{"id":387451,"date":"2026-01-02T19:35:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T19:35:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/387451\/"},"modified":"2026-01-02T19:35:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T19:35:09","slug":"managing-joel-embiid-trading-anthony-davis-and-more-nba-new-years-resolutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/387451\/","title":{"rendered":"Managing Joel Embiid, trading Anthony Davis and more NBA New Year\u2019s resolutions"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Bounce Newsletter\u00a0\":basketball:\"\u00a0| This is The Athletic\u2019s daily NBA newsletter.\u00a0Sign up here<\/a>\u00a0to receive The Bounce directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n

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\u2019ve ever seen. It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Be it resolved!<\/p>\n

New Year\u2019s resolutions for the East<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve arrived at the 2026 portion of the 2025-26 season. And as with any calendar turn, New Year\u2019s resolutions are going to be all the rage. You may be thinking, \u201cZach, isn\u2019t it a little corny or hacky to do resolutions?\u201d Maybe! But it can also be fun! We love fun around here, especially as we check in with all 30 teams. We\u2019ll try to avoid the simple \u201cbe healthier\u201d resolution, but for some teams it might be unavoidable. Because that would be what\u2019s needed the most! Let\u2019s dive into some resolutions. Happy New Year!<\/p>\n

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\u2019s just more outside shooting to spread the floor, but it\u2019s probably both. I\u2019m not sure Jaden Ivey is the solution with that.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>!<\/p>\n

3. Celtics (21-12): Please be careful with Jayson Tatum. He\u2019s definitely going to come back this season from the Achilles\u2019 rupture. All of the murmurs point toward that. Everybody responds differently to medical stuff, but I just worry something else could go wrong. We\u2019ve seen that plenty of times. It could be a fun boost for them, though.<\/p>\n

4. Raptors (20-15): Some of this could be fixed by RJ Barrett being back, but I\u2019d 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

7. Heat (19-15): Figure out the two-big lineup. The results haven\u2019t been there yet, but pairing Kel\u2019el Ware and Bam Adebayo is key to their postseason success. Having Norman Powell and Davion Mitchell on the floor with them has also helped.<\/p>\n

8. Cavaliers (19-16): Re-embrace the offense. Kenny Atkinson\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

9. Bulls (16-17): Focus on Matas Buzelis. Josh Giddey and Coby White are injured. Let\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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?<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019t stop anybody and will never become even semi-serious without some defensive culture.<\/p>\n

13. Nets (10-21): Explore that Michael Porter Jr. trade market. Brooklyn doesn\u2019t have to move him, but if you can get any assets by flipping him, you have to do it. That\u2019s the state of the Nets now.<\/p>\n

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\u2019 draft capital.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Onward to the West resolutions after a quick break for some links \u2026<\/p>\n

The last 24<\/p>\n

John Hollinger is disappointed in these guys<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfc0 All-Disappointment Team. John Hollinger is telling it like it is. Draymond and Trae have not played up to expectations<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2b50 All-Star Jamal? The Nuggets\u2019 Jamal Murray should make the All-Star team for the first time. It\u2019s a good thing he\u2019s playing so well, because he\u2019s the only healthy Denver starter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc7d Not too bad. Victor Wembanyama hyperextended his knee on Wednesday. He should be back next week<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2753 What\u2019s next? Now that a player who was drafted is eligible for Baylor, what will happen with college basketball rosters in the future<\/a>?<\/p>\n

\ud83e\ude7c Star is out. Napheesa Collier is having surgery on both ankles. She\u2019ll miss Unrivaled season<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Stream the NBA on Fubo (try it for free!<\/a>)\u00a0and catch out-of-market games on\u00a0League Pass<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Be it also resolved!<\/p>\n

New Year\u2019s resolutions for the West<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

2. Spurs (24-9): Take advantage of Victor Wembanyama\u2019s 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\u2019re currently 16th).<\/p>\n

3. Nuggets (23-10): Just get Nikola Joki\u0107 and Aaron Gordon healthy for the postseason. Don\u2019t worry about seeding. The Nuggets at full health can beat anybody, and they can\u2019t stress too much about seeding when missing Big Honey for a month.<\/p>\n

