BREAKING NEWS: 1 Thing Every NBA Team Can Be Thankful for Right Now.giang

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, NBA edition.

Whether you cheer for the 17-1 Cleveland Cavaliers or the 2-13 Washington Wizards, there’s something every fanbase can be thankful for this holiday season, even if some reasons aren’t as obvious as others.

From players rebounding from poor seasons in 2023-24, rookies pleasantly surprising us, coaches elevating their rosters and plenty of other factors, here’s what every franchise and its legion of fans can give thanks for.

Acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans as part of the Dejoute Murray trade return, Dyson Daniels has thrived in Year 1 with the Atlanta Hawks.

To say the 21-year-old is enjoying a career season would be a massive understatement. The No. 8 overall pick of the 2022 draft is averaging 14.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.0 block and an NBA-best 3.1 steals a contest.

The Hawks have mostly been a train wreck defensively in the Trae Young era, although Atlanta is giving up 5.4 fewer points per 100 possessions with Daniels on the floor, via Cleaning the Glass.

At 6’8″ with a near 6’11” wingspan, he has been wreaking havoc on the defensive end, the area where the Hawks needed most help.

The Boston Celtics have a lot to be thankful for, although their most recent blessing has been the return of Kristaps Porziņģis.

The 29-year-old had foot surgery in late June after suffering a rare tendon injury during Game 2 of the NBA Finals.

Originally expected to miss five-six months while recovering, Porziņģis’ return to the floor on Nov. 25 was a pleasant surprise given this diagnosis could have meant a date closer to Christmas or the new year.

A 14-3 start to the season for Boston without their star big man was impressive. Getting Porziņģis back as a 20-point-per-game scorer and elite rim protector makes the Celtics even more unstoppable.

The Ben Simmons experiment in Brooklyn is quickly coming to an end.

Between constant health issues and the inability to grow his offensive game in any way (zero made three-pointers in 70 games with the Nets), the 28-year-old has looked like a shell of his former self despite still playing on a max contract.

Simmons will be a prime buyout candidate following the trade deadline, as his $40.3 million contract will expire this summer. Thanks to this, the Nets are projected to create over $40 million in cap space this offseason, the most of any NBA team.

Brooklyn could jump back to relevancy with a top draft pick and major cap space in the summer of 2025. Simmons is helping with both.

LaMelo Ball has long been one of the most entertaining players in the NBA. This season, he’s also been one of the best.

The fifth-year point guard is averaging a career-high 31.0 points per game (second-most in the NBA behind Giannis Antetokounmpo) to go along with 5.1 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.2 steals.

In his first four seasons, he had yet to register a swing rating of higher than plus-2.7. This year, the Hornets are a whopping 14.6 points per 100 possessions better with the 23-year-old on the floor, a number that ranks in the 93rd percentile via Cleaning the Glass.

Ball is a lock for his second All-Star game and should wind up on his first All-NBA team as well.

It’s no secret the Chicago Bulls were trying to trade Zach LaVine this past offseason.

Coming off a down year (19.5 points, 34.9 percent from three, foot surgery), his value wasn’t especially high, especially with $138 million owed to him over the next three years.

The good news for Chicago is that LaVine’s stock should now be on the rise.

The 29-year-old is averaging 22.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists and shooting career highs from two (58.9 percent) and three (44.0 percent).

This doesn’t mean teams are going to flood the Bulls’ front office with huge offers, but LaVine does seem tradeable now, especially since he’ll be down to two years and $98 million after this season.

It wasn’t an exciting offseason for the Cleveland Cavaliers, as some expected the team to split up the Evan Mobley/Jarrett Allen frontcourt or trade Darius Garland after a down year.

As it turns out, president of basketball operations Koby Altman knew exactly what he was doing.

The Cavs are off to an NBA-best 17-1 start with the top offense in the league. Altman replaced head coach JB Bickerstaff with Kenny Atkinson, kept his player core together and signed Donovan Mitchell, Mobley, Allen and Isaac Okoro to extensions.

Even his 2023 signing of Ty Jerome, lost for nearly all of last year with an ankle injury, is now paying off (12.6 points, 3.8 assists, NBA-best 54.4 percent from three).

Altman knew where a change was needed and where patience was required. The Cavs are thriving as a result.

Jason Kidd’s head coaching career didn’t get off to the best start with the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks, although his third go-round now with the Dallas Mavericks has been a roaring success.

The former point guard is getting the most out of his All-Star floor generals now, with Dallas sitting at sixth overall offensively (115.5 rating).

Kyrie Irving’s value had plummeted in Brooklyn, yet he’s putting up ridiculous numbers once again under Kidd now at age 32 (24.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.1 steals, 47.7 percent from three).

