Takeaways From The NBA Season So Far

The 2019-2020 NBA season is getting into full swing. The NBA is back to the land of the dynamic duos and away from the overwhelming big three dominance. We are less than 10 games into the season and we are seeing how the NBA is taking shape in this new time, at least or now. From to the good and the bad, these are my early NBA takeaways from the season so far. 


1. The Golden State Warriors dynasty is officially over. 

This has been a topic most people already thought of since Kevin Durant left for the Brooklyn Nets and Klay Thompson got hurt. However, after losing those two guys, people still believed that they could make the playoffs, and maybe contend for the championship. But the start of this season has officially ended the Dynasty. Draymond Green is out with an injured finger ligament, and Stephen Curry broke his hand and is now rumored to miss the entire season. So now they have lost their whole starting line-up from last year (Curry, Thompson, Durant, Green, Cousins)  to either injury or free agency. Not to mention they traded former NBA Finals MVP, Andre Iguodala, and consistent bench contributor, Shaun Livingston, to retirement before the season started. The Warriors lost their best seven players from their dynasty run. The only bright spot about this situation is that the Warriors get to let their youngster loose and see which players can step-up and contribute when everyone comes back next season. Golden State has found another gem in the 2nd round in former Villanova big man, Eric Paschall. His situation reminds me of Draymond Green's situation, 2nd round Power Forward making an impact for the team. Paschall has scored 78 points in the last three games and is shooting 38.9% from the 3-point line. He is the leading candidate to be the next contributor in the rebuild of the new-look Warriors. Let's see if Jordan Poole or Damion Lee can live up to their potential. 


2. The Phoenix Suns are playing like they are playoff contenders. 

 Yes, that is correct. The Phoenix Suns, who went 19-63 last season, are playing like one of the top teams in the NBA. They were 5-2 when I was writing this, and it took Jimmy Butler to score 30 points in the first half, Goran Dragic to score 20 points in the second half, and the rest of the Miami Heat to shoot over 50% from 2 and 3-point land. Takeaway that game and the Suns have played elite so far. Their two losses have come to the Denver Nuggets and the Utah Jazz, losing by one point each. They have beat the Los Angeles Clippers coming off their highs of beating the Los Angeles Lakers on opening night and then ruining the Golden State Warriors' opening in their new arena. What's more impressive then that is that they beat the Philadelphia 76ers, the last unbeaten team left. Devin Booker finally gets to take off a little of that huge load he had to carry for the past three years. He is getting help from a bunch of offseason additions, including big man help from Frank Kaminsky and Aaron Baynes to veteran assist man, Ricky Rubio. This team is even doing this without last year's number one pick, Deandre Ayton, who has been suspended 25 games for violating the NBA's anti-drug policy. We will see if the Suns can keep up this level of play and be even better when Ayton returns from suspension. 


3. This year's rookie class is good. 

Coming into the start of the season, all the hype was towards Zion Williamson (NO), Ja Morant (MEM), and RJ Barrett (NY), the top 3 picks. Additionally, Tyler Herro (MIA) and Rui Hachimura (WSH) were getting attention for potentially being able to contribute to their team. All of them have lived up to their expectations except Williamson, who got hurt in the preseason and hasn't played a single game yet. Since the most hyped rookie hasn't played a game tells you even more how impressive this class is playing. Ja Morant is leading the way averaging 20.4 PPG and shooting 50% on 3-pointers. Barett is right behind him with 17.9 PPG and 6.1 REB. What makes this class impressive is the performance from Eric Paschall, which I mentioned before, and the out-of-nowhere performance from undrafted rookie Kendrick Nunn. Nunn was picked up by the Miami Heat out of the University of Illinois and is now starting for the Heat averaging 17.4 PPG. Furthermore, PJ Washington, Coby White, and Brandon Clarke are all playing well enough to help their teams. Now we are just waiting for Zion Williamson to play to boost this rookie class even more. 


4. Lebron and AD led Lakers are back to the top.

The Los Angeles Lakers are tied for the best record in the NBA at 7-1. The best duo of Lebron James and Anthony Davis are dominating teams in their short time playing with each other. Anthony Davis is averaging 26.5 PTS, 10.5 REB, and 3.0 BLK. James, on the other hand, is averaging 26.0 PTS, 7.8 REB, and 10.5 AST. Both of them are playing very well and with the addition of key role players, they are on top of the Western Conference. Danny Green is shooting 43.9% on 3-pointers and even made a buzzer-beater 3-pointer against the Dallas Mavericks to send the game to overtime. The resurgent Dwight Howard has accepted his role for the team and brings quality minutes of rebounding, blocks, and lobs. Remember that it takes time for new players to gel and learn each others playing style. Thus, this means that the aren't even reaching the full potential. They are on a six-game winning streak and don't look like they are slowing down. 


5. The load management discussion is already back. 

The past couple of seasons the NBA has been trying to crack down on their marquee superstars from taking a rest, instead of playing when healthy. Teams that are predicted to make the playoffs have tended to rest their stars on back-to-backs to ease the stress on their bodies and have them end up being a little bit fresher towards the playoffs. We are less than 10 games into the season and the Los Angeles Clippers have already started resting their star, Kawhi Leonard, twice this season on back-to-backs. The discussion becomes a bigger topic when stars end up skipping nationally televised games and it lowers the viewership and ticket sales. The NBA has a policy that prohibits teams from resting their players when they are healthy. The Clippers stated that Leonard was dealing with a knee injury and thus being compliant with league rules. However, on Thursday, Clippers coach Doc Rivers, made statements that contradicted his statements about the injury status of Kawhi Leonard. The NBA has now fined the Clippers $50,000 for violating the rules. After Leonard sat out, other NBA superstars have been asked about load management including Lebron James and James Harden. Both players have taken the stance against load management and will play if they are healthy enough to play. Let's see if more players become for or against load management. 



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