— Written by James Edwards III, Darnell Mayberry and Josh Robbins
This season’s NBA champion could hail from the Central Division.
The Milwaukee Bucks own the league’s best regular-season record and also have one of the league’s leading MVP candidates, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Trailing not so far behind in the standings are the precocious Cleveland Cavaliers, who boast the league’s top-rated defense.
To size up the best of the Central Division, The Athletic assembled three of its staff writers: James L. Edwards III, who covers the Detroit Pistons; Darnell Mayberry, who covers the Chicago Bulls; and Josh Robbins, who covers the Washington Wizards.
As this regular season has played out, what do you regard as the most compelling storyline within the division?
James L. Edwards III: How for real is Cleveland? We knew the Bucks were juggernauts, and I think we all knew that the Cavaliers would be really good, but is Cleveland also a legit title contender? It might be.
Now, I don’t think the Cavs are better than the Bucks, and I probably wouldn’t pick them in a series against the Celtics. However, I’d put my money on them against the Philadelphia 76ers in a series.
I really like what Cleveland has built and, as long as Donovan Mitchell stays around, the Cavs are going to be one of the best four teams in the Eastern Conference for the foreseeable future.
Darnell Mayberry: Whether the Bucks can reclaim the throne. Giannis Antetokounmpo is widely considered the best player in the league, and he leads a dangerous crew that is hungry for its second title in three seasons.
Unlike the Cavs and many of their fellow title contenders, the Bucks trusted their process. They didn’t flinch following last year’s second-round loss to the Boston Celtics but instead returned largely the same roster. They sat back and swooped up skilled and savvy veterans, Joe Ingles, Jae Crowder, Meyers Leonard and Goran Dragić, from difficult situations.
It just might work. Another parade could be headed to Milwaukee this summer.
Josh Robbins: The Bucks are my (and many others’) pick to win the title, but we already knew they’d contend for a title as long as Giannis was healthy.
So to me, the Cavaliers’ improvement in every phase ranks as the division’s most compelling storyline. At 48-28, they’ve already won four more games than they did last season, and they have six more to play. They’ve improved from fifth last season in defensive rating to first this season. They entered Monday second in the league in net rating, up from 13th last season.
Cleveland took a big swing by trading for Mitchell, and the team has responded big time. Like James, I’ll be fascinated to see if the Cavs can make a deep run in these playoffs.
Who or what has been the division’s biggest surprise?
Edwards: For me, it’s the Indiana Pacers. I know they’re nine games under .500 as of Monday morning, but I didn’t even expect that. Tyrese Haliburton is an All-Star, Bennedict Mathurin (who I was very high on going into the draft) is going to be a real problem in a few seasons, and the Myles Turner rumors and whispers feel to be going away.
Indiana is a piece or two away from being even feistier than it is now. I thought this would be a team comfortable in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes. That hasn’t been the case.
Mayberry: I also didn’t think the Pacers would be as good as they are. Indiana has amassed a nice collection of young talent and should continue improving.
But I’ll give the Cavs some credit. I questioned the fit between Mitchell and Darius Garland when Cleveland made the blockbuster deal to acquire Mitchell from Utah. That’s not to say I thought the pairing wouldn’t work. I just needed to see it. And the two have delivered.
Mitchell is having a career season. Garland has brilliantly boosted his efficiency on slightly less usage. I’m looking forward to seeing how the backcourt duo fares in the playoffs. They ought to be fun.
Robbins: This is not the first season that Brook Lopez has been a key defender and a valuable stretch five for the Bucks.
But just the same, has any NBA player over the last two decades transformed his game as completely as Lopez has over his 15 seasons? I’m not talking about “improvement.” I’m talking transformation. I remember covering games in which Lopez was a defensive liability who on offense rarely dared to launch a 3.
It’s a remarkable 180 — a 180 that has reached its zenith this season. Lopez is a viable Defensive Player of the Year candidate, and through Monday, he’s shooting a career-high 37.5 percent from 3 on 4.8 attempts per game.
I know Lopez’s evolution did not occur overnight. But it’s never been more apparent than it’s been this season.
Let’s say we were selecting an All-Central Division first team of two guards, two forwards and one center, which is the same format the league uses to determine its All-NBA teams. Choosing only among the players who are on Central Division rosters now, who would be on your first team? And who would be the toughest single exclusion from that team?
Edwards: My first team would be Brook Lopez, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Evan Mobley, Zach LaVine and Donovan Mitchell.
