Hoops Habit
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NBA: One Early Season Red Flag for all 30 Teams

By Michael Dunlap

November 5, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) drives to the basket against Los Angeles Clippers guard Jordan Farmar (1, left) during the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Clippers 121-104. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
November 5, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) drives to the basket against Los Angeles Clippers guard Jordan Farmar (1, left) during the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Clippers 121-104. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Atlantic Division

Toronto Raptors — Perimeter Shooting

DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry are fantastic talents, but neither are lighting it up from the outside, at 28.6 and 30.4 percent, respectively. No player on the team is shooting over 40 percent from the 3-point line and the player who has attempted the most — Greivis Vasquez (27) — is shooting just 22.2 percent. They’re shooting just 30.3 percent as a team, good for 25th in the league.

Brooklyn Nets — Offensive Rebounding

Stop me if you’ve heard this knock before — the Nets are not a very good rebounding team. They’re better on the defensive glass than on the offensive side of things but even so — they’re pretty bad. Of their top seven in terms of minutes, no player has more than four offensive rebounds. Brook Lopez (7) and Mason Plumlee (9) have done well in limited minutes, but after that it’s awful. Kevin Garnett has 40 defensive boards — but just two on the offensive glass.

Boston Celtics — Defending the 3

This isn’t a team that’s devoid of athletic players, which makes me wonder why they’re so poor at defending the 3-point line (or defending the opposing team at all, for that matter). They allow a whopping 39.8 percent to opponents from the perimeter, which is 28th in the league. Their overall defense in 27th in rating and 29th in points allowed. Perhaps they’re gambling for steals or they’re schematically broken. Whatever it is — it isn’t working.

New York Knicks — Shooting Inside the Arc

The Knicks are the second-best team in the league in 3-point percentage at 42.4 percent, which makes it that much more surprising that they’re a horrid 43.4 percent shooting team from inside the arc (dead last in the NBA). The Knicks top-two scorers are Carmelo Anthony and Iman Shumpert — with Melo shooting 38.5 and Shump shooting 35.9 percent from two-point range. I know they’re learning a new offense, but that’s bad no matter what plays you’re running.

Philadelphia 76ers — Easy Points

If you’re a team that’s wholly devoid of NBA talent, you had better do two things — play as a team and get as many easy points as you can. The Sixers are moving the ball well, averaging 22.5 assists per game (third in league), but they make the Detroit Pistons look like good foul shooters. As a team the Sixers are shooting 64.4 percent from the foul line, worst in the NBA. None of their top-8 players are shooting above 67 percent. Ouch.

Next: Central Division