Five takeaways from the opening week of the NBA

This premiere appeared in the October 22 edition of the Monday Morning Post Up. S & # 39; register click here.

The first week of the 2018-19 NBA season is officially listed in the books.

It was also a hectic day, with several arrivals at the last second, a big skirmish (including a thorough scrutiny from all angles) and several surprising stars around the league.

Here's an overview of the five things we've learned now that the first six days of NBA action this year are over:

[NBA suspends Brandon Ingram, Rajon Rondo and Chris Paul for Lakers-Rockets fracas]

1. The Lakers are what we thought were

In two games, things stayed the way we had planned Lakers before the start of the season. They are going to outrun almost all the opponents, they will be bounced by virtually all opponents and they have a team full of inconsistent three-point shooters.

To this end, the Lakers won the fast breaking point battle in each of their first two games, bouncing in each of them and shooting 15 for 62 (24.2%) from the deepest. The result is that they are now 0-2 and will be deprived of Brandon Ingram for the next four games and Rajon Rondo for the next three after their suspension on Sunday.

The sky does not fall in Los Angeles. The Lakers should improve as the season progresses and their many new coins have time to gel. But through these first two matches, their expected strengths and weaknesses have been demonstrated.

(An extra note for bettors: the bet was won at each of the Lakers' first two games, as they seem intent on playing at a breakneck pace at night, this could be a smart bet.).

2. Warriors can not shoot

After three games, Stephen Curry is 16 points out of 34 points. Pretty good, no?

In three games, all Golden State Warriors who have not been named Stephen Curry have a combined total of 8 vs. 40 and a three-point range.

Yuck.

Part of that, of course, is regression. Klay Thompson went from 2 to 18 out of 3. Kevin Durant went 1 for 10. The two will obviously start shooting a lot better after that.

The rest of the warriors, however, are not so sure. Among the Draymond Green group, Jonas Jerebko, Quinn Cook, Andre Iguodala and Alfonso McKinnie, none is a constant threat from society.

It is certainly not the moment to worry for the Warriors after a defeat and they still have four stars (plus a fifth, DeMarcus Cousins, still recovering from his Achilles wounds). However, Golden State was nearly touched last year by its lack of deep wings and shots outside of Curry, Thompson and Durant, and the first returns this year on whether this would change are not encouraging.

[With rings in hand and change on the horizon, Warriors begin pursuit of three-peat]

3. The Raptors are for real

After three games, Toronto looks quite like the competitor she was supposed to enter the season.

The Raptors won 3-0 in their first week of games, including winning a pre-game Eastern Conference final on the Boston Celtics, before heading home the following night without Kawhi Leonard, rested, and winning in Washington.

Leonard looks healthy. Kyle Lowry looks great. The new coach of the team, Nick Nurse, has so far mixed and aligned his lines by opponent, and the results have been excellent. and provided evidence that Toronto's depth and versatility in every position can allow it to play any style credibly against any opponent, no matter the night.

Yes, it's early. But, at least so far, the summer bets of team president Masai Ujiri seem to be bearing fruit.

4. The "Kevin Love Trade Watch" has already started.

The Cleveland Cavaliers now have a 0-3 record after a demoralizing defeat by the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night, and it is already ridiculous to say that the Cavaliers are likely to have eight top seeds in the East. I will be the first to admit that I was among those who said it.

With this in mind, keep an eye on Kevin Love as the first major commercial token to be transferred to the non-Jimmy Butler business category. Yes, Love has signed a long-term extension with Cleveland this summer. But as Blake Griffin showed last year, it just means he might be more attractive to another team as a token.

The Cavaliers want to be competitive this season and love can not even be moved until the end of January. But by then, Cleveland could be well outside the playoffs – and Love, like Griffin last year, could go elsewhere.

5. This year's popular sleep teams do not sleep

The Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Pelicans and Milwaukee Bucks entered the season with more hype. The Nuggets should finally win in the playoffs in the West after knocking on the door the last two seasons while noting a constant improvement of their young nucleus. The Pelicans boast of a potential candidate for the quintessential player at Anthony Davis, as well as intriguing plays in the podium like Nikola Mirotic and Julius Randle. The Bucks have their own most valuable player potential at Giannis Antetokounmpo, plus Khris Middleton, an upgrade at the coach and many shooters.

These three teams are a combined 7-0.

Questions remain about the three. A good week of defense for Denver will not erase questions about his game of this end. New Orleans needs perimeter players other than Jrue Holiday to meet the required standards throughout the season. Milwaukee must continue to prove that his different appearance in the preseason under coach Mike Budenholzer was a real thing. But we thought all three were potentially dangerous this season. Until now, all three have been.

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