It was the most obvious move in the world for the Bears to fire Matt Nagy after four seasons of his offense sputtering, his explanations falling flat and his team sliding through season-killing losing streaks.

It was the right call. But as is often the case with the Bears, it was late and lacking vision.

They’re at least a year behind on this move, and even more overdue on general manager Ryan Pace, and the cost of delaying it is hefty. They’ve needlessly squandered this season, as well as the season before it, arguably, and set themselves up for trouble next season, too.

They needed more decisive action from chairman George McCaskey, who couldn’t see that the brilliant 2018 season was a mirage even after it evaporated in 2019. Instead, the Bears spent two more years trying to recapture glory that was an illusion in the first place.

Let’s debunk this once and for all:

– Other than his monster game against the lowly Buccaneers, Mitch Trubisky had an 89.0 passer rating that season.

– The Bears played what turned out to be the NFL’s weakest schedule that season.

– Defensive touchdowns and turnovers that set up the offense already in field-goal range pushed their scoring average from 22.4 to 26.3 points per game.

– Also thanks to the defense, Nagy won three games in which the Bears scored 16 or fewer points.

If the Bears hadn’t lost their playoff opener to the Eagles on the Double Doink while mustering just 15 points, their offensive shortcomings surely would’ve undone them soon after.

Those kinds of details often call Nagy’s supposed success into question. He leaves as one of the few recent Bears coaches with a winning record, but he went 7-12 against teams that made the playoffs over his first three seasons and was 1-6 against teams that were in the 2021 playoff field heading into Sunday.

His firing seemed cemented after the Week 11 loss to the Ravens this season, and at that point he had lost 15 of 21 games, including a playoff appearance against the Saints.

The Bears collapsed with a four-game losing streak in 2019, six straight losses last season and a five-game skid this season. Nagy got them back to .500 mostly by feasting on lightweight opponents, but they were effectively buried at the end of each of those losing streaks.

But the 2018 success artificially inflated expectations, and the Bears clung to it as hard as they could. They’ve been making moves the last few offseasons as though they’re a contender, and that lack of self-awareness has been hugely counterproductive.

When they followed their 12-4 record in 2018 by going 8-8 the next season, Pace and chairman George McCaskey insisted the roster was closer to the former than the latter. Even accepting that as a reasonable opinion, after going 8-8 again in 2020, it was inarguable that the Bears needed an overhaul.

Blowing up the roster at that point would’ve certainly set the Bears up for a nightmare season with a mountain of losses in 2021. But they arrived at that outcome anyway — only without the central benefits of freeing up salary-cap space and accumulating a stockpile of draft picks that would’ve come with intentionally sacrificing this season with an eye on the future.

Rather than shedding as much cap money as possible and trading away any players who could bring back draft capital, the Bears spent every dime they could and even kicked some money down the road.

And they do not have a first- or fourth-round pick this year, which will make the upcoming rebuild very difficult. They’re currently slotted for No. 8 overall, but that goes to the Giants as part of the trade to move up and draft quarterback Justin Fields.

The Bears would’ve been out of reach for the top five quarterbacks in the recent draft at No. 20 — another residual effect of their perpetual mediocrity. They were bad, but not bad enough to get an impactful draft pick out of it.

As for Nagy, he never delivered on the two projects the Bears hired him to accomplish: He did not install a functional offense, nor did he develop a quarterback. He left with a 34-31 regular-season record and sat 0-2 in the playoffs. The Bears scored 21 or fewer points in 33 of his 67 games overall.

As he exits, the most generous view of his effect on Fields is that he did more good than harm despite unnecessarily slowing his development from Day 1 and dedicating his first eight months on the job to learning an offense that he’ll hopefully never need again.

There were red flags on Nagy before and after Fields. He gave up play calling to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor each of the last two seasons, and the offense immediately made modest improvements. Nagy’s plans seemed to lack adjustments and innovation during games, and he made alarming repeat mistakes.

One of his biggest hang-ups was an aversion to running the ball. He set the Bears’ all-time record for fewest rushing attempts in a game with seven in a blowout loss to the Saints in 2020. Meanwhile, he called for 54 passes from fledgling Trubisky.

