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The NBA Season is almost a month old now and we can see some trends forming. The teams expected to perform are performing and the team expected to be bad are bad. However, this season has already given us its' fair share of surprises already. After a wild offseason, this start was just what the NBA needed to keep the fans' engrossed in the new season.
So, let's have a look at the biggest surprises so far.
#10 What's up with Kyle Lowry?
In the offseason, Kyle Lowry re-signed for the Raptors on a 3-year deal for 100 million dollars. He had averaged career highs in scoring, rebounding, FG% and 3PFG% last season. Heading into the new season there was no reason to expect Lowry will not play at his usual level, but sadly that's not been the case.
He's averaging only 13.4 PPG (a drop of almost 10 points from last season), 35.1% from 3, a number which hasn't been this low since the time he was a squad player with the Rockets and only 40% from the field. He's also averaging 0.6 Steals per game after averaging 1.75 Steals per game in his last 3 seasons with the Raptors. But, the biggest change in his numbers has been the fact that he is only taking 1.8 Free Throws per game down from 6.1 Free Throw attempts last year.
Such a drop off for an elite FT shooter is likely to affect his numbers, something which Russell Westbrook is suffering from as well (he's only taking 6.0 FT from 10.4 last year).
However, the plus point is that Lowry's performances haven't affected the Raptors as a whole. They're 7-5 on the season and when Lowry starts performing back to his usual level, things will only go up for them.
#9 Andre Drummond hitting Free Throws
After the end of last season, there were 3 certainties in life. Life. Death. Andre Drummond missing Free Throws. Fast forward to today, he's shooting 63.2% from the charity stripe, a number which would be around 75% had it not been for an off-night a couple of games back.
Drummond's Free Throw shooting struggles have been well documented. He has the lowest FT% among active players. Due to his free throw struggles, teams often targeted him using the Hack-a-Shaq technique to rob Detroit of key offensive possessions which often prompted Stan Van Gundy to take Drummond out of close games in the final stretch so Detroit would have a chance to win.
It's not as if the Pistons' didn't work on Drummond and his shooting woes. They sat for countless hours reviewing the film. They even made him try VR to improve his FT shooting but nothing worked. In the end, Drummond went back to his old trainer who helped him prepare for the 2012 NBA draft. They went back to the basics and threw countless shots working on his game.
The result? An improved Drummond. Not just a better FT shooter but also a guy who can defend with all his heart, rebound the ball 20 times in a game and attack the rim with a new found ferocity. This has also rubbed off on his teammates and the Detroit Pistons currently have the 2nd best record in the East at 10-3.
#8 Porzingis entering superstar status
After a turbulent off-season which culminated in the Knicks trading Carmelo Anthony, the message was clear. The Knicks have officially handed the keys to their organization to Kristaps Porzingis. In response, Porzingis has been particularly brilliant, averaging 30.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game on 51.3 percent shooting from the field, including 41.1 percent from the three-point arc leading the Knicks to a 7-5 start.
If Porzingis keeps piling up numbers at that pace, he will join Bob McAdoo as the only players in league history to average at least 30 points, seven boards and two blocks over the course of a season.
Also read: NBA's Top 5 versatile new-age big men
Many expected Porzingis to take a leap this season, but to take a leap this huge which has him in the MVP conversation wasn't expected. There's a legitimate chance that he can lead the Knicks to a playoff berth this season and if he does then he'll rightfully be considered one of the best players in the league. Among other things, he would've proved Phil Jackson right, that the Knicks were better without Carmelo Anthony.
As for Porzingis, he's staying humble. He says, "I'm slowly earning the respect of other superstars in the league, but still have a long way to go to prove that I can be of those guys in the NBA."
#7 Giannis Reaching A Whole New Level Without An Outside Shot
Nothing new can be said about this Freak of Nature. He owns Basketball games. You see he's having an off night, so you check the score. He's scored 25 or so points. This is his excellence in the game. He's the heir to LeBron James. And, he's just 22. Imagine how good he'll be when he's 25.
The only chink in his armor, he doesn't have a 3 point shot. Not so long ago, he infamously passed up an open 3 against the Toronto Raptors in game 6 of the first round of last season's playoffs. He instead attacked the paint. Toronto marauded the paint. The result: Milwaukee lost and was eliminated from the playoffs. So, many believed that the only way Giannis will reach LeBron's level was a 3 point shot. Well, that's not been the case.
He's averaging 31.7 Points per game on 59.4% shooting to go with 10.4 rebounds (all 3 are career highs), 1.8 blocks and 1.4 steals per game. That's MVP level production. He has reached a new level. Imagine how good he can be with a 3 point shot in his arsenal. That's some voodoo level Freakiness there. Let's just leave that to the imagination and enjoy him tearing NBA defenses apart.
#6 The Fight Between Portis and Mirotic
The morning of Oct 17, just hours before the NBA Season was to begin, an incident inside the Chicago Bulls' practice facility sent shockwaves through the NBA. Per a report from ESPN :
The players had been talking trash to one another in practice, going back and forth before those exchanges escalated into a physical encounter, league sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Mirotic charged at Portis twice before Portis threw a punch and connected with Mirotic's face, league sources said. Mirotic dropped to the floor and lay there for several minutes before getting up, league sources said.
Mirotic was left with a fractured face and a concussion and he hasn't made his debut this season yet. Portis was suspended for 8 games. He later apologized for his actions to his teammates, the Bulls' fans and more importantly to Mirotic. However, Mirotic has yet to accept Portis' apology, even though Portis has reached out to him a few more times. Mirotic has also demanded that the organization trade one of them. However, members of the locker room prefer Portis over Mirotic, according to a report from the Chicago Sun-Times.
