The first week of the NBA season delivered plenty of excitement — three games decided by three points or less, four ending in overtime and two in double overtime. We've already been treated to 50-point games by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Austin Reaves and Aaron Gordon, and nine more with 40+. Unsurprisingly, there were a slew of surprises mixed in with all those chaotic finishes and scoring explosions.
Very few people saw the Heat, Hornets and Bulls starting off a combined 6-2 would have guessed the Celtics, Rockets and Pacers would all still be looking for their first win. We're just getting started on an 82-game marathon that won't finish until April, but our first week of NBA Power Rankings already has us questioning some of our preseason assumptions.
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NBA Power Rankings, Week 1
NBA Power Rankings | Record |
|---|---|
1. Oklahoma City Thunder | 3-0 |
2. San Antonio Spurs | 3-0 |
3. Philadelphia 76ers | 2-0 |
4. Miami Heat | 2-1 |
5. Los Angeles Lakers | 2-1 |
6. Milwaukee Bucks | 2-1 |
7. Charlotte Hornets | 2-1 |
8. Chicago Bulls | 2-0 |
9. Detroit Pistons | 2-1 |
10. Cleveland Cavaliers | 2-1 |
11. New York Knicks | 2-1 |
12. Golden State Warriors | 2-1 |
13. Los Angeles Clippers | 2-1 |
14. Memphis Grizzlies | 2-1 |
15. Minnesota Timberwolves | 2-1 |
16. Denver Nuggets | 1-1 |
17. Utah Jazz | 1-1 |
18. Orlando Magic | 1-2 |
19. Portland Trail Blazers | 1-2 |
20. Toronto Raptors | 1-2 |
21. Houston Rockets | 0-2 |
22. Sacramento Kings | 1-2 |
23. Atlanta Hawks | 1-2 |
24. Dallas Mavericks | 1-2 |
25. Indiana Pacers | 0-3 |
26. Washington Wizards | 1-2 |
27. Phoenix Suns | 1-2 |
28. New Orleans Pelicans | 0-2 |
29. Boston Celtics | 0-3 |
30. Brooklyn Nets | 0-3 |
Biggest winners and losers in Week 1
The San Antonio Spurs are for real
No team was more impressive during this first week than the San Antonio Spurs, who went 3-0, beating the Mavericks, Pelicans and Nets by 48 points combined. That's certainly not the toughest competition San Antonio will face this season, but they absolutely rolled, even without starting point guard De'Aaron Fox.
Victor Wembanyama is averaging 33.0 points, 13.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 6.0 blocks per game on a 63.9 true shooting percentage — that's like Wilt Chamberlain-level stuff. Dylan Harper looks like the real deal, Stephon Castle has been rock solid starting at point with Fox out, Devin Vassell and Julian Champagnie are a combined 16-of--36 from beyond the arc and the defense has been fantastic. This team is going to get better as the season goes along, and it might be time to consider them a more than just a potential playoff team.
The Boston Celtics are in rough shape
Everyone knew this was going to be a reset year for the Celtics with Jayson Tatum recovering from Achilles surgery, even with his threats to return before the end of the regular season. But they also lost Al Horford, Kristaps Porziņģis and Luke Kornet and turned Jrue Holiday into Anfernee Simons — perhaps an offensive upgrade, but definitely a defensive loss.
The Celtics lost their first three games, and it was a reality check for where they may actually be in the East this season — losing to the 76ers, Knicks and Pistons. They can still score, but they're 23rd in defensive efficiency and getting pounded on the offensive glass. They're probably better equipped to survive without Tatum than they are to survive with Sam Hauser playing at the 4 and Chris Boucher and Neemias Queta taking over for Porziņģis and Horford. If they don't find a way to tighten things up on defense, this season could get ugly in a hurry.
The Bucks might just hold onto Giannis a little longer
The Bucks needed to get off to a hot start to stave off a Giannis trade request. So far, so good.
The Bucks beat the Wizards and Raptors before dropping a five-point loss to the Cavs. Giannis has been shouldering an enormous load, as expected, but the supporting cast is putting in work as well. AJ Green and Gary Trent Jr. are shooting a combined 20-of-46 from beyond the arc, and Cole Anthony has averaged 16.0 points and 6.0 assists on a 72.5 true shooting percentage off the bench. Myles Turner has missed some open shots, but his defense has been great, and he looks like the perfect partner for Giannis.
They'll be tested with games against the Knicks and Warriors next on the schedule but mission accomplished through week one.
Another slow start for Trae Young
Trae Young started last season ice-cold, and it changed the entire trajectory of the Hawks season, ultimately pushing them toward a reset of the supporting cast this offseason. They did pull out a four-point win over the Magic, but also lost to the Raptors by 20 and the Thunder by 17. And Young has been a mess, shooting 38.6 percent from the field and 25.0 percent from beyond the arc. This roster was built, at great expense, to optimize his offensive strengths and defensive weaknesses. If he can't play much, much better, this is going to go off the rails once again.
Eye-popping stats to track going forward
Bennedict Mathurin: 13 free throw attempts per game
Mathurin missed the Pacers' third game, and third straight loss, with a sprained toe and may be out for a while. But he piled up 61 points and 26 free-throw attempts across their first two games. The Pacers took the Thunder down to the wire in their first game of the season and showed their going to be frisky this year. If Mathurin can take advantage of Tyrese Haliburton's absence and transform into an elite halfcourt creator, it's going to make the Pacers that much more dangerous next year.
San Antonio Spurs: 44.8 percent shooting by opponents within 8 feet
Again, the Spurs haven't played the toughest competition, but their interior defense has been stifling, thanks in large part to Wemby. So far, the Spurs have held opponents to 44.8 percent shooting within eight feet of the basket, the best mark in the league by a decent margin. For context, the Thunder led the league in this category last season at 55.7 percent. No team has held their opponents under 50 percent shooing in this range, since the Roy Hibbert-Pacers in 2013-14. There is almost certainly going to be some regression to the mean, but the Spurs still have the potential to be historically good.
Zion's new physique may have lost something
Zion Williamson lost a significant amount of weight this summer and entered this season in better shape than ever before. It may prevent injuries and keep him on the floor, but so far it seems like it's affecting him in the paint. In his first two games, Zion attempted 19 shots off drives and made just seven. In all, he's shooting 16-of-34 (47 percent) inside of eight feet, after making 58.1 percent last year, the only time in his career he was below 60 percent.
It may be nothing, a fluke of small sample size theater. But it's worth following.