Page 38 - Sports Illustrated Kids (October 2018)

. * % + & % Win the Southeast on Twitter,

Wall called
out Gortat
for not talking
UTHEAST 4&7 /!0 previous job, in Oklahoma City, he
to Wall in person.
Coach Scott
Brooks has plenty
Crucial class: DEBATE Who
of talent in D.C. And at his
knows how good the Wizards
could be if they could just stop
learned to handle a roster with more
summers ago, PG John
SO arguing with each other. Two than one outspoken star. Beal
averaged a team-high 22.6 ppg
Wall memorably said he
and SG Bradley Beal—the and made his first All-Star Game
last year. He and Wall form the
team’s two best players—had a
EAST “tendency to dislike each other on the best backcourt in the East. If they
can stop locking horns, they
court.” Last year, Wall and C Marcin Gortat
could lead the Wizards on a
got into a squabble when Gortat implied the
team had been moving the ball better when deep postseason run.
Wall was out injured. After some back-and-forth &- ) ## ) B+

$ $ %" 1 )#&++ %,/+"10 &)# % &* $& + # % + % 4(0

Crucial Class: Crucial Class: Crucial Class: P.E. Crucial Class:
ECONOMICS AP PHYSICS We all know Aaron Gordon CALCULUS
The Heat are a There’s a law in is a physical force. He Calculus
strange team. physics called made that clear in the 2016 is the
They don’t have the Pauli Slam Dunk Contest when study of
a bona fide exclusion he leaped over the Magic’s the rate
star, but they principle. mascot—while of change.
will still spend It states taking the ball And in
enough money that under both of his Atlanta,
on payroll that two legs. Last season, the rate of
they’ll have things can’t his fourth in the change has
to pay the be in the league, Gordon been mind-
league’s luxury same place finally started boggling. Four
tax. Despite at the same developing into years ago, the
that mediocre time. an all-around Hawks
roster, Miami That player instead had four
found a way makes of one who All-Stars Win Rookie of the
Year: Trae
to win the sense, relies solely on and the Young
Southeast last right? athleticism. He best
year—even though SG Dion Someone launched 5.9 record in the
Waiters missed more than should tell that three-pointers East. Those four
half the season. Give credit to the Hornets, per game (up have all departed, leaving a
to coach Erik Spoelstra, who who went out and signed from 1.8 in roster that was good for just
has weathered the loss of PG Tony Parker when they 2015–16) and 24 wins last year. New coach
Miami’s Big Three without already have an All-Star made 33.6% Lloyd Pierce will rely on rookie
stumbling. A healthy Waiters, at the position, Kemba of them (up PG Trae Young, arguably the GETTY IMAGES (WALKER); FERNANDO MEDINA/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (GORDON); BART YOUNG/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (YOUNG) STEPHEN GOSLING/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (WALL); ISSAC BALDIZON/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (WAITERS); KENT SMITH/NBAE/
who continues to improve, Walker. Of course, Walker from 29.6). most developed scorer in last
will help. But until the front will be a free agent after He was rewarded with a summer’s draft, to revitalize
office manages the team’s the season, but the Hornets new four-year, $76 million an offense that ranked 26th in
finances better—and gets need to try to re-sign him. contract. To be worth it he’ll efficiency last year. The good
the fiscal flexibility to add He’s easily the biggest have to become the leader on news is, he could be a star.
players—the Heat will hover weapon on a team that is a team that hasn’t made the The bad news is, even if he
around .500. looking at a third straight playoffs since 2012. is, the Hawks still have three
&- ) ## ) B- missed postseason. &- ) ## ) C- fewer stars than in 2015.
&- ) ## ) C &- ) ## ) D-

40 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS