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1 emoji for every NBA team: Early-season edition

theScore

We use emojis every day to express our feelings or to illustrate a point.

Feeling cheeky? 😜 Rebellious? 😈 Spicy? 🌶 Ready for vacation? 🏝

With the 2018-19 season at the quarter mark, let's use our emoji vocabulary to describe the NBA's 30 teams.

Atlanta Hawks - 🐣

The Hawks have some intriguing young talent in Trae Young, Taurean Prince, and John Collins, and a promising coach in Lloyd Pierce, but it will be a while before they learn how to fly. Atlanta owns a 5-17 record and boasts the worst point differential the league has seen in five years. Young, meanwhile, is shooting 38 percent from the field and 25 percent from deep.

Boston Celtics - 🤷

A disappointing record (11-10) through 21 games is one thing, but it's the Celtics' offensive process that leaves us asking what Brad Stevens and Co. are up to. Stevens has too many capable offensive playmakers, scorers, and shooters at his disposal for this team to be settling for so many mediocre looks and stagnant possessions.

Brooklyn Nets - 🤓

Contrary to the Celtics, Brooklyn has the process right, just without the talent to complete the execution. Kenny Atkinson's Nets play a nice brand of nerd-ball. They force more long-twos than any other defense, and on the offensive end, see 38.5 percent of their shots come from deep (sixth) while only wasting 5.7 percent of their shots on long twos, themselves. Unfortunately, they're still 8-14.

Charlotte Hornets - 🚶

Does any emoji personify Kemba Walker's career in Charlotte quite like this lonely, wandering man? Walker, who has yet to play with an active All-Star or in a second-round playoff series, is averaging 27.4 points, 6.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals on 44-38-84 shooting for a Hornets team that remains painfully mediocre.

Chicago Bulls - 🐮

Emojipedia labels this "a friendly-looking cow face," which seems appropriate for a Bulls team that isn't intimidating anyone, having lost six games by at least 19 points already as part of a 5-17 start. Everyone knew the Friendly Cows' defense would be porous, but it's their 29th-ranked offense that should have Fred Hoiberg on the hot seat given he has some talent to work with on that end.

Cleveland Cavaliers - 💔

Still reeling from the departure of LeBron James, the Cavs' season plunged further into the abyss when Love was lost - literally and figuratively. Collin Sexton and his teammates have been more competitive over the last week or so, but check out their remaining schedule in 2018 and see if you can pick out even four or five more wins before the new year. Yikes.

Dallas Mavericks - 🔌

Rick Carlisle doesn't need much talent to scrape some wins together, and (with all due respect to DeAndre Jordan) Luka Doncic has provided the necessary spark to electrify this roster. The 19-year-old pick-and-roll maestro is averaging 19.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and a steal to fuel a 7-1 stretch that has the Mavericks over .500 and in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race.

Denver Nuggets - 🃏

As improved as the Nuggets are, everything still comes down to the Joker, for better or worse. The good: In addition to averaging 16.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.4 steals, Nikola Jokic is on track to join Wilt Chamberlain as the only centers to average seven-plus assists in a season. The bad: Jokic remains too passive hunting his own offense, his poor 3-point shooting lends itself to concerns that his accuracy last season was the blip on the radar, and for the first time in his career, Denver is better with him off the court.

Detroit Pistons - 😐

Behind Andre Drummond, Blake Griffin, and Dwane Casey, the Pistons are off to a solid enough start. But look below the surface and you'll find Detroit has faced the league's easiest schedule to date, is only outscoring opponents by 1.1 points per game, and is well on its way to the very average season we all envisioned. Hence the neutral face.

Golden State Warriors - 😒👨‍🍳

We'll give the back-to-back champions two emojis. They've earned it. The side eye represents the simmering tension between Draymond Green and Kevin Durant, as well as our collective reaction to every complaint Durant has these days. The chef represents the only remedy for the Warriors' woes; the return of Steph Curry.

Houston Rockets - 🙃

The Rockets have been turned upside down thanks to a perplexing offseason. A team that won 65 games and had the Warriors on the ropes in the West finals replaced Trevor Ariza, Luc Mbah a Moute, and Ryan Anderson with Carmelo Anthony (already gone), Michael Carter-Williams (out of the rotation), Marquese Chriss (out of the rotation), Brandon Knight (hasn't played in a year-and-a-half) and Isaiah Hartenstein, as well as James Ennis and Gary Clark, who are at least giving them something on the defensive end.

Houston went from a versatile juggernaut able to attack and defend in a variety of ways to a stale team scrambling to find any semblance of capable NBA rotation talent to complement its stars.

Indiana Pacers - 😴

If you're wondering why it feels like we're all sleeping on the Pacers again, it's probably because of their boring consistency. Indiana's on pace to slightly best their 48-win mark from a year ago, but the team doesn't rip off any crazy win streaks (season high: 3) or fall into any prolonged slumps (season-high losing streak: 2), and its methodical offense is perfectly average, ranking 14th in efficiency and 16th in pace.

The Pacers are a good defensive team with a solid roster topped by an All-Star, and they should find themselves somewhere between fourth and sixth in the East. That's fine, it's just not particularly interesting.

Los Angeles Clippers - ⭐

For as impressive as the Clippers have been so far, they remain a deep team of good-to-very-good players, without a truly great talent to top it all off. Their star-struck eyes remain firmly entrenched on 2019's free-agent class.

Los Angeles Lakers - 👑

LeBron took his talents to Hollywood, and Lakers fans now know what Cavs fans felt like all those years watching King James elevate a flawed supporting cast. None of L.A.'s youngsters have popped yet - JaVale McGee has been this team's clear-cut second-best player - yet the Lakers have won nine of 13 thanks to LeBron's MVP-caliber play.

Memphis Grizzlies - 👷

After a brief hiatus last season, the Grizzlies are back to their workmanlike ways. Mike Conley's healthy again, Marc Gasol went from washed up to reborn Defensive Player of the Year candidate overnight, and Jaren Jackson Jr. looks like one of the league's most promising and complete rookies.

Miami Heat - ❄️⚡

It may seem disingenuous to label a top-10 3-point shooting team ice cold, but the Heat rank 29th in overall field-goal percentage, 29th in free-throw percentage, 24th in effective field-goal percentage, and 27th in true shooting percentage.

The lightning bolt represents the one saving grace about Heat basketball right now; watching a retiring Dwyane Wade occasionally turn back the clock to his "Flash" days.

Milwaukee Bucks - 💡

The light bulb finally went on in Milwaukee. Mike Budenholzer has helped the Bucks figure out that surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo with a bevy of shooters makes The Greek Freak unstoppable, and the Bucks a legitimate Eastern Conference contender.

Minnesota Timberwolves - 🌹

The Jimmy Butler saga is over and Andrew Wiggins' contract looks worse by the day, but the story surrounding the Timberwolves right now is Derrick Rose. The former MVP has found on-court value again by emerging as an efficient offensive force for the first time in years. Rose is averaging 19 points on an unbelievable 49-49-86 shooting - good for a career-high effective field-goal percentage (56.1) and true shooting percentage (60.1).

New Orleans Pelicans - 🏃

You'd think a team as reliant on three bigs as the Pelicans are would be slowing it down, but they just keep running. After leading the league in pace last season, New Orleans has managed to cut a half-second off its average possession this year while adding 3.3 extra possessions year over year.

New York Knicks - ⌚

Seven wins from 23 games may actually be more than The Garden thought they'd have to cheer about, but this season remains a waiting game and test of patience for the Knicks. For now, they are content to sit back as the seconds tick toward the eventual return of Kristaps Porzingis, the draft lottery, and July 1.

Oklahoma City Thunder - ⛔

Despite an 0-4 start and Russell Westbrook missing eight games already, the Thunder have managed to impress so far this season thanks in large part to their top-ranked defense (and Paul George). While the NBA enjoys an offensive explosion boosted by historic efficiency, OKC has posted the best defensive rating the league has seen in three years.

