The first month of the NBA Season is done, and let’s just say it – it has been full of plenty of surprises. For one, the Pistons, Raptors, and Heat all lead the East, none of whom were the top projected teams in the conference. In the West, Oklahoma City has had just about as good a start as anybody could have predicted. So without further delay, let’s begin.
In the East
The Pistons have been the best team in the East, even putting together a twelve-game winning streak to start 14-2. The Raptors have been a pleasant surprise, starting the season 11-5. The other big teams in the east this year have been the Heat and Cavaliers, both at 11-6. There haven’t been any ridiculous disappointments, but the Knicks have struggled this season so far, at 9-6. At the bottom are the Wizards and Haliburton-less Pacers.
Cade Cunningham has been a dominant point guard thus far, leading the Pistons with 27.4 points per game and 9.9 assists per game. Tyrese Maxey has been the catalyst for the Philadelphia 76ers, averaging 33 points per game and 7.8 assists per game. The other big guard in the East has been Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell, who averages 30.5 points and 5.3 assists per game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been no surprise for Milwaukee, starting the season off incredibly strong. He has averaged 31.2 points, 10.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game.
Out in the West
In the Western Conference, OKC has been the dominant force to start the season, posting a 16-1 record. The Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, and San Antonio Spurs also started strong. The biggest disappointment has been the Dallas Mavericks, who have started the season with an atrocious 5-13 record. They fired General Manager Nico Harrison on November 11.
The Lakers’ Luka Doncic has started the season off about as good as anybody, with 34.9 points, 9 assists, and 8.5 rebounds to start the season. Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has had great success so far with 31.5 points per game and 6.3 assists per game, not appearing in many fourth quarters because the Thunder have been so good. Denver’s Nikola Jokic has been his normal self, putting up 30.4 points, 13 rebounds, and 10.6 assists per game. Those superhuman numbers are stuff we have seen a lot from him over the last few years. Victor Wembanyama had a great start to the season before a minor injury, with 26.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks per game.
The Portland Trail Blazers named assistant coach Tiago Splitter their interim head coach after Chauncey Billups was placed on administrative leave by the NBA amidst an illegal gambling investigation. They have gone 7-9 since Splitter took over.
On November 15, the New Orleans Pelicans fired head coach Willie Green after a 2-10 start. Green went 150-190 in nearly five seasons at the helm, never making it past the first round of the Playoffs. Associate HC James Borrego, the former head coach of the Charlotte Hornets from 2018 to 2022, has taken over as interim head coach.
The NBA has seen viewership go up this year, with games averaging 2.8 million viewers in the first week. Over 60 million viewers have watched games in the first month. That is the highest opening total in 15 years.
As for what the next month holds for the NBA, the Thunder will look to continue their dominance atop the NBA, while the East looks very much up for grabs. Expect some teams to begin to rise after slow starts. Also, the trade market might begin to heat up over the next month, as some teams will begin to look ahead into the future.
