NBA Roundtable: Can James Harden and the Clippers figure it out?

The last week in the NBA has been marred by on-court drama, from the scuffle between the Warriors and the Timberwolves to the slumping Clippers. But the bright spots in the league have also been impossible to ignore.

Let's take a look at the current state of the league with FOX Sports' panel of NBA reporters, Ric Bucher, Melissa Rohlin and Yaron Weitzman.

1. The NBA suspended Draymond Green five games after he placed Rudy Gobert in a chokehold on Tuesday. What are your thoughts on the league's punishment? Too harsh, too lenient?

Weitzman: I'll say it's a Goldilocks-level of just right. For one, it was a ridiculous reaction. You can't place opponents in chokeholds (this would seem to be something most players already know), and it's even worse when you remember that Green wasn't involved in the original altercation. He went out of his way to do this. Add in his history and five games feels right.

Rohlin: I think the NBA had no choice here. Between Green's history and the length of time he held Gobert in the headlock, the league needed to make a statement. Five games is punitive, but the headlock was excessive. Also, considering Green's and Gobert's contentious past, it seemed pointed. All of that acknowledged, I will say this: If I could pick one player in the league to have my back during a bar fight, it would be Green. And I'll add that I'm relieved the suspension wasn't longer, which would've been Draconian. I saw some analysts calling for 10-plus games. Much more dangerous plays transpire on the court (pushes from behind, feet undercutting shooters) with far fewer repercussions.

Bucher: Feels heavy-handed — three games (which would actually be four counting Tuesday's game) would've been plenty. I could do a frame-by-frame breakdown of the incident to illustrate why what Draymond did wound up looking far more malicious than maybe he intended. I chalk this up to his history with Gobert in particular and reputation in general, as much as anything. And there's a conversation to be had about whether or not that's fair. Are enforcers in hockey punished based on their history/reputation? I don't think so, because it is an understood part of their role on the team. I look at Draymond the same way — he is the Warriors' enforcer. It is, implicitly or explicitly, what the team itself counts on from him. My skepticism about the punishment fitting the crime is also fueled by the fact that the league in general has become ridiculously hypersensitive to any and all demonstrable action, whether it be foul or a post-dunk reaction or a teammate jumping into a scrum. It is killing the game.

2. Scuffle aside, things appear to be looking up for the Timberwolves, who are now 8-2 on the season. What do you think has contributed to their leap and is it sustainable?

Weitzman: The biggest difference is that Rudy Gobert is back to being Rudy Gobert. He's swatting 3.4 shots per 100 possessions; that number plummeted to 2.1 last season. With Gobert manning the back line and once again playing like the three-time Defensive Player of the Year that he is, the Wolves have been able to stifle opposing offenses — right now they boast the league's top defensive rating. Combine that with another small leap being made by Anthony Edwards and you have the outline of an elite team.

Rohlin: Anthony Edwards is averaging career-highs in points (26), field goal percentage (46.7 %) and 3-point percentage (37.1 %). Karl-Anthony Towns has been consistently dominant. And Rudy Gobert is pouring himself into the defensive end, while averaging a career-high 4.2 offensive rebounds a game. That's a recipe for success. All of the Timberwolves' key cogs are playing at an elite level, with both Edwards and Gobert making improvements from last season. This team could be better than any of us thought. 

Bucher: I expected them to make this leap last year when they acquired Mike Conley for D'Angelo Russell. I knew Conley, having played with Gobert in Utah, would know how to get him going. But six games together, all healthy, just wasn't enough. Then they lost Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels to injuries (McDaniels punching a wall in frustration and breaking his hand) and that ended any hope of their first-round series against the eventual champions being competitive.

I also knew Conley would be a governor to Anthony Edwards, who is wildly talented but isn't the greatest of decision-makers. I constantly see those two huddled in the locker room before and after games talking strategy. I was in the Timberwolves' locker room after the game and learned two things that say a lot about where this team is: Edwards told me his pass to Conley for a dagger 3 was his first game-icing or game-winning dime — however you want to define it — ever, and he was as thrilled as if he'd made the shot. I also asked Kyle Anderson if the TWolves would've won this kind of game a year ago, dealing with the early distractions and facing a feisty, proud, undermanned team, at home, that they'd already beaten soundly two nights earlier. "No way," he said.

3. Which player has surpassed your expectations with their play this season?

Weitzman: The obvious answer here is Tyrese Maxey. I knew he was good, and so did the Sixers. But I don't think anyone expected him to be this good so fast. And by this good I mean All-NBA level. His numbers are ridiculous. He's averaging 27.6 points, 6.7 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game while shooting a scorching 43% from deep. He's gotten better on the defensive end, too. It's one of the more impressive leaps we've seen in recent years and — given how tenuous things appeared to be in Philly during the whole James Harden saga — it could end up being one of the most impactful. 

Rohlin: Definitely Maxey. He went from being a promising young player to looking like a bonafide star this season. With Harden gone, Maxey has fully embraced the role of being the perfect complement to reigning MVP Joel Embiid. He not only filled the Harden void, but he has blasted through it to create his own imprint. He has taken the greatest leap this season of any player this season.  