Orlando Magic - 🇲🇪💪

Nikola Vucevic looks like a legit All-Star, with the Montenegran big man averaging 20.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.1 blocks, and a steal on an astounding 55-39-89 shooting. If he keeps that up, the Magic should be able to stave off their annual free fall and hang around the East playoff race.

Philadelphia 76ers - 😅

The Sixers have had a lot to sweat about in only 23 games. The guy they selected No. 1 overall last year forgot how to shoot, they traded a couple key rotation pieces for a pending free agent, and they've been involved in 12 games decided by six points or less, including four overtime games, leaving them with exactly 2,511 points scored and 2,511 points conceded entering Wednesday's game against the Knicks.

The fact they're 9-3 in those 12 games and 15-8 overall, however, means they can smile through the sweat, thanks in large part to Butler's heroics.

Phoenix Suns - 🤢

Someone was going to get the nauseous emoji, and the Suns certainly fit the bill. The Cavs, Bulls, and Hawks haven't been much better, but considering the Suns planned for at least semi-relevance this season, their opening quarter has been a disaster. They rank 28th in offense, 27th in defense, and 29th in rebounding, leaving Phoenix as the only West team who hasn't jumped into what looks like a wild playoff race.

Portland Trail Blazers - 🕛

Jusuf Nurkic and a surprisingly competent bench have proven a fine supporting cast for the Trail Blazers' star backcourt thus far, propelling them to a top-five record in the West. This script has become clockwork. Portland, coming off an underwhelming playoff performance, is discounted by pundits entering the season, only to win 40-something games as the most predictable West playoff team.

Sacramento Kings - 🔔

This is the closest emoji to a cowbell, which represents the fact that the Kings haven't had this much to cheer about since the cowbell era. De'Aaron Fox is an early candidate for Most Improved Player, while Willie Cauley-Stein, Buddy Hield, and rookie Marvin Bagley are each earning their place as foundational building blocks moving forward.

The Kings haven't made the playoffs in 13 years, haven't won more than 33 games in over a decade, and don't own their first-round pick this year. Finding and developing blue-chip prospects internally was their only hope, and it looks like they may have done just that.

San Antonio Spurs - 👴

The old man pictured above doesn't just represent the fifth-oldest roster in the Association. It represents the end of the road for the Spurs' two-decade run of dominance and consistency. It's also fitting of San Antonio's antiquated offense, which sees a greater share of field-goal attempts from the midrange and long-two areas than any other team while sitting dead last in terms of the percentage of attempts that come from 3-point territory.

In addition, only two teams (Cleveland and Memphis) boast slower offenses, and the Spurs' defensive abilities are downright geriatric, especially without Dejounte Murray's services.

Toronto Raptors - 😎

Everything's cool in Toronto, where the league-leading Raptors have managed 18 wins from 22 games while finding plenty of rest for Kawhi Leonard and despite the fact they've been one of the league's most banged-up teams. The Raptors seem particularly at ease when compared to some of their rival contenders; the Celtics and Rockets have barely managed to stay above .500, while the Warriors nearly self-immolated without Curry.

Utah Jazz - 😞

The Jazz entered the season with hopes of a top-two seed and a spot in the West finals. Instead, they're about to embark on a brutal stretch of schedule - 18 of their next 19 games either come on the road or against 2018 playoff teams - while occupying 13th place in a conference that's as competitive as ever.

Their offense regressing after a surprising season is one thing, but the concern is on the other end, where last year's top-ranked defense has slipped to 13th. Rudy Gobert, especially, looks like a shadow of the player who earned Defensive Player of the Year a season ago, and a usually formidable home-court advantage hasn't held up, with the Jazz losing six of eight in Utah. As a result, they edge out the Celtics for the "disappointed face" emoji.

Washington Wizards - 👋

A predictably dysfunctional start in D.C. should finally see the Wizards waving goodbye to at least one of John Wall (if anyone's willing to take on what looks like a disastrous contract), Bradley Beal, or Otto Porter, in addition to one or both of president Ernie Grunfeld and head coach Scott Brooks.

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