NBA: 2 Up 2 Down Report (January 2023)
Headline Photo Credit: USA Today
Up
Kyrie Irving
When players are out, someone has to step up, especially when the team leader and best player are out. Kevin Durant has missed a nice amount of games as he recovers from a knee injury he suffered vs. the Miami Heat. With KD out of the lineup, Kyrie Irving has put the team on his back and has kept the ship sailing in Brooklyn. He was already having a great season. He is hoping to have a new contract offered to him soon so he surely has something to play for. But while KD has been out, Kyrie has elevated his game even more as he has the Nets remaining top five in the East. Kyrie Irving may deserve MVP considerations simply because he is giving this Brooklyn Nets team which isn’t deep at all a fighting chance even without the great Kevin Durant. As of Today Kyrie Irving has requested a trade and hopes of being traded before the Feb 9th NBA Trade Deadline.
LA Clippers
Kawhi is back! Most importantly, the LA Clippers are back. The Clippers are now the team we all expected them to be. Well, what’s changed? The Clippers had a rocky start to start the season. Many believed they may not even make the play in the tournament. They had so many injuries early on from everyone. Most notably, they had injuries from Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. The minute restrictions and load management by the two were their Achilles heel. It seems those limits and restrictions have been uplifted, specifically from Kawhi Leonard. Kawhi has been on a tear! He is looking like an all-star once again, scoring the basketball at will, and defending in very important sequences too. Most importantly, the Clippers have recently racked up a nice winning streak as well. The Clippers may be the scariest team out West at the moment.
Down
Ben Simmons
When the deal was made last season that landed the Nets Ben Simmons, many believed the Nets won the trade. Philly gave up the stars and the moon just to rid themselves of a headache they had in Ben Simmons. Ben missed all of last season as he recovered from a back injury, as well as mental health. As this year has started, what we have seen from Ben Simmons thus far in a Brooklyn Nets uniform has been far from impressive. He is merely a shell of himself when he was making all-star teams in Philadelphia. The Nets have grown increasingly frustrated and concerned with the athletic freak of nature. They were hoping he could be a vital piece to their team. Rather, he appears to be simply a role player stealing money. Nets HC Jacque Vaughn has been growing frustrated about the situation as Ben still is rarely available to play. He simply isn’t helping the team the way they hoped and expected him to.
New Orleans Pelicans
Don’t look now, but the Pelicans may break the Wizards losing streak this season as they have dropped their last nine games. Things started so great in New Orleans, despite not having Brandon Ingram. Once Zion Williamson went down with a hamstring injury, things started to go downhill from there. We truly see the value and how prominent Zion Williamson is to this team. Everything they do went through him. He may not be the best shooter or even scorer on the team, but he is the key to their success there in New Orleans. He isn’t even their best defender or best rebounder, however, he is the engine of this team. Should the New Orleans Pelicans make a deal to spice things up upon his return? Zion should be returning soon. However, the Pelicans want to make sure they don’t rush their most precious and prized possession back too soon. The Pelicans will do well to test the market to see if there are any deals out there that they can afford to give this team a boost because January has not been good to them at all.
