Houston’s Amen Thompson (center) has notched three triple-doubles this season.
With the All-Star break upon us, let’s reflect on the first half of the season and take stock of four teams that have exceeded their preseason expectations.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland returned essentially the same roster from their 2023-24 campaign when it finished No. 4 in the East with 48 wins. The Cavs’ big offseason move was to bring Kenny Atkinson in as head coach after moving on from J.B. Bickerstaff.
Atkinson, a known offensive mind, was challenged to design a way for Cleveland to find a way to be more efficient with the ball.
After ranking 16th in offensive efficiency last season, the Cavs now rank No. 1 to date in 2024-25. Creating more ball movement, and changing up the way Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley are used in the offense has unlocked this team’s scoring potential. It’s also helped Mobley earn his first All-Star nod this season.
Throw in the fact that they’re still a top-10 team defensively, it’s easy to understand why they’ve exceeded expectations and catapulted themselves to the top spot in the East, and are only four wins away from matching last season’s total.
Houston Rockets
The Rockets took a massive leap last season, going from a 22-win team to a 41-41 finish, narrowly missing the Sofi NBA Play-In Tournament. Certainly, with a team full of young talent, another step forward was coming. However, it’s the size of the step that has taken many by surprise.
Like Cleveland, Houston didn’t undergo roster changes, and coach Ime Udoka already had a year under his belt. However, further footing in his defensive mindset in his second year at the helm shouldn’t be ignored. The Rockets’ success is just as rooted in the development of their youth. Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, and Amen Thompson have all taken a step forward this year as key pieces in the team’s success.
Neither Green nor Sengun’s scoring has changed significantly from their prior season. The difference though for Green is he’s been more efficient, and forcing fewer shots. He’s also found more consistency since a slow start to the season, after having his production swing wildly last year. For Sengun, the key is his ability to maintain his production while becoming more of a focal point for opposing defenses.
The biggest leap however has come from Thompson, especially since being a part of the starting lineup. Not only is he making large strides defensively, setting the tone that Udoka is looking for, but his playmaking has also improved. Thompson is also getting to the bucket more, using his athleticism and the greater attention paid to Sengun and Green to his advantage.
LA Clippers
With Kawhi Leonard on the shelf to start the season for an undetermined amount of time, and Paul George leaving in free agency, some expected the Clippers to take a step back in the West. Instead, the team has been able to maintain the success they’ve had previously enjoyed.
At the core of their ability to remain competitive has been the leap Norman Powell has taken. The 31-year-old has seamlessly filled the void as a secondary scorer with George’s departure. After averaging only 13.9 ppg last season, Powell is scoring a career-best 23.8 ppg, and even with Leonard returning has yet to slow down.
The other primary factor has been the greater utilization of big man Ivica Zubac. The eighth-year pro is playing a career-high 32 minutes per game, and with that has come career-best numbers in points (15.3) and rebounds (12.7). A more refined chemistry with James Harden in the Clippers’ pick-and-roll game has taken his production and effectiveness to new levels.
Detroit Pistons
Of all these teams, Detroit underwent the most substantial overhaul this offseason. The hiring of Trajan Langdon as President of Basketball Operations led to sweeping changes in the front office, as well as the coaching staff. With plenty of cap space to work with over the summer, the team acquired Tim Hardaway Jr. in a trade and signed both Tobias Harris and Malik Beasley. After two tough seasons totaling 31 wins, new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff was tasked with changing the losing culture in Detroit and developing its young talent to take the team to the next level, as he did in Cleveland before his dismissal there.
Sitting at 29-26 at the All-Star break, the Pistons have won nearly as many games as the two previous seasons combined. At the root of this leap has been the development of their young core.
The anguish of prior losing seasons has led to multiple high draft choices by Detroit and those players are starting to reach new heights. That group is headlined by Cade Cunningham, who received his first All-Star nod this season. The progress of Jaden Ivey before breaking his fibula, Jalen Duren, and Ausar Thompson should not be overlooked either. Especially Thomspon, who is just now starting to round back into form after being sidelined for several months due to blood clots. Isaiah Stewart has also flourished into one of the better rim protectors in the league after moving to a backup center role behind Duren, as opposed to starting at power forward as he had previously.
The driving force though is the veteran additions, who the Pistons’ youth have been able to lean on. Harris has stepped up as a secondary scorer since Ivey went down, taking pressure off Cunningham, while Beasley’s elite three-point shooting has been a safety valve when the defense collapses on Cade. The result has been the culture change Detroit sought in the offseason and it has continued to flourish as the season has progressed.
