ENEMY LINES

AN OPPOSING SCOUT SIZES UP THE DIVISION

LUKA DONČIĆ AND Kristaps Porzing‘is complement each other perfectly. A pick-and-pop big who can roll some and has a guard skill set—that’s really textbook for a guy to play with Doncˇi´c. What the Mavericks are missing is another playmaker, another creator. That is their biggest weakness . . . . The Grizzlies continue to trend upward slowly. They play hard every night. I’m a big fan of Jaren Jackson. I think he’s a modern big. How he plays is going to be the key for them in taking the next step . . . . Zion Williamson had a stretch there when you could argue he was the MVP. His strength and speed, the combination of it, there is no one like him. He’s going to get to the rim and there’s really not much you can do about it. He generates fouls and he puts constant pressure on the defense. ... Saying that, the Pelicans had a tough time finishing games. I think they have more question marks than any other team. Jrue Holiday’s a perfect player for them—and they traded him . . . . Christian Wood had a good season on a bad [Rockets] team. Whatever. Can he do that in a winning environment? I’m not a big fan of Kevin Porter Jr. While I understand the talents, to me he is just another guy who can put up numbers on bad teams . . . . Everyone just likes thinking about the old Spurs teams, but they haven’t been really good recently. They have some decent players, but where do they go? What direction is it? I don’t know.

SEASONS (INCLUDING THE LAST TWO) IN WHICH THE SPURS MISSED THE PLAYOFFS SINCE JOINING THE NBA IN 1976.