After 10 days of the NBA season, there have been early successes and early disappointments. With every NBA team now at least four games into their campaigns, here are some way-too-early winners and losers from the first 10 days of NBA basketball.
Winners
Boston Celtics
The Celtics shook up their team, trading for Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis this summer. So far they look like amazing deals. Boston is 4-0 and outscoring opponents by a whopping 20.5 points per game. Holiday and Porzingis have combined for 3.3 blocks and 3.8 three-pointers per game and are both shooting well over 50 percent from the field. Guard Derrick White has been even better, making 2.8 threes per game on 57.9 percent three-point shooting, while averaging 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks — as a 6-foot-4 guard.
That’s made things easier for stars Jayson Tatum (29.8 PPG) and Jaylen Brown (22.5 points, 44 percent on three-pointers), who give Boston the best starting five in the league. The Celtics still might have issues with their shallow bench, where Sam Hauser has been the only standout, but with starters this good, coach Joe Mazzulla has plenty of time to sort of his bench rotations.
New Orleans Pelicans
Even with the team already battling injuries, the Pelicans have started the season 4-1, losing only to the Golden State Warriors. Brandon Ingram has missed three games, Zion Williamson has missed one, and Trey Murphy III and Jose Alvarado haven’t played at all. That hasn’t stopped the Pelicans from starting very strong.
Much of that is due to CJ McCollum, who appears fully recovered from last year’s injuries to his thumb and shoulder. He’s leading the team in points and assists, scoring 23.4 per game while dishing 5.6 dimes. Center Jonas Valanciunas is +49 in the Pelicans’ four wins and making more than 40 percent of his three-pointers. Williamson is starting slowly but still racking up free throws and monster dunks.
The unsung hero has been Herb Jones, who has been dominant on the defensive end. Not only has he already blocked 10 shots this year, but he has the best offensive rating on the team thanks to his 63.2 shooting on two-pointers. Even with Ingram and Williamson likely to struggle with injuries again, the Pelicans defense is what’s going to carry this team to the playoffs.
Mike Dunleavy Jr.
The Golden State Warriors general manager had a tough job succeeding Bob Myers, who left the team for an ESPN job after guiding the Warriors to four titles. So far, Dunleavy’s moves are looking great with the Warriors of to a 4-1 start.
His most controversial move was trading Jordan Poole for longtime Warriors nemesis Chris Paul, who has come off the bench for the first time in his career. The role suits him. Golden State has outscored opponents by 44 points during Paul’s minutes in his first three career games as a reserve. CP3 and veteran Dario Saric have stabilized the Warriors bench, which was awful last year, providing ball-handling and structure that have allowed young wings Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody to thrive — and taught them to draw cheap fouls.
It also helps Dunleavy that he still has Steph Curry, who has made at least four three-pointers in every game while averaging 31 points. He also has the rock-solid Kevon Looney, who is dominating on the glass with 10 rebounds per game and also dishing three assists and getting 1.2 steals per game. The Warriors have gotten excellent defense from Looney, Draymond Green, Moody and Gary Payton II, who is making a case for the All-Defensive Team.
The turnaround on defense and in bench minutes is mainly due to Dunleavy’s bold move swapping Poole for Paul. It could end up the most significant transaction of the season.
Losers
Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis was always going to struggle early after the NBA suspended Ja Morant for the first 25 games, while doctors ruled out Steven Adams for the season, but no one expected the Grizzlies, even shorthanded, to start the season 0-5. Memphis has the league’s worst point differential at -11.4 and the league’s worst offensive rating.
Desmond Bane has stepped it up by averaging 24.6 points per game, while reigning Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. is the only starter who’s been a net positive on the court, averaging 18.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks. The rest of the team, save super-sub John Konchar, has severely disappointed. New starters Ziaire Williams and Xavier Tillman are shooting poorly (40.9 percent and 36.7 percent) with more combined turnovers than assists. Williams has looked lost on defense as well.
Both the young players and veterans have struggled. Last year’s first-round pick Jake LaRavia looks like a bust, while veteran sharpshooter Luke Kennard has gone 1-for-13 from three-point range, and Derrick Rose can’t guard anyone. Memphis should shoot better going forward, but in a competitive Western Conference, the Grizzlies have dug themselves a huge hole.
Miami Heat
The Heat spent their offseason waiting on a Damian Lillard trade that never happened. Now they’re feeling the effects of losing two starters (Gabe Vincent and Max Strus) without really restocking. While the starters have been solid, aside from Kyle Lowry (only scoring six points per game), the bench has been particularly rough. Now the Heat are 1-4.
They added Josh Richardson, who is shooting 25 percent on the season. Heralded rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. is averaging 4.6 points despite starting two games. New backup center Thomas Bryant hasn’t found his shot either.
Ironically, the one player keeping the Heat offense afloat is the player who spent the whole summer being named in Lillard trade rumors: Tyler Herro.
“82-games” culture
The NBA made a big push this summer to disparage the science behind resting players and encourage players to play all 82 games. The results aren’t promising so far.
Jimmy Butler sat out Miami’s third game of the season to rest. Khris Middleton skipped Milwaukee’s second game because he had minor knee surgery this summer. Bradley Beal still hasn’t played for Phoenix due to back trouble, and All-Stars like De’Aaron Fox, Devin Booker and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have all sat out, as have three different Cleveland Cavaliers All-Stars.
This isn’t to say that these players lack injuries or that resting players to manage injuries isn’t a prudent move by the teams, but the NBA’s pressure to get stars on the court is a resounding failure so far.