I feel terrible excluding both Jrue Holiday and Haliburton, but while the Bulls have been a bit disappointing this season, LaVine has been really, really good.
Holiday and Haliburton, obviously, were both All-Star choices, and the former is the best two-way guard in the division. But, man, I’ve really enjoyed LaVine this season.
I feel like Bucks fans are going to come after me. Should I swap Holiday and LaVine? I don’t know. I’m nervous. I love you, Bucks fans!
Mayberry: Forgive James, Bucks fans. It’s been a while since he’s seen quality defense played in Detroit.
Holiday absolutely belongs on the first team — over LaVine and Haliburton — for that reason. Holiday does everything for the Bucks and remains one of the game’s best defenders. Joining Holiday on my Central Division first team would be Mitchell, DeMar DeRozan, Antetokounmpo and Lopez.
The center spot is my hardest selection, with four players deserving. The others are Jarrett Allen, Nikola Vučević and Myles Turner. Lopez’s career-best 37.5 percent 3-point shooting on 4.8 attempts, along with his career-high 2.5 blocks per game, give him the nod. He’s in unicorn territory and is among the most underrated players in the league.
As for Holiday, he’s been more consistent than LaVine this season. DeRozan has been the steadier Bull, while LaVine’s post-All-Star scoring spree and shooting efficiency has made his early inconsistency a distant memory.
Robbins: I’d go with Holiday, Mitchell, DeRozan, Antetokounmpo and Lopez.
I feel badly for leaving off Mobley given how superb he is defensively.
But the toughest exclusions are Haliburton and Garland in the backcourt. Holiday — the league’s most underrated player, in my opinion — would receive the nod on my ballot over Haliburton and Garland because of his superior defense.
It’s clear that Antetokounmpo is the division’s Most Valuable Player. But who would be second and third on your ballot?
Edwards: Second for me would be Mitchell. He’s having the best scoring season of his already-impressive career. His team is 20 games over .500. It’s hard to argue for anyone else, honestly. After that, let’s get weird … Jarrett Allen. OK, I’m kind of joking, but I do think there is an argument to be made that he is the most important player for the Cavs. The dynamic he brings, both offensively and defensively, is glaringly absent in games that he doesn’t play.
My real answer for third is, probably, Lopez, but can I give Allen the “Sneaky Most Important Player” award?
Mayberry: Mitchell has to be second for the season he’s assembled. He joined a loaded Cavs squad and turned them lethal.
My third-place vote would go to DeRozan. He means more to the Bulls than any combination of the other teams’ second or third best players mean to them. In other words, if you take DeRozan off the Bulls, the drop-off would be far more severe than taking Holiday/Lopez or Mobley/Garland off their respective clubs.
DeRozan has been tremendous this season, still playing the game his way, with ultra-efficiency. But I won’t belabor third place. Several are worthy.
Robbins: Mitchell would be my runner-up, followed by Lopez.
I’m going to take this in another direction: by naming who would receive fourth place on my MVP ballot. Mobley would receive that distinction because — in perhaps the first time James and I ever disagreed on anything — I regard Mobley as the most essential contributor to the Cavs’ top-rated defense.
Who is the division’s Coach of the Year, and why?
Edwards: It’s got to be JB Bickerstaff, right? As I said previously, we all expected the Cavs to be good, but I don’t know if we all thought they’d be THIS good. The team plays well together. Everyone knows their roles. It all works. It clicks.
Once again, I’m a big fan of what Cleveland has done.
Mayberry: Bickerstaff is my pick not because of external expectations but for the reality he was required to navigate.
Every coach would love his roster. Not every coach can guide the young talent Bickerstaff has been blessed with. People like me questioned the fit between Mitchell and Garland. Bickerstaff has made it work. He’s led the Cavs to the NBA’s best defensive rating and the second best net rating.
The only other option is Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer, who shouldn’t be dismissed given Milwaukee owns the league’s best record and peeled off a 16-game winning streak. It’s not easy commanding consistent regular-season focus from a championship-minded bunch.
Robbins: And I’m going with Bickerstaff, too, for all of the reasons James and Darnell cited. He has seamlessly integrated Mitchell on offense, with Cleveland rising from 20th in offensive rating last season to eighth through Sunday. Meanwhile, the Cavs have only improved on defense relative to everyone else.
Sizing up … the Atlantic Division
(Illustration: Sean Reilly / The Athletic; Photos: Stacy Revere and David Liam Kyle / Getty Images)
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