“I know we need to run the ball more,” he said then. “I’m not an idiot. I realize that. I totally understand that. You need to do it. I never go into a game saying I want to throw the ball 54 times. I would love to go into a game and say I want to run the ball 54 times. But that hasn’t happened. This is what I have to answer.”

He never had answers, though. For anything. And that was clear a long time ago, but McCaskey didn’t want to believe it.

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The Bears fired coach Matt Nagy on Monday, one day after his fourth season ended with a 6-11 record and a 14-point loss to the division rival Vikings. It was hardly a surprise; Nagy had been asked regularly about his job status since before Thanksgiving.

NFL Network first reported the move.

Nagy went 34-31; his winning percentage of 52.3 trails only Mike Ditka and Lovie Smith among Bears modern-era coaches. Both those two went to the Super Bowl. The Bears lost in each of their two playoff appearances — most memorably in 2018, when Cody Parkey double-doinked the potential game-winner in the first round against the Eagles.

After going 12-4 that season, Nagy went 8-8 twice before entering a must-win year.

Nagy had the best record through 38 games (25-13) of any Bears coach since George Halas, and won Coach of the Year for his 2018 effort.

Since then, the offense has been abysmal. Nagy churned through quarterbacks — Mitch Trubisky, Chase Daniel, Nick Foles, Andy Dalton and rookie Justin Fields — but couldn’t make one above-average.

Chairman George McCaskey admitted last year that bringing Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace back for another season was unpopular, but did it anyway. He said he needed to see “progress” from both men.

“I think all four of us will know whether there’s been sufficient improvement or sufficient progress to continue past 2021,” McCaskey said, including team president Ted Phillips in the discussion.

Three months after retaining Nagy and Pace, the Bears traded up to draft Fields No. 11 overall. They believe he is their quarterback of the future — Nagy repeated it on Sunday.

Nothing in the organization is more important than his development, but there has been concern about Nagy mismanaging that from the start. The Bears had already signed veteran Dalton the month before, and Nagy’s plan was for him to be the starter all season while Fields learned from the bench.

Even as Fields excelled in offseason practices, Nagy refused to have an open competition and remained committed to Dalton. He was forced to start Fields in Week 3 after Dalton suffered a bone bruise in his knee, then relented and made him the permanent starter heading into the Week 5 game against the Raiders.

Fields’ starting debut against the Browns was such a disaster that Nagy ceded play calling to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor for the second consecutive season. He gave it up in Week 10 last season before taking it back in the offseason.

Nagy called plays for only part of the Chiefs’ 2017 season, but Pace hired him with hopes that he could pair Trubisky, the second overall pick a year earlier, with an innovative offensive mind.

Nagy turned out to be a strong leader — his “Be You” mantra and straightforward approach resonated with his players — but not an offensive guru. He couldn’t solve their quarterback problem, and the team moved on from Trubisky after last season.

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The Bears fired general manager Ryan Pace on Monday, ESPN reported, ending a seven-year run of mediocrity and clearing the way for a rebuild.

Over the course of Pace’s tenure, the Bears went 48-65 and went 0-2 in the playoffs.

Their best season under Pace was 2018, when new coach Matt Nagy led them to a 12-4 record and an NFC North championship. It was Pace’s only winning season. Nagy was also fired Monday after four years as head coach.

More so than all the losing, Pace’s time with the Bears will forever be stamped by squandering the No. 2 overall pick on quarterback Mitch Trubisky in 2017. He passed on future stars Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson. Trubisky was the franchise’s highest draft pick since 1951 and the highest it has ever taken a quarterback.

When chairman George McCaskey and president Ted Phillips decided to let Pace and Nagy return for the 2021 season, they let the general manager take another swing at drafting a quarterback. Pace traded his first round picks in 2021 and 2022 to the Giants as part of a package to draft Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields No. 11 overall.

Fields started 10 games as a rookie, and it’s impossible to make a clear assessment of his future given the many roster problems working against him.

