An Early Look at the NBA Season So Far

The NBA season is a week old now and I have some quick thoughts that I want to get out there. I will do this from time to time because I love the NBA so much, and when it is not Saturday, that is college football watching day, all I pretty much watch is NBA games.

The season has gotten off to a very fun start. The Bulls look good, the Nets look bored, the Celtics look injured and the Bucks look dominant. That is where I want to start, with the Bucks. They look every bit the part of reigning champs. They have brutalized the teams they've faced when they play their full lineup. Giannis looks as good as he did in the finals, Jrue Holiday, save for one minor injury, looks great and Khris Middleton is hitting big jumper after big jumper. The bench looks solid and the Bucks look like a lock to make a deep playoff run only five games into the season.

On the other hand, the Lakers look not so good right now. I am sure they will right the ship, fix some of their problems and be in the thick of the playoff race when it matters. But right now they look really, really bad. The lack of floor spacing is rearing its head. LeBron is already hurt. AD is arguing with Dwight Howard on the bench. Carmelo is missing open threes. Everything people worried about with this roster is happening right before our eyes. I expect them to figure it out, but even I did not think they would look this bad this early in the season.

The Bulls are fun, but their schedule is about to get real tough. But still, they are 4-1.

The Hornets are even more fun to watch. LaMelo Ball is really good at basketball. He is a blast to watch play as well. He is the best Ball brother.

Ja Morant has been amazing to start the season for my team, the Memphis Grizzlies. I have known since he was in college that he was going to be great. If you all remember, I rated him ahead of Zion in their draft class three years ago. I feel pretty good about that right now. But now that the Grizzlies are getting more primetime games, the rest of the country is getting to see how awesome of a basketball player Ja is. I love that.

The Warriors look pretty solid too. Steph is hitting tons of shots, the additions are working and Klay may be back sooner than expected. Maybe I underestimated them a bit.

The Timberwolves, and mainly Anthony Edwards, have been an absolute blast to watch. They fly up and down the court, they score in bunches and Edwards post game interviews are the best. Go look up what he said about Giannis the other night, it was amazing.

Houston, for as bad as they are, they are so much fun to watch play. They are young and not afraid of anything. I'm not a fan, but damn they are fun.

Also, the Thunder are really, really, really bad, but Shai Gilgeous Alexander is amazing.

Over in the East, I already mentioned the Bucks and Hornets, but it looks way grimer than the West. The Nets look bored already. KD looks good, but I expected that. James Harden is not scoring like he used to, he is not getting cheap foul shots anymore and his passing game is not nearly as lethal with his lack of points. Joe Harris is off, and the rest of the lineup, save for Patty Mills who has been great, just looks out of shape. They will right the ship, but they have to at least look like they care.

Atlanta is still fun, but the same thing with Harden is happening with Trae Young right now. He is not getting cheap foul shots anymore and he hasn't adjusted yet. He will, but right now he is struggling to adapt.

The Knicks look fine, and I like the Kemba addition, but I expect them to be a solid team.

The Celtics look jumbled and are not winning if Tatum and Brown do not have humongous nights on offense. Maybe I overrated them a bit.

The 76ers do look better than I thought without Ben Simmons, so at least there is that. I read that Embiid is suffering through some pain right now, but when he is on the floor he has been dominant.

The Heat look as good on defense as I thought, but the offense needs work. I could say the same about the Raptors.

The fact that the Cavs are sitting in the 6 spot should tell you all you need to know about the first week of the season in the NBA.

Outside of the teams, it has been neat to see fans in the stands. I am not going to any games yet, but it is nice to see people at these games. I love the new no foul call when the offensive player forces all the contact. It has made the game much more fun to watch, and it makes it flow much better. I'm a big time fan of the new rule. I would love to see them get rid of the foul where the defense intentionally fouls a team on a fast break as well. Hopefully they will. And seeing teams other than the Lakers, Celtics and Nets on primetime has ruled. I've gotten to see the Grizzlies twice. I've seen Portland play a few times. I watched the Thunder the other night. The Timberwolves got in there. The Nuggets have been on a few times. The Hawks had a primetime game. It has been cool to see some "smaller market" teams getting some shine.

The NBA rules. I'm so happy it is back. I do not feel as gross watching as I have in the past. Basketball is back, and I couldn't be more excited. Go watch some games, they are fun. I promise you.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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