After an offseason that felt too long and left most of us with withdrawal symptoms, the first two days of NBA opening week are behind us.
So, here are some WAY too early insights from 30 hours of hoops, because… well, why not?
Tough start for the Knicks’ new signings
The New York Knicks may have major shooting concerns. Mikal Bridges’ jersey change is extremely disheartening and has heightened concerns. His shooting motion is almost divided into three actions, none of which seem to play well together. He slowly lifts the ball above his head, initiates the power build from his legs and then almost pushes the shot towards the basket.
Bridges had a better second half against the Celtics, but the jumper remains a big question mark going forward, especially since he was considered one of the cleanest players in the NBA. If Bridges wants to become a dramatically worse shooter this season, New York’s starting five will have to rely heavily on Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns for all their spacing needs. If only they had someone like Donte DiVincenzo.
There’s also the issue of New York using Towns for drop coverage, which wasn’t great. But that could be more of a Celtics thing than a Knicks thing. Time will tell if Tom Thibodeau continues this strategy.
A hot start for the defending champions
As for the Celtics, they’ve apparently decided to keep playing like the Celtics, which seems like a pretty good strategy. They seemed to have made one major adjustment, however, as they looked even more aggressive in looking for the 3-ball, helping 29 of those bad boys tie the league record for most goals in a match.
It’s extremely hard to see that as a bad thing when you look at their shooting ability and the steady stream of players they keep throwing at opponents who can stretch the floor.
The NBA hasn’t seen a returning champion since 2018, but these Celtics are doing everything they can to be seen as the team that will break the onesie streak.
Historic night, ugly win for Lakers
The Lakers won an ugly game against the Wolves that would have been wildly forgettable had LeBron James and Bronny James not made NBA history.
The father/son duo took the floor together, marking the first time we’ve ever seen two generations share the field at the same time. It was a sweet and wholesome moment that the James family will cherish forever. For fans: was it history or hype? We’ll let Vincent Goodwill answer that.
Early returns on Randle’s affair with Wolves
As expected, Julius Randle appears to be the odd man out in Minnesota. He didn’t play poorly, but that frontcourt of his, Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels, is craving some space that no one can really utilize.
Fortunately for Randle and the Wolves in general, there are still 81 games to get everything right, and they at least got solid games from Anthony Edwards and Naz Reid, both of whom will have to carry the offense more often than not this season. . (It didn’t help that McDaniels couldn’t stay on the floor and committed five fouls in 16 minutes. He remains his own worst enemy.)
What the Sixers look like without Embiid, George
Tyrese Maxey gave us a glimpse of what we can expect from him if Joel Embiid and Paul George both miss games. Maxey took 31 shots – so 10 – and searched the ground for his shot almost every time.
We might have to get used to Maxey finishing games with a sore shooting arm, because Embiid may never play back-to-backs again, and because George himself isn’t exactly a pillar of health.
Speaking of health…
The NBA forgot to factor out injuries, with Immanuel Quickley, James Wiseman and Brandon Miller all leaving games on Wednesday. Dejounte Murray broke his hand, which is terrible news for the Pelicans, who were already without Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy.
The league was already in a bit of a bad place health-wise, entering the season with several key players, including Embiid, George and former Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, absent at the start of the season. Big yak.
But it was good to see LaVine and Ball back on the field
Zach LaVine, who missed the end of last season after foot surgery, reminded fans how nasty a scorer he can be, knocking down five triples in the first half, most off the dribble and in a steady rhythm, and the to woo and amaze players. Pelicans crowd around. The LaVine criticism was always too loud.
Speaking of the Bulls, it looks like Lonzo Ball is moving pretty well. That doesn’t mean he’ll play every game this season, nor does it mean he won’t have any issues after a 1,006-day layoff, but it’s certainly encouraging to see him on the floor.
Breakout year for Duren in Detroit?
Pistons center Jalen Duren is looking noticeably better defensively, playing with his feet instead of his hands and making sharper defensive rotations.
That’s understatedly huge for Detroit this season, as the young center is already one of the best rebounders in the league and a developing scorer. If he breaks out, it will dramatically change the Pistons’ trajectory.
Pelicans rookie shines in debut
The Pelicans, as planned, are actively looking to increase their 3-point ratio and look for plays to generate quality looks. They didn’t reach the magic number of 40 attempts that head coach Willie Green expected of them, but given how effectively they scored around the rim against the Bulls, that was clearly a mid-game adjustment.
Encouragingly, the Pelicans got some quality minutes from rookie Yves Missi against Chicago, as he scored 12 points, grabbed seven rebounds, blocked three shots and looked every bit like the defensive beast he was billed as before the draft. After a full season of fans wondering who could fill a big role at center for them this season, they may have their answer.
Magic comes out shooting
The Orlando Magic are another team clearly trying to increase their three-point percentage, and did so by jacking up 49 long-range attempts against Miami, finding any excuse to launch and actively looking for the shot in both transition and through the half court. execution. That’s three more than they attempted in any game last season.
If the Magic can somehow balance their already elite defense with top-tier floor space, it’s a strong recipe for a higher level in the playoffs.
The best-case scenario begins for Brooklyn
The Nets, a team that everyone expects to play to death this season to maximize their chances for Cooper Flagg, looked surprisingly competitive against the Atlanta Hawks. The ball was moving, they battled on defense and probably scared the entire city of Brooklyn by keeping the game close.
Losing games after competitive efforts is without a doubt the best-case scenario for the Nets this season as they don’t have a player on the roster to build around. They will draft players, but if they can start their rebuild without giving up their competitiveness, that’s a win.