“This is Niko’s problem now,” one player told the Sun-Times when asked about the situation. The Bulls players see what Portis did as wrong, but they’ve also seen that he’s tried to make amends with Mirotic despite his efforts being rebuffed.
Along with his initial apology, the report said, Portis has reached out to Mirotic via text and in a phone message but never received a response. The only thing Mirotic has done so far is demand that one of the two be traded, according to reports.
#5 Cousins and Davis are beginning to form a partnership
Entering the season, not many expected the New Orleans Pelicans to be good. It seems Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins have different plans. Cousins has been averaging career highs with 28.7 PPG, 13.8 RPG, 5.7 APG, 1.8 BPG and is having his best shooting season since 2013-14 which was his breakout season. He looks like a genuine triple-double guy every game and has been very good defensively as well and has been matched by Anthony Davis every step of the way.
Anthony Davis has been nothing short of great this season. He's averaging 27.3 PPG, 12.8 RPG (a career-high), 2.1 BPG and is having his best shooting season yet (56% from the field: 5 % up from his career average). He has even added a 3-point shot and is shooting 39.4% beyond the arc. On defense, he has been a different beast altogether and has been a phenomenal leader as well.
The Pelicans are 7-6 to begin the season, a much-improved start compared to the last 2 seasons when they were 1-8 and 1-9 to begin the season and they still have Rajon Rondo to come back from injury and make his season debut. Things are on an upward swing for the Pelicans and they're proving that having big men as the stars to run the team isn't as bad as it was once thought of last season.
#4 The Orlando Magic's Start to the Season
A team with no franchise cornerstone to build around. A team with no major improvements made in the offseason. A team which finished 29-53 last season has started this season 8-5. A team which everybody expected to regress this season has suddenly shot up the charts. They're moving the ball well (3rd in Assists PG) and playing defense like there's no tomorrow. They're shooting the 3 ball extremely well. They're averaging 40.6 % beyond the 3 point arc. Only one team is averaging better from 3 point range, a certain team which has made shooting 3s their identity, the Golden State Warriors.
Their star in this start has been Aaron Gordon who's averaging 19.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG on 55.3% shooting beyond the 3 point arc! He appears to have taken a huge leap forward this season and might even be in the conversation for being an All-Star. Among others, Evan Fournier has been great and Nikola Vucevic has been playing with a renewed focus this season. Johnathon Simmons looks like a steal. He's making great contributions from the bench and is looking like a genuine 6th Man of the Year candidate.
A regression should be expected and they'll probably finish under .500 but until then, they'll surely be fun to watch.
#3 The Performance of the Rookies
Overall, this year's rookie class has been great. However, in some cases, it has been a disappointment. There are already some steals in the draft in the form of Donovan Mitchell, Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Bell and Semi Ojeleye. Players like Jayson Tatum, Lauri Markkanen, De' Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, Johnathon Issac, Josh Jackson, Dennis Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikina look like great selections for their respective teams, especially Tatum who looks like the best player from this rookie class. It appears as if Danny Ainge pulled off a masterstroke with trading away the No. 1 pick for the No. 3 pick and another future pick which appears to be a top 5 pick in the future and still picking up the best player in the draft.
On the other hand, Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball, the top 2 picks from the draft have been a huge disappointment, to say the least. Ball has been pretty bad, barring a game against Phoenix, and last night against the Bucks in which he had a triple-double.
Fultz's struggles have been in some part due to injury but he needs to improve vastly to become a legitimate NBA player, let alone the best pick from the draft.
Yet, this draft class appears the best in recent memory and players look like future All-Stars. It'll be great to see their development over the course of their NBA careers.
#2 The Cavaliers' defense
The Cleveland Cavaliers have the WORST defense in the League. A defense worse than the Phoenix Suns for Gods' sake. THE PHOENIX SUNS. Having the oldest squad in the league has robbed them of athleticism. They are unable to cope with rotations during Defensive Possessions switching not more than once or twice and the results are there for all to see.
Everyone saying Cavs' will be fine during the post-season is wrong. They won't win anything with that level of play. None of LeBron James' teams have played this bad in any season. It's the worst start a LeBron James' team has ever had. The egos in the locker room haven't helped either. J.R. Smith being upset at losing his starting spot won't do any favors to any team building exercises. And those saying that Isaiah Thomas is the answer to their struggles, well he won't be doing any help to their defensive schemes. He'll probably be the worst defender in their team.
So, the Cavs have to buck up otherwise they'll see their season fade into obscurity.
#1 The Celtics
5 minutes into the season, the Celtics lost Gordon Hayward, their best player for the season. Almost a month later, the Celtics are 12-2 with the best record in the NBA. They have played phenomenally well. Al Horford looks like an early favorite for Defensive Player of the Year. Kyrie Irving has shown he can be the true leader of a team and is just more than a scoring option. He has even committed to defense. However, the Celtics' success this season can't be attributed to these 2 players alone. The whole team has stepped up.
Only 4 players from last season's roster returned. 7 of the 14 players on the team are rookies. Barring Al Horford, no player has more than 6 years of NBA experience. A young team, hungry to succeed has been doing all the right things all season. They've played 2 games without Horford this season and yet they've won. One without Kyrie and the result is still the same. This next man up mentality has served them well so far and they can only go on an upward trajectory from here on now as the players will continue to improve in the spotlight.
Sterner tests await the Cs'. A game against the reigning champs awaits them on Wednesday night. This game will tell us a lot about the Celtics and whether are they for real and let us all hope so they are because a competitive Celtics team is sure fun to watch.
Guess the Lakers players!