4. Rockets (21-10): Value the ball better. Most of what Houston is doing on offense is great, but it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

5. Lakers (20-11): Play a modicum of perimeter defense. I don\u2019t know if this is possible without making a move, and they\u2019re not likely to make a significant move. But if the Lakers could just defend more on the perimeter<\/a> for three extra seconds per possession, it\u2019d go a long way. They won\u2019t win in the postseason without this.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

7. Suns (19-14): Keep focusing on disrupting the West. The Suns have been far better than anybody anticipated. They can\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

8. Warriors (18-16): Trade Jonathan Kuminga. Just end the saga already. Steve Kerr doesn\u2019t want to play him, and it\u2019s going to continue to be a storyline. Move him before the deadline and re-emphasize players like Buddy Hield and De\u2019Anthony Melton. Also, go find Buddy\u2019s jumper. It has to be somewhere nearby.<\/p>\n

9. Grizzlies (15-18): I\u2019d like to see them move some of their young talent and\/or picks for some help to Ja Morant. I don\u2019t really believe Jaren Jackson Jr. as your second guy is going to work in the West. Maybe even Ja as your best guy can\u2019t work. But they need another main person in the mix.<\/p>\n

10. Trail Blazers (14-20): Fix whatever is wrong with Scoot Henderson. It\u2019s weird we haven\u2019t seen him on the court this season. The 21-year-old guard was supposed to be back by now, and he\u2019s still not that close to returning. He\u2019ll be re-evaluated in two weeks, but it\u2019s worrisome that it\u2019s been so quiet on that front.<\/p>\n

11. Clippers (12-21): Keep doing what you\u2019re doing! The Clippers seem to have figured this out and are back to more of what we\u2019re used to. Kawhi Leonard is cooking<\/a>, and the Clippers have won six straight. Keep it going.<\/p>\n

12. Jazz (12-21): Start featuring Ace Bailey more. I\u2019d 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.<\/p>\n

13. Mavericks (12-23): Trade Anthony Davis. They can posture all they want, but it\u2019s best to move on from AD and really start building around Cooper Flagg. Don\u2019t give him away for free, but I\u2019d really press a team like Atlanta to give up Risacher for him.<\/p>\n

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\u2019ve had injuries, but this is one of the least inspiring teams I can remember in a long time.<\/p>\n

15. Pelicans (8-27): Just focus on building around Derik Queen, Jeremiah Fears and Trey Murphy III. They\u2019re all good, and they\u2019re extremely entertaining. Maybe you can galvanize the fan base by showing how fun this trio can be in the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Bounce Newsletter\u00a0\u00a0| This is The Athletic\u2019s daily NBA newsletter.\u00a0Sign up here\u00a0to receive The Bounce directly in your…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":387452,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[7218,64,63,726,1664,5997,5670,2066,17603,7235,1662,7214,5552,7220,7221,7236,7232,5851,7223,4620,5665,590,7210,1666,5548,12985,9688,7185,4621,5674,10549,85,17602,11898,7211],"class_list":["post-387451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-atlanta-hawks","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-boston-celtics","tag-brooklyn-nets","tag-charlotte-hornets","tag-chicago-bulls","tag-cleveland-cavaliers","tag-dallas-mavericks","tag-denver-nuggets","tag-detroit-pistons","tag-golden-state-warriors","tag-houston-rockets","tag-indiana-pacers","tag-los-angeles-clippers","tag-los-angeles-lakers","tag-memphis-grizzlies","tag-miami-heat","tag-milwaukee-bucks","tag-minnesota-timberwolves","tag-nba","tag-new-orleans-pelicans","tag-new-york-knicks","tag-oklahoma-city-thunder","tag-orlando-magic","tag-philadelphia-76ers","tag-phoenix-suns","tag-portland-trail-blazers","tag-sacramento-kings","tag-san-antonio-spurs","tag-sports","tag-toronto-raptors","tag-utah-jazz","tag-washington-wizards"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387451","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=387451"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387451\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/387452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=387451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=387451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=387451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}