Five Takeaways from the First Two Weeks

The NBA season is officially two weeks old as of today, and storylines from all 30 teams surely aren’t going the way we all expected. We may know how some teams seasons’ are going to end (early in April) and there are some teams that are mysterious enough that it’s too hard to make a conclusion this early in the season. Players are breaking out, cases are being made; My five biggest takeaways from the first two weeks of Basketball.

The Phoenix Suns are good!!

When was the last time we could actually say that sentence without laughing immediately after? Phoenix started catching eyes when they beat the Clippers, and they verified that win with another win against the previously unbeaten Philadelphia 76ers. They are second in the league in assists, fifth in field goal percentage, and fifth in three pointers made (per NBA.com). Not to mention, both of their losses have been by one, against teams expected to make the playoffs. For years, I’ve always thought Devin Booker was a little overrated because I didn’t think he made his teammates better. Well turns out if you give him teammates who can actually play, he’s a damn good first option to have. Aaron Baynes has been just fantastic, and really just an underrated trade that many of us scoffed at. Monty Williams is proving how good of a coach he is, and his knowledge has turned the franchise around. This is a team you should root for to stay competitive.

Denver is.. good? Not good?

Fine, the headline may be a little misleading. It’s not like I’m going to say the Denver Nuggets are going to miss the playoffs, they’re too talented for that to happen. Yet, this team is starting to worry me just a bit. They remind me a lot of last years Celtics, a team that is so talented, maybe too talented for their own good. They have no Kyrie Irving nor do they have an ego problem the way the Celtics did, but it’s hard to tell a player that can start for ten other teams that they might not even play on a given game. It’s what makes Denver interesting and worth keeping an eye on, especially if they have a three or four game losing streak in January. If you start to hear rumblings of players being unhappy, then watch out, this season can turn out to be in disaster. With all this questioning I’m having of this team, they are still 4-2. Just keep an eye on them.

Luka Doncic is Special, SPECIAL.

Luka Doncic is my favorite player to watch in the league right now and it’s not even close, especially with Steph Curry going down with a broken hand. He’s so smooth with the basketball, and makes a lot of plays look so easy. Here’s a reminder: This is only his second year in the league and he’s 20 years old. 20!!!!! Just typing that is so exciting, we get to watch this man for at least another fifteen years. What’s great about that? His game isn’t depending on jumping higher than someone else, or being the fastest player on the court. His game is going to transition beautifully as he gets older, which means this level is play is something we should be expecting. He’s also twenty years old. We’re like.. six years away from seeing the absolute best version of him. If you’ve only seen him a handful of times, you’re doing yourself a disservice. He single handedly makes Dallas a must watch team, along with Porzingis. Don’t take Luka Doncic for granted, don’t make comparisons to other players this early, just enjoy him for what he is. He’s a future MVP. Take a look at Luka’s stats here

The Lakers need Andre Iguodala

Look, the Lakers are good. Like, really good. LeBron James looks rejuvenated not just offensively, but he’s bringing it on the defensive end as well. I thought he would coast through defensively to start, simply because evidence shows this is what LeBron does in the last five years. LeBron looks good, Anthony Davis is putting up big numbers, and their summer signings have, for the most part, looked good early. How about Dwight Howard?!? I couldn’t be happier for Dwight. BUT, the Lakers aren’t trying to win the regular season. You know they’re looking across the hall and seeing the Clippers, the only team they’ve lost to, playing just as well, and that’s a team who’s missing Paul George still. Two weaknesses I’ve seen with the Lakers early on is that their backcourt is a little weak and they most likely need another playmaker. Andre Iguodala checks both of those boxes and would make a playoff matchup with the Clippers even more compelling than it already is.

The Sixers are going to the Finals

A bold prediction! I’m usually not the type of person who just comes out and makes predictions, especially with the season being so early. Barring injuries, the Sixers make the Finals and it’s something I feel great about. It was a universal thought that the Sixers and Milwaukee Bucks were the two best teams in the East, and the choices were split. Just watching these two teams currently, the top eight players for Philly are head and shoulders better than the top eight players of Milwaukee. Defensively, they might be even better than the Clippers, considering their length and size of all five players on the court. Does the offense need tinkering? Yes, they need another shooter to spread the floor to be complete on both ends of the floor. They make it up with talent, and a roster that is just deep. The Bucks have the best player in Giannis if they play in a series, but Philly has too much size and too much talent for Milwaukee to handle. We’re going to see Philadelphia in June.