The 5 Biggest Takeaways From NBA Opening Night
NBA Opening Night was last night. Let’s talk about every major takeaway we gained from last night – both good and bad.
The NBA season has finally returned. I no longer have to care about baseball and football. I can now focus on the best sport in the world. Opening night featured two marquee matchups and a lot of star power. While we still have 81 games to go, and we don’t know anything about these teams, let’s overreact. Here were the five biggest takeaways I saw from opening night.
James Harden (Might) Be Back
James Harden tried to warn us. Harden committed himself to the offseason, getting into better shape after appearing to be slowing down. But it’s one thing to post pictures in the offseason and throw cake off of yachts. It’s another thing to dominate against one of the best defenses in the league – which is what Harden did last night.
35 points ~ 8 rebounds ~ 7 assists ~ 64% FG ~ 12/12 FT
Harden was Philly’s go-to option offensively, with Joel Embiid held in check by Boston’s swarming defense. But this wasn’t a traditional James Harden game. The box score suggests that Harden is back to his old form. However, it’s not that simple.
Last night, James Harden had paintaphobia. He was scared of the paint. He wouldn’t dare go in there. Just look at this shot chart;
Nearly all of Harden’s offense was away from the basket. That’s not a problem, but last night wasn’t MVP James Harden. It was the best version of the current Harden. For whatever reason, Harden isn’t attacking the rim as much as he once did.
“Oh, but he had 12 free throws! He was attacking the rim!” Of Harden’s 12 free throws, only two of them came after he drove to the rim.
Now, results are results, and I can’t argue with them. Some of Harden’s step-back threes were undoubtedly nasty. But I don’t know if this is sustainable. Can Harden continually produce if his game is heavily predicated on outside shots?
Time will tell, I suppose. It’s a step in the right direction for the 76ers, but if you’re a Philly fan, you might want to see more from Harden before fully embracing him as your savior.
(Note: Harden’s defense still sucks)
Malcolm Brogdon Completes Boston’s Bench
On the flip side, the Celtics looked strong, particularly in the second half. The biggest reason for their success, other than their two stars combining for 70 points, was their second unit. Boston’s bench was a weak point for them last season.
That’s why Brad Stevens traded for Malcolm Brogdon this off-season. And Brogdon’s debut? It couldn’t have gone any better;
24 minutes ~ 16 points ~ 4 assists ~ 64% FG ~ +9 +/-
Talent has never been a problem for Brogdon. Whenever he’s on the floor, he’s the perfect stabilizer for a team. With the Celtics, he’s in a perfect situation. Now, the Celtics have a reliable scorer and playmaker off their bench.
This team won’t need Tatum and Brown to be on the floor at all times to score. Brogdon gives them a lot more flexibility. For example, Jayson Tatum left the 3rd quarter with 30.7 seconds left. The Celtics were leading by 11 at this point.
Tatum didn’t return until 6:35 in the 4th quarter when the Celtics were still leading by 12. The second unit held serve and allowed Tatum to get a prolonged rest. That’s incredibly valuable, especially in the postseason. Boston looked so gassed by the time they made it to the Finals. Brogdon allows them to rest more.
If he stays healthy, the Brogdon deal will continue to look more and more like a home run for the Celtics, who looked incredibly good on Opening Night.
The Lakers Aren’t Going Anywhere Without A Move
I knew the Lakers were going to suck, but that was horrendous. For 48 minutes, we watched a storied franchise’s hopes slowly deflate. We knew this was coming for months, yet it’s a little surreal to see it unfold right before your eyes.
First and foremost, this roster is horrible. You could make a case that, outside of AD and Lebron, the Lakers have the worst roster in the league. This is a great time to remind Lakers fans that they don’t own their first-round pick this season.
It’s fascinating that Lakers ownership looked at everything going on and decided to give Rob Pelinka an extension. Really? You’re going to reward somebody for putting together this roster? That’s downright criminal.
The worst part about the Lakers is that everybody knows they blow. Lebron James looked more concerned about his stat line as the game dragged on. That’s going to be a continuing pattern as he chases Kareem’s all-time scoring record.
It seems like James is just biding his time until he can go play with his son. The Lakers can’t trade James this season due to his contract extension, but the two sides don’t want anything to do with one another. The Lakers have no future, and a deep rebuild is waiting for them.
At best, the Lakers will be the 10th seed this season. At best. That’s how grim their situation is. And that’s assuming that Anthony Davis doesn’t get hurt this season, which is a big if. It’s going to be a long, heartless season in LA, one that will end with a silent thud on the ground.
(Note: AD lost some weight and looked spry. That’s the only bright spot I noticed)
Golden State Is The Favorite To Win It All
Let’s ignore Draymond Green’s uncomfortable closeup propaganda before the game. Let’s gloss over his seemingly unremorseful reaction to literally punching one of his teammates. Heck, let’s ignore the fact that the Warriors didn’t play that well last night.
The Golden State Warriors should be the title favorites…and it’s not even close
After the game, Steph Curry was asked if this team was the deepest the Warriors had ever fielded. Curry obviously didn’t answer that question for reasons of avoiding drama, but it’s a fair question. I think experience>youth, but this team’s depth is outrageous.
Klay Thompson hardly played last night (20 minutes), and you didn’t feel like the Warriors needed him. Steve Kerr has a plethora of options off the bench. From youngsters like Wiseman, Kuminga, Moody, and Patrick Baldwin to vets like JaMychal Green and Donte DiVincenzo, the list of options are endless.
That’s failing to mention Jordan Poole, who looked electric with the ball in his hands. With the Warriors trying to rest their aging stars more, their bench is perfectly equipped to deal with that. I thought that all their off-season losses would come back to bite them. Instead, they look as good as ever.
Most teams who have an pre-season incident like the Warriors did would crumble. It would be hard to balance dealing with the media and trying to compete for a title. But this team does that effortlessly. While the Draymond Green punch is still hanging over this organization and will likely not go away for a long time, the Warriors can move past all that.
Right now, the team to beat in the NBA are the Golden State Warriors.
The Philadelphia 76ers Are NOT Title Contenders
While James Harden showed some encouraging signs last night, the 76ers looked sluggish and droopy. Maybe that’s due to a lack of minutes in the preseason? I don’t know. But I know they looked off.
The Celtics ran them out of the gym, continually forcing turnovers and running the floor with ease. Joel Embiid struggled against Boston’s swarming, well-timed double-teams. Tyrese Maxey didn’t get the ball enough in the second half. Tobias Harris didn’t do much of anything. It was a mess.
Despite Daryl Morey’s moves this offseason, the 76ers don’t have the upside of other contenders in the East. Boston is a terrible matchup for Philly. Even if they decided to play Matisse Thybulle for more than 24 seconds, they don’t have the defenders to deal with Tatum and Brown. They’re not as big or as versatile as Boston or Milwaukee.
Even if James Harden bounces back, this team is still short of a championship. The only way the 76ers can improve in the short term is by firing Doc Rivers. Rivers has done nothing extraordinary as head coach in Philly and has mainly just overseen Joel Embiid’s rise to a Shaq-esque scoring force. Has he really transformed this team since he got here?
The same problems we saw Philly deal with last season remained in last night’s opener. More than that, the body language was awful. While Jayson Tatum was screaming his lungs out after a block, the 76ers looked flat. They looked out of shape and slow, while the Celtics looked like they hadn’t taken a day off since the Finals.
Philly is in the same boat they were in last year. They’re good enough to win a playoff series or two if they get lucky. But they’re far from making a deep postseason run.
Mike D’Antoni, anybody?
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Great post!