The opening week of the NBA has been full of storylines—of overachievers and disappointments. While the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics are a combined 6-0, the Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers are 0-4. While there are still hundreds of NBA games left to be played, we have already learned several things about how the season will unfold. So, which players and teams are primed for success and which are destined for disappointment? Who are the biggest winners and losers of NBA opening week?
7 Biggest Winners and Losers of NBA Opening Week
Winner: The Boston Celtics and Jayson Tatum’s MVP Case
A 3-0 start, including a blowout win over arguably the second-best team in the East and the Celtics have picked up right where they left off last season: dominating the league. Their opening night win over the New York Knicks sent a statement to the NBA, as their 29 three-pointers made in the game tied the NBA record. The catalyst behind the Celtics’ fast start has been a revived Jayson Tatum. After all of the conversation in the offseason surrounding Tatum, it seems he has found his shot and is playing with a chip on his shoulder. Through three games, Tatum is averaging 33 points on nearly 50% shooting from beyond the arc and looks like an MVP candidate. If Tatum and the Celtics can continue to play at this level, Boston could end the season with 70 wins and a first-time MVP winner.
Loser: Joel Embiid’s 76ers
The first few days of the season went about as poorly as they could have for the 76ers. First, Joel Embiid joined Paul George on the injury report for opening night, resulting in the NBA launching an investigation into the reason for his absence. Then, Tyrese Maxey shot 10/31 from the field and the 76ers were blown out by the Milwaukee Bucks (who then lost to the Chicago Bulls) on their home floor. A 115-107 loss to the lowly Toronto Raptors followed this and the 76ers are now staring at a 0-2 record with significant uncertainties surrounding two of their three best players. Oh and Maxey, the one that does consistently play, is shooting 19% from three so far. Yes, it is only two games, but those two games were really, really bad. And with Joel Embiid already saying he won’t play back-to-back games for the rest of his career, things may only get worse for Philadelphia.
Winner: JJ Redick
The JJ Redick tenure in Los Angeles has gotten off to a perfect start. The Lakers are 3-0, with all of their wins over projected playoff teams in the Western Conference and the roster is meshing perfectly in every way. Anthony Davis is averaging 34 points, 11 rebounds and over two blocks, as he appears to be a seamless fit in the JJ Redick fast-paced and motion-heavy offense. LeBron James has taken a more pass-first approach, averaging 23 points and seven assists, but he has still shown his ability to get a bucket when his team needs one the most. On Saturday night, in their game against the Kings, James scored 16 points in under four minutes, leading his team on a 21-0 run to start the fourth quarter and pull away from Sacramento. While it is just three games of a very long season, the Lakers seem to be legitimate contenders in a packed Western Conference. If James, Davis and Redick can continue to lead the team forward, their combination of talent and experience will pose a dangerous threat in the postseason.
Loser: Denver’s Today and Tomorrow
Similar to the 76ers, the opening days of the NBA season couldn’t have gone much worse for the Denver Nuggets. They got embarrassed by the Oklahoma City Thunder on their home floor to start their season and then wasted a 41-point Nikola Jokic gem in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon have both struggled mightily to shoot the ball early on and the Russell Westbrook experiment has gone terribly. Westbrook is shooting 11% from the field and the Nuggets have been beaten by 37 points when he is on the court. Another red flag for the Nuggets: Jokic is shooting 7.5 threes per game and making over 50% of them, while he usually takes around three per game at a 35% clip. His shooting will most likely regress to the mean and the Nugget’s offense will be severely limited. Today, tomorrow and next year- the Nuggets are stuck with limited flexibility and a roster that is no longer good enough to compete; it may be time to start worrying.
Winner: Steve Kerr’s 12-Man Rotation and A New Splash Brother
Although it hasn’t been against great competition, the Golden State Warriors have looked greatly improved from last season and have a +38.5 point differential in the two games they’ve played. The craziest part? Not one player on their roster is averaging over 26 minutes per game. This Warriors team is the deepest they’ve had in years and Kerr has immense flexibility to deal with all types of opponents. He has the star in Stephen Curry, the young guys in Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody, the defenders in Draymond Green and Gary Payton and so much more. One of the biggest surprises for the Warriors has been the emergence of Buddy Hield. One would have thought losing Klay Thompson would have severely hurt them, but early on, Hield has made it so that losing Thompson is addition by subtraction. Hield is averaging 24.5 points on 75% shooting from three in just over 17 minutes per game. The versatility of this Warriors roster is dangerous; the question is, do Curry, Green and Kerr have one last run in them?
Loser: Opening Night Overreactions
When the Knicks got beat to a pulp by the Celtics on opening night and then the Timberwolves lost an ugly one to the Lakers a few hours later, many, myself included, started to wonder if the Karl-Anthony Towns and Julius Randle swap had been the ultimate lose-lose trade. The Knicks seemed to have lost their identity of toughness and the isolation-heavy Randle had zapped up the Timberwolves’ space. But then, a 25-point New York win over the Pacers and a 33-point Randle performance in a Timberwolves win over the Kings quieted all concerns. As bad as the two teams had looked on opening night, they both looked like championship contenders in their second game. This just goes to show that one game doesn’t matter at all; even the two or three games we’ve seen played don’t hold great significance in the grand scheme of things. The jury will still be out until 25 or 30 games into the season, when we can then decide who won and who lost the October blockbuster trade.
Winner: Eastern Conference Play-in Race
Heading into the season, the East was projected to have eight good teams. Just look at the LWOSports Opening Day Power Rankings, where seven out of the bottom ten teams are from the Eastern Conference. While the West was projected to have 11 or 12 competitive teams competing for the play-in, the East was full of bottom feeders racing for Cooper Flagg. So, when reviewing the first few days of NBA action, it is important to note the competitiveness that several of these Eastern Conference teams have shown. The Atlanta Hawks are 2-0, led by a Trae Young–Dyson Daniels backcourt that has shown flashes of unstoppableness. Despite being 1-2, the Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors feature wins over the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers, respectively and have shown signs that they will be fun to watch this season. The biggest surprise, however, has been the Charlotte Hornets. Although they also are 1-2, LaMelo Ball is averaging almost 32 points per game and the Hornets seem to be loaded with young and exciting talent that is not scared of the moment. Take Tre Mann, for example, who is averaging over 18 points off the bench and hit several key shots in the Hornets’ first victory over the Houston Rockets. If just one or two of these teams can maintain their success, the Eastern Play-in race might be tighter than expected.
With the World Series, the NFL, College Football and the NHL all underway, it may be hard to find time for basketball. However, this NBA season has already shown flashes of its potential to be one of the most exciting of all time, so make sure to keep checking this page to stay up to date with all of the most important news.
Main Image: © Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
