The Whiteboard: 5 biggest takeaways from NBA’s re-Opening Day

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The NBA is back, and the league’s re-Opening Day slate couldn’t have been more enjoyable.

Both games came down to the last shot. Zion Williamson suited up for the New Orleans Pelicans, albeit briefly. LeBron James and Anthony Davis went head-to-head with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. And all four teams knelt during the national anthem in a powerful display of solidarity to make a statement that Black Lives Matter.

It was only the first two of 88 seeding games, but because we haven’t been able to enjoy NBA basketball since March 11, the joy — and amount of rapid-reaction takeaways — was almost overwhelming. Aside from “F**k yeah, basketball!” here are the five biggest takeaways from Thursday’s opening slate.

5. Vets still pace the Pelicans

The Pelicans’ main attractions are Zion Williamson and Most Improved Player candidate Brandon Ingram, in that order. But gearing up for the home stretch and playoff-caliber basketball, it’s easy to forget these star pieces are still young, inexperienced and in Zion’s case, possibly on a minutes restriction.

Ingram came out firing in the first half with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting in just 17 minutes. But he faltered down the stretch, either due to tired legs, rust, nerves or all of the above, going 1-for-9 for eight second-half points. Zion continued to be a per-minute beast, finishing with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting, but he only logged 15 minutes and was noticeably absent for most of the fourth quarter (more on this in second).

While Derrick Favors was massively disappointing in the veteran department, Jrue Holiday and J.J. Redick were New Orleans’ best players on Thursday. In addition to his 20 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals, Holiday put the clamps on Donovan Mitchell for most of the night until the Jazz star got loose late in the fourth. Redick, meanwhile, pumped in 21 points off the bench, shot 7-for-15 from the floor and threw passes we didn’t even know were in his bag. The young guns are NOLA’s main attraction, but the vets might be the ones pacing this team in Orlando.

4. Gobert and Mitchell managed just fine

Despite all the consternation over Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell’s off-court relationship, Utah’s star duo looked just fine on the court. While giving your buddy COVID-19 will typically sour any friendship, it hasn’t affected their games … to this point, at least.

Mitchell struggled to shake Holiday for most of the night, but capitalized on switches in the fourth quarter and even burned Holiday a couple times late to finish with 20 points, five assists and three steals on 6-of-14 shooting. Gobert added a 14-point, 12-rebound double-double, with three blocks and the game-winning free throws.

As for the foul that sent Gobert to the line? It stemmed from a gorgeous pass from Mitchell to set his center up for a look right at the rim, forcing the foul and giving Utah the re-Opening Day win. The severe lack of depth is troubling, but between the two stars, so far, so good.

3. LeBron’s defense shows up when it’s needed

LeBron has been legitimately good on defense this year. He was objectively terrible and lazy on that end last year, but the Los Angeles Lakers’ return to prominence, along with Davis’ arrival in L.A., seems to have spurred the King into one of his better defensive seasons during this latter stage of his career.

It goes far beyond the one block and one steal he recorded on Thursday, however; LeBron locked in late to stop Kawhi on a few key drives, including the final possession, where he clamped down on both Leonard and Paul George to seal the deal.

If LeBron’s lapses on the defensive end are few and far between throughout this postseason, the Lakers will be a very, very tough playoff out indeed.

2. Why TF was Zion not playing?

We’re still unclear on this. Before the game, head coach Alvin Gentry had said Zion wouldn’t play on a minutes restriction, but that he would play in short bursts instead. Apparently, five three-minute bursts is all the Pelicans training staff was willing to allot him.

Williamson finished with just 15 minutes and was noticeably absent from the court for the final 7:19 of game clock. In that time, New Orleans’ four-point lead — which had reached as many as 16 earlier — withered away and ultimately turned into a two-point loss.

It was excruciating watching the Pelicans’ offense grind to a halt for most the fourth quarter as they only scored 17 points in the period. Let’s hope Williamson isn’t limited to 15 minutes like this again, but even if he is, can we at least make sure he’s on the court for the final three minutes of a tight ballgame?

1. We take AD for granted

Call it the LeBron James effect, but just because Anthony Davis isn’t a leading MVP candidate as the second-best player on his own team does not mean he’s incapable of taking over games and being the best player out there on any given night. It almost feels like people have forgotten how monstrous AD is simply because he plays with the King.

Thursday night was a nice reminder of how often we take Davis for granted. While LeBron struggled with his shot (6-for-19) and turnovers (five total) until the decisive stretch, it was the Brow who carried the Lakers for most of the evening.

That was especially obvious in the third quarter, when Davis poured in 12 of his game-high 34 points. Early on, it looked like the Clippers’ star duo (which combined for 58 points on the night) would handily win that tandem matchup. But thanks to AD’s heavy lifting early on, LeBron’s dominant fourth quarter helped the Lakers’ star duo close the gap (50 points) and ultimately get the win.

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