NBA Roundtable: Breaking down the biggest storylines at the halfway point

With half of the 2022-23 campaign in the books, theScore's NBA editors answer some of the biggest questions around the league.

Which Western Conference team is most likely to finish with the No. 1 seed?

It's hard to argue against the Denver Nuggets. They've got wins over the league-leading Boston Celtics, Memphis Grizzlies, Phoenix Suns, and Los Angeles Clippers, including a 31-point demolition last Thursday of Kawhi Leonard and Co. Nikola Jokic is playing at an MVP level once again, Jamal Murray looks more like his old self, and Aaron Gordon is having arguably his best NBA campaign. Three-and-D guards Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown have been nice additions alongside the Nuggets' core, while Bones Hyland has emerged as one of the league's top reserve scorers. Although defense remains an area of concern, the Nuggets' explosive offense can make up for their shortcomings on the opposite end. - Chicco Nacion

The Memphis Grizzlies learned some valuable lessons about playoff basketball during last season's run to the West semis, and there's plenty of reason to think Ja Morant and Co. can improve on that. It helps that they boast the league's second-best defensive rating (109.1) and the 11th-best offensive return (113.9) for the third-best net rating (4.8). Having a healthy Jaren Jackson Jr. in the lineup also doesn't hurt, nor does Morant's emergence as an improved facilitator. The one red flag is the team's perimeter shooting, an issue that can be easily corrected both at the trade deadline and with Desmond Bane's return to health. Memphis' starting five have played fewer than 50 minutes together all season, a number that should scare the rest of the NBA's upper echelon. - Michael J. Chandler

With the New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns both short star players for the foreseeable future, maybe a team that's set to get its best player back can go on a run and claim the top spot in a flawed West. Steph Curry, who's expected to return by the end of the week, will be rejoining a Golden State Warriors squad that's finally starting to click after a dreadful start to the campaign. Though they just inexcusably dropped two games against the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons, the 20-20 Warriors are getting improved play from Klay Thompson and a healthy Andrew Wiggins back in the fold. If Jordan Poole can finally snap out of his slump, such a high-powered team can certainly erase a six-and-a-half-game deficit for the conference's top spot. - Matthew Winick

Which player is most likely to get moved at the deadline?

The Washington Wizards are facing a difficult decision regarding Kyle Kuzma. Arguably their third-best player, Kuzma is averaging a career-high 21.4 points per game while chipping in 7.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists. Signing the 27-year-old to a long-term extension would make sense. However, the Wizards rank fifth in total cap space used with Kuzma's $13-million salary and a long-term extension for center Kristaps Porzingis looming. Washington could get a decent return for a versatile forward who's improved in all six of his seasons. A Kuzma trade would also help inch the Wizards closer to a potential top-four pick in June's draft. - Donald Higney

Entering the season, it made sense for the Pistons to take a flyer on veteran sharpshooter Bojan Bogdanovic and pair him alongside a growing core in hopes of taking a step up the standings. However, 2022-23 has become a lost campaign for Detroit with the team sitting in the league's basement and franchise star Cade Cunningham out for the season. The Pistons should now look to trade their 33-year-old impending free agent as he's hyper-valuable as a career 39.4% 3-point shooter who's recording a 41.6% clip this season. - Winick

With the Toronto Raptors' season on a downward spiral, the club should be open for business. Gary Trent will almost certainly decline his $18.6-million player option for 2023-24, and the Raptors would be foolish not to entertain offers for their starting two-guard. Trent is averaging 18.4 points and shooting 36.5% from downtown. The Duke product is once again among the league leaders in average deflections. His shot-creation, floor-spacing, and ability to defend multiple positions can certainly help a contending squad. - Nacion

Which championship contender is the most flawed?

The Dallas Mavericks have won nine of their last 10 due in large part to Luka Doncic's otherworldly run of individual displays. The delirium surrounding Doncic's wizardry has overshadowed a poorly constructed roster rife with issues at the defensive end and on the glass. The Mavs own the 22nd-best defensive rating (113.7) and are the league's worst rebounding side with a rock-bottom percentage (47.5%) and the fewest boards per contest (39). Christian Wood's recent consistency and Jaden Hardy's emergence as a reliable scorer also help paper over these cracks, but the Mavericks' overreliance on an unsustainable run by Doncic and their poor defensive play could ultimately prove too great to overcome. - Chandler