Pace’s draft record is mixed. His first two first-round picks were wide receiver Kevin White and outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, and he blew his 2017 second-rounder on tight end Adam Shaheen. He also hit on first-rounder Roquan Smith and used the team’s 2019 and ’20 first-round picks to trade for Khalil Mack.

Both of his coaching hires ended in firings with Nagy and John Fox, and all of his quarterback moves except Fields have been disastrous. Trubisky likely will never a full-time NFL starter again, Nick Foles was benched in his first season and Andy Dalton was a mess in more ways than one. Not only was Dalton bad statistically, the promise Pace and Nagy made that he’d be the starter impeded Fields’ development.

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When Bears chairman George McCaskey fired general manager Ryan Pace on Monday, he gave in to the facts of the case — as much as it probably pained him.

The family respects Pace, whom they hired in 2015. They’ve trusted him — to trade up to draft a quarterback twice, and to lead a $100 million remodeling of Halas Hall. But none of the personal affection they have for him outweighs what the franchise has accomplished under his watch.

The Bears have a .425 winning percentage since hiring Pace in 2015. Only seven teams have a worse record: Washington plus the 49ers, Lions, Giants, Jets, Browns and Jaguars.

In that same span, the Bears have played two playoff games. Only six teams — the Bengals, Dolphins, Giants, Raiders, Lions and Jets — have played in fewer.

Only four teams have scored fewer points since the start of 2015.

A 6-11 record in a win-or-else season was the last straw.

The first was Pace’s decision to trade up one spot to trade North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky in 2017. In doing so, he passed on future NFL MVP and Super Bowl winner Patrick Mahomes and Texans star Deshaun Watson, who’s since been the center of a sex scandal.

McCaskey’s decision to stick with Pace and coach Matt Nagy last year gave the GM a chance to do something similar. To move up from No. 20 to No. 11, Pace traded the Giants his first-round pick in 2021 and 2022, among other things, and drafted Ohio State quarterback Ryan Pace.

The argument for Pace to stay went as follows: he was bold enough to trade up to draft Justin Fields in April and shouldn’t be punished for making a decision that he — and his bosses — knew wouldn’t yield immediate results. Fields is the most talented college quarterback the franchise has ever drafted and represents the best chance the Bears have had since they drafted Jay Cutler of fixing a century-long passer problem.

The counter-argument is this: what evidence do the Bears have that Fields can be that player? He went 2-8 in 10 starts this season. His most promising moment of the season came in the fourth quarter of the Bears’ 29-27 loss to the Steelers on Nov. 8. Since then, he’s started and finished two games: a 15-points loss in Green Bay and an eight-point home loss to the Vikings. Fields’ ankle hurt the next day. He was set to return Sunday in Minneapolis but was put on the reserve/COVID-19 list this week, ending his season.

Pace hasn’t taken questions from the media since the start of the season. Speaking on the team’s official pregame show, he argued that Fields was the best reason for Bears fans to be optimistic about the future.

“Obviously the quarterback is the critical piece to any team’s success, and we feel really good about that,” he said. “We have good flexibility with our cap going forward. We’ll continue to stack strong draft classes and just continue to add to that core, and that’s the blueprint.”

He won’t get that chance.

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After a 6-11 season, the Chicago Bears did what everybody expected them to do on Black Monday.

They fired head coach Matt Nagy.

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The Chicago Bears should have done it a year ago but they have finally fired Matt Nagy as their head football coach. It was a disaster of a season for the Bears and a large part of it was because of the head coach. Ryan Pace is also gone as general manager.

They couldn’t move the ball downfield with any regularity and it cost them a lot of games. If they had a different coach, a few losses might have been won and they might be going to the postseason. With all of that in mind, it is all in the past now and they must move forward.

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The Chicago Bears fired coach Matt Nagy and GM Ryan Pace on Monday after the team slumped to a 6-11 record this season, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Nagy won the NFL’s Coach of the Year award after his first season in 2018, when he led the Bears to a 12-4 record and reached the playoffs for the first time in eight years. He earned praise that season for his offensive wrinkles and humble disposition, but the Bears couldn’t sustain that success over the ensuing three seasons.

