 
West Reserves: Luka Doncic, Mavericks; Steph Curry, Warriors; Paul George, Clippers; Anthony Davis, Lakers; Rudy Gobert, Jazz; Deandre Ayton, Suns; Devin Booker, Suns.
West's Left Out: Christian Wood, Rockets; De&rsquo;Aaron Fox, Kings; Zion Williamson, Pelicans; Brandon Ingram, Pelicans; DeMar DeRozan, Spurs; Ja Morant, Grizzlies. 
EASTERN CONFERENCE STARTERS
Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards: Good to hear that he is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-washington-wizards-bradley-beal-wont-be-on-trading-block-in-near-future-trade-rumors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not requesting a trade</a>, which is what general manager Tommy Sheppard has been telling everyone who has asked for the past two seasons. The news that Beal is NOT seeking a trade is not really news. Beal is leading the NBA in scoring at 35.0 per game, which is 4.2 points higher than his closest pursuer. He failed to reach 30 points in just two of the Wizards&rsquo; 10 games in January, and last night he went for 37 in his second consecutive game. It's a no-brainer pick despite his team having the league&rsquo;s worst record. His scoring average is up 4.5 points from last season, when it was up 4.9 points from the previous season.&nbsp;
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Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics:&nbsp; This pick was not as easy, because despite his prolonged absence for personal reasons, Kyrie Irving may be the most talented point guard in the entire Eastern Conference (the dude went for 39 against the Clippers last night on 15-for-29 shooting, a season-high, and is well on pace for a 50-40-90 season). But Brown has produced more consistently for the Celtics without any of the Kyrie-esque drama that we all endured a couple of weeks ago. His 18-point game against Golden State last night tied his season-low, but he is at 26.6 points per game for the Celtics while shooting nearly 53 percent. Brown has played in all 19 games and is averaging career-highs in points, assists, blocks, steals and all three shooting categories.
Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets: With all due respect to Irving and Harden, the Nets are KD&rsquo;s team. He is averaging 30.8 points per game and is flirting with a 50-40-90 season himself, and his perseverance in pushing Sean Marks to make the Harden trade cannot be understated. Yes, the Nets are all-in on offense and still have to find an interior rotation defender (Iman Shumpert is not going to be that guy). But they are now the NBA&rsquo;s only team with a Big Three, and Durant has been remarkably efficient from the field. His 11-for-13 night against the Clippers marked the 10th time in 17 games that he has been well-above 50 percent from the field.
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers: We would prefer it if he dropped all references to The Process, which is sooooo Sam Hinkie. The Sixers are 14-2 with Embiid and 1-4 without him, and he has dropped 33 or more points in five of his last seven games. The seven-footer from Cameroon is a 41 percent 3-point shooter, more than three percentage points better than Nikola Jokic. Also, he has attempted the second-most total free throws (152) despite missing five games, and he is making them at a career-best 84 percent clip. If he can keep this up, he is going to be very much in the MVP conversation, which bettors in South Jersey and Pennsylvania have been wagering on quite heavily. He may drop 50 on Cody Zeller tonight.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks: The reigning two-time MVP is still a thrill to watch every time he takes the court, and tonight&rsquo;s game against the Indiana Pacers will be a test for the Bucks. It's too bad that we might not see Giannis test the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-myles-turner-outblocking-entire-teams-goal-all-defensive-first-team-dpoy-honors-blocks-steals-defense-nate-bjorkgren-scheme-indiana-pacers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shot-blocking prowess of Myles Turner</a>, who is questionable with a shoulder injury. We all get to watch that game on ESPN, which is nice because the Pacers &ndash; like the Utah Jazz &ndash; are not on national TV enough given the relative strengths of their teams. The Greek Freak is in the MVP conversation, but not dominating it as he did the past two seasons, perhaps because his turnovers are at a career-worst pace and his free-throw percentage (59.3) is at a career-low. But Giannis has shot below 50 percent just once in his past 13 games, and he is tied for sixth in scoring and is 10th in rebounding.&nbsp;
East Reserves: Kyrie Irving, Nets; James Harden, Nets; Domantas Sabonis, Pacers; Trae Young, Hawks, Nikola Vucevic, Magic; Jayson Tatum, Celtics; Zach LaVine, Bulls.
East's Left Out: Julius Randle, Knicks; Collin Sexton, Cavs;&nbsp; Gordon Hayward, Hornets; Fred VanVleet, Raptors; Russell Westbrook, Wizards; Malcolm Brogdon, Pacers.

