Atlanta Hawks
Cam Reddish has come to play! After two delicate seasons, where he juggled injuries, the 22-year-old full-back seems to finally find his place in the Hawks. He excels for the moment in his role of sixth man which allows him to often have the swelling in the hands. More than if he played alongside Trae Young or Bogdan Bogdanovic. Suddenly, Reddish has fun and compiles 18.7 points in 25 minutes after three matches.
Boston Celtics
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are two superstars. But it would be time to find a way to really save the team and not just line up the stats like they currently do.
Brooklyn Nets
When James Harden plays backwards, it’s really not the same story for Brooklyn. To the point where Kyrie Irving’s absence is felt. Excellent since his Nets debut, the former Rockets MVP is suffering. The rule change – fewer fouls awarded to attackers who deliberately seek to throw themselves into the arms of defenders – penalizes him: he only shoots 3 shots per night against 10 and more each year since 2015.
James Harden feels targeted by the referees… real persecution or just an excuse?
Suddenly, it’s all his game that suffers. Less space, less success, less trust. And 17.3 points at 36% on shots for a Harden who will quickly have to find a parry.
Charlotte Hornets
Miles Bridges, real talent. The Hornets didn’t extend it until the start of the season and they might regret it. Because the young winger has been ripping off everything for a week. 25 points and 8 rebounds on average while being a great addition to LaMelo Ball. And Charlotte becomes sexy again!
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls pulled out the barbed wire. Their four victories in four matches are important but they must be put into perspective given the “weakness” of certain opponents (Pistons twice and Pelicans). They haven’t had a real test yet. Nonetheless, we still had to go get them. The playoff teams are precisely those who know how to impose their game, their identity.
The key sector that explains the Bulls’ success
The bulls are on the way to finding a hallmark. Not necessarily in attack, where Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic coexist as best they can, but especially in defense. The arrivals of Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso really took Chicago to a whole new level on this side of the court.
Suddenly, the franchise now occupies fourth place in the defensive rating with 97.7 points collected out of 100 possessions. Caruso is second on interceptions (3.3) while Ball turns to 2 steals and 1.8 blocks.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Evan Mobley may not be the ROY at the end of the season because other rookies will eventually line up with better scoring stats – and again, he’s compiling 14.3 points and 8.3 rebounds so far. But the most interesting figure is his number of deflected shots after a week in pro: 72! He prances ahead of the league in this category.
A statistic that illustrates his attitude and his rare abilities in an interior. Mobley is both long and powerful enough to protect the circle, but he’s also mobile enough to chase outsiders away from the circle without getting passed before covering in time to interfere with three-point shots. The Cavaliers have got their hands on a “two way player” with very intriguing potential.
Dallas Mavericks
Kristaps Porzingis swore that the system change would help him become an All-Star again under the pretext that he could play post-up again and have offensive responsibilities. Yeah… For now, it’s not taking, despite the arrival of Jason Kidd. The Latvian barely turns 12.7 points and half of his attempts (well almost) are three points. For 23% success and 30% in the field. Frankly problematic.
Denver Nuggets
Little Michael Porter Jr is asked to come to reception after receiving a big fat check during the offseason. Supposed to become the second option of the Nuggets, or even an All-Star, the young man starts badly. Very bad. He is next to his pumps (11.5 points to 34%). And that greatly complicates the task for his team, which alternates the good and the much worse for four matches. Nikola Jokic can’t do it all on his own and the Colorado franchise can really take off if MPJ wakes up.
Detroit Pistons
Do you think the Pistons are going to really give Killian Hayes a chance in the end? The Frenchman is the holder, of course, and he has playing time (well, 22 minutes). But why does he hardly ever have a chance to score? He has for example almost no opportunity to attack on pick-and-roll! When he is on the field, the slasher leader’s mission is to make the game more fluid, which he strives to do properly.
It’s all to his credit to try to get the ball rolling, but it’s a shame that the Pistons staff do not exploit the first qualities of the man a little more. When he was playing in Germany, Hayes had systems for him, where he could attack with his speed with the ball in hand and then his touchdown to finish. There, nada! It took Jerami Grant’s absence for the kid to finally have some offensive balls.
Detroit mainly plays against placed defenses, which does not suit him either since he is not necessarily the most skillful by far. Too bad for a young team. Especially since Cade Cunningham is not even present yet. It would have been the perfect opportunity to put Killian Hayes in the rhythm.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors have a bench and therefore finally a deep rotation. Damion Lee, Nemanja Bjelica, Otto Porter, Andre Iguodala or Juan Toscano-Anderson all bring their stone to the building whether it is with scoring, shooting, defense or creation. Suddenly, Californians have significantly less downtime. The whole team has gained in volume. They can potentially make some serious matches over 48 minutes. And again, Klay Thompson, James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga are not there yet! This good start (4-0) is not at all a coincidence.
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