Luka Dončić is a big personality to handle as well, yet the head coach has pushed all the right buttons for both of his point guards to thrive cohesively.

This isn’t an easy job, yet Kidd’s Hall-of-Fame background has likely helped him get the most out of Dončić and Irving.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope leaving the cash-conscious Denver Nuggets to sign with the Orlando Magic in free agency this past summer looked like a huge loss for the 2023 champs.

So far, the move couldn’t have gone better for Denver.

Caldwell-Pope is going through the worst season of his 12-year-career, averaging just 6.8 points while shooting 22.4 percent from three.

His replacement, Christian Braun, is thriving with 16.1 points on 57.2 percent shooting overall and 46.7 percent from three and is making about one-seventh of his salary ($3 million compared to $22.8 million).

Letting Caldwell-Pope walk also allowed the Nuggets to stay below the second luxury-tax apron, giving them more trade options than some other contenders (Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks).

An 8-11 start to the season for the Detroit Pistons is a huge win, especially considering how the last five years have gone.

A big reason is the hiring of JB Bickerstaff, who has found his niche as a player development and defensive specialist.

Detroit’s defense has jumped 13th spots in the standings under Bickerstaff (12th up from 25th a season ago), keeping the Pistons in the play-in tournament in the East for now.

After leading the Cleveland Cavaliers back to relevancy and helping to establish their young core, Bickerstaff is doing the same for these now-watchable Pistons.

Andrew Wiggins playing like a two-way star again is one of the main reasons the Golden State Warriors are 12-5 and back near the top of the West.

The 29-year-old is, arguably, having a better season than in 2021-22 when he made his only All-Star game, as he is averaging 17.5 points (second only to Stephen Curry), 4.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and shooting a career-high 41.3 percent from three.

With second-year guard Brandin Podziemski struggling and Jonathan Kuminga unable to come to terms on contract extension with the Warriors, Wiggins has been a source of consistent offense who still has three years remaining on his deal.

Golden State fans should be thrilled Wiggins is back to looking like a high-level starter.

As the young Houston Rockets figure out which prospects will cement themselves as part of the franchise’s core, getting a team-friendly extension done with center Alperen Şengün was a massive step forward.

Şengün was, arguably, worth a max contract after putting up 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists a game last year, especially after Franz Wagner of the Orlando Magic got one with worse raw averages.

Instead, the 22-year-old and the Rockets settled on $185 million over five years, which if all goes right, will only be $146 million over four. His $39 million player option in 2029-30 only projects to be about 17 percent of the salary cap, a number he’ll almost certainly opt out of in hopes of a new max deal.

This season, Şengün is one of only five players to average at least 18 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, joining Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokić, Domantas Sabonis and Jalen Johnson.

His contract will age extremely well.

It’s been a rough start for the 8-10 Indiana Pacers, although the play of third-year wing Bennedict Mathurin has been extremely encouraging.

The No. 6 overall pick in 2022 missed the entire 2023 playoffs with a shoulder injury, yet he looks stronger than ever now while establishing himself as an everyday NBA starter.

The 22-year-old is averaging 19.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and shooting 40.7 percent from three in his 13 starts, giving the Pacers yet another scoring option alongside Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton.

If Mathurin turns out to be a star, the trajectory of Indiana’s future changes immensely.

If someone told you the Los Angeles Clippers were going to lose Paul George in free agency, be without Kawhi Leonard for the entire season thus far due to injury and have James Harden shooting a career-low 37.2 percent overall, what would you guess their record would be after 19 games? 7-12 overall? 5-14? Worse?

The Clippers have somehow begun the season 11-8 overall, holding tight to the sixth and final guaranteed playoff spot in the loaded West.

Give head coach Tyronn Lue the credit.

The former champion moved Norman Powell into the starting lineup (23.3 points per game), created a bigger role for Ivica Zubac (15.6 points, 12.4 rebounds) and is getting contributions from role players throughout his rotation.

With a top-five defense in the NBA (108.4 rating), it’s time to give Lue his flowers.

Before the 2024 draft, 29 front-office leaders should have hopped on a zoom call to ensure LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers would not be able to get their hands on Dalton Knecht.

Thankfully for Rob Pelinka and the Lakers, that call obviously never took place.

Projected by many draft experts to go in the top 10 spots of a weak draft, Knecht slid to the Lakers at No. 17 overall, giving James an elite shooter to get the ball to.

The 23-year-old ranks third among all rookies in scoring (11.5 points) and win shares (0.9) despite falling out of the lottery and is knocking down 45.0 percent of his threes.

This was a perfect fit for Knecht and the Lakers, a pairing that the rest of the league should have never let happen.

