Don Deal: Boston has welcomed a key player for whom they have been waiting for many years after a long period of waiting.

Don Deal: Boston has welcomed a key player for whom they have been waiting for many years after a long period of waiting.

is a difficult process in the NBA because trajectories can be blunted by injuries, completely reconfigured by trades, and revitalized by coaching changes. We’re officially two-thirds of the way through the regular season now that all teams have played 55 games, so it seems like a good idea to pause and assess how everyone is doing.

Consider these scores as a post-midterm evaluation. Everything has been turned in for the group projects, and until the final exams, not much is happening. It’s a maintenance phase for winning teams that are already well-established in order to sustain their current level of success, possibly test the buyout market, and—above all—avoid burnout. Some are still figuring out, and some are so poor that they might as well use this time to experiment with a new major and take a few open studies courses to see if anything sticks, while others are kinks, figuring out who they are.

I’m grading on a curve that takes into account personnel, expectations, injuries, and how these teams have handled the issues they had heading into the season. I understand how some people feel about this kind of thing. Because of this, teams that have performed below expectations, such as the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers, have lower grades than lottery teams, like the Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs. Let’s go right ahead and examine each team in alphabetical order.

The Hawks simply can’t seem to overcome the spiritual apathy that has dogged them ever since they advanced to the Eastern Conference finals in 2021.

Atlanta is now a perennial play-in team, and neither coaching nor personnel changes have improved the team’s standing. The best player on the team is still Jalen Johnson. But here’s what I will say: Dejounte Murray’s value has dropped dramatically.

In retrospect, was playing next to Trae Young ever going to be easy? Murray’s reputation has taken a hit due to what I refer to as the “change effect” after a difficult adjustment period.

To some extent, James Harden experienced it last season when he was asked to make sacrifices he had never made before and was mocked for his team’s defeat rather than given credit for their clumsy attempt. However, adaptation takes time. Murray’s quick pass and catch