4 fast starts people aren't talking about

The early season has had its fair share of surprises, but here are four that are flying under the radar

No time to waste today. Gotta cut out some construction paper facial hair to tape to my TV in preparation for the mustache game. The rules are simple: every time the mustache perfectly rests on a talking head’s upper lip, you have to drink. There’s nothing quite like the thrill of the mustache almost landing, anticipation in your living room growing as the person on the telly starts to fidget a little bit… and then it finally hits. If you’ve ever seen this scene from The Office, the energy is a lot like that.

So, yeah, the premise is in the header. Be civil to each other tomorrow. Let’s go.

Bilal Coulibaly, Washington Wizards

In my 19 unlikely-but-plausible predictions column before the season, I was high on the defensive-minded 20-year-old, writing that he could potentially average 15 points per game this season (nearly double his eight-point rookie average).

Well, through six games, he’s making me look conservative.

Coulibaly is scoring nearly 18 points per game on just 11 field goal attempts, efficiency numbers to make Henry Ford proud. He’s blowing away his rookie marks on both an absolute and a per-possession basis in every offensive category that matters, including 44% three-point shooting on more than four attempts per game.

Beyond the box score, his game has diversified: Synergy says a full third of his possessions come as the pick-and-roll ballhandler, up from 10% his rookie year. That’s a crazy leap!

Coulibaly is oozing confidence, and he now has a peppy enough handle to take advantage of mismatches and make plays for himself and others:

The youngster is also 19-for-21 at the rim, better than dunk-only players like Daniel Gafford, Jalen Duren, and pretty much anyone else.

Between Coulibaly, Jordan Poole’s improved play, and the various rookies (Kyshawn George had six triples in the second half last night after going 0-for-5 in the first! Alex Sarr has blocked at least two shots in every game of his career so far! Bub Carrington’s throwing hit-aheads like he’s a skinny Kyle Lowry!), the Wizards are far more fun than they have any right to be.

RJ Barrett and Gradey Dick, Toronto Raptors

Speaking of unexpectedly enjoyable teams, let’s move to the Toronto Raptors.

Injuries have scuttled tentpole players Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley, which has opened the door for a different pair of maple leaves to take charge.

RJ Barrett has vacuumed up much of the missing usage, and he’s the league’s 12th-leading scorer, but his efficiency has wobbled under so much burden (a combined 15-for-47 in his last two games). Luckily, for arguably the first time in his career, Barrett has become a legitimately positive playmaker for others.

Here’s a fun fact: Barrett has cracked double-digit assists twice in his 334 career games. They’ve both come within the last week, as he dropped 12 against the Lakers on November 1st and 10 last night against Denver. His 35.8% assist rate is higher than Luka Doncic and Tyrese Haliburton.

The ball is in Barrett’s hands more than ever, but unlike in previous years, he hasn’t had tunnel vision (although he still gets up boatloads of shots). He’s hitting guys with perfect pocket passes, threading needles like Rumpelstiltskin: