The NBA season is 16 days old, but already players and teams are giving subtle, and not so subtle, indications of how their season is going to go.
There have been some surprises, both good and bad in the two-plus weeks since the season openers.
Some struggles, like LeBron James and the Lakers, were predictable, but others, such as the Houston Rockets are a bit shocking. Still this is an 81-game season and players and teams have more than enough to change.
Below we look at some of the winners and losers from the season thus far.
Winners
Kawhi Leonard
The former San Antonio Spur is flourishing in Toronto for his new team. He is averaging 28 points in four games. That is three more than he was averaging in 2016, his last full season with the Spurs.
He has led the Raptors to a 5-0 record and already had a play that will make many highlight reels. The 27-year-old had a no-look steal in the team’s 112-105 victory over Minnesota.
http://www.nba.com/video/2018/10/24/0021800055-min-tor-kawhi-leonard-steal-q2
If he continues to play at this level, he is a candidate for MVP.
Luka Doncic
The favorite to win Rookie of the Year has been thriving with the Dallas Mavericks. He is averaging 19 points per game, as well as 6.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists.
His play is already impressing other coaches throughout the league.
“Doncic is an unbelievable talent,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. “Just his ability with that size and the skill set that he has. It makes him such a difficult cover. He does so many things that make him a tough player. And he’s been doing it for a long time.”
Trae Young
The Atlanta Hawks rookie has been on a tear, and his 9/1 odds to win Rookie of the Year have dropped to 6/1. Through three games he is averaging 23 points and eight assists.
Young is getting compared to Stephen Curry, but he has already achieved a 30-plus point game. It took Curry 41 games to achieve that milestone.
Losers
LeBron James
The King knew this was a reclamation project, but he probably didn’t envision as big a train wreck as he was getting himself into coming to Los Angeles. On Monday after the team’s third consecutive loss, he tried to put a good spin on what is happening.
“I didn’t come here thinking we were going to be blazing storms right out of the gate,” James said. “It’s a process and I understand that.”
He might get it, but does coach Luke Walton and the rest of the players. If the effort doesn’t improve soon, Walton might be out of job, and James will be deciding what players are staying and which ones are getting the boot.
Houston Rockets
This was the team that was going to challenge the Golden State Warriors for the Western Conference Championship, but so far Houston looks anything like a powerhouse. The Rockets got trounced at home by the New Orleans Pelicans in their season opener.
They did rebound against the Lakers in a game that featured an altercation between Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo, that got both players suspended.
In Paul’s absence, the team has floundered, losing to the Clippers and the Jazz. Paul will return this weekend, but they may have bigger problems.
Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia was supposed to separate from the pack this year and become an Eastern Conference title contender. So far, however, the 76ers aren’t living up to that reputation. They were embarrassed on opening night by the Boston Celtics, a team they could face in the conference finals, losing 105-87.
After the game, Joel Embiid told reporters that the Celtics-76ers aren’t a rivalry, because his team always gets “their (expletive) kicked.”
They bounced back to defeat Chicago, and squeaked out a one-point victory against Orlando, but lost successive games to Detroit and Milwaukee. If this team is going to be a powerhouse, 2-3, isn’t going the right direction.