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On this date in 2001, Tony Delk scored 53 points for the Phoenix Suns. Delk was a solid bench player in his career, but this was one of the most random 50-point performances we’ve ever seen. It’s right up there with Corey Brewer and Malachi Flynn. All three of these players scored 50 or more in a game, but their second-highest scoring game never cracked 30. Delk had one of the 33 games in league history with 50 or more points with zero assists. Yes, Wilt Chamberlain has 16 (!) of them. Shoutout to Tony.
Be it resolved!
New Year’s resolutions for the East
We’ve arrived at the 2026 portion of the 2025-26 season. And as with any calendar turn, New Year’s resolutions are going to be all the rage. You may be thinking, “Zach, isn’t it a little corny or hacky to do resolutions?” Maybe! But it can also be fun! We love fun around here, especially as we check in with all 30 teams. We’ll try to avoid the simple “be healthier” resolution, but for some teams it might be unavoidable. Because that would be what’s needed the most! Let’s dive into some resolutions. Happy New Year!
1. Pistons (25-9): Get some outside shooting/creation. Cade Cunningham has been spectacular, but they need to get him some help creating offense for the team. Maybe that’s just more outside shooting to spread the floor, but it’s probably both. I’m not sure Jaden Ivey is the solution with that.
2. Knicks (23-10): Guard the 3-point line better. We know this team can put up a ton of points, and its defense is mostly good. But the 3-point line is still an issue: bottom 10 in percentage allowed and second-highest 3-point volume allowed. Tighten it up!
3. Celtics (21-12): Please be careful with Jayson Tatum. He’s definitely going to come back this season from the Achilles’ rupture. All of the murmurs point toward that. Everybody responds differently to medical stuff, but I just worry something else could go wrong. We’ve seen that plenty of times. It could be a fun boost for them, though.
4. Raptors (20-15): Some of this could be fixed by RJ Barrett being back, but I’d like to see Toronto get to the free-throw line more. The Raptors have athletic advantages, and they can turn that into free points and opponent foul trouble more.
5. 76ers (18-14): Rethink that Joel Embiid load management. At the beginning of the season, the Sixers had Embiid around 20 minutes per game. I wonder if doing that consistently might be more effective injury management than keeping him out of games completely.
6. Magic (19-15): Be more creative and less stagnant with Paolo Banchero. Orlando could stand to get Banchero the ball on the move a lot more instead of stopping everything once he gets the ball in isolation. Use the strength and physicality in a smarter way to expand the offense.
7. Heat (19-15): Figure out the two-big lineup. The results haven’t been there yet, but pairing Kel’el Ware and Bam Adebayo is key to their postseason success. Having Norman Powell and Davion Mitchell on the floor with them has also helped.
8. Cavaliers (19-16): Re-embrace the offense. Kenny Atkinson’s system last season was the big reason the Cavs were so good in the regular season. Cleveland needs to recalibrate operating within the system and see if it can rejuvenate.
9. Bulls (16-17): Focus on Matas Buzelis. Josh Giddey and Coby White are injured. Let’s see Chicago run more offense featuring Buzelis and try to jumpstart some of that development for the second-year forward. The 21-year-old had a great finish to last season.
10. Hawks (16-19): Figure out what the future of this team is. Does it involve Trae Young? Does it mean adding Anthony Davis? Is that worth giving up Zaccharie Risacher? Is foregoing continuity again a good move?
11. Bucks (14-20): Milwaukee should study everything the Heat did in 2023 when they followed a superstar to the No. 8 seed and the NBA Finals. Two very different teams and coaches involved, but in this East, Giannis can probably get you decently far.
12. Hornets (11-22): Establish some level of defense. The good news for Charlotte is that its offense is pretty solid. But the Hornets can’t stop anybody and will never become even semi-serious without some defensive culture.
13. Nets (10-21): Explore that Michael Porter Jr. trade market. Brooklyn doesn’t have to move him, but if you can get any assets by flipping him, you have to do it. That’s the state of the Nets now.
14. Wizards (8-24): Get active at the trade deadline. Washington has set itself up perfectly to be a third or fourth team involved in trades. The Wiz can take on money while also taxing the trading teams’ draft capital.
15. Pacers (6-28): Go find a big man option at the deadline. Indiana should start early on preparing the roster for next season when Tyrese Haliburton is back and healthy.
Onward to the West resolutions after a quick break for some links …
The last 24
John Hollinger is disappointed in these guys
🏀 All-Disappointment Team. John Hollinger is telling it like it is. Draymond and Trae have not played up to expectations.
⭐ All-Star Jamal? The Nuggets’ Jamal Murray should make the All-Star team for the first time. It’s a good thing he’s playing so well, because he’s the only healthy Denver starter.
👽 Not too bad. Victor Wembanyama hyperextended his knee on Wednesday. He should be back next week.
❓ What’s next? Now that a player who was drafted is eligible for Baylor, what will happen with college basketball rosters in the future?
🩼 Star is out. Napheesa Collier is having surgery on both ankles. She’ll miss Unrivaled season.
Stream the NBA on Fubo (try it for free!) and catch out-of-market games on League Pass.
Be it also resolved!
New Year’s resolutions for the West
1. Thunder (29-5): Regain the fear. The Spurs definitely deflated that invincibility Oklahoma City was sporting. Minnesota even got a piece of the Thunder. OKC has to find that defensive dominance with its primary lineup and build from there.
2. Spurs (24-9): Take advantage of Victor Wembanyama’s gravity. With Wemby on the court, opponents are going to swarm. He has to get quicker at moving the ball, and the Spurs have to take advantage by being a top-10 3-point shooting team around him (they’re currently 16th).
3. Nuggets (23-10): Just get Nikola Jokić and Aaron Gordon healthy for the postseason. Don’t worry about seeding. The Nuggets at full health can beat anybody, and they can’t stress too much about seeding when missing Big Honey for a month.
4. Rockets (21-10): Value the ball better. Most of what Houston is doing on offense is great, but it’s one of the biggest turnover teams in the NBA. This is something the Rockets need to work on before the playoffs. Limiting mistakes will be the difference.
5. Lakers (20-11): Play a modicum of perimeter defense. I don’t know if this is possible without making a move, and they’re not likely to make a significant move. But if the Lakers could just defend more on the perimeter for three extra seconds per possession, it’d go a long way. They won’t win in the postseason without this.
6. Timberwolves (21-13): Stop turning the ball over in clutch situations. They are the worst in the NBA in turnover rate in the clutch at 17.6 percent. To put that in perspective, the Thunder are the best in the clutch with a 2.7 percent turnover rate. Stop giving it away.
7. Suns (19-14): Keep focusing on disrupting the West. The Suns have been far better than anybody anticipated. They can’t let that wane. Phoenix has been tremendous in clutch scoring and can ruin a lot of West teams by continuing to execute in the clutch.
8. Warriors (18-16): Trade Jonathan Kuminga. Just end the saga already. Steve Kerr doesn’t want to play him, and it’s going to continue to be a storyline. Move him before the deadline and re-emphasize players like Buddy Hield and De’Anthony Melton. Also, go find Buddy’s jumper. It has to be somewhere nearby.
9. Grizzlies (15-18): I’d like to see them move some of their young talent and/or picks for some help to Ja Morant. I don’t really believe Jaren Jackson Jr. as your second guy is going to work in the West. Maybe even Ja as your best guy can’t work. But they need another main person in the mix.
10. Trail Blazers (14-20): Fix whatever is wrong with Scoot Henderson. It’s weird we haven’t seen him on the court this season. The 21-year-old guard was supposed to be back by now, and he’s still not that close to returning. He’ll be re-evaluated in two weeks, but it’s worrisome that it’s been so quiet on that front.
11. Clippers (12-21): Keep doing what you’re doing! The Clippers seem to have figured this out and are back to more of what we’re used to. Kawhi Leonard is cooking, and the Clippers have won six straight. Keep it going.
12. Jazz (12-21): Start featuring Ace Bailey more. I’d like to see Will Hardy figure out how to make lineups with Bailey and Keyonte George together more competitive. Bailey has had a decent rookie campaign, and the 22-year-old George has improved tremendously. Get them going together.
13. Mavericks (12-23): Trade Anthony Davis. They can posture all they want, but it’s best to move on from AD and really start building around Cooper Flagg. Don’t give him away for free, but I’d really press a team like Atlanta to give up Risacher for him.
14. Kings (8-26): Trade as many of the veterans as you can. Clean house and try to reset this roster in some way. I know they’ve had injuries, but this is one of the least inspiring teams I can remember in a long time.
15. Pelicans (8-27): Just focus on building around Derik Queen, Jeremiah Fears and Trey Murphy III. They’re all good, and they’re extremely entertaining. Maybe you can galvanize the fan base by showing how fun this trio can be in the future.