Week 2 recap and Roze's 5 Things

Standings

Eastern Conference

1. Chicago Bulls 5-0
2. Philadelphia 76ers 4-1
3. Milwaukee Bucks 4-2
4. Detroit Pistons 4-2
5. Miami Heat 3-2
6. Atlanta Hawks 3-3
7. Cleveland Cavaliers 3-3
8. Orlando Magic 3-4
9. Boston Celtics 3-4
10. New York Knicks 2-3
11. Toronto Raptors 2-4
12. Charlotte Hornets 2-4
13. Indiana Pacers 1-5
14. Washington Wizards 1-5
15. Brooklyn Nets 0-5

Western Conference

1. Oklahoma City Thunder 6-0
2. San Antonio Spurs 5-0
3. Portland Trail Blazers 4-2
4. Los Angeles Lakers 4-2
5. LA Clippers 3-2
6. Denver Nuggets 3-2 
7. Houston Rockets 3-2
8. Golden State Warriors 4-3
9. Memphis Grizzlies 3-3
10. Minnesota Timberwolves 3-3
11. Utah Jazz 2-3
12. Phoenix Suns 2-4 
13. Sacramento Kings 2-4 
14. Dallas Mavericks 2-4
15. New Orleans Pelicans 0-5

Standings Update

In the Eastern Conference, we have a surprise at the top: the Chicago Bulls are 5-0 for the first time since Michael Jordan wore a Bulls jersey. The 76ers follow them with a 4-1 record, suffering their first loss Friday against the Celtics. The Bucks, Pistons, Heat, and Hawks rounded out the rest of the top 6. The play-in, for now, is scheduled to feature the Cavaliers, Magic, Celtics, and Knicks, all of whom made the playoffs last season. The Raptors and Hornets sit in the 11th and 12th spots in the East, with the Pacers, Wizards, and Nets rounding out the bottom 3. 

In the Western Conference, the Thunder are holding the top spot at 6-0 with the Spurs behind them at 5-0. The surprise Trail Blazers to everyone, except me, sit third at 4-2, and the Lakers, after taking down the Grizzlies in the NBA Cup group stage game Friday, sit 4th in the standings. The Clippers and Nuggets are both 3-2 and round out the top 6. The Rockets, Warriors, Grizzlies, and Timberwolves make up the current play-in, and the Jazz and Suns sit at 11 and 12 in the West. The Kings and Mavericks are 1.5 ahead of the winless Pelicans to round out the standings. 

News Update 

Sunday, October 26th 

Anthony Edwards will miss at least 2 weeks with a hamstring injury. 

Gabe Vincent will miss 2-4 weeks with an ankle sprain. 

Thursday, October 30th

Nikola Topic will miss an indefinite period of time after being diagnosed with testicular cancer. 

Friday, October 31st

Matisse Thybulle will miss 4-6 weeks with a thumb injury. 

Kevin Porter Jr. will miss at least 4 weeks after a knee procedure. 

Saturday, November 1st

Trae Young will miss at least 4 weeks with a sprained MCL. 

Roze’s 5 Things 

Shaedon Sharpe is concerning 

It hasn’t been quite the start Shaedon Sharpe was hoping for to start the season. The 4th year player out of Kentucky has gotten off to a slow start at the beginning of the season. He’s averaging 17.5 points per game on 35-26-95 shooting splits and taking close to 17 shots a game so far this season. Shape is still seemingly figuring out where his spots on the floor are to score. He’s got a very smooth handle and showcased some nice shot-making and creation last year, having a career-high in unassisted field goal percentage last season. Shape has shot 48% at the rim this season, which is well below league average and what he’s capable of shooting from this distance. Sharpe is also shooting 42.5% from outside the restricted area and is shooting 26% overall from 3. In the games I have watched, Tiago Splitter and the rest of the Blazers seem comfortable with the shots Sharpe is taking, and it seems the organization is putting the ball in his hands more often as well. Hopefully, this is just a rough patch as Sharpe and the Blazers agreed on a 4-year $90 million rookie extension at the beginning of the season. 

