Three teams that are expected to compete for a title got off to slow starts in their first game, with the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, and Los Angeles Clippers all lost their opening games. However, there isn't any reason for these teams to panic, as each one is incorporating new elements into their rotations. The Nets have five new rotation players while the Bulls and Clippers have three a piece, plus Brooklyn and L.A. have new coaches. Chicago struggled during the second quarter in which they were out scored by the Heat by 19, in large part because Jimmy Butler and Luol Deng got in foul trouble and new Bulls Mike Dunleavy and Tony Snell weren't quite on point with their rotations, particularly to the corners. Also Derrick Rose was clearly a little rusty, neither of these issues should last. The Nets on the other hand were tentative offensively, still figuring out how to play together together on that end. The absence of key reserve Andrei Kirilenko didn't help either. For the Clippers, there are signs that are a little more concerning but not dire, they were killed on the boards, including 18 offensive rebounds, and looked lackadaisical at times on both ends. Also, they were beaten by a Lakers team that was lost to Golden State by 31 the next night. However, I would be very surprised if they don't make a move for a big before the playoffs (Emeka Okafor when healthy?) and Doc Rivers should be able to instill some discipline in his young team. Bottom line is these are all very good teams and I see no reason why they shouldn't end up in the top 4 seeds in their respective conferences.
It was great to see the Kings still in Sacramento, with rowdy fans showing up en-masse to support their team on their way to an opening night win, thanks in large part to DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins registered 30 points (13-26 from the field, 4-7 from the line) 14 rebounds, a pair of steals and blocks, and an assist. Cousins has put up big numbers before, but he has rarely looked this good, showing off the whole repertoire on the block with hooks, drives, turnaround bank-shots, and one thunderous throwdown off his own miss. More importantly, he cut out bad jump shots, only shooting when he was wide open, and going 2-of-4 in that case. Perhaps most impressively, he played 39 minutes and still (mostly) brought effort on both ends. Cousins is supremely talented and if he can continue to play this way, Sacramento will be going in the right direction. I think it really helps having Greivis Vasquez playing alongside him. Vasquez played great and fit really well on the team, especially playing alongside Isaiah Thomas, the two combined for 33 points (on 11-18 from the field, 7-9 from the line, 4-6 from deep), and 9 assists to 4 turnovers, but most importantly they played good team basketball. Unfortunately, Marcus Thornton still had the blinders on and jacked up terrible shots, which was the norm in Sacramento in previous seasons, but really stood out against when, at least for one night, the Kings looked like a different team. Also, while he struggled offensively, I liked the way the Ben McLemore competed on the defensive end, which was an issue for him at Kansas. Once he is able to get going on offense, I would expect McLemore to move into the starting lineup with Thornton in a more logical bench role.
Michael Carter-Williams had a tremendous debut in the 76ers victory over the Heat, scoring 22 points (6-10 FG, 4-6 three point, 6-8 FT) with 7 rebounds, 12 assists, 1 turnover, and 9 steals. The boards, assists, and steals shouldn't be too big of a surprise (though nine is a lot, obviously), at 6-6 he can really see the floor and make things happen on defense. However, the offense and lack of turnovers are huge, if he can keep protecting the ball and continue to score somewhat efficiently, the future is very bright, because the rest of his game is there.
The Detroit Pistons are going to make things very difficult for teams in the paint when they play Andre Drummond, Josh Smith, and Greg Monroe together. If they can keep a consistent offense and not foul too much, their defense could be really disruptive.
Like the Bulls, Nets, and Clippers, the Pelicans are incorporating a lot of new pieces and while the talent and potential is evident, they need to work on their consistency and figure out how the 3 guard lineups are going to be working together.
The Pacers, who beat New Orleans, who got big bench contributions in their first game, only mustered 10 points of the pine in this game, which will be something to monitor throughout the season, because the bench will be crucial for them in the playoffs after killing them last year. If Danny Granger returns to form, moving Lance Stephenson to the bench should help a lot.
The Thunder scored 101 points, but they only had 9 assists, including only one by Kevin Durant, who was really passing well in the pre-season. This offense is really going to struggle if they don't move the ball more. Russell Westbrook's return will help this immensely, but he is still out for a couple weeks. I would like to see Durant create a little more for his teammates, because without Westbrook they are really lacking ball movers. Note: shooting 33 free throws doesn't help assist totals, but the point still remains.
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