NFL
By: Stephen Garner
Friday Five’s sees a great deal of intrigue early this season.
Just past a week into this season, there’s been plenty going on. Early returns are often either not valued enough, or cue overreactions, which make the initial fourth of the NBA season so exciting every season. As we exit October here are five instances that have stood out to me thus far.
1.) Bulls and Hornets are as entertaining as expected
Both sitting at 4-1 atop the Eastern Conference, these two athletic rosters have been as exuberant as advertised.
Both teams get out and run, with the brothers Lonzo and LaMelo leading the pace for their respective teams. These two are elite playmakers who can make all necessary passes to execute on these fan-engaging plays with great consistency.
Past those two and their wizardry, both teams sport athletic playmakers who can be entertaining in the open floor from Miles Bridges and Zach LaVine, to DeMar DeRozan, PJ Washington, Alex Caruso, Terry Rozier, Javonte Green, Kelly Oubre Jr, Patrick Williams.
Both teams have already compiled plenty of material for numerous highlight reels via their heart-charging pace of play.
The Bulls are currently ninth in offense (109.9) and second in points per 100 possessions in transition (5.7). While the Hornets are second on offense (116.4), and sixth at 4.9 transition points per 100 possessions at the ninth highest frequency.
This is a breath of fresh air to the league as it is more new names that are garnering attention, pushing for the future of the NBA.
2.) Is Washington Legit?
The Wizards are currently atop the Eastern Conference ranks with a 4-1 record.
The haul of Harrell, Kuzma, Caldwell-Pope, have been instrumental in these initial efforts for them.
They’ve also yet to reintegrate young talent Thomas Bryant as well, whose return is imminent.
They could be one of the seasons best surprises, especially after the covid-stricken season that was 2020-2021 for them.
They’re playing solid defense, 9th currently, and have a formidable offense even with their main pieces having yet hit their stride.
As they grow whole with Bryants return to fortify their frontcourt, it will be interesting to see whether they can sustain or even improve upon this level of play, or if it’s just some early season success while others are off to slow starts.
3.) Minnesota getting it done with.. defense???
The Timberwolves are currently 3-1 and yes, their prolific trio of talent in Towns-Russell-Edwards is playing well, averaging 28, 18, and 25.3 respectively.
However, defensively, they are getting the job DONE.
Towns is engaged, as his impact defending the mid-range has him ranked amongst the absolute best from the frontcourt in opponents percentages when he’s involved in actions defensively. He’s using his mobility and fleet-footedness to his advantage on that end, along with his size and stature.
Russell has also been engaged, which is effective enough to trickle down the entire roster in intent alone.
Past those two, the addition that was Patrick Beverly has, of course, helped make them more viable at the point of attack and in leadership on that end. Edwards is no slouch in hat end even in just his second season.
They are blitzing opposing pick-and-rolls with consistent ferocity and it’s been so effective, along with their base defense, that they head into the NBAs second weekend with the second-best defense in the league, allowing just 97 points per game.
They’re allowing a league third-best FG% of JUST 47%, and are forcing turnovers at the most frequent pace.
This defense is allowing them to play in the open floor, as they re his in transition points per 100 possessions (5.6), first in frequency, then first in points off steals per 100 (4.9), and frequency there.
Is this sustainable is the question that looms, but for the time being it seems as though they’ve begun to turn a corner.
As the likes of Beasley, Okogie, Vanderbilt, Reid, and McDaniels get going in their ancillary roles, the Wolves could see themselves in the mix for a playoff spot which would shock the league!
They’ve earned a reservation under the league spotlight in this early portion of the season.
4.) New Comers Building a Foundation
Chris Duarte, Josh Giddey, Scottie Barnes, Evan Mobley… aside from the most mentioned names amongst the newcomers, these are names everyone should grow accustomed to hearing as the wheels begin to spin on the NBAs 75th rendition.
Each of these young guns has been carving out their niche on their respective teams, making an early impact worthy of mentioning as they find their way in the earliest portion of their careers.
It’s a beautiful thing to see the young talents of the league flourish in any context early as the transition to the NBA is one of the most underrated and disregarded dynamics pertaining to new NBA talents.
These names are also ones to keep in mind as the league’s Rookie of the Year race could prove to be a VERY competitive one, maybe the league’s most contentious in terms of legit contenders in quite some time.
5.) Refs Sticking to their Guns
The NBA mentioned in the off-season that they would be making changes pertaining to many of the ref-baiting, pace slowing offensive maneuvers that were a turnoff to both a good portion of the league’s viewership as well as the leagues brand in general.
After seeing how the Men’s Olympic team struggled to adjust early in the Olympics exhibitions as well as pool play, a more intense level of attention was put on the NBAs officiating.
In turn, the NBA would stand on the looming changes they hinted at for quite some time.
We’ve seen great early returns on just that as players and teams alike have had early bouts with the calls (or lack thereof that they’ve grown accustomed to) but the officials have not budged.
More power to them.
The brand of basketball on display is much more basketball now than dramatics and antics, and the aforementioned struggle to adjust was a planned-for response but will need to be adjusted to.
Kudos to the league for this seemingly minor, yet extremely impactful, adjustment.
Hopefully, it continues for the duration of the season, including the playoffs.
That’s a wrap for this week’s Five’s, the game I’ll be watching for this weekend is Jazz @ Bulls, 7:00 CST on Saturday.
As the Bulls lay a foundation and prove their viability, they host a team that’s been viable for the past five seasons.
The Bulls enjoy paint touches and shots at the rim, while the Jazz have the premier rim protector and an all-around solid defense on the perimeter.
This makes for an excellent early-season matchup here.
Enjoy the many happenings of this early portion of the season, and feel free to let your overreactions be heard. It makes what could be a slug of a start more engaging for fans and reporters of the game alike. Participate!
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