76ers guards are dynamic 

The 76ers are 4-1 on the season so far, and if you watched last year, you probably couldn’t name when they won their 4th game. However, it’s been much different at the beginning because of a couple of reasons. Firstly, the 76ers are making 41% of their 3s so far this season and are scoring 125 points per game in 5 games this year. The second reason is Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Quentin Grimes making life extremely challenging for perimeter defense. All three guys are shooting 43%+ from three so far this season on at least 6 attempts a game (Edgecombe at 6.4, Grimes at 6.8, and Maxey at 9.8!!). The three of them do a great job at moving the ball and working off of each other in transition and in the half-court. While the 76ers are one of the slow-paced teams in the NBA so far this season (only 100 pace so far), the half-court efficiency is working nicely for the trio. The trio has played 87 minutes together so far this season and is +46 in those minutes, with an offensive rating of 133.5, which would be head and shoulders above everyone else.  

Does the Noah LaRoche offense actually work?

Noah LaRoche had a very public ending to his tenure in Memphis last season with the Grizzlies. Ja Morant wasn’t a huge fan of the new offense that revolves mostly around drive-and-kick, along with very limited pick-and-roll action. Pick and roll accounts for roughly 60% of NBA offense currently and is the most used action. However, LaRoche was brought onto the Heat’s staff this past season, and the implementation of his offense has drastically changed Miami’s offense. The Heat have an offensive rating of 116, which is in the top so far, and a pace of 107, which is leading the NBA, and are second in the NBA in points per game with 125 a game. The noticeable changes in the Heat offense have been the increased isolation and the number of points they are getting in transition. The Heat are second in the NBA in fastbreak points and are top 10 in isolations, drives, and are last in the NBA in pick-and-rolls per game. Quite an overhaul in offensive identity, but it has helped them to a 3-2 start without their initiator in Tyler Herro. 

Warriors are contenders (Maybe?)

Golden State’s start has them at 4-3, but losses to the Bucks and Pacers have me changing their outlook for the season already. I am concerned about the age of the team now, and after seeing how the Bucks and Pacers made things challenging for them down the stretch of the game, and how the speed affected them, along with the minutes they’ve put on Butler, Green, and Curry, I have reevaluated the outlook for them. While the depth is still solid, and Kuminga has been up to the standard Steve Kerr has set for him, Podziemski is shooting 47-39 so far this season and off to a much better start, and rookie Will Richard has shown he belongs in the rotation. However, what tells me they are elite when it matters is that the lineup of Podziemski, Curry, Green, Butler, and Kuminga has a net rating of +14 with an offensive rating of 121 and a defensive rating of 107. Butler, Green, Kuminga, and Curry have already played 107 minutes together so far this season, and Steve Kerr has leaned heavily into those 4 when needed. Still, will they be able to hold up well in the regular season and get them into a home court position come playoff time?

Can the Bucks get a top 4 seed in the East?

The Bucks have looked great so far this season after the turnover this offseason to please Giannis. Mainly, this is due to the absurd numbers Giannis is averaging so far this year (34-13-7 line so far). But the questions surrounding the Bucks have been answered for the most part. The playmaking was the biggest concern once the Bucks waived Lillard, but those questions have been answered for the most part with Ryan Rollins and Cole Anthony helping in the absence of Keivn Porter Jr. Rollins is averaging 18 points per game on 55-40-88 shooting splits and providing some great defense as well. He’s putting in 5 assists per game in 32 minutes a night. Anthony is only playing 20 minutes a game, but averaging nearly 6 assists off the bench for the Bucks. Some of the passes he’s made on pick-and-roll reads have been great, and he’s given the Bucks some great minutes off the bench. Overall, I’m not sure if Giannis can sustain this level of play and the minutes he is putting on his body throughout the whole season; however, the East is a little lopsided at the moment, with the teams we thought would be at the top being in the play-in, and it has allowed other teams to take advantage of it. I think Bucks will now have a good shot to get into the top 4 after starting off 4-2 and sitting 3rd in the East.