One takeaway from every team's first game

And a note about arrests

It’s been three days, and every team has played at least one game. We’ve had some epic matchups and freaky player performances already, and the league couldn’t have asked for a better opening week.

Well, on the court, at least. Because, off the court? It’s been a disaster. Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups were arrested for gambling, a sting which could widen in the coming weeks. It’s darkly funny, because the NBA just cleared Terry Rozier of wrongdoing, like, a month ago, even though there was plenty of circumstantial evidence suggesting otherwise. I’ve said before these NBA investigations are willfully ignorant at best and cover-ups at worst, and I stand by that.

Assuming that miraculously exculpatory evidence isn’t found, Rozier is certain to be banned from the league for life; it’s hard to imagine Billups won’t be, too. The fact that Billups, widely regarded as one of the highest-character guys in the league, was heavily involved in no-gooding has shaken the league. If Chauncey could be dirty, anyone could be! And there are just so many weak links involved in any sport — players, refs, and coaches, of course, but anyone who works in and around a team could be a problem to the game’s integrity.

Right now, it is mostly stupid people getting caught. One wonders what advanced techniques more sophisticated bad actors are using — and if they’re detectable at all.

I have a feeling this story will broaden in the coming weeks, so I’ll leave deeper thoughts for later, when we’ve had more time to digest the details. Let’s flip back to the game, where, thankfully, the basketball has been outrageously good so far.

Wemby is breaking the league! The Thunder have somehow played two double-overtime games! Everyone’s scoring 40+! The sheer number of on-court storylines has been hard to keep up with (particularly given the other distractions). I’m trying my best, and I’ve watched at least a quarter and usually more of every game so far. It’s like drinking from 30 different firehoses; I love it, but I’m also soaking wet and could use a nap.

One game doesn’t tell us much, but neither is it meaningless. Players and teams usually come out of the gate showcasing the philosophies they want to actualize this season (whether they’re capable of actualizing them is a different story).

It’s too early to dive deep, so here’s one thought on what I’ve seen from every team so far.

Atlanta Hawks: The transition defense jumped off the screen like the villain in a slasher movie, torturing my eyeballs. More than a quarter of foe Toronto’s possessions were in transition, which is wayyyy higher than any team averaged for the season last year. It’s hard to do much on either side if you’re not getting back in time to prevent easy layups. The good news is that transition defense is fixable, to an extent. The Hawks need to clean that up quickly if they want to live up to preseason expectations.

Boston Celtics: Losing to a shorthanded Philly team hurts, but as of now, I’m chalking this one up to bad shooting variance. The Celtics were just 26% from deep on their usual high volume of attempts. When the other team shoots 40%, as the Sixers did, that’s an almost insurmountable hill to climb.

The shooting should right itself eventually. Boston’s defense concerned me, however. The long list of offseason losses denuded the Celtics of several of their most important defenders, and they struggled to slow a Philly team missing Paul George and playing a grotesquely statuesque Joel Embiid. They gave up 34 points to a rookie!

One game, small sample, etc. But keep an eye on it.

Brooklyn Nets: The Nets somehow looked even worse than I expected, and I picked them to be both the league’s worst team and its worst watch. So the bar was high (or low, I guess).

But there was a silver lining. The team’s top draft pick, Egor Demin, looked very comfortable shooting from outside, going 4-for-6 from deep. Demin has a bit of an unusual skill/size combo, but his three-ball was a major question mark after he struggled to find net in his lone collegiate year. Both the volume and accuracy in his debut were noteworthy, however.

Charlotte Hornets: There’s not always a lot to take away from beating a team as bad as the Nets (the Hornets scored 77 points in the first half), but rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner had an impressive debut. He posted a double-double with two blocks and generally looked like a capable NBA center — something I didn’t expect to say about any of the Hornets’ big men.

