Nick Crain | 2/23/23

Following what turned out to be a pretty exciting NBA All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City, the 2022-23 campaign is set to resume this week. And with most teams having around 25 games remaining, there isn’t too much time for error.

Whether it’s moving up in the standings to earn a better seed, or making the push to land a spot in the postseason, a good number of teams will need early success as the season resumes to solidify their playoff aspirations. With that in mind, what are some of the key themes and storylines to follow down the stretch of the season?

Kevin Durant’s Integration

In what was one of the most significant trades in recent history, the Phoenix Suns took a championship swing in acquiring Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets.

He’s not expected to make his debut for another week or so as he recovers from injury, but the Suns will presumably be the new favorite in the Western Conference. As it will most likely take some time for him to integrate into Phoenix’s system, this has still become one of the best rosters in the league.

MVP Race

Once again, Nikola Jokic has a chance to win the MVP award. This would mark his third-straight season to do so and place him in rarified air.

Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid still have time for a final push at the League’s top individual award, but they’ll need to really put together a remarkable close to the season to be considered a serious threat to what’s quickly becoming a sure thing.

Injury Updates

There’s quite a few significant injury situations that will dictate how the season wraps up. Whether it’s players set to return in the near future to help their team, or others simply being ruled out, health is everything.

-Lonzo Out: He’s officially out for the season… And as the Bulls continue to struggle, the looming question is whether or not they can turn things around without him.

-Jamal Murray: Can he stay healthy down the final stretch and into the playoffs?

-Steph Curry: Although the Baby Faced Assassin is coming back soon, this is still his second major injury of the season.

-Karl-Anthony Towns: The Timberwolves need him back in the rotation, especially if they want to earn home court in the playoffs.

-Zion Williamson: The Pelicans have lost a ton of games in the past few weeks, and quickly falling down the standings. The obvious realization is that there’s a huge hole in the roster that leaves us wondering when he’ll be back to solidify that spot.

-Anfernee Simons & Jusuf Nurkic: Both are key pieces of the roster that need to get healthy if the Blazers are going to make the postseason push.

The Two LA Teams

Both the Lakers and Clippers have made significant moves over the last few weeks. On paper, the Lakers should be much improved, but they’re also well below .500 and have little margin for error the rest of the season.

The Clippers brought in Russell Westbrook, who was previously traded away from the Lakers and bought out by the Utah Jazz. His fit and the success of the Clippers will be fascinating over the next two months.