NBA Christmas Day: Lakers still searching for answers; Knicks found theirs in Jalen Brunson

National Basketball Association

Published Dec. 26, 2023 1:26 a.m. ET

Christmas has come and gone, which means that the NBA season is now truly off and running. This year’s holiday slate featured five games and 10 teams — each with playoff and/or title aspirations. And while you never want to jump to any conclusions off of a single game, there were some performances that, combined with what we’ve seen through the season’s first two months, do mean something.

With that in mind, and for those just diving into the NBA now, here are five takeaways from the league’s Christmas action.

Jalen Brunson is the best thing to happen to the Knicks since Patrick Ewing

Did the Knicks clear the decks last offseason to sign Jalen Brunson because they saw something and knew something that other teams didn’t, or just because he’s the godson of team president Leon Rose? At this point, it doesn’t matter. All that does matter is that Burnson has turned himself into a star who, depending on how you feel about Carmelo Anthony and his stint with the Knicks, is unlike any player the franchise has had since drafting Ewing in 1985.

You saw this all on display in the Knicks’ 129-122 victory Monday afternoon over the Milwaukee Bucks. Brunson racked up 38 points and six assists. He shot a blistering 15-for-28 from the field. He had the ball in his hands all afternoon and, incredibly, didn’t turn it over a single time.

And you know the craziest part about this performance from Brunson? It’s that when he does this it’s no longer surprising. He’s become an unguardable three-level scorer. He already boasted one of the league’s top floaters and was already a handful in the paint thanks to a McHale-like package of footwork. This year, though, he’s also become one of the league’s premier long range bombers; he’s drilled a ridiculous 46% of his 6.5 attempts per game.

Brunson is the reason the Knicks are 17-12, despite playing one of the toughest schedules in the league (seven games combined against the Bucks and Celtics already). He’s a sure-thing All-Star and is making a case for an All-NBA nod as well. Forget all the talk about the Knicks needing to find a star. Turns out they have one.

The Nuggets have the NBA’s best starting five

And this isn’t just because they have Nikola Jokic, who’s probably the league’s best player. Sure, that helps, but this group is a testament to the benefits of allowing five players with complementary skillsets to mesh and grow together. Jokic is obviously the hub here, as was clear on Monday once again during his 26-points, 14-point, eight-assist output Monday in the Nuggets’ 120-114 victory over the Warriors.

But there’s also Jamal Murray, whose bounce is back to what it was before his ACL tear and who has become the perfect perimeter dance partner for Jokic. He’s quick and strong and physical and remains a knockdown shooter.

And let’s not forget the willing defense and savvy cutting from Aaron Gordon, and smooth two way play from both Michael Porter Jr. and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The Nuggets haven’t always looked dominant through the NBA’s first couple of months, but they’re still 22-10 and their starting lineup has still outscored opponents by nearly 18 points per 100 possessions. In other words: The reigning champs are as good as ever. They remain the team to beat.

Kristaps Porzingis is a difference-maker for the Boston Celtics

That said, if you were to pick a team best-positioned to challenge Denver it would have to be the Celtics. And one of the reasons is because this year’s Celtics team is different and better than the ones we’ve seen in year’ past. And the main reason this team is different is because they now have Kristaps Porzingis manning the middle.

Just look at what Jayson Tatum had to say about Porzingis following the Celtics; 126-115 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, one in which Porzingis finished with 28 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks.

But let’s stick with that post game for a minute. On the season, Porzingis is averaging 1.39 points per post up possession, which is the best mark in the league among players posting more than 1.5 times per game. That’s not a fluke mark, either; last year Porzingis averaged 1.18 points per post possession.

Porzingis’ presence has given the Celtics just a bit more variety. In doing so, it’s forced opponents to think more than before. We know the Celtics are going to rack up regular season wins (right now they’re a league-best 23-6). But they also appear to be building towards something better in the playoffs as well.

The Lakers’ new starting lineup is not the answer

Last week, for the second time this season, the Lakers changed their official starting lineup. They’re now bringing both Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell off the bench, and starting Cam Reddish, Jarred Vanderbilt and Taurean Prince around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

The reasoning, it would seem, is because the Lakers are already having trouble scoring, so why not just lean fully into a defense and try to beat teams that way. The problem is that this doesn’t work in the modern NBA, where good offense beats good defense. Yeah, defense can win games, but the offense has to at least be mediocre.

The Lakers’ offense has not been that — they’re 24th in points per possession — and that new starting lineup was outscored by nine points in 18 minutes on Monday. The Celtics scored the game’s first 12 points and led by 18 in the first quarter. And that was with Anthony Davis putting up 40 points, 13 rebounds and four assists.

Moving Russell out of the starting lineup makes sense. He’s an inefficient ball-stopper who doesn’t play defense. What’s strange, though, is Reaves being fifth on the Lakers in minutes per game. It’s not like this stuff is working, either; the Lakers are just 16-15 and have a bottom-10 net rating. Don’t be stunned if we see him re-inserted back into the starting lineup at some point over the next couple of months.

The Miami Heat found another one

Over the last decade, no team has been better than the Heat at turning mid-round (or worse) first round picks into NBA talent. On the current roster there Bam Adebayo (14th overall) and Duncan Robinson (undrafted) and Tyler Herro (13th overall) and it looks like there’s another name to now add to that list: Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Taken by the Heat 18th overall in last summer’s draft, Jaquez was not a prospect many fans were familiar with. He played four seasons at UCLA, which is not something we see much of anymore, and it’s even rarer to see from NBA talents. Yet, with averages of 13.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 38.1% shooting from deep, he looks like a lock right now to make the league’s All-Rookie team.

A 6-foot-6 wing with size, speed, strength and a smooth outside stroke, Jaquez, who had 31 points and 10 rebounds in the Heat’s 119-113 win over the Joel Embid-less Sixers, has smoothly slid into a spot in the Heat’s rotation and added some much-needed talent to their squad.

We’ll see how he holds up for the rest of the season, but let’s not forget that Heat made the finals last season. Now they’re 17-12, despite injuries forcing them to use more starting lineups that any other team in the league. He’s the perfect role player to slide alongside Jimmy Butler, Herro and Adebayo and next to Robinson. Come playoff time, this is going to be a group that no opponent wants to face.

Yaron Weitzman is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. He is the author of “Tanking to the Top: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Most Audacious Process in the History of Professional Sports.” Follow him on Twitter @YaronWeitzman.

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