Early Season NBA Over and Under Achievers
We are just about ten games into the NBA regular season and some teams have made their mark on the season while others have been a disappointment thus far. Let’s take a quick dive into what teams are succeeding and missing their expectations.
Successful Seasons so far
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers have gotten off to an incredible start for the 2024-2025 campaign. With a record of 11-0, the Cavs have certainly put the league on notice as the best team in the NBA (record-wise). Donovan Mitchell is currently leading the way for Cleveland with averages of 23 PPG, 3 RPG and 4 APG. Following suit are Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Garland is averaging 21 PPG and 7 APG, Mobley is currently averaging 18 points and 9 rebounds per game, and Allen currently averages a double-double with averages of 14 points and 11 rebounds. Role players such as Caris LeVert, Ty Jerome and Sam Merrill have also contributed nicely to the Cavs core. Time will tell if the Cavaliers are able to keep this momentum going moving forward but overall, the Cleveland Cavaliers are currently a threat in the East.
Boston Celtics
As expected, the Celtics have gotten off to a solid start with a record of 9-2. The two stars of the Celtics, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, have continued to put up both MVP and All-Star stats with Tatum averaging 31 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists along with Jaylen Brown who is averaging 24 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists per night. Derrick White has also come to play in his role averaging over 19 points per game and continues to keep up his defensive intensity against opposing teams. There has been a somewhat surprising spark from one of the role players for Boston, that being Payton Pritchard. Pritchard is currently the sixth man for Boston and averaging 17 points per game. His efficient shooting percentages of 48% from the field and 43% from three has helped spaced the floor for the C’s as now teams will have to worry about another perimeter threat. Furthermore, the veteran presences of Jrue Holiday and Al Horford have certainly helped the Celtics in their quest for back-to-back NBA championships. Granted it is early in the season but the Celtics look like the NBA Championship team just one year ago.
Early Disappointments
Milwaukee Bucks
Oh boy, things are not looking too great in Milwaukee. While Giannis and Dame have played up to their standard, the Bucks as a whole have not. With their opening night win against the Philadelphia 76ers, everything appeared to be normal on the surface level for the Bucks. Ever since then, the Bucks have been a disaster. Loses to the Bulls and Nets who are trying to find themselves currently is a tough pill to swallow when you are supposed to be contending for championships. Close losses to Cleveland (twice), Boston (twice), and getting blown out by the Knicks have also occurred in just the first 10 games of the season. This has resulted in the Bucks being 2-8 to start out the year. Moreover, the absence of Khris Middleton certainly doesn’t help as he is coming back from injury. Middleton has been an integral part of the Bucks’ core with a championship under his belt and being a vital second option during that championship run. Doc Rivers’ position is also in question after the recent struggles the Bucks have been going through. Milwaukee is going to have to turn this around and must do so quickly so that the organization is at least afloat later in the season.
Philadelphia 76ers
Like the Bucks, the 76ers have been going through their own struggles as the season starts back up again. However, Tyrese Maxey has been a bright spot for Philly as he continues to put up all-star numbers. Having said that, the 76ers are currently in a hole and are looking for ways to get out of it. A five-game losing streak certainly hasn’t helped Philly’s cause with losses to Detroit, Memphis, Phoenix, Clippers and the Lakers have hindered the 76ers’ progress early in the season. The big elephant in the room has been the status of Joel Embiid. Fans assumed Embiid was coming into the season healthy after just playing in the 2024 Paris Olympics while winning a gold medal representing Team USA. Then, just before the season started, Embiid was announced as out for the season opener. While we didn’t know at the time what he was dealing with, he had minor swelling in a knee. On top of that, Embiid was recently suspended for three games for shoving a reporter after mentioning his brother and son in an article. With Embiid’s return on the horizon, it will be interesting to see how the 76ers come back from this poor start to the season.
Extra: Bronny James Situation
Oh boy, this is going to be a rough one. As many of you may know, Bronny was recently just sent down to the G-League to the South Bay Lakers. James was just on the Lakers roster making his season debut and many fans either have loved or disliked his position due to being with his dad, LeBron James on the Lakers. Having said that, at this time, Bronny is just not ready to compete at the NBA level. His shooting has gotten off to a poor start and this was evident since defenders are just leaving him wide open when he is shooting three-pointers. Also, the IQ and the intangibles are just not there for Bronny at the moment. Even in his G-League debut, Bronny was struggling to generate positive possessions for the South Bay Lakers and it’s clear that he needs to be developed to ensure at least playing in the NBA. All the hype around Bronny making jumpers NEEDS TO STOP; he is a professional and he should be doing that. Although he does have a solid work ethic and he is a good kid, Bronny doesn’t have the skills, the IQ, and the intangibles yet to be successful in the league.