Bucher: Kyrie Irving. His scoring is down, but his assists are up and his turnovers are down; stats can be misleading, but not in this case. He's had much more of a pass-first mentality than I've ever seen before, he's pushing the tempo yet making sound decisions. He looks happy and focused, which we haven't been able to say about him for the last few years. I'm truly enjoying this renaissance.

A close second is Nikola Jokic. As great as he's been in the past, he is playing now like he KNOWS he's the best player in the league and is looking to impose his will on every game, every possession. Some of that may be because Jamal Murray is out, but the fact remains, Jokic looks like an unstoppable force, even more so than he did leading the Nuggets to their first championship.

4. The Clippers are still searching for their first win of the James Harden era. How confident are you that they'll figure things out with their star-studded core? Please explain your answer.

Weitzman: It depends how we define "figure things out." I think they'll eventually figure out a way to make the whole thing work, but I also don't see this group inserting itself into the championship conversation. They're too small and the stars all play too slow. Harden was supposed to help the Clippers get easy shots, but watch them play and what you'll see is just another ball-dominant star going 1-on-1. The Clippers already had enough of that. And if you're relying on someone like Daniel Theis to be the savior, well, you're probably in trouble.

Rohlin: The Clippers only needed to look down the hall to remember that adding more superstars to a team doesn't necessarily make the team better. After all, the Russell Westbrook-Los Angeles Lakers experiment was a complete disaster. Now, it seems as though the Clippers are going through their own iteration of that with a roster of four future Hall of Famers (Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Westbrook and Harden) who can't figure out how to effectively co-exist. They have too many stars who like the ball in their hands. No one knows when to defer or take over. Where's the defense? (They're 24th in the league.) It appears as though this is one of those rosters that look incredible on paper, but doesn't translate into championship-level success.

Bucher: Not at all. The four of them — Harden, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and Russ Westbrook — still see themselves as the great players they once were. They're good players now, not great. Which means if they're going to win they need to focus on the menial tasks that allow good players to be great. Win the energy contest. Defend. Sacrifice for each other. Move the ball. Move without the ball. They don't seem to have the first clue about who they actually are at this stage of their careers and what it will take for them to win.

5. It sounds like the Bulls are prepared to have a fire sale, starting with two-time All-Star Zach LaVine. Is there a team LaVine moves the needle for? Are there any other Bulls players you think can help a contender?

Weitzman: Everyone is going to point to the Lakers when it comes to LaVine, and I get it. In some ways, he's a better version of D'Angelo Russell (an undersized, shoot-first scorer who's a liability on defense), so if the Lakers could get LaVine for Russell, Rui Hachimura (to make the cap numbers work) and a single pick, that'd be a good deal for them. But if the Bulls want more (someone like Austin Reaves) the Lakers should walk away. Other than that, though, there aren't that many playoff-caliber teams in desperate need of someone like LaVine. Most already have someone playing that role. If the Bulls really want to start a sell-off and recoup some assets, the guy they should be shopping is Alex Caruso. There isn't a contender out there that couldn't use another wing player capable of wreaking havoc and locking up opposing scorers.

Rohlin: The Lakers have sputtered to a 6-6 start this season despite being widely considered to have one of the best offseasons in the league. They seem like the obvious landing destination for LaVine, who said in a television interview with ESPN in 2020, "I would love to go out there and play with a dude like LeBron James." That said, I don't know if the Lakers would want to depart from players like D'Angelo Russell, who has had a strong start to the season (18.8 points on 48 percent shooting), or Rui Hachimura, who worked out alongside James all summer. Now, LaVine to Miami could also be an interesting thing to watch out for. Him alongside Jimmy Butler could be very interesting …

Bucher: I've long felt Zach is underrated, that he's put in some solid work to become a better defender and a more versatile scorer since coming into the league as little more than a blur crushing rims. That said, it's hard to identify his true value or believe he could elevate a team — particularly in a complementary role — because he's never really done it. They didn't make the playoffs until DeMar DeRozan came along. Unless you're trading young talent and draft picks, how do you know you're getting an upgrade over what you already have? Most teams that are trying to upgrade from playoff team to contender are looking for quality complementary pieces, not cornerstones. That's why Alex Caruso, with all his postseason experience, Torrey Craig might be easier to move at this point in the season. Core pieces with core-level contracts, like LaVine or Nikola Vucevic, are more likely to get moved during the offseason and/or around the draft.

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.

Yaron Weitzman is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. He is the author of "Tanking to the Top: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Most Audacious Process in the History of Professional Sports." Follow him on Twitter @YaronWeitzman.

Ric Bucher is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. He previously wrote for Bleacher Report, ESPN The Magazine and The Washington Post and has written two books, "Rebound," on NBA forward Brian Grant's battle with young onset Parkinson's, and "Yao: A Life In Two Worlds." He also has a daily podcast, "On The Ball with Ric Bucher." Follow him on Twitter @RicBucher.