Chris Sheridan selects his 2021 NBA All-Star starters and reserves for the Eastern Conference and Western Conference.

Sheridan's 2021 NBA All-Star starters: Beal over Irving, Mitchell over Doncic

LeBron James has long been revered as the symbol of longevity in the NBA. Playing the most seasons of all time at 23 years, James is still going strong even at 41 years old. After missing the first 14 games of the year, he is now averaging 22.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 6.9 assists. 
Now LeBron is slowly rounding to shape, and at the top of this peak gameplay is James&rsquo; ever-talked about investments on his body. It has long been a story for years on how he spends millions of dollars every year to take care of his body, and this year is no different. Or perhaps, this has even more intensified each year as he grows older, adding more intensive routines to keep his body conditioned and in top tier shape to play against the best of the best.
James offered a glimpse into the meticulous routine behind his longevity, walking through his game-day checklist as he prepared to play his first back-to-back of the season on Tuesday.
In a postgame interview with ESPN&rsquo;s Dave McMenamin, that preparation included just about everything modern recovery has to offer, detailing his routine every game:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Cold tub</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Hyperbaric chamber</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Nap</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Normatec</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Activation</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Stretching</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Rehabbing</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Lifting</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Pregame meal</li>
</ul>
The results spoke for themselves. Despite it being his first back-to-back of the season, James delivered a near triple-double performance, finishing with 31 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists to lead his team to a win over the Atlanta Hawks.
At an age where most players have long since stepped away from the game, LeBron&rsquo;s attention to recovery, conditioning, and preparation continues to serve as the foundation for his sustained excellence &ndash; and nights like this remain the clearest proof of why he&rsquo;s still performing at an elite level.
It remains to be seen if LeBron maintains this level of play until the end of the season, but the Lakers would certainly hope so as they fight for positioning in the tough Western Conference. And at the forefront of it all is James alongside Luka Doncic, who will try to contend for a title for the prestigious purple and gold brand.

LeBron James revealed his detailed game-day routine after his first back-to-back game this year - the secret to his incredible longevity.

