One takeaway from every team's opening game(s)
I am bleary-eyed and sleep-deprived, particularly after helping out with the launch of the Locked On Newsletter (if you listen to a Locked On podcast, or especially if you don’t, consider subscribing to your favorite team’s newsletter right now!).
But I haven’t sacrificed sleep (and showering, and parenting, and feeding myself, and exercising, and…) in vain. I’ve watched a big chunk of every team’s opening game, and I’m prepared to spit out some quick thoughts.
Most of you have been here long enough to know my general style: too much detail, unnecessary wordplay, etc. But we’re not at a point in the season where I can deep-dive anything yet. Sample sizes are runway-model thin, so trotting through the weeds risks being more misleading than helpful.
Instead, I want to do a quick notebook whip-around and get out a scribble or two (or three) I’ve recorded about each team. The usual small-sample size caveats apply; there’s no guarantee that any of this holds, but we can only talk about what has happened so far!
Let’s go in reverse alphabetical order to give our Washington friends some love.
Washington Wizards
A sleepwalking Celtics team decimated the Wiz in a game that was nowhere near as close as the 20-point margin indicated. Rookies Alex Sarr and Bub Carrington (before his injury) really struggled, and the Wizards combined for four or five airballs. None of that is a surprise (although it really was a lot of airballs!).
Jordan Poole hit some tough shots, but the most enjoyable positive development was second-year player Bilal Coulibaly dropping six dimes, including some pretty ones:
This is a tanking year for Washington, so running more offense through the quickly-improving Frenchman could accelerate his growth.
Utah Jazz
Walker, Utah Ranger had a heck of a season opener, notching 16 points and five blocks and asserting his physicality throughout the contest. This is the Walker Kessler we all expected to see last season.
Star Lauri Markkanen notched 14 free throw attempts, more than in any game last season. (Side note: as I wrote here for Locked On, the NBA as a whole has seen a dramatic rise in whistles to start the season despite league assurances to the contrary. Something to monitor.) He’s genuinely one of the most unique offensive forces in the NBA, a seven-footer who plays with power in the paint and skill on the perimeter.
Unfortunately, despite Kessler’s efforts, Utah’s defense remained desultory, sinking their hopes. There are just too many defensively deficient players in the rotation right now. The Jazz aren’t trying to win games, but that doesn’t mean they should mail it in on that end.
Toronto Raptors
With Evan Mobley draped over him like a millennial rapper’s chain, Scottie Barnes struggled to a 3-for-14 shooting night. It was disappointing to see him flounder in what should’ve been a very intriguing matchup.
On the other hand, my Jamal Shead love continues to blossom. Shead played some freaky on-ball defense and even scored 10 points (the second-most of any rookie!). He is the single most enjoyable reason to watch the Raptors right now — and that’s hardly damning with faint praise, given the return of their glorious purple unis.
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs competed against the Dallas Mavericks, but a poor game from Victor Wembanyama (5-for-18 from the field) doomed them. They can take solace in the play of Julian Champagnie and Harrison Barnes, who combined to go a very promising 6-for-13 from beyond the arc.
San Antonio has less shooting than any team in the league, and there’s almost no firepower waiting on the bench, so Barnes and Champagnie bear a heavy burden spacing the floor for Wemby. Tonight was a solid start, even if they didn’t receive enough help.
Sacramento Kings
What the hell is going on with these minutes?
In Game 1 of the regular season, coach Mike Brown ran his starters into the ground. DeMar DeRozan and Keegan Murray (23 points and 17 shot attempts! And I worried he would be forgotten in the offensive pecking order) played 43 each; Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox played 37. The only bench player to play a meaningful role was sixth man Malik Monk. 3-and-D guard Keon Ellis (who I had assumed would start) logged just 11.
Sacramento thought they could eke out a close win against a potential playoff rival, and rotation players Kevin Huerter and Trey Lyles missed the preseason before playing last night. I get it. But coach Mike Brown noted afterward that he was “not comfortable” with his rotation, and like, that’s kind of your job, man!
Brown has to figure out his bench, or the starters might soon be ground to a juicy pulp before the trade deadline.
Portland Trail Blazers
It was an expectedly ugly opening for the Trail Blazers, but there were a few positives to take away. Scoot Henderson shot 7-for-13 on two-pointers! After tremendous difficulties finishing at the rim last season, it was encouraging to see him find some success even in a crowd:
(We won’t talk about Scoot’s three-point shooting today.)
Also, I love Toumani Camara. A sequence halfway through the second, when it was still a one-point game, stood out. Henderson got blocked, so Camara went and stole the ball. Then, teammate Deandre Ayton immediately turned it over, so Camara had to intervene again with a drawn charge. It felt like he was single-handedly keeping the Blazers in it (for a bit). He’s a beast.