They finished 8-8 in 2019 and then again in 2020, when the league’s expanded playoff field put them into the wild-card round. Nagy was never able to duplicate his first season, in part because the quarterback he inherited — Mitchell Trubisky, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2017 draft — never made the necessary improvement.

Trubisky departed via free agency last spring, after the Bears traded up to draft quarterback Justin Fields. The Bears were 2-8 in Fields’ 10 starts, and he finished the season ranked last in the league in Total Quarterback Rating (QBR) at 26.0. In four seasons, the Bears were 34-31 under Nagy in the regular season and 0-2 in the playoffs.

Monday’s news has been brewing since the end of November, when a local report emerged that Nagy would be fired after the Bears’ Thanksgiving Day game at the Detroit Lions. Nagy said at the time that he was unaware of his impending firing, but no member of the Bears’ front office or ownership immediately stepped forward to publicly deny the report.

Matt Nagy won the NFL’s Coach of the Year award after his first season in 2018, when he led the Bears to a 12-4 record and reached the playoffs for the first time in eight years. Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire

A day later, owner George McCaskey told players during a team meeting that Nagy would not be fired after the game. The Bears beat the Lions 16-14, but it was their only win in a 1-8 streak that lasted from Weeks 6-15.

Nagy, 43, came to the Bears after eight years working for longtime head coach Andy Reid, including five with the Kansas City Chiefs and three more with the Philadelphia Eagles. Reid promoted him to offensive coordinator in 2017, one year before the Bears hired him.

Pace spent seven seasons with the Bears, hiring two coaches and trading up to draft two quarterbacks during his tenure. His teams made two playoff appearances but did not win a game. The Bears last won a playoff game in 2010 and are 1-3 in the postseason since appearing in Super Bowl XLI after the 2007 season.

Nagy was the second coach Pace hired. Predecessor John Fox spent three seasons with the team as it transitioned away from quarterback Jay Cutler. Pace proved to be an aggressive trader, acquiring pass-rusher Khalil Mack in 2018 in addition to making deals to draft Trubisky and Fields.

But those deals continued a trend of giving up first-round picks that had begun with the Bears’ deal to acquire Cutler in 2009. The organization traded away its first-round picks in 2009, 2010, 2019, and 2020 and do not have one for 2022, either. Of the four first-round picks that Pace did make in his tenure — receiver Kevin White (2015), linebacker Leonard Floyd (2016), Trubisky, linebacker Roquan Smith (2018) and Fields — only Smith has proved a long-term answer.

Pace did have some success in free agency, hitting on receiver Allen Robinson, defensive tackle Akiem Hicks and receiver Darnell Mooney, among others. But it was not enough to make the Bears annual playoff contenders.

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Klay Thompson returned after 941 days away from the court. The Golden State Warriors Splash Brother, who hadn’t played in an NBA game since the 2019 Finals due to ACL and Achilles injuries, made his much-anticipated season debut with 17 points in 20 minutes during the Warriors’ win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday.

How dangerous are the Warriors now, as the co-owners of the league’s best record and bona fide title contenders return another offensive weapon?

Meanwhile, outside of San Francisco, the Memphis Grizzlies own the league’s longest active win streak. The Grizzlies’ run now sits at nine games thanks to a win over the Los Angeles Lakers, which included this epic block by Ja Morant.

In the East, the conference-leading Bulls saw their nine-game winning streak snapped Sunday to the Dallas Mavericks. The longest active streaks in the conference now belong to the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors, who each take a six-game run into the week.

See where all 30 teams stand now.

Note: Throughout the regular season, our panel (Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Nick Friedell, Andrew Lopez, Tim MacMahon, Dave McMenamin and Ohm Youngmisuk) is ranking all 30 teams from top to bottom, taking stock of which teams are playing the best basketball now and which teams are looking most like title contenders.

