LeBron James’ record, Sacramento celebrating, the French and Dallas much less… What to remember from the regular season

On to serious things. The first part of the NBA season, the regular season, ended on Sunday April 9, the conclusion of an unpredictable exercise. Among the contenders, many have a player born outside the United States as their leader, a trend that is becoming more and more marked in the NBA. The French contingent, on the other hand, did not show themselves the most to their advantage… Even if that could change in the coming months. Who surprised? Who disappointed? A look back at the first six months of this exercise.

Record for LeBron James, the miraculous Lakers

Ten defeats in the first twelve games, a balance sheet under 50% of victories at mid-season… And yet, the Lakers will be well in the playoffs. Carried in particular by LeBron James, new record holder for the number of points scored in career, the Angelinos managed to reverse a season that had long been compromised.

On the evening of James’ takeover in the NBA’s offensive annals, Los Angeles still had 30 wins for 33 losses, and was 11th in the Western Conference. But transfers well felt during the season allowed the franchise to sign the best record in the West after the All-Star Game: 16 wins for 7 losses. Finally 7th in the West, they will have to go through a barrage, the play-in, and find Memphis in the 1st round in the event of a victory against Minnesota.

17 years later, the Kings find the play-offs

The longest streak out of the finals in NBA history has finally come to an end. After sixteen seasons without having tasted the playoffs (last participation in 2006), the Sacramento Kings obtained their ticket for a few additional meetings. And how ! Not expected at such a party, the Californian franchise has offered itself a place on the Western podium (3rd, 48 wins – 34 losses), a first for two decades. With the best offense in the league, and a very effective DeAaron Fox – Domantas Sabonis (son of Lithuanian legend Arvydas Sabonis) duo, the Kings offer one of the most pleasant games of the season. It remains to concretize it in victories in the playoffs, in front of the public probably the most fervent of NBA.

Jokic, Embiid, Antetokounmpo, Doncic… Europe and Africa always more in the spotlight

Like last year, a trio emerges for the title of best player of the season: Nikola Jokic (Denver), Joël Embiid (Philadelphia) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee). What do the franchises mentioned above have in common? To be among the favorites for the title and above all, to be led by players born outside of American soil. Crowned in the last two seasons, the Serbian Jokic can legitimately claim a hat-trick, both for his individual performances and for the results of his franchise.

The Cameroonian, naturalized French, Joël Embiid, top scorer in the league for the second time in a row with an average of 33.1 points, will be a serious competitor. Foreign players also make the most of the statistical categories, as never before in the NBA. Besides the Sixers pivot, they are four of the league’s top five scorers this season, with Slovenian Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks) as runner-up.

Dallas, the total fiasco

“Luka Magic” may have stacked the statistics, but his frankness is undoubtedly the biggest disappointment of the season. Finalist in the West a year ago, the Dallas Mavericks will not even see the playoffs this year. Concerns about the lack of wealth of the Texan workforce have been confirmed and the arrival during the exercise of star Kyrie Irving has not changed anything. Worse, the Mavs defended even less well after this transfer and the association between the two All-Stars is struggling to convince. The season has failed and this summer could be one of all dangers since Irving is at the end of the contract and could have only made a short stint, for nothing.

Gobert unpins, delicate season for French players while waiting for Wembanyama

If the players from the Old Continent shone on the whole, our French players were not as happy. Transferred last summer to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Rudy Gobert lived a season in statistical decline and his new team did not pass the hoped-for milestone (four wins less than in 2021-2022, 8th in the West). Symbol of this galley, the Frenchman was excluded from the group during the last game of the regular season after coming to blows with his teammate Kyle Anderson on the bench, before finally apologizing.

Nicolas Batum is no longer a starter for the Clippers but remains a solid player in the rotation of the Los Angeles team. What Evan Fournier no longer enjoys, who spent nearly two months without scoring a single point between February and April, at the end of the New York Knicks bench. The only slight ray of sunshine in the thinning, Killian Hayes has undoubtedly signed the best season of his career (Top 20 best passers per game with 6.2 offerings) with the Detroit Pistons, dunces in the league.

Finally, the Frenchman who has been talked about the most has not yet spent a single second on an NBA floor. Victor Wembanyama has given birth to many dreams, when he is promised first place in the next Draft, the lottery for the best hopes in international basketball. To the point of seeing teams seek to win a minimum of games to get more chances of getting their hands on the interior of the Metropolitans 92 (14% chance for Detroit, San Antonio and Houston, the last three in the league).