The NBA season is only in its early weeks, but there are five stories to watch closely for in the future.
James Harden
The commercial value of the “Bearded One” in the NBA market increased significantly thanks to its performance last Saturday despite Houston’s loss in overtime to Portland. It was an inspiring performance considering he looked fatter than ever.
However, the “round” Harden scored 44 points on 55% shooting from the field and was directly involved in another 38 additional points scored by his team through his 17 assists.
It doesn’t matter that the Rockets lost this game in their first game of the season or that they lost the next game in Denver. Explanations are, Houston lost four rotation players due to mandatory quarantine, which included starting guard John Wall, former Sixth Man of the Year Eric Gordon, former All-Star Demarcus Cousins and rookie Mason Jones.
I can’t say the Rockets would have won these games if those players had been available, but I did potentially underestimate this group due to the off-court spectacle amid the Harden trade demand.
I don’t expect Harden to move in anytime soon. The point guard market was already in place when Milwaukee gave up Eric Bledsoe, George Hill and three first-round picks for Jrue Holiday, a player with a year remaining on his contract, during the offseason. After this season, Harden will remain under contract for the next two years that make him part of the team until 2023.
Overweight or fit, Harden’s production on the court is a rarity that has placed him in an extraordinary position alongside the best scorers this game has ever seen. If it continues to function as we have become accustomed, then it will definitely stay in Houston because its price will continue to rise.
Los angeles lakers
I don’t think the Lakers are the same defensive team as last year because they lost blockers Dwight Howard and Javale McGee in free agency and were replaced with more offensively oriented players. In the first games the difference has been seen.
The Clippers and Trail Blazers put Montrezl Harrell on an island and repeatedly attacked him for the mismatch on nights the Lakers lost.
The Lakers are still a very deep team and possibly the best in the West. The key this season will be to get to the playoffs as healthy as possible. We are likely to see different ways of managing to “ease the load” on the Lakers due to the fact that less than 80 days ago they were playing for the championship.
Starting the postseason with Anthony Davis and LeBron James as healthy as possible is the way future decisions will likely be made in the rotation. Through four games played this season, Los Angeles is averaging the fifth-most points per game of the 30 teams (120.3).
Miami Heat
Much of the success of the Miami Heat last season was due to the presence of Jimmy Butler, therefore they need to keep him as healthy as possible.
In the Christmas Day win over the New Orleans Pelicans, Butler sprained his ankle and didn’t return for the second half. At Monday’s post-practice press conference, Coach Spoelstra said Butler was in “doubt” for the game against the Milwaukee Bucks, which could indicate a small but significant period without Miami’s best perimeter player.
If that’s the case, Miami is built to last only a short time without its All-Star guard even though it does have some depth at position.
After the victory on Christmas Day, I asked Bam Adebayo at the press conference about Butler’s defensive impact in the first two games due to his eight steals.
Adebayo said it wasn’t just about Butler’s defense, it was also “he can take over a game.” There is the key to the Heat, so they need to take care of their star player to reach the playoffs and try to repeat the performance of last season.
The Durant-Irving duo
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have only played a handful of games as teammates for the Brooklyn Nets, but they have already been dubbed “The Dynamic Duo.”
I agree with Warriors coach Steve Kerr when he says Durant “looks exactly the same” as the player before the Achilles tendon tear.
Durant on offense during the first week of the NBA looked great, but I think he will improve his inside defense as the season progresses.
It will be critical for Durant and Irving to show their superstar qualities in the locker room as they do on the court, to make sure the rest of the players feel comfortable in their roles.
This team appears to have lost guard Spencer Dinwiddie to a partial ACL tear in the loss to Charlotte going forward, which is a blow to team depth.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors haven’t looked good for the first few games of the season after losing 26 on opening night to the Nets and 39 to the Bucks before claiming a win in Chicago against one of the weakest defensive teams in the NBA. .
In my latest predictions about the upcoming postseason, I put the Warriors into the playoffs as the eighth seed out of respect for Stephen Curry and coach Kerr, but I have to admit the outlook is tough.
In just three games I found out that forward Kelly Oubre has a curious “tunnel vision” and misses his open teammates. I’ve witnessed Andrew Wiggins play reluctantly and still look like he’s in a “sports coma.”
I’m sure the second best player on this team is rookie James Wiseman. Even more concerning, however, is that Warriors opponents are blocking Curry defensively more efficiently because they understand there is no need to mark other Warriors on the court.
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