The Milwaukee Bucks have had several stops and starts this season as they incorporate Damian Lillard into their core. One element of the integration that has been challenging has been the health of Khris Middleton. 

When the Bucks have Lillard, Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez on the floor together, they are outscoring opponents by 16 points per 100 possessions.

Middleton typically operates as a second side option, but they are also beginning to combine him with Lillard and Antetokounmpo in the same actions.

The Bucks are 13-8 in their past 21 games and are tied for 11th in offense and sixth in defense during that stretch. 

When Draymond Green signed his new four-year, $100 million contract with the Golden State Warriors last June, Joe Lacob asked him to serve as a mentor for Jonathan Kuminga as an unwritten part of the deal.

"Joe said, 'I know you're going to play and lead and all of that, but I need one more thing,'" Green recalled. "He said 'I need you to take JK under your wing.

"I said, 'You got my word ...To me, that was a condition of the contract."

During Green's suspension, he focused on watching Kuminga. Green noticed that Kuminga needed to attack defenses by using his speed and athleticism on drives to the paint. 

"He can always jump and get himself out of trouble," Green said of his advice to Kuminga. "Nobody else is going to be up there with you. Most of us, we've got to find angles, and different things to score, but if you get in trouble with anything, just jump."

"Him watching the games at home, it was him watching film, pretty much, and it actually helped me understand who I am," Kuminga told ESPN.

Mat Ishbia assumed ownership of the Phoenix Suns shortly before the NBA instituted a new collective bargaining agreement with a punitive second luxury tax apron. The second apron was designed to keep teams from maintaining a high payroll over an extended period of time, but the Suns responded by going deeply into it to maximize their chances of winning a title with a core of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.

"I understand all the rules that come with the second apron. I understand exactly what the CBA tried to do," Ishbia told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. "I read it, I know it inside and out, and we made a calculated decision that we think the team with the best players wins. Would I rather have Brad Beal, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker than just having two of those guys? I'd rather have all three a hundred times out of a hundred, and I don't think there's another GM or owner or CEO that wouldn't say that exact same thing.

"So now how do you maneuver around that? Well, you have to differentiate yourself. ... I have to create an environment where [we're] trying to be the best franchise in sports where the players want to come play."

Durant endorses the strategy of Ishbia.

"That's what you're supposed to do as an owner," Durant told ESPN. "It's about swinging for the fences every year.

"What else are you supposed to do? Sit back and hope that you get a draft pick that turns out to be Victor [Wembanyama]? No."

While the Suns made a number of bold moves over the past year, they have been uneven on the floor as Beal and Booker have struggled with injuries. The Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder are a fairly firm top-4 the Suns are trailing.

"If we don't win this year ... which is possible... then we'll say, 'OK, what can we do better to try to win next year? Do I need to adjust? Do we need to run different plays? Do we need different players? Do [we] change something? What do I do?" Ishbia says. "All I'm focused on is how do we win right now. I'm not thinking about what our 2031 draft [is] going to look like. I'm excited about the 2024 playoffs."

"Everybody here is on the same page," Booker told ESPN. "We're in win-now mode. We want excellence. We know it's not going to be easy. It's a new team, but when you give up that much, we're trying to win this year and years to come."

The Phoenix Suns have a high upside roster in Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, but injuries have plagued them this season where it remains challenging to predict how they may play in a playoff setting at full strength. 

In an interview with Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, Durant talked about how he assesses their team.

Throughout the career of LeBron James, his teams have rarely had first round picks to add to their roster around him. The Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers have combined to trade away 23 total future first round picks during his tenures with those teams, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks and Dave McMenamin.

When James was with the Cavaliers at the start of his career, Luke Jackson, Shannon Brown and J.J. Hickson were the only first rounders added. When James returned to the Lakers in 2015, no first round picks were added during his tenure.

While with the Heat, no first round picks were added as well.

Since joining the Lakers, Jalen Hood-Schifino has been the only first rounder added to the roster.

The Boston Celtics continue to lead the NBA in Net Rating with a historically great +11.6 points per possessions. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves round out the top-3 with both teams over +7.0 in the category.

NBA Net Rating, Week 18
1. Celtics: 11.6
2. Thunder: 7.9
3. Wolves: 7.1
4. Clippers: 4.9
5. Cavaliers: 4.9
6. Pelicans: 4.6
7. Nuggets: 4.4
8. Bucks: 4.4
9. Knicks: 3.9
10. Sixers: 3.4
11. Suns: 2.7
12. Magic: 1.6
13. Warriors: 1.4
14. Pacers: 1.2
15. Heat: 0.7
16. Mavericks: 0.7
17. Kings: 0.3
18. Rockets: -0.2
19. Lakers: -0.5
20. Bulls: -1.5
21. Nets: -2.2
22. Hawks: -2.3
23. Jazz: -2.9
24. Raptors: -3.2
25. Grizzlies: -6.8
26. Spurs: -7.8
27. Blazers: -8.2
28. Pistons: -8.8
29. Wizards: -9.7
30. Hornets: -10.6

Victor Wembanyama has climbed to No. 11 in the NBA in PER this season with a mark of 23.0. For the month of February, Wembanyama ranked sixth in the category at 26.3.

NBA PER, Week 18
1. Joel Embiid: 33.7
2. Nikola Jokic: 31.1
3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 30.5
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo: 29.8
5. Luka Doncic: 28.7
6. Anthony Davis: 25.4
7. Tyrese Haliburton: 23.8
8. Kawhi Leonard: 23.5
9. Domantas Sabonis: 23.3
10. Jimmy Butler: 23.0
11. Victor Wembanyama: 23.0
12. Andre Drummond: 22.9
13. Donovan Mitchell: 22.8
14. Kristaps Porzingis: 22.8
15. LeBron James: 22.8
16. Jayson Tatum: 22.5
17. Devin Booker: 22.2
18. Zion Williamson: 22.1
19. Kyrie Irving: 22.1
20. Kevin Durant: 22.0