LeBron reveals his stunning routine, secret for his incredible longevity

The Memphis Grizzlies did not lose Game 1 against the Golden State Warriors because Ja Morant missed a layup.
Game 1 was a result of a young coach leading an even younger team against a proven franchise led by a seasoned, dynastic trio in Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
The key to Memphis winning this series?
Growing up. Fast.&nbsp;
In the first round, the Grizzlies were the team taking advantage of the wildly inexperienced Minnesota Timberwolves, overcoming three different double-digit, fourth-quarter deficits to win the series in six games.
With eight minutes left in the fourth quarter of their second-round series opener on Sunday, the Grizzlies found themselves down double digits again, but the confidence was there. They've already proved they are resilient and capable of storming back, which they did.
The difference this time? An opponent with over 500 games of playoff experience on its roster. While Memphis was able to defeat Minnesota via three comebacks, Golden State did something it has always done: Respond.&nbsp;
This is a trend to watch throughout the series. If Memphis gets down and storms back, can it do the little things to win those games? Or will the experience of the Warriors win out?
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When looking for this trend, there has to be some identifiers that point towards the youth of Memphis, and in Game 1, there were a few examples.&nbsp;
One indicator of youth can be found in shot selection.
All season long, Memphis thrived by attacking the paint and second-chance points. During their comeback in the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies had seven straight possessions that resulted in a three-point attempt. In that four-minute span, they shot 2 of 7 from deep, only scoring from the free-throw line and one layup off on an offensive rebound. Although they outscored Golden State in that stretch, settling for perimeter jumpers was a failure to capitalize on their turned up defense.
Another indicator is careful attention to detail.&nbsp;
Thompson left the door wide open, missing two free throws with 6.7 seconds remaining in regulation. It would have been a one-possession game no matter the result, but it was winnable for Memphis. All the Grizzlies had to do was rebound the second miss.
The difference between Memphis getting that rebound and calling a timeout from the resulting jump ball was roughly three crucial seconds.&nbsp;
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Multiple lapses happen here for the Grizzlies. Thompson missed the original three-point shot for a lead, only for Andrew Wiggins to gather the offensive rebound. Memphis gets caught ball watching and is slow on its rotations, leading to a wide-open Curry three.
Steph misses another opportunity to put the Warriors up, only for Wiggins to get another offensive rebound in an attempt to tie the game on a tip. He misses the tip, yet the Grizzlies still can not come down with the rebound. The tie-up leads to a jump ball, which ultimately gives the Warriors possession. The very next play, Thompson hits the game-winning three off an inbound play.
In the final minutes, Memphis was beat by its own medicine, allowing three offensive rebounds that led to two massive Golden State second-chance buckets.
Communication in crunch time is another thing that can fail a young team.&nbsp;
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Upon first glance, it looks as if Ja Morant was ball watching and lost track of his man. From the beginning, Ja was actually matched up with Jordan Poole, and it was Brandon Clarke who was ball watching. It appears Clarke never had sight of his assignment (Gary Payton II), and assumed due to his position in help that Poole was the next man in rotation. By time Clarke realized the mix-up, it was too late, and the game was tied.
The mistakes of youth are not just attributed to the players on the court.&nbsp;
Grizzlie head coach Taylor Jenkins will have to grow alongside his team if there is any hope for Memphis to reach just the second Western Conference Finals in franchise history.&nbsp;
There is no question about his ability to keep his guys locked in despite deficits, and his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/memphisminnesota-game-5-was-a-masterclass-in-playcalling-wizardry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ATOs are top notch</a>, but his learning curve has to deal with managing rotations. Playoff rotations shrink for a reason. Although Memphis boasted a deep squad in the regular season, guys like Steven Adams and De'Anthony Melton were essentially cut from the rotation altogether in Round 1.
Though the Grizzlies avoided the foul trouble they ran into against the Timberwolves, Jenkins deployed 10 men in Game 1. Perhaps it was due to the one day's rest between these series, but Memphis saw success in the prior round when shortening the rotation.
For example, Jaren Jackson Jr. was in a groove that Memphis desperately needed to see from him.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
jaren jackson jr is the only player in nba history to have a playoff game with at least 30 points, 6 made 3-pointers and 6 offensive rebounds
&mdash; Fastbreak Breakfast (@fastbreakbreak) <a href="https://twitter.com/fastbreakbreak/status/1520973196979507200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

More importantly, Jackson only had 3 fouls and was never considered to be in foul trouble at any point in the game. Yet, he only played 30 minutes in a game where he was virtually unstoppable. With no Draymond Green on the floor, JJJ was a mismatch for the Warriors, and should have seen the floor more.
Even more perplexing was Jenkins' decision to sub out Melton rather than Dillon Brooks for the final three minutes of play. Brooks had 5 fouls and was 2 of 12 shooting prior to the substitution, while Melton was causing problems all over the floor; he produced 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and a block.&nbsp;
Melton is the same level of a perimeter defender with a quicker first step, making him better suited to guard guys like Poole and Curry. His activity on the night, plus his scoring, should have warranted his stay on the floor. The decision comes down to Desmond Bane and Brooks. And on nights where both may be struggling in terms of scoring, you would prefer Bane's presence, as it only takes one shot to change the game (i.e., Thompson's game winner).
Memphis is going to have to grow up fast in order to knock off the veteran Warriors team standing in its way. From shot selection to late-game attention to detail, Morant and Co. will have to lock in at an even deeper level of execution, while Coach Jenkins and his staff will have learn what rotations are going to put the Grizzlies in the best position to win.&nbsp;
This series features two of the top teams in the NBA at different moments of their championship windows.
If the Grizzlies want to help close the Warriors window early, they'll have to overcome their youthful mistakes and grow up in front of a national audience.&nbsp;
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Justin Lewis details the costly mistakes that the Grizzlies made down the stretch against the Warriors in Game 1, and how to rebound.

Can the Grizzlies overcome their youth against experienced Warriors?

The Atlanta Hawks had such high hopes.
After a surprising playoff run that came up just short of the NBA Finals, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ga-state-wire-atlanta-hawks-milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-8d827eabf721d1b06d7207da48def57a">they came into this season</a> with a deep roster led by one of the league's most exciting young players.
Yet now, with only a handful of games remaining, Trae Young and the Hawks are limping toward the postseason with no prospects beyond a play-in spot and nothing to indicate they'll be hanging around very long in April.
Of the NBA's most disappointing teams, the Hawks are near the top of the list.
&ldquo;We still have an opportunity,&rdquo; insisted coach Nate McMillan, whose team is 36-37 and 10th in the Eastern Conference, the final play-in spot. &ldquo;The goal is to get ourselves in the playoffs. Once you get there, we showed last year that anything can happen.&rdquo;
Only last year, the Hawks rolled into the playoffs as one of the league's hottest teams, flipping a switch when McMillan took over for Lloyd Pierce.
They went 27-11 after the coaching change, grabbing a No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference.
They kept up that momentum in the playoffs, romping past the New York Knicks in what became Young's (Madison Square) Garden party, stunning the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in seven games (effectively finishing off The Process), and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/atlanta-hawks-phoenix-suns-milwaukee-bucks-nba-finals-nba-86a45418b2bf41ffcd7e53a00e0f7044">taking the eventual NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks</a> to six games in the East final.
If Young had not twisted an ankle in a freak collision with a referee, the Hawks very well could have knocked off the Bucks and advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since moving to Atlanta in 1968.
Suddenly, the A-T-L went from a sleepy backwater NBA city that generally ranked near the bottom of the league in attendance to abuzz with excitement &mdash; especially after the team locked up cornerstones <a href="nba.com/news/reports-hawks-trae-young-expected-to-finalize-extension">Young</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-nba-atlanta-hawks-john-collins-3641936ced947b00296dc2abb4dbfd84">John Collins</a> with massive contracts.
But this season hasn't come close to meeting expectations.
The Hawks have lingered around .500 all season &mdash; never building any sort of momentum, generally playing like a group of strangers, showing very little of the joy and camaraderie that carried them so far last summer.
Their mediocrity has been especially glaring in a year when the Braves gave Atlanta its first World Series title since 1995 and the Georgia Bulldogs won the college football championship.
&ldquo;Last year for a lot of guys, it was new,&rdquo; center Cint Capela said. "People don't really realize how hard it is to get there. You&rsquo;re never guaranteed to go back to the conference finals.&rdquo;
Young has put up another big season, ranking fourth in the league in scoring (28.1 points per game), but his supporting cast has been perplexingly inconsistent.
Capela has taken a big step backward, leaving the Hawks vulnerable defensively and on the boards. Bogdan Bogdanovic has never looked comfortable taking some of the scoring load off Young. Ditto for Kevin Huerter, who has too many nights when he fails to show up in the box score. Collins may be done for the season with hand and foot injuries.
Promising wins are generally followed by baffling losses, such as <a href="https://apnews.com/article/atlanta-hawks-nba-sports-toronto-detroit-4f14d2b182f0e9744d20a3770493778c">Wednesday night's 122-101 debacle</a> against lowly Detroit, a 20-53 team that looked like a championship contender against Atlanta
The Pistons took control with a 23-0 run and led by as many as 29.
The Hawks haven't won back-to-back road games since late December, which doesn't bode well for a team that will likely have to win two straight away from home just to earn its way into the playoffs.
&ldquo;We know what we've got to do,&rdquo; Young said. &ldquo;We've got to stay locked in and try to finish out the season strong and see where it leads us in the end."
There have been some unexplainable losses to the league's weakest teams &mdash; three times to the Knicks, twice against the Pistons, not to mention Orlando, Washington, Portland, San Antonio and Houston.
General manager Travis Schlenk, who totally overhauled the roster to set up last year's playoff run, held off on any major changes at this season's trade deadline. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-atlanta-new-york-knicks-atlanta-hawks-7b92f82027b999ad26fd862414456510#:~:text=ATLANTA%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20The%20struggling,Knox%20is%20heading%20to%20Atlanta.">His only move</a> was dealing former first-round pick Cam Reddish, who was unhappy with his lack of playing time, to the Knicks.
Now, Schlenk will have to decide if 2021 was an aberration and more big changes are needed.
Capela hopes this season was just an unexpected blip.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a new process. Sometimes the next season, you put too much pressure on yourselves, so you don&rsquo;t do as good," he said. &ldquo;It's the season after that where you do good."
So, Hawks fans, maybe check back again in 2023.

Of the NBA's most disappointing teams, the Hawks are near the top of the list.

