NBA midseason grades: Report cards for every West team, plus each roster’s MVP so far

Every NBA team in the Western Conference has played 41 games and most have played more, which means we are due for a midseason report card.

(Check out our East report card and midseason awards, too.)

The Oklahoma City Thunder (37-8) went 6-6 over a three-week stretch during the holidays and still hold a commanding lead on the conference’s No. 1 seed. That stretch, though, included four losses to would-be challengers, leaving open the possibility they aren’t such a clear-cut favorite.

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The Denver Nuggets (29-15), who are surviving a spell without Nikola Jokić, the world’s best player, look every bit the contender when healthy. The San Antonio Spurs (30-14) handed OKC three of those losses, making clear that they could compete in a seven-game series with the defending champions. The Minnesota Timberwolves (27-17) also recently upset the Thunder.

Each of those four teams, all serious contenders, warrants an A. The West also boasts the one F from our midseason report card, but before we give away too much, let us get to the grades.

Dallas Mavericks • Denver Nuggets • Golden State Warriors • Houston Rockets • Los Angeles Clippers • Los Angeles Lakers • Memphis Grizzlies • Minnesota Timberwolves • New Orleans Pelicans • Oklahoma City Thunder • Phoenix Suns • Portland Trail Blazers • Sacramento Kings • San Antonio Spurs • Utah Jazz

(First-quarter grades can be found here.)

• Midseason MVP: Cooper Flagg (19-6-4 on 48/29/81)

• Offensive rating: 110.4 (27th) • Defensive rating: 112.6 (7th)

• Best lineup: Flagg • Ryan Nembhard • Naji Marshall • P.J. Washington • Anthony Davis (+29 in 47 minutes)

• Against .500+ teams: 9-15 • Against losing teams: 9-11

Comments: Anthony Davis is one of the few true game-changing forces in the NBA, only he cannot stay healthy, and he turns 33 years old in March. … This time, it is a hand injury that will keep him out through the All-Star break. … Shop him? For what? … The alternative: Keep him, get Kyrie Irving healthy, and see what you have with them and Cooper Flagg(!) next season. … What is the point of chasing a play-in bid? May as well add another high pick to their mix.

Grade: D

• Midseason MVP: Nikola Jokić (30-12-11 on 61/44/85)

• Offensive rating: 121.5 (1st) • Defensive rating: 117.0 (24th)

• Best lineup: Jokić • Jamal Murray • Christian Braun • Cam Johnson • Aaron Gordon (+42 in 159 minutes)

• Against .500+ teams: 13-8 • Against losing teams: 16-7

Comments: Nikola Jokić leads the NBA in assists and rebounds per game and true shooting percentage. Needless to say, nobody has done that. … He is nursing a knee injury, and Denver (somehow) is 7-5 in his absence, holding on to the No. 3 seed in the West. … It speaks to the team’s depth this season. … The emergence of Peyton Watson (22-6-3 on 50/42/71) over those last 12 games is beyond helpful. … When healthy, this is as true a contender as there is in the league.

Grade: A

• Midseason MVP: Stephen Curry (27-4-5 on 47/39/93)

• Offensive rating: 115.8 (12th) • Defensive rating: 112.8 (9th)

• Best lineup: Curry • Brandin Podziemski • Jimmy Butler • Jonathan Kuminga • Draymond Green (+25 in 65 minutes)

• Against .500+ teams: 11-15 • Against losing teams: 14-5

Comments: Man, news of Jimmy Butler’s torn ACL is a bummer. … The framework of these Warriors, knocking on the door of the top-10 on both offense and defense, was a good one. … Stephen Curry is a shooting machine. This is not normal for a 37-year-old. … Yet, Golden State has been outscored by 2.7 points per 100 possessions when Butler is not on the court. … The dynasty, for all intents and purposes, is completely cooked, if it wasn’t already. … This is sad.

Grade: C

• Midseason MVP: Kevin Durant (26-5-5 on 51/40/89)

• Offensive rating: 118.9 (3rd) • Defensive rating: 112.4 (5th)

• Best lineup: Durant • Amen Thompson • Josh Okogie • Jabari Smith Jr. • Alperen Şengün (+36 in 276 minutes)

• Against .500+ teams: 14-8 • Against losing teams: 12-7

Comments: Without the injured Fred VanVleet, the Rockets lack an organizer of a point guard, and they have done quite well to survive it, posting the NBA’s third-rated offense. … Still, there are times in the clutch, where the Rockets are 10-12, when it is clear they need one. … It helps to have Kevin Durant, one of history’s most lethal isolation scorers — still, at 37 years old. Not normal, either, by the way. … It would be nice if coach Ime Udoka trusted Reed Sheppard more.

