With the first week of the NBA season in the books, I took a look at some of the craziest results and debated whether they would be permanent or not.
LA Lakers Underwhelming Start: Permanent
After LeBron James signed with the Lakers, fans have been touting LA as the next big team. But they lost their first two games and I don’t think they’ll turn into contenders anytime soon. The problem isn’t the talent. The problem is that they’re too young and too new. Even LeBron himself said that the team chemistry would take time to develop. While the Lakers certainly bring excitement back to LA basketball, I don’t think their record will be as good as some presume.
Kyrie Irving’s Poor Performances: Temporary
Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving has had a rough start to this year and is only averaging 14.7 points per game on 34% shooting over three games. But these numbers can be almost entirely attributed to his knee surgery which kept him out for a big portion of last season. Put it this way: he’s rusty. It’s not his shot selection, quickness, or strength that’s the issue, he’s just missing shots. That rust will take time to go away, but it eventually will, and we’ll have the same old Uncle Drew once again.
NBA Drama: Permanent
So far, the NBA has seen the most drama at the start of a season since the lockouts in 2011. It all started with Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jimmy Butler. Butler demanded a trade over the summer and has still yet to be traded. Around a week ago, Butler showed up to a team practice and had multiple expletive-filled rants targeting the coach, general manager, and even teammates.
Besides the locker-room-drama in Minnesota, there was also a massive fight in the Lakers vs. Rockets game which resulted in multiple suspensions. It started when Lakers guard Rajon Rondo spit in the face of Rockets guard Chris Paul. From there it escalated into an all-out brawl, with punches thrown by Paul, Rondo, and Lakers forward Brandon Ingram. Ingram was suspended for four games, Rondo for three, and Paul for two.
The start of the season has been drama-filled both in the locker room and on the court, and I don’t think it will change anytime soon.
OKC Thunder Bad Start: Temporary
The Thunder are tied with Cleveland for the worst record in the NBA at 0-3. But for their first two games, OKC was without their star point guard Russell Westbrook. Without Westbrook, the Thunder struggled on offense and looked lacking of a leader. But the Thunder have so much talent on their roster and will have a successful season despite their early struggles.
The Rise of Boban Marjanovic: Permanent
The 7′ 3″ center for the LA Clippers has had an efficient start to the year with his best game coming against the Nuggets where he had 18 points. But his biggest highlight that game was dunking without even jumping and breaking the rim because of it. Seriously, look up the video it’s amazing.
Boban’s stats don’t look spectacular, but his lack of playing time is the main culprit. Over the last three seasons, Boban is first in win shares per 48 minutes. His win share is better than the likes of Steph Curry, James Harden, and Lebron James. Fans have been begging for more playing time for Boban and, if he keeps playing well, he might have a breakout year.