All-star weekend
Every February, NBA fans hope the league will finally produce a high quality all-star weekend. Every year, they are disappointed. This season is no different, and it all starts with the downfall of the all-star game itself. Though Adam Silver keeps trying to get his players to treat the all-star game as it should be—a competitive pickup game between the best players in the world—nothing he has done has restored the game to prominence.
This year, all stars were split into three teams that would participate in a 4-team tournament, including some of the NBA’s best “rising stars,” because who doesn’t want to see the best athletes in the game take on a team led by Keyonte George. To no one’s surprise (except Adam Silver’s, maybe), the game was a bonafide 3-point contest with little to no effort.
In a more positive light, everyone’s favorite G- leaguer, Mac McClung, became the first player to win 3 consecutive dunk contests. At 6′ 2, McClung still found a way to leap over a Kia and Cavs 7-footer Evan Mobley on his way to 4 perfect scores. Though it’s unlikely that he’ll return next season unless he signs a real NBA contract, McClung’s performance in the past three contests has at least provided some hope that all-star weekend can save its reputation.
Luka Doncic restores Lakers hopes
On February 1st, phones buzzed across the world with a notification that would change the course of the NBA season: The Dallas Mavericks sent Luka Doncic, Markieff Morris, and Maxi Kleber to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2019 first-round pick.
On paper, pairing Lebron James and Doncic (two of the greatest minds and players in the sport) is destined to lead a team to a championship. But through the first few games, Luka looked like a shell of his Dallas self.
In his first game without a minutes restriction on Feb. 19, he put up just 14 points on 27.9% from the field and 11.1% from three. Call it a lingering calf issue or simply rust from his time away from the court, but Doncic quickly quieted the buzz in Crypto.com arena.
That all changed three days later when the Slovenian superstar came back to life with a 32-point performance, and it became clear that after a few games of shaving the rust off, Doncic was back. The Lakers will still face questions surrounding their center position in the postseason, but it’s hard to count out a team with Doncic and James on the same court. The Lakers are firing on all cylinders and finally beginning to click at the start of their path to perhaps hanging their 18th banner.
Big men injuries
As the game has become increasingly offensive, it’s refreshing to see players craft their game around interior defense. That is the case with Anthony Davis and Victor Wembanya, two DPOY (Defensive Player of the Year) candidates who are having career years in 2025. Yet, within the past three weeks, both have suffered injuries that derailed their chances at the award.
After his blockbuster move, Mavericks GM Nico Harrison has received heavy criticism from Dallas fans, but that seemed to change for the first three quarters in Davis’s first game on the team. Luka’s trade counterpart was on a mission to prove that he could be Dallas’s guy, putting up 24 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks against the Houston Rockets.
That was until a “lower-body injury” immediately took him out of the game and set him aside for at least a month. Though he hasn’t missed over 30 games in a season since 2021-2022, Davis still can’t shake off the injury prone allegations. He’s one of the most prolific players in the game when he’s on the court. But building a team around a guy who can’t be relied on to stay on it is hard. As it turns out for Harrison, trading your franchise player in his prime the year after making a championship run is not as enticing as it seems.
In San Antonio, Wembanyama had been showcasing why he was considered the best prospect since James. After a promising rookie year, the 7 ‘5 Frenchman took an even bigger step forward this season, becoming the clear favorite to win DPOY.
The Spurs have been desperately searching for an identity after exiting the Kawhi Leonard era, and Wemby is clearly the guy to build around. After acquiring former Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, they were poised to make a late-season run and enter the playoff race. Sadly, Wembanyama was suddenly faced with a season-ending blood clot that has taken the Spurs’ playoff chances down with it.