He did have four turnovers and four fouls; he’s a rookie, after all. And there are plenty of questions about how he can defend on the perimeter against a more talented foe. But if Charlotte found even a low-end starting center in the second round, that’s a massive organizational win.

Chicago Bulls: I thought it was noteworthy that Billy Donovan started Isaac Okoro and Tre Jones, two defensive-minded players, in Coby White’s absence. Okoro had a classic Okoro game. He played 23 minutes and scored 0 points, but he largely locked up Cade Cunningham for much of the night, including on the critical game-tying shot:

Okoro is such an offensive liability that it’s hard to imagine him holding onto a starting role forever, but at least for one night, his strengths mattered more than his weaknesses. I like when that happens.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Do we believe in Evan Mobley’s shooting?

After taking major strides from beyond the arc last season (37% on 3.2 attempts per game), Mobley went 4-for-8 from deep in the Cavs’ opener. Mobley turning into an actual shooting threat could vault him into top-ten player consideration; that’s how good he is. I’m not a shot doctor, but the release looked a little quicker. It certainly looked confident!

Dallas Mavericks: I can’t believe it. Jason Kidd really started Cooper Flagg at point guard from Day One. Naturally, Flagg wasn’t ready to be a full-time point guard, and that’s fine! Asking a 19-year-old to play a brand new position at the NBA level (one that’s notoriously difficult for any rookie, much less one more used to playing power forward) was always ambitious. He had problems when Steph Castle pressured him high up the court, and he tends to telegraph his passes:

That’s all completely understandable, given that he’s learning a new position, a new offensive system, and a new league! But it won’t lead to short-term success. I’ve been way down on Dallas compared to consensus all summer, but I don’t think that’s really a bad thing. Remember, this is the last year they own their own pick for a long time. Making Flagg uncomfortable and forcing him to stretch himself can be beneficial — if it doesn’t irreparably break his confidence, something Kidd will need to monitor.

Denver Nuggets: The Nuggets looked a little out of sorts in their OT loss to the Warriors — except for Aaron Gordon, who started an astonishing 8-for-8 from downtown and finished with double-digit threes made en route to 50 points. (Shoutout to reader

Trust Dust

, who has been banging the “Aaron Gordon can shoot now” drum since last season. Maybe defenses will start to treat him like a sniper now!)

Cam Johnson’s debut was forgettable, and Jokic looked a little sluggish to me. Interestingly, the bench actually won their minutes as the Thunder struggled to score without SGA on the floor.

All in all, a pretty weird game for Denver!

Detroit Pistons: A tale of two units. The starters really struggled. Cade Cunningham wasn’t great until the fourth quarter. Nothing would go down. Even sending Isaac Okoro into next week on one of Okoro’s rare missteps didn’t help:

[Isn't this why you subscribe? For a newsletter featuring not one, but two Isaac Okoro GIFs? I sure know how to appeal to the masses. Uh, please become a paying subscriber.]

The team’s lack of secondary scoring in the starting unit really stood out, and Duncan Robinson failed miserably in his first attempt at replacing Malik Beasley.

The bright side is that the reserves looked good, led by Ron Holland and Isaiah Stewart’s combined 39 points. I was hoping for a second-year breakout from Holland, who might be too good to come off the bench for long. Wednesday was a nice beginning.

Golden State Warriors: Steph Curry still has it! Boy howdy, does Curry still have it.

Curry dropped 42 points of his own against Denver, many coming in a classic late-game flurry. When Curry has it going, he’s still the most exciting superstar in the league:

Also of note: Steve Kerr actually played Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler together for the entire overtime and has started the threesome in both games so far, bringing Al Horford off the bench. I am shocked. It helps that Curry provides the spacing of two men, and it helps that the trio has each hit at least one three in both games so far.

I didn’t expect to see this much of that group this early. Color me intrigued.

Houston Rockets: See my notes from Wednesday.

Indiana Pacers: Do they have anyone left who can dribble?