After thrilling playoffs, Hawks limping into NBA postseason

The 2021-22 NBA season is right around the corner, and the hottest names in the Most-Valuable-Player discussion are there for good reason: Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant and Luka Doncic, who's expected to take yet another leap.
However, with all of the elite talent throughout the NBA, there are a number of names that aren't currently in the top-tier of discussions who should also be mentioned.
Here are five under-the-radar players who could eventually be crowned the 2021-22 NBA MVP.
LEBRON JAMES
With a new superstar on board in Hollywood, the Lakers&rsquo; new Big Three featuring LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook is expected to help the purple and gold soar back to the top of the Western Conference standings. If the Lakers get back to their winning ways, the &ldquo;Washed King&rdquo; narrative is going to die off quickly as it relates to LeBron. Although James is entering his age-37 season, he&rsquo;s undoubtedly still one of the best players in the Association.
Averaging 25.0 points, 7.8 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game last season, James was slowed down by a hamstring injury that caused the Lakers to slip into the No. 7 seed come playoff time &mdash; ultimately leading to the King&rsquo;s first defeat in an opening-round playoff series versus the Phoenix Suns. Now, with Westbrook onboard, the creation duties will substantially subside for LeBron. James can focus on bullying teams as a three-level scorer, conserving energy for attacking the basket with his well-known ferocity. This isn&rsquo;t prime LeBron, but he&rsquo;s not far away from those years.
From a narrative vantage point, no NBA player has ever won MVP above his age-35 season, let alone a couple of years later at 37. If James were to put up similar numbers as last season, maybe with a slight uptick in points per game, there&rsquo;s a legitimate argument to be made for James to be a top MVP candidate if the Lakers climb back to being the No. 1 seed in the West.
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DEVIN BOOKER
Booker has become a superstar following the Suns&rsquo; miraculous run to the 2021 NBA Finals, falling to the Milwaukee Bucks after taking a 2-0 lead. The soon-to-be 25-year-old is not a player to count out, though. Every single season of his professional career, Booker has taken a leap forward by improving weaknesses in his game.
Over the last three seasons, Booker has averaged at least 25.0 points per game while continuing to round-out his overall two-way profile. During the Suns&rsquo; first playoff appearance in 11 years, Booker displayed a newfound tenacity on the defensive end. And it carried over to the Olympics, which helped Team USA win the gold medal once again. Add in Booker&rsquo;s underrated playmaking and three-point shooting, and he could be one of the best dark-horse bets to make in the MVP race.
The Suns are going to be very good, even better than they were last season. Thanks to an <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/suns-poised-to-be-one-of-the-nbas-best-teams-in-early-portion-of-202122-schedule" target="_blank" rel="noopener">easy start to their schedule</a>, there&rsquo;s a real opportunity for Phoenix to be atop the West standings around Thanksgiving and Christmas. An early-season buzz surrounding the Suns would only help Booker&rsquo;s case further, as Chris Paul is expected to rest some nights following the re-signing of Cameron Payne and Elfrid Payton&rsquo;s addition on a one-year deal.
As Paul continues to age like fine wine, Booker will take back more of the scoring burden as the other young-core pieces in Phoenix continue to develop further. Booker has proven time and time again that he&rsquo;s ready for the big stage, and his seventh NBA season figures to be no different.
If the Suns end up winning close to 60 games, which I think is a strong possibility, Booker showcasing his game on a national stage (34 nationally televised primetime games) will push his stardom to even higher levels.
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JAYSON TATUM
From March 1 and on, Tatum averaged 29.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists while shooting 39.7% on three-pointers. Tatum is quickly climbing the ladder as one of the best three-level scorers in the entire league.
