Can the Denver Nuggets weather the storm until Nikola Jokic returns?

 

                                             Credit: Sam Navarro/Imagn Images

The Denver Nuggets will begin the New Year without their star big man Nikola Jokic, who hyperextended his left knee earlier in the week in a road game against the Miami Heat. Jokic's estimated date of return is February 1st, which means he is expected to miss all of January. The loss of Jokic for a full month is a real blow to the Nuggets as Jokic is averaging 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, 11 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. Leading the league in rebounds and assists. He's having an MVP level season. 

The Nuggets at the moment are 23-10, which puts them at 3rd place in the Western Conference behind the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. Realistically, they could drop to the 7th spot in the Western Conference with Jokic being out given that the 7th place Phoenix Suns are just 4.0 games back of them at 19-14. Getting a top six seed is crucial in the playoffs given that seeds 7-10 go to the play-in tournament, which is basically the NBA's version of the wild card round. The Nuggets do not want to drop that low with Jokic out and they definitely want to maintain a top four seed (the 4th seeded Houston Rockets are just 1.5 games back at 20-10). 

As for what "weathering the storm" would look like, I think the Nuggets need to maintain a top six seed in the West until Jokic returns. They just need to makes sure that they don't slip into that play-in tournament territory. As long as they can do that, they should like their chances of rising in the standings once he returns and possibly regaining a top three or at least top four seed in the West. They should be feeling grateful that Jokic's season isn't over and that he's projected to return with plenty of season left. 

For the month of January, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon are going to have to be the ones leading the way. Murray is averaging 25.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.0 steals per game while Gordon is averaging 18.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. The two of them are going to have pick up the slack in terms of scoring, rebounding, and facilitating. 

And then hey, it's really gonna be on the entire team to step up. A guy I covered at Stanford, Spencer Jones, is averaging 6.0 points and 2.7 rebounds per game on 53.8% shooting from the field, 40.9% shooting from 3-point range, and 63.6% shooting from the foul line. He's been doing his part by making threes and playing good defense. With Jokic out, it's going to be even more important that guys like him do their jobs well. 

As legendary Denver sportswriter Woody Paige would advise us to do, let's quickly look at the schedule that the Nuggets have for January: at Cleveland Cavaliers (19-16), at Brooklyn Nets (10-20), at Philadelphia 76ers (17-14), at Boston Celtics (20-12), vs. Atlanta Hawks (16-19), vs. Milwaukee Bucks (14-20), at New Orleans Pelicans (8-27), at Dallas Mavericks (12-22), vs. Washington Wizards (8-24), vs. Charlotte Hornets (11-22), vs. Los Angeles Lakers (20-11), at Washington Wizards (8-24), at Milwaukee Bucks, at Memphis Grizzlies (15-18), vs. Detroit Pistons (25-8), vs. Brooklyn Nets, and vs. Los Angeles Clippers (11-21). 

Of those 17 games, 11 are against teams with losing records. That helps a lot. Getting the Nets and Bucks twice while also getting the Pelicans and Clippers is nice. In many ways, the biggest challenge is this upcoming four game Eastern Conference trip to face the Cavaliers, Nets, 76ers, and Celtics. If they can get a split on this trip, they should be feeling good when they come back home to face the Hawks and Bucks. 

Overall, I think the Nuggets will be fine provided Jokic does indeed return come February. The schedule is pretty light and I have confidence in Murray and Gordon as well as the rest of the team to do their job. Plus, being in 3rd place, the Nuggets have built a bit of a buffer to handle a stretch like this. They should certainly hope to get Jokic back as soon as possible, but having to play without him for a month isn't something they should be freaking out about, either. 

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Looking back on Michael Jordan's Christmas Day performances

 

                                              (Credit: Focus on Sport/Getty Images) 

Michael Jordan was an early marquee attraction for the NBA's Christmas Day action. Admittedly, when I think of Michael Jordan and Christmas, I think of that cardboard cutout of him in the fake party scene of Home Alone. While he did his part to keep the McCallister home safe, he also had some memorable moments on the hardwood during this festive time of year. Here's a look back at how MJ performed on December 25th. 

The first time Air Jordan played on Christmas Day was in 1986 on the road against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Jordan scored 30 points on 10-28 shooting from the field and 10-12 shooting from the foul line while also having three rebounds, five assists, six steals, and two blocks. Jordan stuffed the stat sheet like Santa Clause stuffing stockings. Unfortunately for him and the Bulls, the Knicks came out on top 86-85, led by Patrick Ewing, who had a ridiculous performance of his own: 28 points, 17 rebounds, and two blocks. 

