Community Joke: Early Season Trends | Hoops Rumors

The NBA season started just 11 days ago, which means it’s too early to draw any sweeping conclusions about what’s happened so far.

However, a quick glance at the standings shows some expected results. Current champion Celtics again started strongly with a score of 5-1. Thunderwidely considered to be the best team in the West, they are the only undefeated club remaining in the conference with a 5–0 record.

On the other end of the spectrum, projected lottery teams such as Trail Blazers (2-4) and Jazz (0-5) are in last place in the Western Conference standings, and Predators And Pistons (both 1-5) bring up the rear in the East.

However, there are several records that are more surprising. We understand Cavaliers would have been among the contenders for the East, but at first they performed even better than expected – their record was 6-0, the best record in the NBA.

Other potential rivals in the East such as Pacers (2-4) and Bucks (1-4) start much slower. In particular, the performance of Milwaukee botheredgiven the disappointing finish to the 2023/24 season. Damian LillardHis form in his second year with the Bucks doesn’t look any smoother than his first year, and the team is in dire need of a healthy player. Khris Middletonwho has yet to make his season debut after missing 74 games over the last two seasons.

In the West, several teams led by former MVPs (Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and LeBron James) are off to strong starts. Sun (4-1), Warriors (4-1) and Lakers (4-2) sits in the top four spots in the standings heading into Saturday’s games. New head coaches Mike Budenholzer And JJ Redick appear to be making a positive impact in Phoenix and Los Angeles, respectively, while Golden State’s depth has been a major asset so far.

On the other hand, after a disappointing offseason in which they lost their starting shooting guard. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency and faced questions about the rookie’s suitability Russell Westbrook and health Jamal Murray, Nuggets they are just 2-3 and needed overtime to beat Toronto and Brooklyn. Nikola Jokic is playing at his usual MVP level but not getting enough help, and Westbrook (.244 FG%, .200 3PT%) and Murray (.370 FG%, .304 3PT%) have done little to answer those questions so far. off-season issues.

Again, with the caveat that the sample size is small, we want to hear your take on the first week and a half of the season.

Which fall trends are you taking seriously, and which ones do you think will be short-lived? Which struggling teams and players should be concerned, and which simply need more time to succeed? Which clubs that started off strong are legitimate and which do you think will come back down to earth?

Head over to the comments section below to have your say!