"However, the rest of the conference remains in flux as the other eight teams besides the Knicks and Pistons remain within 1.5 games of each other. The Western Conference is beginning to show just how much of a gauntlet it has proved to be in the past few seasons. Besides the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, other contenders -- San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets -- are neck and neck in a race toward the top."
"There was some belief that Jalen Williams' return would send Mitchell back to the rotational basement in Oklahoma City, but that hasn't been the case. Mitchell is averaging 11.3 points on an efficient 8.1 shots in 25 minutes per game in December. That's a tick down from his opening-month surge. There aren't quite as many minutes or creation opportunities with Williams back from a 19-game absence."
The NBA regular season is underway with a high-profile Christmas Day slate. The New York Knicks, buoyed by an NBA Cup title, have surged to second place in the Eastern Conference. The rest of the East remains tightly packed, with eight teams besides the Knicks and Pistons within 1.5 games of each other. The Western Conference presents a rugged landscape, with the Oklahoma City Thunder leading and the Spurs, Nuggets, Lakers, Timberwolves and Rockets clustered closely behind. A panel identified one young player from each team who is producing outsized impact and evaluated potential franchise implications, highlighting bench breakouts such as Ajay Mitchell earning reliable rotation minutes.
Read at ESPN.com
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