The shorthanded Pacers were so feisty and so fun Thursday night, coming up just short in double-OT against the Thunder in an enjoyable Finals rematch. But the team’s centers predictably struggled (starter Isaiah Jackson picked up zero points and four fouls in just eight minutes!), and the decimated point guard rotation took another blow when Andrew Nembhard left with an unspecified shoulder injury.

If he’s out for a while, I honestly don’t know how this team (already down Tyrese Haliburton and TJ McConnell) can survive. They were playing late- second-round pick Taelon Peter (who, to be fair, looked great in preseason) in overtime! It’s dire in Indiana.

I fell in love with last year’s magical Pacers team, and I was really encouraged by the fight they showed opening night. Bennedict Mathurin, striving for a new contract, was balling, scoring 36 before fouling out. But the team is so thin at the top and bottom of its rotation that it feels like the wheels are bound to come off eventually.

Los Angeles Clippers: What in god’s name was that?

The Clippers puked all over themselves like a disgusting baby in the season opener, getting blown out right from the start against a Utah team built for the express purpose of losing games.

The Internet had a field day with Kawhi Leonard no-show jokes, and you only had to watch about 90 seconds of the game to see why. Do you remember those Jeff Van Gundy-created shirts that hilariously and rudely highlighted transition defense as the reason the Clippers lost to the Nuggets? (It doesn’t sound funny, but I promise it is. See for yourself.)

Well, despite the creative effort, the message did not land:

That was an average play for LA all night.

Los Angeles Lakers: This team is just so top-heavy. Luka Doncic was fantastic, and Austin Reaves was very effective as the second banana. But Deandre Ayton was the only other Laker to hit double-digits, with 10 rather lackluster points.

Marcus Smart flopped around doing Marcus Smart things, getting into it with Steph Curry, but he looked rusty. His timing was off. No one else on the team did much of note.

If LeBron misses a lot of time, this could be a long season in La La Land.

Memphis Grizzlies: Right after I finished writing about how Ja Morant might be on the decline, he had a fantastic game, dropping 35 points on just 20 shots despite having killer Herb Jones draped all over him. Even without the three-pointer, Morant found ways to draw fouls and get buckets.

Intriguingly, the Grizzlies’ much-hyped first-round pick, Cedric Coward, scored 14 points without missing a shot. Every single bucket came in transition, as he exploded up the court at every chance.

It’s far too early to get a handle on Coward as a halfcourt offensive player, but the Grizzlies always want to push the pace and run. Coward fits right in.

Miami Heat: Norman Powell was everything the Heat hoped for. He scored 28 points and had some monster scoring drives, and it was all against the fearsome Magic defense. If Powell can keep this up, Miami could surprise some folks this season after Herro returns.

Kel’el Ware has yet to escape Erik Spoelstra’s doghouse, logging just 14 minutes even against a big Magic team. Hmm.

Milwaukee Bucks: Doc Rivers surprised me by starting three guards and bringing Kyle Kuzma off the bench, but Kevin Porter Jr. rolled his ankle pretty badly after a strong start. Ryan Rollins (whom I’m quite high on) was the beneficiary, playing 29 minutes. He didn’t shoot well, but a bigger role could give him the confidence he needs to find a groove. We’ll see.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Like Milwaukee, Minnesota’s guard rotation is in flux. Beyond Anthony Edwards (who dropped 41 scintillating points, including a dagger over Toumani Camara at the end, in a performance not enough people were talking about), there was a lot to digest. Donte DiVincenzo started. My guy Jaylen Clark played 16 minutes. Mike Conley played just 13 minutes. Somehow, Bones Hyland played eight minutes while Rob Dillingham was a DNP-CD (Did Not Play — Coach’s Decision).

The number of players who received a chance was noteworthy, as was the one guy who didn’t. It feels like Chris Finch will take his time figuring out the best lineups.

New Orleans Pelicans: Pelicans/Grizzlies was a really enjoyable game, and although New Orleans came out on the wrong end, I was really encouraged by rookie Jeremiah Fears’ opening game.

