The second week of the NBA season has wrapped up and a lot happened. Seems like some of the hierarchy of the NBA is moving around as much as Ish Smith during his NBA career. With that change can be a lot of confusion about how is for real and who is just in their fifteen minutes of fame. Time to go over the list of NBA Contenders after the second week of play.
Also, I know last week in the NBA Contenders: NBA Tip-off Weekend article I said I wasn’t going to jump on or off a team’s bandwagon too soon and I promise that is still the plan. This week, however, this week made that difficult. Anyways, you’ll see what I mean below.
NBA Contenders Through Week Two
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Eastern Conference
Boston Celtics
This is still an easy one to put on here. They are looking fantastic. Jayson Tatum is actually looking like an MVP candidate this year. Like, actually having an argument other than the ‘he’s the best player on the best team’ argument. On top of that, Payton Pritchard is looking deadly from deep, Jaylen Brown looks fantastic, and they are the 2nd rated offense so far this season. One area to watch for, they are struggling defensively. I know the 12th-ranked defense doesn’t seem awful, but with a team that has Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White, and was ranked third last year in defensive rating; it is something to keep an eye on.
New York Knicks
The New York Knicks started off the season rough with that game against the Celtics, but they have responded. They have six players, SIX, averaging more than 10 points per game. Which makes sense when you realize they have the 3rd rated offense so far this season. Karl-Anthony Towns had a big game against Miami and Jalen Brunson had a big game against Detroit. Their biggest concern? They are 1-2 against above .500 teams, The Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, and Cleveland Cavaliers all made the playoffs last year too, and that probably has to do with the fact they are the 27th-ranked defense. Mind you, this is a team with OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges who are fantastic defenders.
Cleveland Cavaliers
We have the first new addition of the year! I had the Cavaliers as a fringe team last week. I know I said I wasn’t going to jump on a team’s bandwagon too soon, but the Cavs impressed me this whole week. 7-0, wins against the Knicks, Lakers, and Orlando, six players averaging more than 10 points per game, and the 1st-rated offense and 3rd-rated offense. What to keep your eye on with them? Can it be sustained and carry through into the playoffs? Last year, the Cavs went 18-2 from the beginning of January until mid-February. They then went 12-17 after that, got pushed to seven games against the Magic, and lost 4-1 to the Celtics in the postseason.
Fringe
Orlando Magic
New addition to the fringe teams, but they still need to take steps to move past that. The offense is Paolo Banchero and that is about it. Which is bad news considering he is out for a few weeks now with a torn oblique.
Milwaukee Bucks
I’m keeping them as a fringe team out of respect for Giannis Antetokounmpo and my claim of not hopping off bandwagons too soon. However, the Bucks are walking on thin ice. They are out of sorts and look bad.
Western Conference
Oklahoma City Thunder
Wow. This team looks so much better than last year and they were already good last year. They have the best-rated defense in the league and Chet Holmgren seems to have taken a massive step. Chet has propelled himself into the Defensive Player of the Year conversation and, while their defensive metrics will go up as they play more teams and better offenses, they are still going to be one of the best defenses this year with Chet being their anchor. My concern? Surprisingly, their offense. They are the 24th-ranked offense which is odd to say with an MVP candidate in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. They only have three players averaging more than 10 points per game. You can attribute this to them being so deep and everyone contributing, but that won’t work in the playoffs when the bench gets shorter. I wonder if their weak point is needing a playmaker besides Shai to help run the offense.
Dallas Mavericks
I want to say the Mavericks have started off slow this year and their record seems to confirm that, but there are also signs they are playing well too. They have the 11th-ranked defense this year which is much better than the start last year, Klay Thompson is looking great to start the year with a shooting slash of 45%/39%, and they had a great win against the Timberwolves. However, their offense is only ranked 12th, Luka Doncic is in a shooting slump, and have losses to the Suns and Rockets even though they were competitive with their offensive struggles. I think the fact that they are struggling offensively, but still playing competitive basketball and getting quality wins is a good sign. My concern? When will the offensive struggles end and can their bench play consistently? If their bench contributes, they win. When it struggles, they don’t.
Phoenix Suns
Another new addition! The Phoenix Suns have, at times, looked like a completely different team. They look like a cohesive unit a lot more than they did last year and a lot of that credit goes to Tyus Jones, an offense that is rated 7th, a defense rated 10th, and very quality wins against the Lakers and Mavericks. They are looking like a much more complete team. My concern? Outside of the big three of Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, and Kevin Durant, there is not much offensive production. That ended up being their undoing last year and, despite a more cohesive unit offensively, could still hurt them.
Fringe
Minnesota Timberwolves
Again, not hopping off the bandwagon too early, but I have some major concerns for the Timberwolves. They are far too reliant on Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle without much consistent offensive help after that, they went from the best-rated defense last year to the 15th-rated defense this year, and then played great competitive games against the Mavericks and Nuggets but lost to the Spurs. Also, Anthony Edwards’s disappearance in the 4th quarter at times and his free throw struggles are concerning for a team that relies on him so heavily.
Golden State Warriors
A new fringe team! The Warriors have looked great without much help from Stephen Curry, but have some questions that need to be answered before they get moved up. Injuries have already hit them with then puts a heavy reliance on unproven, young players. How long can this be sustained? Also, their level of competition has been questionable. They are 5-1, but only played one team that is currently above .500. That team? The Los Angeles Clippers…who they lost to.
So, what do you think? Agree? Disagree? Comment below. See you next week!!
Main Image: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
