Boy, howdy, did we have some fun basketball to start the season.
It’s a stark contrast to last season, which opened with the Terry Rozier/Chauncey Billups arrests, the Kawhi/Clippers/Aspiration scandal hanging over everything, and a huge number of injuries to star players.
This year, we’re starting out far healthier and with fewer off-court distractions. I like it better this way!
I’ve watched a good chunk of every game so far (yes, even Raptors-Bulls), and unsurprisingly, I have Some Thoughts. It’s only been one game, so take every observation or stat with a dump truck full of salt. We’re not making sweeping declarations here. But you’d always rather start the season strong than weak, right?
Let’s start this column off the same way.
Atlanta Hawks: After one game, Nickeil-Alexander Walker looks like he hasn’t missed a beat from last season, dropping 31 very impressive points on a feisty Orlando Magic team. This was one of the best opening-night games, a tight affair between two teams that want to be in the playoffs. The reigning MIP looked like he leveled up even further in the offseason.
Boston Celtics: Aye, caramba. The Celtics blew another huge lead despite Paul George’s 38 points. Brad Stevens said in the offseason that they wanted to apply more rim pressure, but then Boston traded its only layup-generator in Jaylen Brown. Fewer than 17% of Boston’s field goal attempts came at the rim — last year, the C’s were last in the league at just a 23.3% share. To be fair, the Pistons are an excellent defensive team. But Boston looked like they are bringing more of the same, for better and worse.
Brooklyn Nets: Julius Randle and Michael Porter Jr. stuffed the stat sheet, but the five sophomores on the roster had a tough start. Drake Powell, Ben Saraf, and Danny Wolf combined for three DNP-CDs, while Nolan Traoré and Egor Dëmin (whom I have high hopes for this season) combined for just two field goals out of 14 attempts.
C’mon, Dëmin! I have faith in you!
Charlotte Hornets: In my offseason podcast for Hardwood Knocks, I suggested the Hornets’ biggest breakout player might not be Brandon Miller, Coby White, or Kon Knueppel (and that was before White and Knueppel went down with injuries).
Instead, I predicted Naz Reid would make a huge impact, given his unquestioned starting role and a system built to highlight his strengths as a three-point shooter and face-up driver. Against Brooklyn, he led the Hornets’ starters in scoring, nabbed 11 rebounds, and, most surprisingly, tied his career high with seven assists.
More of this, please:
(Sidenote: I was not super encouraged about Brandon Miller’s start as Charlotte’s alpha ballhandler. His splits without LaMelo Ball were ghastly last season, and he made little impact even against Brooklyn’s inexperienced, poor-defending backcourt.)
Chicago Bulls: The offseason hype around Caleb Wilson is legit… but he’s also a raw rookie. The Raptors forced Chicago into a whopping 27 turnovers, including nine by Wilson. Toronto has an elite defense, but Wilson continuously dribbled himself into a box. Where was he going here?
Wilson notched a whopping 21 field goal attempts (with zero assists) while the next-highest Bull only had 10. The tunnel vision was evident. Compounding his struggles, Wilson also went just 1-for-8 from deep.
His day can be best summed up by a play in which he stole the ball from Jamal Shead… only for Shead to re-steal it on the fast break.
Wilson will improve as the season goes, but this was a wake-up call that the regular season is a far cry from the preseason.
Cleveland Cavaliers: When it went right, it went so right. When it went wrong, it went so wrong. That’s how you build a 29-point lead, and that’s how you blow one.