Despite Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart missing a combined 26 games due to injuries this season, the Memphis Grizzlies are off to an 11-7 start and sit at No. 4 in a loaded Western Conference.

One major reason why is the play of rookie second-round pick Jaylen Wells, who rode some hot preseason play now into the regular season.

The 21-year-old has become a mainstay in the Grizzlies’ starting lineup, averaging 12.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and shooting 39.5 percent from three.

Only Jared McCain of the Philadelphia 76ers has a higher scoring average among all rookies to this point. Memphis looks like it has found a steal.

At 8-8 overall, the Miami Heat are what their record shows: an average basketball team.

In the West, this would only be good for 11th place and a spot outside of the play-in tournament. In the East, Miami is tied with the Milwaukee Bucks for fifth place and is just a game away from hosting a playoff series.

The difference between the two conferences is severe, which is great for this Heat squad.

We’ve seen what Jimmy Butler and Miami are capable of once the playoffs begin, so even sleepwalking through the regular season won’t doom a team’s championship hopes in this conference.

A 2-8 start to the season for the Milwaukee Bucks carried potentially devastating consequences.

Would Damian Lillard request a trade? Would Giannis Antetokounmpo demand one?

Thankfully, the Bucks have gone 7-1 over their past eight games, getting monster performances from both superstars. Meanwhile, role players have begun to step up as the franchise awaits Khris Middleton’s return from ankle surgeries.

Even after such an awful start to the season, Milwaukee is already back to No. 5 overall in the East playoff standings. Consider both Antetokounmpo and Lillard safe once again.

When the Minnesota Tiimberwolves decided to trade Karl-Anthony Towns, the team’s three-point shooting immediately became a concern.

Anthony Edwards is doing his part, though.

The All-Star guard is putting up career highs in three-point makes (4.8), attempts (11.2) and efficiency (42.6 percent). His nearly five made threes per game lead the NBA.

These aren’t coming off easy looks, either.

The 23-year-old made just 33.4 percent of his pull-up threes last season, a number that has jumped to 42.7 percent on 7.7 attempts per game.

Arguably the NBA’s best shooting guard, Edwards continues to grow his game.

Admittedly, it’s hard to find much to be thankful for if you’re a New Orleans Pelicans fan.

Injuries have wrecked the Pels thus far this season, as a 4-14 record is the worst in the Western Conference through Thanksgiving.

Could this be a blessing in disguise, though?

The Pelicans currently have a 50.3 percent chance to land a top-four pick in a 2025 draft that’s loaded with star power up top.

Players such as Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones and CJ McCollum are all under contract for next season. If the Pels were to add a prospect like Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey or Dylan Harper, this lowly season will have been worth it.

Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns fuel the New York Knicks’ offense. OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges are, arguably, the best defensive wing pair in the NBA.

When looking for the glue of this Knicks team, though, look no further than Josh Hart.

The 29-year-old does a bit of everything for New York, all without an ego or major role in the offense. He crushes the spirit of opponents with timely threes, can play elite defense in spurts and isn’t afraid to sacrifice his body in pursuit of a 50-50 ball.

One of only five NBA players (LeBron James, Nikola Jokić, Domantas Sabonis and Jayson Tatum being the others) to average at least 14 points, eight rebounds, five assists and shoot 37.0 percent or higher from three this season, Hart is a major part of New York’s success.

When the Oklahoma City Thunder pried Isaiah Hartenstein away from New York with a massive three-year, $87 million offer, it looked more like a luxury move than a necessity.

However, with Chet Holmgren expected to miss the next few months following a pelvic fracture, the presence of Hartenstein at center is crucial for OKC.

In his first two games, the 26-year-old totaled 32 points, 26 rebounds, seven assists and four blocks, making his presence known on both ends of the floor.

One of the most underrated players in the NBA, even with his new contract, Hartenstein is going to become one of the most important Thunder players moving forward.

Losing All-Star Paolo Banchero to a torn oblique muscle at the end of October looked like a major blow for an Orlando Magic team already struggling to manufacture offense.

As it turns out, Franz Wagner was ready for the extra responsibility.

Since Banchero went down, the 23-year-old German has averaged 25.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 2.0 steals a game, leading the Magic to wins in nine of their last 10 games.

Some eyebrows were raised when Wagner received a max contract extension this past offseason, but his recent play while carrying Orlando to wins on a nightly basis has quieted any concerns.

Despite being the No. 16 overall pick in the draft, Jared McCain looks like the early favorite for Rookie of the Year right now.

The 20-year-old has been thrust into a larger role than expected due to injuries to Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, forcing him to take on a No. 1 scoring role on various nights.