1. Golden State Warriors
2021-22 record: 30-9
Previous ranking: 1

After two and a half years, Klay Thompson is back. The former All-Star provided exactly the kind of jolt Steve Kerr & Co. were hoping to see in his return game Sunday night, scoring 17 points in 20 minutes in a win over the Cavs. The Warriors have to hope the good vibes can keep rolling this week during a tough four-game road stretch that includes games against the Grizzlies, Bucks and Bulls. — Friedell

2. Phoenix Suns
2021-22 record: 30-9
Previous ranking: 2

Since his return from a hamstring injury on Dec. 19, Devin Booker‘s field goal percentage has taken a dip. He’s shooting 40.8% overall in his past 11 games, but his 3-point percentage has gone up in that time. He was shooting 40.3% in his first 21 games and he’s up to 42.0% in his past 11. His 41.0% overall mark for the season would be a career high, besting his mark of 38.3% from 2017-18 and a big jump from the 34.0% he shot from deep last season. — Lopez

3. Chicago Bulls
2021-22 record: 26-11
Previous ranking: 3

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The Bulls lost for the first time since Dec. 11 on Sunday night, snapping their nine-game streak. They are about to be tested this week, when they host two of the top teams in the NBA: First up is a matchup with the Nets on Wednesday night followed by a meeting with the Warriors on Friday. The Bulls are 2-0 against Brooklyn this season, but dropped their lone meeting with Golden State earlier in the season. — Collier

4. Utah Jazz
2021-22 record: 28-12
Previous ranking: 4

The Jazz had been the only team in the league that hadn’t been hit by COVID-19 this season, but Utah is in the midst of an outbreak with four players currently in health and safety protocols, including perennial All-Star center Rudy Gobert. Hassan Whiteside has thrived as Gobert’s backup, but the Jazz are 0-2 with Whiteside in the starting lineup, and Saturday’s loss in Indiana was an especially disappointing defensive performance. — MacMahon

5. Memphis Grizzlies
2021-22 record: 28-14
Previous ranking: 8

Nobody has played better than the Grizzlies over the past six weeks. Memphis has won 19 of 23, racking up the most wins in the league during that stretch, and has a net rating (plus-13.1) that is almost four points better than that of any other team. For all the flash of Ja Morant‘s many high-flying highlights, the foundation of the Grizzlies’ success has been the NBA’s stingiest defense in that six-week span (101.8 points per 100 possessions). — MacMahon

6. Milwaukee Bucks
2021-22 record: 26-16
Previous ranking: 5

If Milwaukee’s path back to the NBA Finals is likely to include another series with the Brooklyn Nets, then the Bucks have to be encouraged by their first two meetings this season. The Bucks are 2-0 against the Nets, with victories on opening night in Milwaukee and last week in Brooklyn. Winning by an average of 18 points per game is a reminder that the path to winning the Eastern Conference still goes through them. — Collier

7. Miami Heat
2021-22 record: 25-15
Previous ranking: 7

Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson combined for 60 points in Saturday’s win over the Suns, as Miami rattled off its second straight win to cap its West Coast swing. With Jimmy Butler still dealing with an ankle injury, the Heat have a nice break until Wednesday’s game against the Hawks to get in some rest and rehab. — Friedell

8. Brooklyn Nets
2021-22 record: 25-13
Previous ranking: 6

Brooklyn may have Kyrie Irving back, but something’s not right with the Nets. They’ve lost four of their past six, with only a big fourth-quarter comeback against Indiana and a near collapse against San Antonio separating them from a six-game losing streak. There’s obviously plenty of time to get it right, but this is not the version of the Nets the world expected to see this season. — Bontemps

9. Philadelphia 76ers
2021-22 record: 22-16
Previous ranking: 9

Philadelphia is 19-8 with Joel Embiid in the lineup this season, and 3-8 without him. With a month to go until the trade deadline, the question remains for the 76ers: Will Ben Simmons be traded by the deadline, giving Embiid some reinforcements for the stretch run and the playoffs, or will this saga drag on until the summer? — Bontemps