The cracks are starting to show for the Milwaukee Bucks. They've lost six of their last 10 contests, including a four-game losing streak to Eastern Conference rivals - the Cavaliers, Nets, Celtics, and Bulls. Milwaukee ranks 29th in offensive rating over that stretch and 27th in net rating, falling behind the Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, and Detroit Pistons. The Bucks also suffered a 41-point loss to the Memphis Grizzlies last month, the fourth-largest margin of victory this season. Even with Khris Middleton missing 32 games due to different lower-body injuries, a down year from a usually strong Milwaukee defense will prevent the team from winning another ring. - Higney

The Nuggets may be on their way to the West's top seed, but there are still many questions for this squad to answer in the playoffs. For one, the Jokic-led Nuggets are just 9-19 in postseason games past the first round, having lost eight of their last nine. On top of that, Denver hasn't quite been as dominant as its 26-13 record shows. The team is tied with the New York Knicks for seventh in point differential and sits in the same spot for net rating. That's in large part due to a shaky defense that ranks 23rd league-wide in defensive rating - the Nuggets allow opposing teams to make 68.5% of shots from less than 5 feet away from the rim, second worst in the NBA. - Winick

Who's this season's most improved player?

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is doing it all for the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Canadian ranks third in the Association in free-throw attempts (370), fourth in scoring (30.9 points per game), and 12th in steals (1.6). Gilgeous-Alexander has dropped 30 points or more in 24 games, trailing only Doncic. His court vision, efficiency in isolation, and elite clutch play have kept the Thunder more competitive than many pundits expected. Gilgeous-Alexander has shown growth as a defender as well, posting 3.3 deflections and 3.0 contested triples per game. He has also registered two blocks or more on 10 occasions. The fifth-year guard is pretty much a lock to earn his first All-Star nod next month and is equally deserving of this season's Most Improved Player award. - Nacion

The potential was always there. Whether with the Arizona Wildcats, Chicago Bulls, or Cleveland Cavaliers, Finnish forward Lauri Markkanen has shown flashes of what could be. But it wasn't until Markkanen joined the Utah Jazz in September as part of the Donovan Mitchell swap that the potential got a chance to come to fruition. The contrast between his first five seasons in the league and the 2022-23 campaign has been stark.

More than just a result of his statistical contributions, Markkanen has become the No. 1 option after years of assuming a supporting role. "It's something that I have to get adjusted to," Markkanen said in December about the change in roles. "But going forward, I feel like I have the room and the mentality to be more aggressive." So far, so good. Next up: a maiden All-Star bow. - Chandler

Another guard who's stuffing the stat sheet for their team, Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers has taken a leap in his third NBA campaign. In his first full season with the franchise, Haliburton is averaging 20.3 points per game, is second in the league in assists with 10.3, and is one of 11 players to average at least 1.7 steals along with defensive mainstays OG Anunoby and Dejounte Murray. The 22-year-old has the Pacers playing faster; they rank seventh league-wide in pace, fifth in 3-pointers made, and fourth in assists en route to a surprising 23-18 start. An All-Star appearance for Haliburton isn't out of the question. - Higney

Which team should pivot to tank mode?

With the Jazz's shocking 10-3 start well in the rearview mirror, the now-20-23 squad should be looking to offload some veteran pieces and go along with the rebuild we all initially expected. Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson, and Kelly Olynyk could all be role players on contenders, and their departures would allow rookies like Walker Kessler and Ochai Agbaji to take on bigger roles. Plus, Utah would be better positioned in the draft lottery. That was the original goal when the Jazz dealt Mitchell and Rudy Gobert this summer anyway. - Winick

With 11 losses in their last 15 games, the Raptors aren't contenders as currently constructed. President of basketball operations Masai Ujiri has been vocal about competing for championships and doesn't have any interest in sneaking into the postseason via the play-in tournament. It would take quite a package to move either Pascal Siakam or OG Anunoby. However, Trent and Fred VanVleet could hit the market next summer if they opt out of their contracts, and losing either for nothing may come back to haunt the Raptors. Dealing a few of their key rotational players probably won't sink them all the way to the bottom, but each place dropped is huge with two potential franchise-changing prospects available in this year's draft. - Nacion

The present iteration of the Washington Wizards will continue to languish in NBA purgatory for perpetuity. As mentioned above, Kuzma could be an attractive piece for suitors with playoff ambitions. So too could Bradley Beal, especially for a team like Dallas, which sorely requires a second star. The no-trade clause included in Beal's fresh five-year, $251-million max contract was an unnecessary addition and a stipulation that could complicate things. That said, the Wizards are six games back in the loss column of a bottom-three record and have the best odds at Victor Wembanyama. Blowing this team up is a no-brainer. - Chandler