McCain’s 16.6 points per game and 1.1 win shares lead all rookies, and he has been brilliant as a spot starter (25.2 points, 5.0 assists, 42.6 percent from three).

With the 3-13 Philadelphia 76ers undergoing a nightmare of a season thus far, McCain has been the biggest bright spot.

The Phoenix Suns were extremely fortunate Tyus Jones agreed to join the franchise on a veteran’s minimum contract this offseason, giving them the bargain of the summer.

Placing the 28-year-old in the starting lineup has done wonders for the team’s ability to take care of the ball. Phoenix ranked just 24th in assist-to-turnover ratio last season (1.82), a number that has jumped all the way to 9th (1.94) this year with him.

Jones could have tried to get more money from a rebuilding team with cap space, yet he chose to come to the Suns while taking a major pay cut instead.

Phoenix is 9-1 this season when Jones and Kevin Durant are both healthy, giving this franchise an elite table-setter and scorer.

Robert Williams III was supposed to be one of the major returns for the Portland Trail Blazers in the Jrue Holiday trade last offseason, but knee surgery wiped out his 2023-24 campaign after just six games.

The 27-year-old recently returned to the court and has already surpassed this total, giving us a glimpse of where he left off with the Boston Celtics as an elite defensive force in the middle.

As his minutes continue to be ramped up, Williams is averaging 18.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.2 steals and 3.6 blocks per 36 minutes while shooting 71.1 percent overall.

With Donovan Clingan the future franchise center in Portland, Williams could either become a star reserve or be shopped at the deadline to a team in need of rim protection.

The sky may look like it’s falling for the 8-10 Sacramento Kings, but this team isn’t that far away from making a run back into the West playoff picture.

The gamble to acquire DeMar DeRozan should be considered a success thus far. Even with a lot of mouths to feed on the offensive end, the Kings have a net rating of plus-11.0 (87th percentile, via Cleaning the Glass) with DeRozan, De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray all on the floor.

Sacramento’s bench leaves a lot to be desired, though, and the team has been better with either Malik Monk or Keon Ellis on the floor with the Core Four over Kevin Huerter.

If the Kings can get a healthy Devin Carter back from shoulder surgery and move Huerter to a full-time bench role, Sacramento should be fine down the stretch.

The easy answer here would simply be Victor Wembanyama, although an impressive 10-8 start to the season means there’s more to be thankful for in San Antonio.

The play of 39-year-old Chris Paul and 32-year-old Harrison Barnes has made a big impact on the Spurs’ early-season success, especially with the latter coming off Western Conference Player of the Week honors.

With Paul, Barnes and Wembanyama on the floor together, the Spurs have a net rating of plus-8.6. Paul is still seventh overall in the NBA in assists per game (8.3), while Barnes is shooting a career-high 43.1 percent from three.

Having veterans who can still play is incredibly beneficial for a team both on and off the court. Paul and Barnes deserve some love for their work in making San Antonio competitive again.

Not much has gone right for the 4-14 Toronto Raptors this season, a franchise that’s been without Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley for large stretches due to injuries.

While not the first player who comes to mind when thinking of the Raptors’ young core, Gradey Dick is quietly putting together a strong sophomore season.

After averaging just 8.5 points per game as a rookie, the 13th overall pick in 2023 is now up to 18.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.9 steals while connecting on 37.2 percent of his catch-and-shoot three-pointers.

More than just a spot-up shooter, Dick is becoming a three-level scorer who’s going to be a big part of this Raptors’ offense for years to come.

John Collins has looked like a potential All-Star and borderline unplayable rotation player during parts of his career. Fortunately for the Utah Jazz, he’s been the former this season.

Since moving into the starting lineup, the 27-year-old is averaging 20.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.8 steals with 58.9/40.0/93.3 percent shooting splits.

He probably shouldn’t be buying real estate in Salt Lake City given the Jazz’s 4-13 record, though. He would be an upgrade for some contenders at power forward and is down to just a $26.6 million expiring player option next season.

Utah could get some positive value for Collins at the deadline thanks to his recent revival.

Just a season ago, Jordan Poole’s contract looked like one of the worst in the NBA, a deal the Washington Wizards appeared forced to keep.

Now, the 25-year-old is off to the best start of his career, putting up 21.2 points, 4.9 assists, 1.9 steals and shooting a blistering 44.3 percent from three.

He probably isn’t going to be a long-term answer for the Wizards, a franchise off to a league-worst 2-14 start with eyes on a top draft pick in the 2025 draft to pair with Alex Sarr and others.

Poole will have just two years and $65.9 million on his contract after this season. He suddenly looks tradeable for a Wizards team that should be shopping all of its vets at the deadline.