Fears relentlessly drove into the paint again and again, making tough layups over and around numerous defenders. He pairs a physical mean streak with elite wiggle-waggle:

I still have a lot of questions about Fears’ defense, decision-making, shooting, and passing (sounds bad when I put it that way!), but generating real rim pressure is a ceiling-raising skill. It was nice to see his strongest attribute shine so brightly for a night.

New York Knicks: Look at the rotation! Mike Brown played 11 guys, 10 with double-digit minutes, in a game against a big-time opponent. I texted some Knicks-fan buddies about how you knew this wasn’t a Tom Thibodeau team when Tyler Kolek hit the floor in the first half, and they informed me they’d already had the same conversation with other Knicks fans. It’s a new era.

I’m kicking myself because one of my final unlikely-but-plausible predictions to be cut (yes, my articles are even longer before I edit) was OG Anunoby making the All-Star team. He looked fantastic in his first game, dropping 24 points and 14 rebounds with three steals and a block. If he averages 20 this season and continues his usual brand of defense, he’ll be in heavy consideration for a February trip to Los Angeles.

Oklahoma City Thunder: See my notes from Wednesday.

Orlando Magic: Desmond Bane, Franz Wagner, and Paolo Banchero all dropped 20+ points, but the real story to those paying attention was Jalen Suggs. Suggs only played 17 minutes, but he was a game-high +15, shot 6-for-7 from the field, and harassed Miami’s ballhandlers with timely traps and pressure. Last year proved that the Magic lose something ineffable that belies his statistical profile when he’s not on the court. His return was welcome.

Unfortunately, what makes Suggs special also hurts him, literally. His rabid freneticism leads to countless injuries. At this point, the Magic should give him the Alex Caruso treatment and heavily cap his minutes during the regular season to keep him fresh for the playoffs. Perhaps this was the first step in that plan.

Philadelphia 76ers: Move over, Cooper Flagg. There’s a new entrant in the Rookie of the Year race. VJ Edgecombe came in and dropped 34 points in his NBA debut, the most since Wilt Chamberlain. I had what I thought was a pretty good tweet about him.

The athleticism and dunks were there, and the shotmaking looked fantastic. But I was surprised at just how comfortable he looked handling the ball and creating for himself.

Edgecombe obviously won’t average 30 points for the season, but if he’s legitimately really good from the get-go? The 76ers will have a much easier time restarting the program, which, based on Joel Embiid’s horrific lack of mobility, might be necessary as soon as this season.

Phoenix Suns: I read the box score before I watched any of this game, and I did a double-take seeing that second-year tweener big Oso Ighodaro started at center, trade acquisition Mark Williams came off the bench, and first-round pick Khaman Maluach didn’t play at all.

Props to first-time head coach Jordan Ott for his boldness, at least!

Maluach is really raw, rawer than most people realize (including, maybe, the Suns when they drafted him). Drafting him within minutes of trading for Mark Williams remains a puzzling choice, and it seems like it will be a while before we figure out if that decision pays off.

Another weird thing I liked more: Grayson Allen played a lot of point guard next to Devin Booker. I’ve always liked Allen as a pick-and-roll playmaker, but I didn’t think he had much ability to scale up to an actual full-time point guard role. He played 36 minutes and looked pretty good running the ship. We’ll see if that sticks.

Portland Trail Blazers: My Shaedon Sharpe All-Star campaign got off to a bumpy start, as Sharpe struggled with the Wolves’ ferocious defense en route to a 5-for-20 shooting performance (including a ghastly 2-for-11 from two-point range).

The most interesting on-court development for the Blazers was Donovan Clingan putting up four threes in 30 minutes. Clingan has not demonstrated much value offensively yet, and he has a long way to go before defenses treat him as anything resembling a threat beyond the arc. But if he’s to get to that point, he has to start somewhere. Nailing 50% of your threes on opening night is an excellent confidence-booster for a guy trying to find a comfort zone in unfamiliar waters.