The next time his Royal Airness laced up his high-tops on Christmas Day was in 1990 against the Detroit Pistons. This time the Bulls were at home. Jordan exploded for 37 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three steals, and two blocks as the Bulls won by a final score of 98-86. Joe Dumars had 24 points for the Pistons while Isiah Thomas had 23 points and 10 assists. Both guys played well, but they were no match for Jordan on that day. The Bulls would go on to win their first NBA championship later that season. The Bulls' dynasty was just taking flight as Jordan was starting to enter the prime of his career. 

The following year in 1991, fresh off their first title, the Bulls returned to the Christmas Day stage with a 121-99 victory at home over the Boston Celtics. Larry Bird was still on the Celtics, scoring eight points while adding eight rebounds and four assists. Rick Fox, yes you read that correctly, scored 21 points for the Celtics as their leading scorer. As for Michael Jordan, he had 14 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals, and three blocks while Scottie Pippen had 27 points, four rebounds, eight assists, and four steals to lead the way. Jordan took more of a backseat role to Pippen in this game, but still had a strong performance. The Bulls would go on to win their second straight NBA title later that season. 

En route to their third straight NBA championship in 1993, the Bulls played on Christmas Day, 1992 against the Knicks. This time it was at home after playing in New York in 1986. The Bulls won 89-77 as Jordan went off for 42 points to go along with eight rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Pippen also joined in on the party with 16 points, five assists, five steals, and three blocks. This was truly a Christmas Day performance of the ages for Jordan. He was in peak form and played like he was starring in his own rendition of Miracle on 34th Street: Windy City Edition. 

Jordan then retired after winning his third NBA championship. The Bulls would play on Christmas Day without him in 1993 and 1994, winning both games. In 1993, the Bulls defeated the Orlando Magic 95-93 at home as Pippen carried the load with 28 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and four steals. In 1994, the Bulls defeated the Knicks at home 107-104 in overtime as Pippen had 36 points, 16 rebounds, five steals, and two blocks. Pippen really balled out on Christmas Day when MJ was gone. He sure seemed to enjoy being the main man on the Bulls during those years. 

Oddly enough, the Bulls would not play on Christmas Day in 1995, the same season they went 72-10 and won their fourth championship. I guess since they weren't the defending NBA champions, the league decided to give them the holiday off. 

Jordan would return to spread holiday cheer on December 25th, 1996 against the Detroit Pistons in a game that was played in Chicago.  The Bulls won 95-83 as they were en route to their fifth championship. Jordan had 23 points and 10 rebounds in this game while Pippen had 27 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and two blocks. It was a fun day of holiday hoops at the United Center. 

Jordan's final Christmas Day game came on December 25th, 1997 against the Miami Heat at the United Center en route to their sixth NBA championship. The Bulls would win 90-80 as Jordan had 24 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Jamal Mashburn was the leading scorer for the Heat with 20 points. Given how he came to be the featured player on Christmas, it's fitting that Jordan's final game on this special holiday was a victory. He always cared about his fans and putting on a great show for them. He certainly did that in this game. 

To wrap this all up like a Christmas gift, I hope you had fun revisiting Michael Jordan's Christmas Day moments. It was fun for me to look back on how he performed. I wish everyone reading this a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year. I'm looking forward to seeing what 2026 brings for the NBA! 

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Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren have the Detroit Pistons off to a hot start

 

                                             (Cade Cunningham. Credit: Paul Sancya/AP Photo) 

The Detroit Pistons are off to an impressive 17-4 start, defeating the Atlanta Hawks 99-98 on Monday, December 1st. Leading the way for the Pistons is point guard Cade Cunningham, who is averaging 28.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 9.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game on 45.6% shooting from the field, 31.2% shooting from 3-point range, and 81.5% shooting from the foul line. After going 44-38 and finishing 6th in the Eastern Conference, the Pistons are now in first place in the East, looking like an NBA Finals contending team. 

Cunningham is obviously the engine that makes this Pistons team go. He's doing it all: scoring at an elite level, facilitating, rebounding, etc. He's simply sensational. But what's really helped them take the next step into being NBA championship contenders is the emergence of forward Jalen Duren, who is averaging 19.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game. Last year, Duren was averaging 11.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game. The rebounding and rim protection were there, but he's really taken a leap forward in his ability to score. Now that they have a legit one-two punch and also a nice third option in Tobias Harris (15.2 points), this Pistons team appears to have the pieces to make a real run at a championship this year. 

The biggest question for them is can they keep it up? The NBA season is such a grind and a lot of times teams that get off to hot starts like this fade as the season goes on. Playing this well for a quarter of the season is one thing, but to play this well for an entire season is another level. It'll be fun to see if the Pistons can keep this up and where they're at once we hit the All-Star break. That will tell us a lot about what kind of team this really is. I for one would love to see them make a deep run this year. It's been too long since the Pistons were this relevant. 

