may 2
may 2
Stat Breakdown: What the Numbers Say About
In the long run, the Pistons had a successful season by any reasonable standard...
Marcus Smart was traded from the Celtics to the Grizzlies, breaking up Boston’s core group of young stars. The Celtics acquired Kristaps Porzingis from the Grizzlies and Jrue Holiday from the Milwaukee Bucks to add size and depth.
Out West, the Dallas Mavericks signed Derrick Jones Jr. to diversify their offense and the Golden State Warriors traded for Chris Paul to add veteran leadership. Dillon Brooks, Aaron Holiday and Fred VanVleet joined the Rockets as free agents while the New York Knicks acquired a key piece in their lineup, Donte DiVincenzo, who was reunited with former Villanova teammates Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson. Late into the offseason, Damian Lillard was traded from Portland to the Milwaukee Bucks after 10 seasons with the Blazers.
As the season started, part of what held veteran teams and promising players back were suspensions. Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges still had 10 games left after sitting out all of last season due to injury and his role in a domestic violence case from 2022. Grizzlies star Ja Morant, suspended 25 games by the NBA for conduct detrimental to the league, was also out of the mix. Warriors star Draymond Green also earned a lengthy suspension later in the season.
This NBA season also included the opportunity for NBA players to compete for another championship, but this time in the middle of the season. The inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament started on Nov. 3. The tournament included all 30 NBA teams with designated regular season games for Group Play. The teams with the best records in Group Play were able to move into knockout rounds with the chance to compete for the NBA Cup.
The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers to win the first In-Season Tournament title as LeBron James was named In-Season Tournament MVP. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Tyrese Haliburton, and LeBron James were named to the In-Season All-Tournament team.
As the season progressed, young stars continued to show promise as championship contenders. Mavs guard Luka Doncic, the season’s leading scorer, totaled 2,370 points and averaged 33.9 points per game.
Two big scoring performances marked 2023-24, too. In perhaps the best individual performance of 2023-24, Doncic scored 73 points in a Jan. 26 win against the Atlanta Hawks. That tied for the fourth-most in NBA history and is only surpassed by Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain and Kobe Bryant.
Doncic’s game came four days after Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid dropped 70 points on the San Antonio Spurs to break Chamberlain’s team record of 68 points set on Dec. 16, 1967.
