Paul George has yet to make his regular-season debut with the 76ers.
The first few weeks of every NBA season coincide with Halloween, which is appropriate because a season’s initial and unexpected events tend to throw everyone into varying degrees of shock.
Suddenly, some of those preseason projections seem wishful and the ordinary becomes odd. It’s downright scary how these always happen around this time, although eventually, common sense and sanity prevail, the costumes are removed and the season moves on.
Here are a handful of strange incidents, moments and trends that are carving up the early schedule as October comes to an end:
A sprain has Stephen Curry cooling it for a few games. That’s very spooky, obviously, given the history — before he won championships and Kia MVPs, he had to overcome chronic sprained ankles that threatened his career. Weirdly, those past ankle sprains developed a silver lining and helped him and the Warriors win titles. His first contract extension was team-friendly because of the injury uncertainty, and the available money allowed the Warriors to sign Andre Iguodala. The rest is, well, history.
They’re yelling “Zuuuu” inside the Intuit Dome because Ivica Zubac is off to the best start, and perhaps week, of his career. The LA Clippers center has been dominant near the hoop. Entering Thursday, he’s averaging 18.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. The scoring is the biggest surprise. Give a shout to James Harden, who’s finding him on the screen and roll.
Feed the BIG FELLA 🍽️ pic.twitter.com/WoZDJ6nUSH
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) October 29, 2024
We hate to type those words to describe a former Kia MVP and future Hall of Famer. Yet, the early returns on Russell Westbrook in Denver aren’t favorable. He’s shooting 27% overall, 25% on 3-pointers and defenses are giving him plenty of room as his inability to spread the floor is once again causing some ache. To be fair, Westbrook wasn’t signed for his shooting. The Nuggets need his playmaking, passing and defense to compensate. In that regard, he’ll be fine.
Everyone who thought he was washed should take another look. Yeah, small sample size and all, but Zach LaVine isn’t who you thought he was. Efficient and aggressive right out of the gate, LaVine looks dangerous (43.6% on 3-pointers) and far from the injury-plagued player of the last few seasons. Does this mean he’s a keeper for the rebuilding Bulls? Or is he merely increasing his trade value months before the deadline?
As a team, the Celtics have shot 40.7% on 3-pointers while sprinting to a 4-1 start. That’s a sweet degree of efficiency that obviously won’t hold up throughout the season. But it gives the rest of the NBA chills anyway as it shows the depth of shooters on the richest roster in the NBA. (Payton Pritchard just hit another 3 as you were reading this.)
Through the first few months of last season, Tyrese Haliburton was the discovery of the league. Through the first few games this season, he’s largely invisible by comparison, struggling with his shot (he went 0-for-8 vs. the Knicks) while the Pacers search elsewhere for buckets. There’s ample time for Haliburton to push the Pacers again through the In-Season Tournament, but this start looks suspicious.
Cam Thomas is the lead option for a Nets team that sifted through Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving in that role the last few seasons. Who knew? Thomas opened the season with 36 points and seems to fit this role. The real test is what this means for Brooklyn as it tries to find an identity under coach Jordi Fernandez.
Is it a stretch to wonder if the Lakers have a big three? Maybe not if Austin Reaves continues at this pace. He’s efficient and productive with the ball (16.8 ppg on 52.5% shooting), making good decisions and getting the green light from and the respect of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who have no problem finding him in clutch moments. First-year coach JJ Redick is also running multiple plays for Reaves.
It’s probably too early to take aim and these initial struggles by good teams do tend to tease folks. That said, the Bucks can’t afford to stumble much longer, not after what they went through last season. In particular, the chemistry between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard bears watching. If they’re not on the same page, it spells doom for a team with too many aging parts and not enough up-and-coming talent.
Make no mistake, this is the No. 1 drama of a season that began without Joel Embiid and Paul George, both resting up in Philly due to knee issues. Their injuries aren’t being flagged as serious, but still. Embiid played most of the summer for Team USA — should he have skipped the Olympics instead? George suffered a preseason mishap and is still awaiting his Sixers debut. They’re important pieces for a team that could lose precious ground in the standings until they return.
Ernie, Charles, Kenny & Shaq react to Joel Embiid saying he won’t play in back-to-backs during the regular season.
Only two teams are allowing less than 100 points a night, and one of them is the Thunder. Oklahoma City is showing off some serious defensive vibes that could become a season-long advantage. Fortifying the defense was the prime goal for 2024-25 and OKC added Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein in the offseason. But the defense has improved mainly by the holdovers, especially Chet Holmgren, who leads the NBA in blocks per game (3.5 bpg). That’s frightening.
Do the Warriors have someone better at shooting than Klay Thompson was last season? Buddy Hield, the designated replacement added in the offseason, is that guy. Through his first four games with Golden State, Hield is averaging 21.2 ppg (while shooting 50% from deep). He scored 22 points with five 3-pointers in 15 minutes in the opener, then 27 points with seven 3-pointers in 20 minutes next against Utah. With Curry out for an unspecified stretch, Hield and his shooting become even more important.
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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