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Can the Orlando Magic build on last season's playoff appearance?

 

The Orlando Magic are coming off a season in which they went 41-41 overall, finishing 7th in the Eastern Conference. After surviving the NBA playoffs play-in tournament, they lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Boston Celtics in five games. This year, with a new logo, they are hoping to have an improved season and make more noise in the Eastern Conference this year.

The Magic return their core in third year forward Paolo Banchero (25.9 points & 7.5 rebounds), fourth year forward Franz Wagner (24.2 points & 5.7 rebounds), and fourth year guard Jalen Suggs (16.2 points & 3.7 assists). When healthy, that's a difficult trio to stop. There's a nice blend of inside and outside scoring there. On top of that, they acquired shooting guard Desmond Bane from the Grizzlies in a trade while giving up Cole Anthony, Kentavious Caldwell Pope, and some draft picks. Bane is coming off a season in which he averaged 19.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, so on paper he's a legit addition to their team. 

The problem the Magic had last year was staying healthy. Banchero played in only 46 games and Suggs played in just 35 games due to various injuries. And then Wagner played in 60 games due to minor injuries and load management. They just weren't able to have those guys on the court together long enough to make a serious push for a top four seed in the conference. That's where I think Bane is supposed to come in. He played in 69 games last year, starting 68 of those games. He was able to stay healthy for most of the season and hopefully will be able to give the Magic more stability this season. 

The Magic have to feel hopeful that if they can keep their guys healthy, they could do some real damage. The fact that they were still able to get the 7th seed has to give them a lot of confidence. If they can accomplish that with two of their top three players missing all the games that they missed, there's no telling what they can do if they stay healthy along with the addition of Bane. 

Of course, staying healthy is never a given and it's important to have guys who can step up if needed. One guy to keep an eye on is rookie guard Jase Richardson, son of former Golden State Warriors star Jason Richardson. Richardson was the 25th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft out of Michigan State and will look to provide a similar type of energy that his dad did when he came into the NBA. If Richardson can provide a spark, that would be huge. 

All in all, I'm cautiously optimistic about this Magic team. They are returning their key pieces and are also a very young team. If the stars align for these guys, I don't see why they can't be a top four team in the Eastern Conference and possibly be a dark horse team to reach the NBA Finals. 

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2025 NBA Canada Series is a reminder that a team returning to Vancouver would be fun

                                             (Rogers Arena. Credit: rogersarena.com) 

On Monday, the Denver Nuggets defeated the Toronto Raptors 112-108 in the 2025 NBA Canada Series game at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada. Christian Braun led the way for the Nuggets with 19 points while RJ Barrett and Brandon Ingram each had 19 points for the Raptors. Given it was a preseason game, the outcome didn't really matter. The big storyline is that there was NBA basketball being played in Vancouver, the original home of the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies played in Vancouver from 1995-2001, leaving for Memphis after six poor seasons. 

Despite their lack of success in British Columbia, over the years there have been more and more people wondering about whether or not an NBA return to Vancouver is possible and if so, would that mean the Memphis Grizzlies give back the name. In many ways, the Grizzlies left Vancouver before really giving the city a fair shot. It takes time to establish a fanbase in a new city, especially one that historically hasn't had much basketball played in it. 

Had the NBA given it more time in Vancouver and allowed the Grizzlies to grow into a solid team, there's no reason to think they couldn't have become a popular and permanent fixture of the city. But alas, the declining value of the Canadian dollar at the time combined with poor results and lack of a true superstar led to the Grizzlies' premature departure. 

Touching more on the lack of a true superstar, the Grizzlies kinda sorta had one in Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Bryant Reeves a.k.a Big Country, but neither of those two could hold a candle to what Vince Carter was doing for the Toronto Raptors. In hindsight, the one that really got away from the Grizzlies was Steve Francis, whose refusal to play for the Grizzlies led to the Grizzlies trading him to the Houston Rockets before he ever played an NBA game. Had Francis decided to give Vancouver a shot, perhaps that would have saved the franchise's future in British Columbia. 

Looking ahead to the future, right now it still feels like a pipe dream for the NBA to actually return to Vancouver. They have 30 teams at the moment and odds are really good that if the NBA expands, it'll be to 32 teams with Seattle and  Las Vegas being the two front runners to get those spots. There's virtually no way of seeing one of the next two expansion cities being Vancouver. 

That said, if the NBA were to expand beyond 32 teams, then I think a return to Vancouver is possible. More specifically, I could see a Vancouver franchise returning to the NBA if the league were to expand to 36 teams. When looking at possible NBA expansion cities, one of the first places to look for is NHL cities that don't have an NBA franchise. Of that group of cities, once you go beyond Las Vegas and Seattle, Vancouver arguably makes the most sense. Especially since there used to be an NBA presence there and a small, but loyal fanbase remains. 

