NBA—Biggest Surprises and Disappointments So Far

Image courtesy of NBA.com

By Nicholas Winter

The NBA season is underway, and, just like any other NBA season, there are a few teams who are off to fast starts that no one saw coming. On the other side, there are teams who have gotten off to very slow starts, to the surprise of many. Let’s take a look at a few of those surprising and disappointing starts so far.

The Washington Wizards and Chicago Bulls have started off guns blazing coming in at 5-1 through the first 6 games. Both teams were near the bottom of the standings last year, the Wizards sneaking into the playoffs with the eighth seed last year and the Bulls all the way down at the eleventh seed. The surprise about the Wizards’ fast start is due to their off-season. The Wizards elected to trade Russel Westbrook to the Los Angeles Lakers, due to Westbrook not being a good fit with a second star. Without Westbrook, Bradley Beal has once again taken control as the star of the franchise and has provided a jolt for this team. Kyle Kuzma, a player the Wizards received in the Westbrook trade, has thrived in Washington and has also provided a boost in the starting lineup. Only time will tell if they will be able to keep up their winning ways.

The Bulls are an interesting story. Chicago made some key additions in the off-season, spending big to bring in solid players such as DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso. These additions have helped guide them into a fast start to begin the season. In fairness, the Bulls have had an easier schedule up to this point, but at some point, they will go head-to-head with some of the best teams in the East sooner or later. Chicago is a team to keep your eye on, and seeing how they fare against the better teams in the conference like Milwaukee and Brooklyn will be fascinating. Chicago has the pieces to be a mid-level playoff team, but more than six games will be needed to see if they could be something more.

Basketball fans should also keep an eye on the Golden State Warriors. They are 5-1 and have Klay Thompson waiting in the wings to come back from his gruesome ankle injury. The Warriors could be a threat to the Lakers, a team that has not had a great start to its season.

One of the biggest stories in the off-season was how old the Lakers roster was. The talk was warranted because it is true; they easily have the oldest roster in the league with an average age of 31, two years older than any other team. Lebron James does not like to play with young players. He wants the guys who have been there before. Well, now he has a team full of ageing veterans who have “been there,” but they are also at the end of their prime. James wanted Westbrook this off-season, and the Lakers made it work to get him to LA. Right off the bat, this trade made little sense to most people. The Lakers seemed to need shooters, not someone who is ball-dominant and atrocious at shooting jump shots. However, the Lakers were eyeing something specific in Westbrook: a playmaking guard who can be electric if he hits his shots. It seems like the Lakers may envision him as being a major part of their playoff success, but it might be hard for them to make ground in that area as they are so dependent on the health of Anthony Davis. They currently sit at 3-3 and are 8th in the Western Conference, but, as always, there is plenty of time for them to figure it out.

Over in the Eastern Conference, the Nets do not look as good as last year, mostly due to the fact that Kyrie Irving is sidelined due to his vaccination status. Some of the blame can also potentially be credited to the struggles of James Harden at times this season. The NBA started to enforce a rule that would eliminate some foul calls that involve jumping into a defender while taking a shot. Players like Harden and Trae Young would draw these types of fouls, and it would benefit the team immensely. However, since these foul calls were very unpopular, Harden and Young’s free throw performances have taken a dip. Both have complained about the lack of fouls, but many are happy that these kinds of foul calls are now gone. 

It is very early in the season, so tread lightly on the performances of your favorite team. Sometimes it takes a little while to kick it into gear.