With the NBA season approaching the one-month mark, our writers weigh in on the biggest surprises and disappointments so far, plus rank the top title contenders in the early going.
1. Most pleasant surprise of the season so far?
Ben Rohrbach: The Cleveland Cavaliers. I figured last season, when they lost to the Boston Celtics in a five-game, second-round playoff series, there were too many redundancies on the roster. Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland could not share a backcourt; nor could Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen share a frontcourt. Turns out all they needed was Kenny Atkinson, a head coach who has reconfigured the offense in ways that maximize everyone — and form a true contender.
Dan Titus: The Golden State Warriors. The Cavs and Lakers deserve votes, but the Warriors’ hot start is at the top of my list because they weren’t expected to be among the best teams in the West, let alone the entire league. Their uniquely deep rotation is thriving off a ton of ball movement, 3s and a revived commitment to defense. As a top-five unit on both ends, the Dubs are a legit title contender — even in the twilight of Steph Curry and Draymond Green’s careers.
Dan Devine: How about the Nets — a team pretty much universally projected to be intentionally abysmal this season — instead being downright competitive? Despite facing one of the toughest opening slates in the NBA, Brooklyn sits at 6-9, with two of those losses coming in overtime to the champion Celtics on the road and on a night Nikola Jokić went nuclear, and a third on a dagger by Jalen Brunson. The Nets are tied for seventh in offensive efficiency, rubbing shoulders with All-Star-laden teams thanks to the dribble penetration of Dennis Schröder and Cam Thomas, the scorching shooting of Cam Johnson, and a bombs-away approach from beyond the arc implemented by new head coach Jordi Fernandez.
It probably won’t last, especially if the rumblings that every Net is available in trade talks result in major, Capture-the-Flagg-inspired deconstructive surgery before the February trade deadline. For now, though, Brooklyn’s a pretty decent watch, and I’m not…
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Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-11-20 17:43:00
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