With the Celtics not making many splashes this offseason &mdash; outside of taking away a high-usage scoring option in Kemba Walker &mdash; it opens up even more opportunities for Tatum to score. He's a potential threat to lead the NBA in points per game next season.
When I noticed Tatum&rsquo;s MVP odds on DraftKings were at +2500, I did a double-take. Boston is likely to finish in the middle of the pack in an improved Eastern Conference, where many teams are pushing their chips all-in. But what if the Celtics overachieve with new head coach Ime Udoka? If they eclipse 50 wins, Tatum is going to receive sleeper MVP buzz due to his scoring binges. There&rsquo;s a plausible reality where Tatum averages 30-plus points per game next season. The Celtics have constructed a roster tailor-made for what Tatum does best &mdash; score the bucket relentlessly.
Keep an eye on Tatum, because those odds are way too good to pass up. Tatum is already a star, but the superstar jump should be expected from the former Duke Blue Devil in 2021-22.
PAUL GEORGE
The Clippers will be without Kawhi Leonard all of next season, or at least potentially not until the playoffs, due to a partially torn ACL. However, in Kawhi&rsquo;s absence late in the postseason, Paul George went supernova, putting the team on his back on the way to pushing Phoenix in the West Finals. At certain points, George was unconscious as a scorer, once again flexing his muscles that he can be a No. 1 scoring option whenever is necessary.
Well, the 2021-22 season is when the Indiana version of George is primed for a return. Now, with more seasoning under his belt as an improved three-level scoring engine, George is poised to become an -contender once more. If George returns to averaging 28 points per game as he did during his last season in Oklahoma City alongside Russell Westbrook, the Clippers are going to be comfortably in the playoff picture.
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George&rsquo;s offensive game is silky smooth, and his defense also has continued to be a mainstay calling card for him. If George taps back into the MVP discussions three years later, it will be one of the most impressive runs of any player next season.
Los Angeles has copious amounts of depth going over 10-deep, but George will be their Batman and Robin simultaneously carrying them up the proverbial mountaintop without Leonard around. That&rsquo;s a perfect recipe to generate noise around a potential MVP push.
ZION WILLIAMSON
The 2019 No. 1 overall pick is only entering his third season in the NBA, but it seems his brilliance at this stage of his career is truly flying under the radar.&nbsp; During his age-20 season, Williamson averaged 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists while carrying a ridiculously efficient 64.9% True Shooting percentage. And as Zion&rsquo;s sophomore season progressed, New Orleans felt more comfortable putting the ball in his hands more frequently as a point-forward creating everything for the Pelicans&rsquo; offensive attack.
After adding more perimeter shooting to space the floor &mdash; Devonte&rsquo; Graham, Tomas Satoransky and Trey Murphy III &mdash; plus the addition of Jonas Valanciunas in place of Steven Adams, Williamson will have more room to bully through defenses with regularity. Add in Brandon Ingram&rsquo;s star equity, and the Pelicans are cooking with gas to finally break through as a playoff team next season.
Don&rsquo;t underrate the addition of Willie Green either. The former Phoenix Suns lead assistant coach was instrumental in player development and defensive improvement. Green is one of the best young coaches in the Association, and his ability to mesh well with players will do wonders for Williamson and Ingram.
Although the Pelicans&rsquo; offseason has been questioned by some, it accomplished on the margins what needed to be done to make things easier on Williamson as a scorer. If Williamson was able to average close to 30 points per game with a clogged paint, imagine the possibilities for him when there&rsquo;s ample outside shooting gravity allowing him to make magic happen around the basket.
Williamson is a real threat to be near the top of the league in scoring next season, which is a scary thought for other organizations. If everything clicks into place for Williamson with a more polished roster around him, New Orleans will be a playoff team, which only strengthens an underdog case for the super-athlete big to make waves in the MVP discussion.

