3 narratives

Continuity Pays Dividends

There were three contenders that returned every key piece on their roster. The Cleveland Cavaliers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and the defending champs themselves, the Boston Celtics.

It might seem simple, but chemistry matters. Knowing where your teammates will be on both ends of the court allows entire teams to move with confidence, and that confidence has led to hot starts for each of those three contenders.

The Cavs backcourt seems significantly more balanced and complimentary than it once did, Oklahoma City’s defense has been a titanium wall, and in spite of an overtime loss to the Pacers, the Celtics look like the same well oiled machine they were last year.

It’s a volatile league and things change every week, but it feels safe to assume we’ll see these squads playing basketball in May.

Reforming Identities

This offseason we saw a blockbuster trade involving two of the league's premier defensive teams with KAT heading to New York, and Julius Randle & Donte DiVincenzo joining the Wolves in Minnesota.

With the move taking place so close to the regular season, there was little time for these new pieces to gel. As a result we’ve seen an early regression defensively for both squads, but we’d advise any fan to stay patient.

For the Knicks, adding Towns and Bridges, while losing Hartenstein is a lot of movement. There’s going to be a figuring it out phase for KAT as a primary rim protector and rebounder, and Bridges has never been anything other than a primary wing defender. Sitting in help defense while finding ways to stay active will be an adjustment.

In Minny, having two legitimate centers was a unique advantage in the interior, give Julius Randle some grace as he learns to embrace the controlled aggression that fuels the Wolves defense. It’s been up and down early, but we’re far from hitting the panic buttons here.

The Early Surprises

We're not sure anyone knew what to think of Buddy Hield replacing Klay in Golden State, but the early returns have been nothing short of fantastic.

The Dubs have one of the NBA’s best offenses once again, and their kinetic ball movement and frenetic screens seem to elevate shooters to another realm entirely. Through the first eight games, OU Buddy is back.

Meanwhile, we were all waiting to see how pronounced the effect that key connective additions like Tyus Jones and Miles Plumlee would have on the Phoenix Suns.

Well with the help of phenomenal rookie Ryan Dunn, the Suns are looking as dangerous as many assumed they would be when the core of Booker, Durant, and Beal initially formed. We’ll see if this early momentum holds, but these western conference contenders couldn’t have asked for a better start.

3 numbers

OKC: 93.8 Def Rating

Number one in the league, nine points lower than the next closest team. A cartoonish collection of defensive talent with extreme versatility.

GSW: 16.8 Net Rating

Number two in the league, only 0.3 points behind OKC. Considering the fact that Steph has missed some time already, this number is astounding. Strength in Numbers may be making a return.

CLE: 60.9% EFG

Number one in the league, 3.2% higher than the next closest team. This number is unlikely to stay this high, but it certainly illuminates the crushing efficiency of the Cavs early season offense. And with two elite playmakers that seem to now understand how to coexist, they might just have the firepower to compliment their twin towers on the other end.