Grade: B

• Midseason MVP: Kawhi Leonard (28-6-4 on 50/40/94)

• Offensive rating: 115.5 (13th) • Defensive rating: 116.8 (22nd)

• Best lineup: Leonard • James Harden • Kris Dunn • John Collins • Ivica Zubac (+10 in 250 minutes)

• Against .500+ teams: 9-17 • Against losing teams: 10-7

Comments: The Clippers earned an F on our first-quarter report card and deserved it. … Since then, they are 13-8, outscoring opponents by 2.7 points per 100 possessions — something like a playoff team. … Only their terrible start has left them clutching to a play-in tournament berth. … It is incumbent upon the Clippers to make the playoffs, if only so they do not hand their lottery pick to the Thunder. … Kawhi Leonard’s knee is acting up again. … The team is, plainly, too old.

Grade: D

• Midseason MVP: Luka Dončić (34-8-9 on 47/34/79)

• Offensive rating: 116.9 (8th) • Defensive rating: 117.3 (25th)

• Best lineup: Dončić • Austin Reaves • Marcus Smart • Rui Hachimura • Deandre Ayton (+31 in 81 minutes)

• Against .500+ teams: 10-11 • Against losing teams: 16-5

Comments: The Lakers are 13-1 in the clutch, because they have Luka Dončić, LeBron James and Austin Reaves, an incredible offensive trio, who know how to close games. … This is how they are in fifth place, in line to make the playoffs, despite a negative point differential. … When James, Dončić and Reaves share the floor, the Lakers allow 118.7 points per 100 possessions, the equivalent of a bottom-five defense. … This is, to be clear, a fatal flaw. JJ Redick knows this.

Grade: B

• Midseason MVP: Jaren Jackson Jr. (19-6-2 on 48/37/77)

• Offensive rating: 112.9 (23rd) • Defensive rating: 114.0 (14th)

• Best lineup: Jackson • Vince Williams • Cedric Coward • Jaylen Wells • Zach Edey (+27 in 102 minutes)

• Against .500+ teams: 5-20 • Against losing teams: 13-4

Comments: In two games since returning to Memphis’ lineup, Ja Morant has totaled 47 points and 25 assists. … It feels like an audition for the rest of the league. … After all, the Grizzlies are reportedly listening to offers for Morant, and he seems ready to move on from Memphis, too. … The market is tepid. For now. … Too bad Zach Edey cannot stay on the court. It is actually intriguing how good the Grizzlies can be at full force. … But it is always something with Morant.

Grade: D

• Midseason MVP: Anthony Edwards (30-5-4 on 50/41/79)

• Offensive rating: 117.5 (6th) • Defensive rating: 112.9 (10th)

• Best lineup: Edwards • Donte DiVincenzo • Jaden McDaniels • Julius Randle • Rudy Gobert (+85 in 424 minutes)

• Against .500+ teams: 10-12 • Against losing teams: 17-5

Comments: The goal of these Timberwolves was to reestablish themselves as the team that has reached consecutive conference finals — with a chance to get further — and they have done that, even beating the Thunder in one of their two matchups. … Did the Wolves win their trade of Karl-Anthony Towns? Julius Randle has been just as good, if not better, and Donte DiVincenzo is a nice added bonus. … Anthony Edwards deserved a start in the All-Star Game.

Grade: A

• Midseason MVP: Trey Murphy III (22-6-4 on 49/38/90)

• Offensive rating: 111.9 (25th) • Defensive rating: 119.0 (27th)

• Best lineup: Murphy • Jeremiah Fears • Herbert Jones • Saddiq Bey • Derik Queen (+15 in 113 minutes)

• Against .500+ teams: 2-27 • Against losing teams: 8-9

Comments: Rookie Derik Queen is good, averaging a 13-7-4 on almost 50% shooting. … That still does not excuse the Pelicans’ decision to trade their unprotected 2026 first-round pick for him. That selection, belonging to Atlanta, is one of the single-best assets in the NBA. … Zion Williamson has played 20 straight games and still New Orleans stinks. … Might the Pelicans finally trade him? … Trey Murphy is the real prize. Just about every NBA team could use him.