For now, the NBA Canada Series and the Memphis Grizzlies wearing vintage uniforms is as close as we can get to quenching our thirst for an NBA franchise in Vancouver. But perhaps in the not too distant future, we'll once again see an NBA franchise permanently call Rogers Arena home. 

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The Golden State Valkyries had a successful inaugural season

 

                                             (Credit: Golden State Valkyries) 

Given I live in the Bay Area, I thought it would be good for me to give some love to the Golden State Valkyries, who just finished their first season in the WNBA. The Valkyries finished the season 8th in the WNBA with a record of 23-21, losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Minnesota Lynx 2-0. They became the first team in WNBA history to reach the playoffs in their inaugural season. As a result, their head coach Natalie Nakase was named WNBA Coach of the Year. This was Nakase's first season as a WNBA head coach after previous stops as an assistant coach with the Las Vegas Aces and Los Angeles Clippers. For her to coach the Valkyries to such success is truly impressive. 

On top of having a great coach, the Valkyries also had some excellent players on their roster. Guard Veronica Burton was named the WNBA's most improved player, averaging 11.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.1 steals per game after averaging 3.1 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 0.5 steals per game the previous season with the Connecticut Sun. On top of that, forward Janelle Salaün was named to the WNBA All-Rookie Team after averaging 11.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. 

What's even more impressive is the Valkyries made the playoffs given the injuries they had to overcome. Their leading scorer Kayla Thornton (14.0 points & 7.0 rebounds) played in only 22 games and underwent season-ending knee surgery in July while guard Tiffany Hayes (11.7 points) missed the final eight games of the regular season due to a knee injury of her own before also missing both playoff games. Given they lost their home playoff game to Minnesota 75-74, one can't help but wonder how the Valkyries would have done had they been healthy. They would have likely finished with a better seed and as a result might have found a way to win a series. 

As a result of their stellar play and exciting brand of basketball, the Valkyries brought a lot of energy to the Bay Area. The Chase Center was always packed to the brim and when they had to play their home playoff game at the SAP Center in San Jose, they had a full crowd for that game as well. The entire region was behind them in full force, proving that the Bay Area was long overdue for a WNBA franchise. 

Looking ahead to next season, it'll be fun to see how the Valkyries do and how much they build on the success that they had. If they can stay healthy and gain more cohesion as a team, I don't see why they can't make a deep playoff run in 2026. 

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What does the future hold for Jonathan Kuminga in Golden State?

 

                                             (Credit: Cary Edmondson/Imagn Images) 

Earlier this week, the Golden State Warriors and small forward Jonathan Kuminga agreed to a two-year $48.5M deal following a contract dispute that lasted around three months. Kuminga was coming off the final year of his rookie contract (2024-25) that included a team option for 2025-26. He was hoping to get a new contract with the team that would give him more control, but in the end, he ended up settling for a two-year deal that included a team option for the second year (meaning the team still controls his rights) while also requiring him to waive his no-trade clause, meaning the Warriors can trade him starting January 15th, 2026. 

Given the current details on his contract, it sure looks like Kuminga is being retained by the Warriors for the purposes of being trade bait. That of course doesn't mean that's actually the case. The fact that there is the team option on the second year of the contract could also indicate the Warriors are open to the possibility of him being a part of their long-term future, but that they want to see how this season goes. Still, that said, the fact that the Warriors required him to waive his no-trade clause indicates that at a minimum, they'd like to leave open the possibility of trading him. 

A major reason for why the Warriors might be open to trading Kuminga is the fact that he missed a decent chunk of last season due to an ankle sprain while also seeing a slight dip in his production. In the 2023-24 season, he averaged 16.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game on 52.9% shooting from the field, 32.1% shooting from 3-point range, and 74.6% shooting from the field in 74 games played (26.3 minutes per game). In the 2024-25 season, he averaged 15.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game on 45.4% shooting from the field, 30.5% shooting from 3-point range, and 66.8% shooting from the foul line in 47 games played (24.3 minutes per game). 

It would make sense for the Warriors to see if Kuminga has an improved 2025-26 season before making a determination on what to do with him. Come January 15th, they should have a good feel for what direction he's trending and be able to make a pretty well-informed decision: 

If he has an improved season and is averaging 18+ points per game with better shooting numbers, it probably would make sense for them to hang onto him and see if they can orient things towards a long-term future. If he doesn't have an improved season, then it would probably make sense for them to look for a trade partner. Given he is only 23 years old, a lot of teams would still be intrigued by his upside as a former lottery pick and the Warriors could almost certainly get something of value for him. Kuminga might not like it, but for the Warriors, this is really the best situation for them to be in. 

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