10. Dallas Mavericks
2021-22 record: 22-18
Previous ranking: 16

The Mavs’ season-best six-game win streak features convincing victories over the Warriors and Bulls. Dallas has held five of its six opponents under 100 points during the streak, when the Mavs are allowing only 93.0 points per game. Dallas has jumped to fifth in the league in defensive efficiency (107.1). — MacMahon

11. Cleveland Cavaliers
2021-22 record: 22-18
Previous ranking: 10

Cleveland lost for the fifth time in its past seven games in Klay Thompson’s return game for the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. New Cavs guard Rajon Rondo has made an immediate impact, however, averaging 13 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in his first two games with the franchise. — McMenamin

12. Denver Nuggets
2021-22 record: 20-18
Previous ranking: 11

The Nuggets won on Sunday for the fifth time in seven games. Nikola Jokic continues his MVP tear. He has averaged 25.7 points and 16.7 rebounds in those seven games, despite defenses throwing what they can at the MVP. The Nuggets are trading Bol Bol to Detroit for Rodney McGruder and could sign DeMarcus Cousins to a 10-day soon to try to give Jokic a little more help. Denver’s next six games are against the Clippers twice, Blazers, Lakers, Jazz and Grizzlies, so they could find out where they stand in the West even more during this stretch. — Youngmisuk

13. Los Angeles Lakers
2021-22 record: 21-20
Previous ranking: 14

Wednesday, Jan. 12
Mavs at Knicks, 7:30 p.m.
Nets at Bulls, 10 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 14
Warriors at Bulls, 7:30 p.m.
Mavs at Grizzlies, 10 p.m.

All times Eastern

The Lakers won four in a row against four teams that are a combined 24 games under .500, then fell down by as many as 29 in Sunday’s loss to a Grizzlies team that’s 14 games over .500. With L.A. set to play a back-loaded schedule full of similarly tough opponents, Russell Westbrook was asked what the Lakers have to do to compete in those games. “I don’t have the answer to that one,” he said. — McMenamin

14. Toronto Raptors
2021-22 record: 20-17
Previous ranking: 18

That the Raptors, winners of six straight, are now three games over .500 when their best three players — Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam — have played only nine games together is a sign of their upside if they can keep their team healthy over the second half of the season. — Bontemps

15. Charlotte Hornets
2021-22 record: 21-19
Previous ranking: 13

Charlotte continues to prove that it can score with anybody — as evidenced by the 254 combined points scored in two straight wins over the Pistons and Bucks. In those wins, Terry Rozier tallied 44 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds. The larger issue for the Hornets remains the same: Can they defend at a high enough level? Over their first four games this month, the group has given up an average of 118.5 points per game. — Friedell

16. Minnesota Timberwolves
2021-22 record: 20-20
Previous ranking: 19

Although Timberwolves guard D’Angelo Russell has posted a career-low shooting percentage from the field (39.3) and is shooting several points below his career average from 3 (33.7% compared to 35.8% in his career), Minnesota has undoubtedly benefited from having him on the floor this season, outscoring opponents by 16.7 points per 100 possessions with Russell on the floor. The Timberwolves are 17-12 when he plays and 2-8 this season when he sits. — Collier

17. LA Clippers
2021-22 record: 20-21
Previous ranking: 12

The Clippers spoiled Lou Williams‘ return and got a much-needed victory over the Hawks on Sunday. It halted some of the bleeding that saw the Clippers go through a stretch in which they lost nine of 12 games. The Clippers are slowly getting some bodies back. Besides getting Lue back on the bench from health and safety protocols last week, Ivica Zubac was cleared from protocols, while Nicolas Batum also was able to make his way back from injury. But with Paul George (elbow), Luke Kennard (protocols) and Isaiah Hartenstein (ankle) still out, Lue has his work cut out to keep the Clippers from sinking further out of the playoff race. — Youngmisuk

18. Washington Wizards
2021-22 record: 20-20
Previous ranking: 15

Washington continues to play .500 ball, but reinforcements are here. Rui Hachimura is finally back after missing nearly half the season due to personal reasons. Montrezl Harrell is out of health and safety protocols and Thomas Bryant is nearing a return. Kyle Kuzma also is playing some of the best basketball of his career, fresh off a 27-point, 22-rebound effort to help Washington win at Orlando. At 20-20, Washington hovers around a playoff spot, currently at ninth in the East. — Youngmisuk