Grade: F

• Midseason MVP: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (32-4-6 on 56/40/89)

• Offensive rating: 118.5 (5th) • Defensive rating: 105.2 (1st)

• Best lineup: Gilgeous-Alexander • Cason Wallace • Lu Dort • Jalen Williams • Chet Holmgren (+69 in 117 minutes)

• Against .500+ teams: 16-7 • Against losing teams: 21-1

Comments: The Thunder, still the favorites, no longer seem invulnerable. For almost a month, they played .500 basketball. … Still they lead the West by 6.5 games. Still they are on a 68-win pace. … Since then, they are 7-1, losing only by two to the Heat in Miami, reestablishing the defending champions as the team to beat. … Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is on pace to become the first player to average 30 points in four straight seasons since Michael Jordan.

Grade: A

Phoenix Suns (27-17)

• Midseason MVP: Devin Booker (25-4-6 on 45/30/86)

• Offensive rating: 114.9 (14th) • Defensive rating: 112.2 (4th)

• Best lineup: Booker • Collin Gillespie • Dillon Brooks • Royce O’Neale • Mark Williams (+48 in 231 minutes)

• Against .500+ teams: 12-13 • Against losing teams: 15-4

Comments: Nobody figured these Suns for a guaranteed playoff spot in the crowded Western Conference, but there they stand through the season’s first half. … The effort of Dillon Brooks, their surprising culture-setter, is contagious. … Jalen Green is finally back, and he looked pretty good in his return. … How well he fits their newfound culture is a question. … The Suns have played well enough to warrant an upgrade at the deadline, though they have few picks to trade.

Grade: A

• Midseason MVP: Deni Avdija (26-7-7 on 47/36/80)

• Offensive rating: 113.5 (21st) • Defensive rating: 115.4 (17th)

• Best lineup: Avdija • Shaedon Sharpe • Kris Murray • Toumani Camara • Donovan Clingan (+15 in 106 minutes)

• Against .500+ teams: 12-16 • Against losing teams: 10-6

Comments: Deni Avdija should be an All-Star if we are basing our selections on how well they have played this season. … It is a good thing, too, because none of their recent first-round picks has established himself as a star. … There are a lot of players to like, though, including Caleb Love, who is averaging a 16-3-3 on 45/39/71 shooting splits in his last 15 appearances. … What does more of the same get them? More middling. It is painful to be stuck in the NBA’s middle.

Grade: C

• Midseason MVP: DeMar DeRozan (19-3-4 on 51/36/87)

• Offensive rating: 109.4 (29th) • Defensive rating: 119.1 (28th)

• Best lineup: DeRozan • Russell Westbrook • Zach LaVine • Keegan Murray • Maxime Raynaud (+14 in 90 minutes)

• Against .500+ teams: 8-24 • Against losing teams: 4-9

Comments: What to say about these Kings. Did they really think the combination of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Russell Westbrook would bear fruit? … At least Domantas Sabonis is back from a knee injury, though he has yet to make a start in his return. … Everybody on the team is available in a trade. … What young player would you want from this roster? Maybe Keegan Murray or Maxime Raynaud? … Their saving grace: They own their first-round pick.

Grade: D

• Midseason MVP: Victor Wembanyama (24-11-3 on 51/38/84)

• Offensive rating: 116.6 (9th) • Defensive rating: 111.6 (3rd)

• Best lineup: Wembanyama • De’Aaron Fox • Stephon Castle • Julian Champagnie • Harrison Barnes (+42 in 84 minutes)

• Against .500+ teams: 14-12 • Against losing teams: 16-2

Comments: Victor Wembanyama is a walking top-flight defense at 22 years old. The Spurs own the equivalent of the NBA’s best defense (104.5 points allowed per 100 possessions) when he is on the court, and they operate like the league’s 14th-rated outfit when he is on the bench. (Still not bad, by the way.) … Stephon Castle has made a leap. Dylan Harper appears ready to make one. … San Antonio is waaaaaaaay ahead of schedule on the quest to build its next contender.

Grade: A

• Midseason MVP: Keyonte George (24-4-7 on 46/38/90)

• Offensive rating: 114.4 (17th) • Defensive rating: 122.2 (30th)

• Best lineup: George • Brice Sensabaugh • Svi Mykhailiuk • Lauri Markkanen • Jusuf Nurkic (+2 in 47 minutes)

• Against .500+ teams: 7-20 • Against losing teams: 8-9

Comments: The emergence of Keyonte George is a franchise-altering development. … Whereas once it made sense to trade Lauri Markkanen, now there is at least reason to believe the two of them could form the basis of a competitive team. … Their defensive rating is somehow worse than the league’s best offensive rating. … It would be nice if Markkanen played. … But their mission is clear, since the Jazz owe a top-eight protected pick to OKC.

Grade: C