Noah’s NBA Mid-Season Recap and Review
The Celtics, Knicks, Cavaliers, Spurs, Nuggets and more . . .
The NBA season has had its fair share of raucous games and showstopping highlights as we pass the halfway point of the season. There have been no set-in-stone standings predictions for the end of the year, as the majority of teams are boasting surprising positions compared to where the year started.
In the Eastern Conference, two teams stand out as clear, unpredictable cases. My Boston Celtics suffered a total meltdown during the 2025 Playoffs and the offseason. Star forward Jayson Tatum tore his achilles during a series against the evil New York Knicks. In the offseason, the Celtics traded away championship centerpieces Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis to avoid salary cap restrictions. Meanwhile, backup centers Al Horford and Luke Kornet both signed with the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs, respectively. What was left was a group of young, ragtag bench players now thrust into starting positions.
Yet, somehow, the Celtics are succeeding just as well as they did with their championship roster. Jaylen Brown has proven to be a reliable first option on the team, most recently being elected as one of this year’s All-Star starters. Baby-faced Derrick White and the “Lucky Leprechaun” Payton Pritchard have rounded out the backcourt alongside Brown with efficient shooting. Two young starlights, Hugo González and Jordan Walsh, have proven themselves as strong and fearsome defensive threats. All this effort (also, shoutout to “Sixth Man of the Year” hopeful Anfernee Simons) has resulted in the Celtics sitting at the second seed in the East, under the Detroit Pistons (and more importantly, ABOVE the Knicks).
As for the second surprising team, the Cleveland Cavaliers fall under a more disappointing umbrella. After its dominant 64-win season, the team flickered out in the playoffs against the four-seed Indiana Pacers (who also took out the Knicks, lest we forget). The team began that season with a 15-0 start (a feat which was snatched away by the Celtics). The Cavs were nowhere close to matching that mark this season, currently teetering with a 24-20 record and the seventh seed in the East. Many are blaming this subpar run on injuries; point guard Darius Garland was out to begin the season, which left Donovan Mitchell to take up even stronger scoring reigns than he held previously. Of course, that is no thanks to Evan Mobley, who, while still the defensive cornerstone of the team, has not taken any major leaps on the offensive end of his game. After winning Defensive Player of the Year last year, his points and rebounds per game have dropped slightly. For many other players, this drop would not be a major issue, but for such a renowned prospect, the team needed to see another step up this year.
Another major issue that has been underdiscussed is the absence of Max Strus and Ty Jerome, the latter of whom left to join the Memphis Grizzlies this year. Strus has been a reliable shooter for the team, but a foot injury has left him sidelined for the majority of the season. This had led Sam Merrill and Jaylon Tyson to take up a much larger role. While their scoring efforts have made a significant impact, the glue is gone; the sugary caramel core that made the Cavaliers’ offense so exciting to watch last year is melting. Ultimately, they will be okay because of one man: Jarrett Allen, gotta love him.
In the West, there have been no major surprises this season other than the injury bug wreaking havoc at the conference. Recently, MVP front-runner Nikola Jokic was sidelined for a month with a knee injury. The Denver Nuggets were already struggling without starters Christian Braun, Aaron Gordon and Cameron Johnson; Jokic’s injury only elevated the team’s concerns. Jamal Murray has been left to take the brunt of the scoring output. However, bench players Peyton Watson, Spencer Jones, Jalen Pickett and Tim Hardaway Jr. have been pulling their weight in Jokic’s absence. They may have the greatest offensive player of all time out for a month, but their playoff chances are still hopeful.
Other injuries around the West saw the San Antonio Spurs’ alien center Victor Wembanyama in and out of the past two months. Minutes restrictions have left him coming off the bench for several games and not playing in crucial clutch-time minutes. The Utah Jazz, who I believed could have had a sneaky play-in run, lost their starting center, Walker Kessler, for the year. Yet, that has not stopped the Jazz from having very dominant wins over the Spurs and, recently, the Los Angeles Lakers. As for the Lakers, Mr. LeBron James was out to start the season and came in very cold. He infamously lost his 1,297-game streak of scoring at least 10 points, a record that lasted since January 2007. Similarly, James will not start in this year’s All-Star game, ending 21 consecutive years of starting. He will likely be a reserve on the team thanks to the overwhelming adoration that follows him in the NBA community.
Looking ahead, the Oklahoma City Thunder will continue to dominate. Even after starting the season without second-option Jalen Williams, the team had one of the best starts to a season ever, only second to the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors. The Spurs, Nuggets and the Houston Rockets (and potentially the Charlotte Hornets) are the league’s best bet on defeating the OKC beast, but it is not looking likely as the season progresses. I see a chance that the Portland Trail Blazers will make a push to enter playoff contention in the second half of the year. Their young core has energy, excitement and a diverse set of skills that will carry them to higher prospects over the next few years.
In the meantime, I will be praying for the Knicks’ downfall and manifesting only positive sights on the Celtics.