NBA: Breaking Down The Top Storylines So Far This Season
It hasn’t even been 30 days since the start of the NBA season and yet, the amount of storylines developing on nightly basis has been phenomenal.
Most recently, a few players made headlines for their activity off the court (the suspension of Charlotte Hornets forward Jeff Taylor and allegations against Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard).
The Toronto Raptors and Memphis Grizzlies are tied with the best record in the league at 11-2.
The LeBron James-less Miami Heat have a better record than the Cleveland Cavaliers and at 36 years of age, Kobe Bryant still leads the league in scoring.
Below, we breakdown of a few of the top storylines that will continue to evolve as the season progresses.
1. The Philadelphia 76ers may set the league record for lowest wins in a season – again
The Sixers set the record back in 1972 after finishing 9-73, a league worst which might actually be better than their current roster. The team, coached by second-year coach Brett Brown and led by Michael Carter-Williams (MCW) who is last season’s Rookie of the Year, is off to a 0-13 start.
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Why might the franchise set a new record for least wins in a season? Only four of their losses were within single digits in games against Orlando, Chicago and Houston and New York. They lost to Phoenix by 26, to Toronto by 32 and to Dallas by 53.
Those losses are the reason why Suns and former Kentucky guard Eric Bledsoe told Sirius XM Radio he believes Kentucky would beat the Sixers in a seven-game series.
Outside of MCW, Tony Wroten and Nerlens Noel are really only the recognizable names on their roster, and blame can’t be placed on Brown for inheriting this squad. That goes to Sixers ownership, as it’s clear they’ve taken the initiative to aggressively tank.
2. Anthony Davis is an early favorite to win MVP
Has there ever been a player with length as well rounded and well versed as Davis? What about other players in history that we can compare him to?
Davis ranks second in scoring (26.3 points), sixth in rebounding (11.4 rebounds), third in steals (2.2 steals) and is the league-leader in blocks (3.5 blocks). The Pelicans are 7-5 in a packed Western Conference, but Davis has led them to impressive road wins over the defending champion San Antonio Spurs and Sacramento Kings.
This is a player who has a face up ability combined with a back to the basket game, a consistent jumper out to 20 feet, uses either hand to finish at the rim, plays passing lanes like a guard and is the anchor of the defense as a rim protector. Who else can do all of those things?
The Unibrow set a new career-high Saturday night in Salt Lake City posting 43 points and 14 rebounds.
As long as the young Pelicans remain in playoff contention, Davis will be a top candidate along with LeBron James, Marc Gasol, Stephen Curry and James Harden to win MVP.
The most frightening fact of all about Davis: he’s only 21.
3. DeMarcus Cousins is the best center in basketball
One of the surprises out West has been the play of the Sacramento Kings, largely due to Cousins’ emergence as the best low post scoring threat in the league. The 24-year-old center is fresh off signing a max extension with the franchise last summer.
Cousins’ 22.5 points per game is best amongst centers and he also leads the league in rebounds per game (12.3 rebounds). The monolithic stat lines he’s been able to produce against very formidable frontcourts is what jumps out the most.
In Thursday’s win over Chicago, he finished with 22 points, 14 rebounds and four assists, physically imposing his will over Joakim Noah, an elite defensive big man. He dominated the one on one matchups against the Spurs and every player Gregg Popovich through at him, from Aron Baynes to Matt Bonner then Tim Duncan.
Lastly, he was demonstrably the best player on the court against the Clippers in 34-point, 17-rebound, five-assist, three-block performance, resulting in a quality road win.
With Cousins, Rudy Gay and Darren Collison, the Kings have a shot at making the playoffs.