The NBA season is in full swing and the first weeks have been full of surprises. From top teams struggling to underdogs overachieving. While there’s no guarantee that things will stay the same, it’s a welcomed change to the status quo. Here is a list of the best surprises from early in the season:
The resurrection of the Warriors
The Warriors are in business. They are on a 7-1 start even after Steph Curry missed three games with an ankle injury. Buddy Hield is a perfect fit with Golden State’s system averaging a ridiculous 50% from three. Curry and company are top 5 in three-point shooting with a league-leading +15.8 differential. Their defense is suffocating and they are showing no signs of slowing down. If this is how the rest of the season will go, the Warriors will contend for home court advantage.
MVP Jayson Tatum
The Boston Celtics are terrorizing teams with their 3-point shooting. They are attempting 7 more threes than the next closest team and +10 more than those outside the top 4. There is no secret to their formula, they live and die by the three. Jayson Tatum is leading the way shooting 11 threes per game. He is being aggressive and looking for his shot, averaging 30/7/4. Tatum has cemented himself as an MVP candidate during his revenge tour. With previous MVP’s struggling to start the season this is the perfect opportunity for Tatum to win the award.
Phoenix is good
The Suns big three is healthy and so far so good. The team’s success this early in the season goes beyond their three stars. Phoenix is playing good defense and capitalizing on fast-break opportunities. They are sharing the rock and playing unselfish basketball. It is evident when you watch them play but confirmed by their top 3 assisted field goal percentage. Tyus Jones is leading the team in assist and seems the be the missing piece they needed. With Devin Booker freed from running the offense Phoenix seems to have unlocked the teams true potential.
The aggressive NBA is back?
Back in March, the NBA announced that its competition committee wanted to allow more physicality and defensive freedom. You wouldn’t have been the only one to express skepticism over the news. In a league full of skilled and athletic players, it seems impossible to allow for more physicality while avoiding fouls. It’s too soon to tell but so far bodies are flying all over the court with no fouls being called. It’s clear that the refs are trying to find the right balance of when to call a foul or not. The only problem is that it feels forced and inconsistent. It’s early in the season so we can only hope they will get it right sooner rather than later.
Scorching Hot Cavaliers
The Cavs are doing a lot of things right especially passing, making 3s, defense, and protecting the ball. Most importantly they are highly efficient and take what the defense gives them. While this team will go as far as Donovan Mitchell goes, Darius Garland is a key piece of the puzzle. After struggling last year to find any consistency in the court Garland and Mitchell look like they figured it out.
To help their cause Evan Mobley is off to an amazing start. Showing some of the promise that earned him a lucrative $224 million contract extension this offseason. Cleveland fans have to be ecstatic for a team that was on the verge of breaking up. With a historic 9-0 start, the Cavs are officially back.