Sacramento Kings: Down Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray, the Kings were fighting an uphill battle. DeMar DeRozan, Malik Monk, and Zach LaVine all shot well, but nobody else really stepped up to the plate. The Kings blew a lead; Keon Ellis played just 13 minutes. It felt like the end of the Mike Brown era all over again.

People, Sacramento will be in real trouble if they can’t get a couple of wins here. Their November schedule isn’t a murderer’s row, it’s a serial killer’s square dance: Milwaukee, Denver, Golden State, OKC, Minnesota, Denver, Atlanta, Minnesota again, San Antonio, OKC again, Memphis, Denver again, Minnesota again again. That’s 13 straight games against teams who will be heavily favored. There are a whole lot of worlds where November ends and the team is, like, 5-16, and a few where they are worse.

(I was tipped off to this during my appearance on the Kings Weekly podcast, where we previewed the Western Conference. Check that out if you haven’t yet!)

I don’t see many silver linings here, except that perhaps a truly disgusting run results in the team finally blowing it up. Sacramento, as has been the case far too often over the last two decades, is down bad.

San Antonio Spurs: Wembanyama is everything. We knew that, but it was still startling to see just how dominant he looked against a Dallas frontline — Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively and PJ Washington and Cooper Flagg — that should have been as well-equipped as any in the league to stop him. Those guys didn’t have a chance, and the best part for basketball purists? Wemby feasted on dunk after dunk, only taking two threes and making one. That one was an absolute brain-breaker, however:

That shot was even more delicious because it came just seconds after a monster swat on poor Lively, who must’ve said something mean about Victor’s mother. Seriously, if you haven’t, watch Wemby’s whole highlight reel. It was insane.

Shout-out to coach Mitch Johnson for doing the sane thing and surrounding Wembanyama with as much shooting as the Spurs could put out. He started Julian Champagnie, Harrison Barnes, and Devin Vassell, the team’s three best marksmen, next to Stephon Castle and Wembanyama. None of those guys actually took that many threes, but it didn’t matter. Their presence opened things up for Wemby, who didn’t need much room to do his damage.

Toronto Raptors: I may need to apologize to the Raptors, a team I worried would be both bad and boring. I could be wrong on both counts.

Even shooting just 24% from deep, Toronto dominated Atlanta, led by RJ Barrett’s seamless, gap-filling 25 points. Although Brandon Ingram only scored 16 points, the defensive attention he commanded set the stage for Barrett and Scottie Barnes (22 points, nine assists) to eat.

The Raptors played at a breakneck pace, throwing length and bodies at Atlanta and racing down the court like their brakes were cut at every opportunity. I am pleased as fruit punch at the thought of a feisty Toronto team.

Utah Jazz: I… I don’t even know. This performance was so unbelievable that I literally can’t process it.

At the end of the first quarter, the score was Jazz 43, Clippers 19. The game was over almost from the jump, and now the Jazz lead the league in offensive rating by 10 points. And they did it against the Clippers, a top-five defense last year!

Look who they did it with. Svi Mykhailiuk started. Keyonte George started. They played three big men together: Lauri Markkanen, Kyle Filipowski, and Walker Kessler. What???

In a week, the Jazz will probably have lost three games by a combined 70 points. But for this one brief, shining moment, they’re the best team in the NBA.

Washington Wizards: The Kyshawn George breakout is here, baby!

George was my favorite of Washington’s rookies last year, showcasing a well-rounded skill set held back by a loose handle and an unclear place in the pecking order. But on opening night, he actually led the team in shot attempts and earned himself several trips to the free-throw line en route to 21 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and three stocks (steals + blocks). There was so much George. It was awesome.

Alright, so it’s been one game. But if George keeps it up, expect one of my big player profiles on him soon. The Washington Wizards may suck, but they are fun!