Who is flying under the radar for a potential MVP run? Here are five names to keep an eye on throughout the 2021-22 season.

5 under-the-radar NBA MVP candidates for the 2021-22 season

Before the beginning of this season, I&rsquo;ve been wondering if the erratic nature of the NBA bubble would carry over into the unusual circumstances of empty or low capacity arenas.&nbsp;
Recently, in one night, we witnessed the healthy Milwaukee Bucks lose significantly to the Knicks, a Philly loss to the Cavaliers and a 50-point Clipper loss to the Dallas Mavericks -- the largest deficit for a loss in LA's franchise history. We&rsquo;ll see whether these unbelievable nights in basketball become a sustained feature throughout the season, but one thing it guarantees is that there are plenty of plotlines to follow throughout the league. With shortened offseasons for rosters that enjoyed deep playoff runs and nine-month-long waits to play NBA basketball for those who missed the bubble&rsquo;s play-in tournaments, we&rsquo;re due for some early season chaos and surprises. So here are four things I&rsquo;ll be tracking this season!&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
THE DEVIN BOOKER AND CHRIS PAUL SUNS
Devin Booker has rounded into a talent that will likely amass scoring titles and All-NBA accolades for years to come. He&rsquo;s polished himself into a practically flawless three-level scorer, rightfully gaining a reputation as your favorite player&rsquo;s favorite player. Being forced to undertake significant playmaking duties has inadvertently turned Booker into a great distributor, solidifying himself among the NBA&rsquo;s premiere wing scorers.&nbsp;&nbsp;
In comes Chris Paul.&nbsp;
The Suns conveniently acquired NBA veteran and Point God, Chris Paul. CP3 fills in many gaps for Phoenix -- mainly alleviating playmaking duties from Booker and maximizing him as a scorer.&nbsp;
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Small, playmaking guards like Paul also have a tendency to utilize big men as extensions of themselves, and one can predict that this season will reveal a lot about where Deandre Ayton&rsquo;s strengths and weaknesses truly lie as a center. 
The timelines for this core work. They have their young core in Booker, Ayton and Bridges -- and now they have the veteran savvy of one of the greatest point guards ever. This is a team to keep an eye on throughout the season, and considering the fact that their star in Booker has turned 24 (the start of his prime years), this team expects to start winning at a higher level ASAP.&nbsp;
THE LAKERS&rsquo; TWEAKS
As we know, the Los Angeles Lakers pretty handily won their Finals matchup in six games, but it didn&rsquo;t stop there. The champions quickly pivoted into an offseason plan within the short pseudo-summer.&nbsp;
The fringe tweaks included improving the defense and offense at the center position, with the additions of both Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell. At guard, L.A. nabbed Dennis Schr&ouml;der, who will provide the team with an instantaneous burst of shooting and finishing, making this dynamic squad even more versatile and unpredictable.
The Lakers remain title favorites. It&rsquo;ll be interesting to track how these offseason moves will keep them among the teams' best, and whether they pan out in the postseason considering Harrell and Gasol&rsquo;s lackluster playoff performances last year.
A HEALTHY PORTLAND SQUAD
Monday night, we witnessed the Portland Trail Blazers pick-and-roll the Lakers to death in the clutch in order to walk away with a well-earned win. But that wasn&rsquo;t the full story of the game.
I wrote about the Blazers offseason changes in a piece <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-2020-free-agent-agency-portland-trail-blazers-neil-olshey-executed-quiet-perfect-offseason-robert-covington-derrick-jones-jr-damian-lillard-cj-mccollum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">detailing their new defenders and the potential impact they could have</a>. The initial difference is not subtle. With Derrick Jones Jr.&rsquo;s solid defense against the power and speed of LeBron James, and Robert Covington&rsquo;s efforts to keep Anthony Davis off-balance all game, it might be safe to conclude that this may be the best defensive squad for this era of Blazers basketball.
With these players, a team that heavily relies on the offensive output of their one-way backcourt can finally fill in the gaps with high-end wing defenders in order to stop the bleeding on the perimeter, and this was evident with DJJ&rsquo;s two come-from-behind blocks against James. With the entire season for Nurkic to play into shape, I&rsquo;ll be very excited to see what the final iteration of Portland heading into the postseason will look like.
THE ROCKETS&rsquo; NEXT STEPS
Lastly, we can&rsquo;t forget the Rockets. With the uncertainty of James Harden&rsquo;s whereabouts heading into training camp, the organization did not start the season off on the right foot. With the five-game postseason series loss to the Lakers, the Rockets promptly traded Russell Westbrook for John Wall (fresh off consecutive lower leg injuries). To top it off, the Rockets secured Christian Wood on a steal of a contract that has left a lot of us perplexed, considering what players like Jerami Grant who occupy similar roles have made this offseason.&nbsp;
Harden allegedly remains unmoved by these changes, sharing a list through the media of several teams he&rsquo;d rather be playing for right now -- all of whom happen to be contenders.&nbsp;
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Right now, the Rockets are in no rush. At 32 years of age, Harden is unlikely to threaten to sit out for any prolonged period of time. Many of the teams interested in potentially trading for the former MVP will certainly wait until the trade deadline to assess whether this is the move for their roster (with the Sixers and Heat publicly stating that they are uninterested...for now).
As it stands, the Rockets are in shambles. Half the roster is in quarantine due to exposure, which left Harden on the court to carry bench talent against the likes of a healthy Denver Nuggets team on Monday night. This burden will do nothing but reinforce his urgency to leave Houston as soon as possible, but there is something I&rsquo;ve admired about Harden over the course of the last couple games now. He&rsquo;s still Harden, and his numbers look as excellent as ever. I guess it&rsquo;s a level of relative professionalism that&rsquo;s probably far harder to execute than we think. It&rsquo;ll certainly be a situation to monitor, to say the least.

One week into the NBA season, Yasmin Duale picks out four scenarios to pay attention to in the Western Conference.

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