19. Boston Celtics
2021-22 record: 19-21
Previous ranking: 17

Boston continues to underwhelm and has been unable to get its offense going consistently no matter what combination of players has been available this season. One possible sign for optimism, however, is that the team has its core healthy for an extended stretch for the first time this season. — Bontemps

20. New York Knicks
2021-22 record: 19-21
Previous ranking: 21

New York has managed to go 7-5 in its past 12 games despite a rash of COVID-19 cases and injuries, including missing Kemba Walker, Evan Fournier and Derrick Rose for Saturday’s loss in Boston. For the Knicks to take any further steps forward, however, they’ll need RJ Barrett and Julius Randle to start shooting closer to what they did last season, when they were over 40% from 3-point range, as opposed to the low 30s they find themselves at this season. — Bontemps

21. Atlanta Hawks
2021-22 record: 17-22
Previous ranking: 20

On Jan. 3, Trae Young had 56 points and 14 assists in a loss to the Trail Blazers. His 14 assists were the most in any 55-plus-point game in NBA history. He also became the third-youngest player in NBA history (23 years, 106 days) to have a 50-point, 10-assist game, behind Kevin Porter (20 years, 360 days in 2001) and LeBron James (23 years, 66 days in 2008). — Lopez

22. San Antonio Spurs
2021-22 record: 15-24
Previous ranking: 22

Dejounte Murray missed five games for San Antonio due to the league’s health and safety protocols and reconditioning. As soon as he was back in the starting lineup, the Spurs snapped a four-game losing streak. In three games since his return, Murray is averaging 22.7 points, 11 assists, 7.7 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game. — Lopez

23. Sacramento Kings
2021-22 record: 16-26
Previous ranking: 23

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Sacramento dropped its fourth straight to fall 10 games below .500, getting blown out by Portland on Sunday. The Kings were 6-11 when head coach Luke Walton was fired and have gone 10-15 since. — McMenamin

24. Indiana Pacers
2021-22 record: 15-25
Previous ranking: 24

Lance Stephenson had a triumphant return to Indiana this week in his third career stint with the Pacers and first games with the franchise since 2018. In four games, he averaged 14.3 points and six assists on 55.8% shooting, including a 30-point game off the bench on Wednesday against Brooklyn, helping inject some life into Pacers fans with whom he long ago formed a special connection. — Collier

25. Portland Trail Blazers
2021-22 record: 15-24
Previous ranking: 25

Already without Damian Lillard (abdomen) and CJ McCollum, the Blazers lost Norman Powell to health and safety protocols. But Anfernee Simons scored 31 points to help Portland beat Sacramento and at least give the Blazers something to feel good about. Portland entered Sunday having lost 16 of its previous 21 games. After a home game against the Nets and a fresh Kyrie Irving, the Blazers hit the road for six straight. It will continue to be the Simons show if Lillard and McCollum don’t return anytime soon. — Youngmisuk

26. New Orleans Pelicans
2021-22 record: 14-25
Previous ranking: 26

Josh Hart has scored in double figures in 12 consecutive games, the longest streak of his career. His previous high was nine, when he was with the Lakers, and his previous best with New Orleans was just four games. In those 12 games, Hart is averaging 15.8 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists while shooting 55.4% from the field and 35.6% from deep. — Lopez

27. Oklahoma City Thunder
2021-22 record: 13-26
Previous ranking: 27

The Thunder are 0-for-2022, losing all four games in January, but rookie Josh Giddey has been quite a bright spot. Giddey is averaging 12.8 points, 10.0 rebounds and 8.3 assists during the four-game losing streak. For the season, the teenager leads all rookies in assists (6.4 per game), is third in rebounds (7.5) and is eighth in scoring (11.1). — MacMahon

