A new potential Rookie of the Year candidate
We’ve had our social media timelines filled with highlights from Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren every time either the San Antonio Spurs or the Oklahoma City Thunder step foot on the court, and rightfully so, as the rookies have been impressing everyone with the sheer amount of talent displayed consistently every night.
However, there’s also been a rookie that has surprised the more casual fans of the NBA. Those who haven’t been paying attention to the Detroit Pistons may have been missing out on Ausar Thompson’s impressive rookie campaign. Though the Pistons have been notoriously bad through their first 11 games, only winning two very early on in the season, there have been a couple of bright spots alongside Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren, starting with one half of the Thompson Twins.
It may surprise you when we say that there is only one rookie that’s averaging a double-double, in both points and rebounds, with over 10 per game. That rookie is none other than the 6-foot-7 small forward, Ausar Thompson. Not only that, but Thompson has also been one of the best rim-protectors in the entire league. Though he still fouls a lot, the 20-year-old has been one of the most impressive developments so far in the season.
Tyrese Maxey emulates Allen Iverson
The Philadelphia 76ers are having a fantastic start to the season. After losing the very first game of the year, the Joel Embiid-led roster has remained undefeated for eight straight matchups. Though it’s still very much Embiid’s team, with the big man averaging 32.4 points and 11.7 rebounds, Tyrese Maxey has been the guy that stepped up to become that second offensive star for the team, and his efforts have been paying off.
Since becoming the lead guard for the 76ers, Maxey has boosted his statistics in almost every single category, jumping from 20.3 to 28.6 points, and from 3.5 to 7.2 assists per game. The 23-year-old has been a key player for the franchise’s early success three weeks into the season.
In Philadelphia’s latest game against the very impressive Pacers, Maxey took matters into his own hands and led every scorer in the bout. With 50 points scored in his 39 minutes of playing time, Maxey became the second-youngest player in franchise history to score that amount since Allen Iverson did so in 1997, and the first guard to do it since “The Answer” in 2005.
Ime Udoka pushing for Coach of the Year award
Last year, the Houston Rockets won a staggering 22 games, being ultimately awarded with the fourth overall pick in the draft, which conveyed into Amen Thompson (Ausar’s twin brother). Though Amen’s start to the season hasn’t been as impressive as his brother’s due to some injury problems, the remaining Rockets have, surprisingly, been taking care of business.
The new additions to the roster, Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks, have made a key impact on the team’s early success, with VanVleet’s championship experience and Brooks’ tenacious defense leading the team to the top-10 in both offensive and defensive rating.
New head coach Ime Udoka is known as a very positive locker-room influence on his players, and his tactical schemes helped his former team reach the NBA Finals for the first time in over ten years. One of Udoka’s first orders of business was to promote young center Alperen Şengün to a bigger role on offense, which has led to his immediate improvement on that side of the court, leading the team with 19.4 points per game.
The emergence of a new contender
Just over a week ago, there were still two undefeated teams in the NBA. One was the Boston Celtics, and the other were the reigning champions, the Denver Nuggets. Both teams went over four games without recording a loss, until they faced the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Anthony Edwards has taken a huge jump over the summer, which has awarded him the Western Conference Player of the Week award, after averaging 31.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists, while maintaining Minnesota’s six-game winning streak. Another key factor that’s helped the Timberwolves boost up the rankings has been the defense, which has been anchored by the three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, who seems to have returned to his old form in Utah, where he was known as one of the best interior defenders in NBA history.
Alongside these two who have been excelling at their respective roles, Karl-Anthony Towns is having a seemingly down year offensively, but has turned into a very positive defender, something he hadn’t yet done in his eight-year NBA career. Jaden McDaniels came in halfway through their early season campaign, and since his arrival, the defense has really taken a step forward, leading the league in that area through various different parameters. Off the bench, Naz Reid has been having a Sixth Man of the Year-level start, offering solid defense and a lot of offensive versatility playing at both the power forward and center positions, depending on who is on the court with him, having the ability to stretch the floor and create his own shot.
Are the Clippers starting to regret the trade for James Harden?
Last week, we covered the trade that sent James Harden and PJ Tucker to the Los Angeles Clippers and the veteran package that went the other way to Philadelphia. While we have mentioned how well the 76ers are doing early on in the season, the Clippers’ last week has been the polar opposite.
Since Harden’s debut last Monday against the New York Knicks, the Clippers are yet to win a game with the former MVP, with the team taking its time adjusting to the new-look roster. Tyronn Lue has been starting “The Beard” as the shooting guard, with Russell Westbrook being the lead guard, something that has struggled to work so far in their third time partnering up on the backcourt. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard have also struggled to adapt with Harden’s arrival, with every player on the team dropping their season averages in points, as the star guard takes his time to adjust to the new offensive schemes.
They came close to winning twice, against Brooklyn and Memphis, two teams that are far inferior to the Clippers on paper, but the team’s struggles late in the fourth quarter have given their opposition the win consecutively. While it’s still expected that Harden comes back to a somewhat decent form with the Los Angeles franchise, it’s going to take some adjusting, hurting the Clippers’ record in the meantime.