NBA Daily: First Quarter Grades: Southwest Division

As November draws to a close, the NBA has broached the quarter-season mark. Twenty games may not seem like a lot, but there is plenty that can be taken away from the play of any team through this point in the season.

The 2018-19 season has been quite a surprising one so far, even more so for the teams that reside in the Southwest division. Up and down, the Southwest hasn’t played out how anyone expected it to.

So, how have these teams performed to this point in the season?

Memphis Grizzlies – B+

Grit and Grind hasn’t made a comeback, but the Memphis Grizzlies started this season like it was 2013.

While they have come back down from a surprising start, the 12-8 Grizzlies sit at the top of the division and look much improved from the 22-60 squad they ran out onto the court last season. Mike Conley, who has averaged 20.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.2 steals in 20 games, has rebounded after he missed most of last season due to injury, and his return has galvanized his veteran partner in crime, Marc Gasol.

Gasol has boosted his numbers after an underwhelming 2017; the Spaniard is one of five players this season to average at least 18 points, nine rebounds, one steal and one block per game. Meanwhile, Garrett Temple, Kyle Anderson and Shelvin Mack have proved capable additions as well.

Rookie Jaren Jackson Jr. has also played at a high level; the former Michigan State Spartan has averaged 12.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, one steal and 2.1 blocks per game while shooting 34.9 percent on 2.2 three-point attempts per game.

The Grizzlies weren’t expected by many to lead the division at the quarter mark, or maybe any mark, this season. But, with the New Orleans Pelicans and Houston Rockets underperforming to a significant degree, this is where they have found themselves. They may not hold onto that division all season, but they can consider their year a success thus far.

Dallas Mavericks – B

Luka Dončić has been a marvel to watch this season. The rest of the Dallas Mavericks? Not so much.

The Mavericks suffered an uninspiring 3-8 stretch, with losses to the Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks to start the season. However, after a torrid November, featuring wins over the Rockets, Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder, the Mavericks find themselves at 10-9 and second in the Southwest Division. The team would seem to be well ahead of schedule if you asked anyone other than Mark Cuban.

Yes, they have their issues. Dennis Smith Jr. hasn’t taken the step forward many hoped for in year two; his scoring, rebounding and assist numbers are all down. DeAndre Jordan and Harrison Barnes have both taken a production hit as well. As a team, they are middle of the pack in terms of their offensive and defensive production.

But, with Dončić running the show, there is a lot to like here. The Mavericks may not play this well the whole season, but there is a solid foundation here and they are clearly on the path back to contention.

New Orleans Pelicans – D

Is it time for the Anthony Davis rumor mill to start up again? Now may be as appropriate of a time as any.

The Pelicans sit at just 11-11 on the season and ninth in the Western Conference standings. After a promising 4-0 start, New Orleans went on to lose six straight and have just about managed to tread water in their last 10 games (6-4). Davis, meanwhile, has seen some of his best basketball wasted; in the seven losses that he has played in, Davis has averaged 22.1 points, 11.7 rebounds, four assists, 1.7 steals and 2.7 blocks.

The issues lie on the defensive side of the ball, where the Pelicans have been one of the worst teams in the league this season. While they boast a high-octane offense based around Davis, Julius Randle, Jrue Holiday and Nikola Mirotic, the Pelicans are just 26th in the NBA in defensive rating (111.6).

Not the best look when you tout two First Team All-NBA Defensive players like Davis and Holiday.

After a dominating sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers and a somewhat competitive series against the eventual champion Golden State Warriors last postseason, the Pelicans have been a big disappointment this season, to say the least. There is plenty of time to right the ship, but the Pelicans will need to move quickly if they want to avoid the Davis-chatter come February.

San Antonio Spurs – C

With the Kawhi Leonard Saga over and done with, most expected the San Antonio Spurs to be a moderately competitive team out in the Western Conference. They added DeMar DeRozan to a roster that managed a 47-35 record last season without Leonard. On paper, at least, the team seemed capable of matching that effort if not improving on it.

Then came the injuries.

San Antonio has already seen and will continue to see Dejounte Murray and Lonnie Walker miss significant time. Meanwhile Pau Gasol, Rudy Gay, Derrick White and others have been in and out of the lineup due to injury. DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge have managed to hold things steady and, while the Spurs sit at an unspectacular 10-11, they sit just five games behind the Los Angeles Clippers, who hold the top spot in the conference.

Still, while there isn’t much they can do about injuries, the Spurs were just expected to be better. In the face of adversity and with Gregg Popovich at the helm, they always have been. While Murray is a big loss, the team has been mediocre on offense and bad on defense — the Spurs rank 13th (108.7) and 24th (110.9) in offensive and defensive rating this season — despite having their best players, DeRozan and Aldridge, on the floor for every game this season.

The Spurs have been bitten by the injury bug hard. But, barring some drastic turn around, things may not get much better this season.

Houston Rockets – F

If the Pelicans have been a disappointment, the Rockets have been an unmitigated disaster.

Just about everything that could have gone wrong for Houston has this season. The Carmelo Anthony experiment was a short-lived disappointment. The team has looked awful on both sides of the ball; the Rockets are just 28th in defensive rating (112.6), just 20th in scoring (108.2) and, while they lead the league in three-point attempts per game (42), they are just 24th in three-point percentage (33.8). At 9-11, the Rockets have sunk like a stone to the bottom of the Western Conference, floating just above the lowly Suns.

The Rockets were a game away from the NBA Finals last season. Between Mike D’Antoni, James Harden and Chris Paul, they have enough veteran experience and leadership to turn things around and get back to their winning ways.

But at the season’s quarter mark? It couldn’t get much worse than this.

The NBA regular season is a long one and, at just the quarter mark, there is plenty of time left for every team to either figure things out. Likewise, while the Southwest hasn’t played out as many predicted it to thus far, there is still plenty of time for the standings to shift around.