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Opinion
Panic and the first month of the NBA season go hand in hand. Of course, it’s a long season and every team has only played around a dozen of their 82-game schedule.
However, trends are emerging, rosters are being picked apart and off-season moves are already being labelled disastrous at several franchises.
Some teams with playoff expectations like the LA Clippers (7-5), Boston Celtics (8-3) and Denver Nuggets (8-3) have hit their stride after sluggish starts.
But there are many more teams who tipped off their campaign struggling for form and have not been able to get going after more than three weeks of the season.
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Here are some of the main candidates for the early-season panic stakes.
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Even with Russell Westbrook accepting a demotion to the bench and putting up better numbers, the Lakers have still been misfiring on offence. And now with LeBron James nursing what is likely to just be a minor groin issue, they are likely to fall even further off the pace.
The option of a mid-season trade might not be enough of an enticement for Lakers executives to think they can solve their terrible roster construction as they will be unlikely to be able to get much back from a Westbrook trade even though he’s in the final year of his monster deal.
Trading All-Star forward Anthony Davis is their only other workable solution but his value is also at an all-time low. They could just ride out this season, wasting one of LeBron’s few left in his storied NBA career, and try to reset in the off-season by signing a free agent with the Westbrook cap space but even then, it is unlikely there’ll be a difference maker on the market.
With Kyrie Irving suspended, the Nets have gone 3-1 with Kevin Durant continuing his hot streak so all is not lost.
Ben Simmons is contributing just 5.6 points but still coming up with 6.3 assists and 6 rebounds after being sent back to the bench by new coach Jacque Vaughn, who has shed the interim tag to become Steve Nash’s full-time replacement after the Nets copped blowback when they considered hiring suspended Celtics mentor Ime Udoka.
The big question for Brooklyn is whether they keep trying to make it work with Durant or revisit his off-season request for a trade to load up on picks to convert into a star or two who would want to stay at the franchise. They can’t tank their way into the Victor Wembanyama draft lottery sweepstakes because they owe their pick, and a few more, to Houston from the James Harden trade.
Fading former MVP James Harden shed weight in the off-season but is now out for a month with a foot injury.
It’s far from panic stations in Philly with Joel Embiid still dominating (26 points, 13 rebounds per game) at centre but they are 11th in the Eastern Conference and coach Doc Rivers can’t afford to have a middling record with his tenure seemingly under review on a month by month basis.
Their lacklustre start to the season has not garnered too much attention but their roster is not a title-contending one, as it stands. The trade for Kyle Lowry has not worked and the veteran guard is only averaging 13.4 points and 5.8 rebounds despite playing more minutes than any Miami player this season.
Too much of their salary cap is loaded up on Lowry and inconsistent three-point specialist Duncan Robinson so the Heat need to get funky with a mid-season trade because Jimmy Butler is not getting any younger at 33 and is getting little support apart from Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo.
The champs are 12th in the West after a winless eastern road trip despite dual MVP Steph Curry putting up 32.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 6.9 assists. Yes, that’s right – their point guard is leading their team in rebounds.
While their record is poor by the franchise’s golden standards, coach Steve Kerr is not one to worry – he’s been giving extra court time to young propsects James Wiseman, Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga early in the season to see if they can be relied upon later on when the spotlight’s brighter. Early returns suggest they’re still a year away from being a year away.
Golden State’s starting line-up is still elite despite Klay Thompson’s shooting slump but their depth is not what it once was.
This is a franchise that should be worried. They traded everything in the city apart from Prince’s Paisley Palace to get Rudy Gobert from Utah but the two-headed frontcourt monster alongside Karl-Anthony Towns has been an abject failure.
Young star Anthony Edwards is seemingly refusing to play defence, can’t find space in the paint to dunk despite being possibly the best leaper in the NBA and doesn’t look happy.
A trade to replace D’Angelo Russell with a pass-first experienced point guard like Mike Conley or Ricky Rubio should be the Timberwolves’ top priority in order to get the best out of their big three.
They’ve got a winning record and are seventh in the West so surely there’s not too much for Dallas to worry about? In the words of the immortal Charlie Murphy. Wrong. Wronnnnng.
Luca Doncic is leading them in points (34.8), rebounds (8.2), assists (8.1) and steals (20) and is only marginally behind Maxi Kleber (0.8) for blocks while averaging 36.6 minutes. He’s already showing signs of fatigue, having to do it all just to drag them above a .500 record.
Back-to-back losses to Orlando and Washington should inform Mavs management that they need more than just centre Christian Wood to support their star. If they can put together a package that gets them in the conversation for a disgruntled star like Davis or Durant, they should do what is ever necessary to pull off either trade as it would make them title favourites.
Luka Doncic. Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Say what? Your electronic typewriter contraption must be broken. This team was supposed to be a bottom-feeder yet rookie coach Will Hardy has taken them to the second-best record in the NBA behind Milwaukee’s 10-1 start.
But that’s the problem. They are getting to the stage where they’re playing too well and will have no alternative but to ride this hot start with a spare-parts line-up led by the rejuvenated Lauri Markinnen.
They are on course to follow the likes of Phoenix in 2013-14, who were supposed to be one of the worst teams in the NBA but surprised everyone to nearly make the playoffs with a 48-34 record.
The Suns then went back to mediocrity for several seasons before becoming contenders the past couple of years.
Danny Ainge gutted Utah’s roster by trading Gobert and Donovan Mitchell away to give them the best chance to land a potential franchise-altering talent like Wembanyama or Scoot Henderson in the draft – whether they stick to that plan or gamble on their misfit squad continuing to defy the odds will be one of the most fascinating unexpected subplot to the rest of the season and the Jazz need to choose their direction soon otherwise they will have already won too many games for their own good.