28. Houston Rockets
2021-22 record: 11-30
Previous ranking: 28

The Rockets are 3-14 since their stunning seven-game winning streak was snapped. Houston’s defense has been especially horrific during that span, as the Rockets have allowed 122.8 points per 100 possessions, the primary reason that 11 of the 14 losses have been by double-digit margins. — MacMahon

29. Detroit Pistons
2021-22 record: 8-30
Previous ranking: 30

A roller-coaster week for the Pistons began with an upset victory over the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, back-to-back blowout losses to Charlotte and Memphis by a combined 59 points, and a victory over the Magic in a matchup of the league’s two worst teams. — Collier

30. Orlando Magic
2021-22 record: 7-34
Previous ranking: 29

Orlando has lost nine in a row and is struggling to find any rhythm at all. A small bright spot? Gary Harris is averaging 20 points per game over his first five contests of 2022. — Friedell

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LAS VEGAS — As the Blackhawks searched for a last-minute tying goal Thursday against the Coyotes, having pulled Marc-Andre Fleury for an extra attacker, five of the players on the ice were predictable: Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat, Jonathan Toews, Kirby Dach and Seth Jones.

The sixth player, however, was an eyebrow-raiser: MacKenzie Entwistle.

The Hawks’ late push fell short; the Coyotes sealed their win. But interim coach Derek King’s choice to send out Entwistle, who’d scored just his fifth career NHL goal earlier that game, was nonetheless notable.

“It’s better when he’s that middle-lane-drive guy, net-front guy,” King said the next day. “We had him on the six-on-five because he picks up loose pucks and he’s a big body. If he continues to do those little things, he’ll score some goals for us.”

Entwistle generated some buzz as the Cinderella of training camp, unexpectedly making the Hawks’ opening day roster.

Since then, the 22-year-old forward hasn’t received nearly as much public attention — but under the radar, he has continued to grow in relevance. With four goals and three assists for seven points in 19 games, averaging 11:26 ice time, he actually ranks third on the team — behind only Brandon Hagel and Kane — in even strength points per minute.

As interim general manager Kyle Davidson begins to determine which of the Hawks’ many bottom-six forwards are worth keeping, Entwistle’s ability to both score and grind might help set him apart. (So will his affordable $800,000 salary cap hit on a two-year contract extension that kicks in next summer.)

“He plays the right way, that north-south game, [and] he hangs around the net a little more,” King said. “That skill level of his, his hands around the net, they’re going to pay off for him.”

On one hand, there are some indications Entwistle’s sneaky-significant production rate might not be sustainable.

He’s scored his four goals on just 13 shots on goal — a ridiculous 30.8% shooting percentage. In fact, he has zero shots on goal in 12 of his 19 appearances, which is concerning. His advanced possession stats are rather awful, too: he ranks last on the team in both shot-attempt ratio (38.0%) and scoring-chance ratio (39.1%) at even strength.

On the other hand, Entwistle has the combination of size, soft hands and magnetism toward the net that seemingly make him an ideal third- or fourth-line winger. His skating previously seemed like the big obstacle that could prevent him from reaching that ceiling, but he has tremendously improved in that regard over the past two years.

“This league is so fast, the guys are big and strong, everyone can skate, everyone can move, so working on that in the summer was definitely good,” Entwistle said. “It’s definitely nice to get rewarded and see [how] my skating is definitely better than last year.”

One factor was reducing his weight — on his 6-3, broad-shouldered frame — from 205 pounds a year ago to 190-195 pounds now.

“My game is a power forward game, playing down low, so I wanted to put on weight, but I just put on the wrong weight,” he said. “I changed my diet [to have] less carbs and lighter lunches — that was the key for me.”

This season’s remaining 47 games, while largely irrelevant for the Hawks organizationally, will be crucial for certain players, and Entwistle sits near the top of that list. He’ll have to prove he can maintain this level of impact over a much larger sample size.

But considering where he was 12 — or even six — months ago, he has put himself in an interesting position.

“[In] this league, especially as a young guy, you can’t be comfortable, and I know that,” he said. “I just want to keep playing how I’m playing and having confidence and taking advantage of being in the lineup every single night.”

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