The first quarter of another fantastic NBA season has come and gone. Here at Belly Up Sports, we have decided to craft our first-quarter NBA season review from a few of our writers that you’ve seen through our articles published. A collaboration of some of the greatest sports minds in the world if you will.
Best Team
Errol
The Milwaukee Bucks. It seems like much of the headlines and noise have gone to the Los Angeles Lakers and rightfully so. But the Bucks are brewing early in the season. Currently, they sport a 20-3 record. They lost one game the entire month of November and recently dismantled the Clippers just a few days ago. They are tops in the NBA in PPG at 121.0 and are first in defensive rating at 41.6 meaning not only can they score on you, but they also can shut you down on the other end at the highest level possible. And who could forget The Greek Freak? Their top player is having another stellar MVP like season and will only look to improve those numbers.
Paul
This is a tough call, I mean, I think the Los Angeles Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks are the two best teams in the league. But I will give a slight edge to the Lakers as they have shown to this point to have cohesion and better playmaking. The play of Anthony Davis has been one of the key factors in the Laker’s domination of the West so far. Davis and LeBron James combine for 54 points a game, add in 14 assists and 16 boards and this is a duo that is second to none. The play of Dwight Howard off the bench has given the second unit a presence in the middle. The defense is strong and they have the experience to carry them to the end.
Ben
Bucks (Runner-up: Lakers): Both the Bucks and Lakers have exceeded even the most ambitious expectations a quarter of the way through this season. Their records are nearly identical, however, the Bucks have been more dominant in their wins, which is why they are my choice here. They have by far the best point differential in the league at +13.3, which is actually ahead of the pace for the best differential in NBA history, set by the 1971-72 Lakers at +12.3.
This squad should be viewed as a historically great team at this point in the season. But for whatever reason, they are rarely talked about in that manner. Even though their dominant play and statistics back up that argument, the way their roster is assembled is causing people to sleep on this team and it’s potential. It is probably because they are not a “super-team”, in the sense that they only have one true superstar. With teams like the Lakers, Clippers, Rockets, and Heat making big moves to get another huge star, the Bucks have been far too often overlooked.
How easily we forget that the most dominant regular-season team of all time, the 2015-16 Warriors, were assembled in a similar fashion. Those Warriors did not make a splashy offseason move (neither did these Bucks), they had their own homegrown superstar and defending league MVP (so do these Bucks) surrounded by fellow homegrown talent that fit their scheme perfectly (Bucks check both of those boxes as well). I am not saying the Bucks will win 73 games, but I am saying it is well beyond time to view them as the best squad in the NBA quarter season review.
Jade
It pains me to say it as someone who is not a fan of LeBron James but I have to give it to the Los Angeles Lakers thus far. People have said that LeBron was on the decline over the past couple of seasons but I always knew better. He’s a strategist. He wasn’t slowing down, he was biding his time. Now that he’s playing for a team who he believes to be contenders, he’s turned the jets back on. And we all know what happens to basketball teams LeBron James plays for. That said, there’s always the question of if Anthony Davis will be healthy all season. The safe bet is he won’t. In which case, I think the chance the top spot opens up again.
Most Disappointing Team
Errol
The Portland Trail Blazers. Similar to last year, the Blazers are off to an awful start. The difference is that the competition has gotten stiffer out West (currently the team is 6-10 against West teams with several wins being close) and the players not named Damian Lillard or CJ McCollum, such as Hassan Whiteside have played at an inconsistent level. The addition of Carmelo Anthony may prove to be beneficial but at the same time, the team has gone 4-6 even with him being on the floor. The Blazers may need to go on one of their magical runs much earlier this year than normal if they want even a chance to touch the playoffs.
Paul
I thought a lot about this one. The Denver Nuggets are my most disappointing team. They have very high expectations for this year and coming off a great run last season they were one of the favorites in the West. As of today (December 13th), they sit in the four spot and are two and four in the last six games.
Their top player, Nikola Jokic, has not lived up to his first-team all NBA selection last season. Jokic is bringing a respectable 16/10/6 but it is lack of involvement for good chunks of every game that is concerning. They will need to pick up their defense and find a rhythm with Jokic on offense to get to the top again. They will be looking to make a trade and it seems Beasley is the odd man out right now. What they bring in will go a long way in the rest of the season as well.
Ben
Pelicans (Runner-up: Trail Blazers): This category was a much more difficult call, with plenty of teams jostling for our least desirable award. Most of them are here due to being hit hard by the injury bug. For me, it came down to the Trail Blazers, Kings, Warriors, or Pelicans. With injuries to Damian Lillard, Zach Collins, De’Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley, practically every Warrior, Zion, and Lonzo, it is hard to really blast these teams for struggling.
That said, I am cutting the Pelicans the least amount of slack. Even without Zion to start the year, they came in with a quality roster of NBA players who should have been able to compete for a playoff spot in the west. Zion may be their centerpiece for the future, but without ever having seen him play a game in the NBA, it’s impossible to quantify how much the Pelicans miss him.
What is possible is to say that Jrue Holiday, J.J. Reddick who has never missed the playoffs in his career, (RIP to that streak barring him being shipped out to a contender), Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and Derrick Favors is a solid core, and should not be bottom four in the league in win percentage right next to teams like the tanking Knicks, Cavaliers, and Warriors. This year was supposed to be the start of something special for the Pelicans, but it looks like they will have to wait at least another season for that. On the bright side, maybe they can luck out and win the lottery again to pair Lonzo with his brother LaMelo. There’s something to look forward to Pelican fans.
Jade
I’m the most disappointed with the Philadelphia 76ers. After the seven-game series against my Toronto Raptors, I expected to see them come out hungry this season. And part of that expectation for me was the adjustment of Simmons shooting from range. All summer long I saw videos come out every couple of weeks of him draining all manner of jumpers. And they looked good. Now the season is a quarter of the way over, Simmons has only made two shots from range and Embiid is still playing from the perimeter and taking terrible midrange shots. That playstyle is completely unfathomable to me. It’s just not good basketball and a team that fancies themselves NBA Finals contenders are going to have to do better.
Best Player
Errol
Giannis Antetokounmpo. Hands down, the key difference between the Greek Freak and other top MVP candidates this season is his ability to play both ends. He ranks in the top five in both individual defensive ratings and defensive win shares. This is an addition to scoring what would be a career-highs in both PPG at 30.8 and RPG at 13.1. Scary thing is, he’s shooting a career-low in free throw percentage( 59%) on his most attempts per game at 10.8 and still highly inconsistent from three. But thus far, Giannis has been a top-three player individually on both ends which separates him from the rest of the pack.
Paul
Another tough question really. Anthony Davis has been a force at both the defensive end and the offensive end of the floor. But Giannis Antetokounmpo has been unstoppable on offense with his 30 points a game. He has done more than his job on the defensive end as well. When a guy plays at a high level every second of a game, it shows. He does this with a cast that is very good and in no way is he a one-man team. Davis has a great team behind him. Hard to think he could get better. But I believe he will, by the end of this season Giannis will get his second straight MVP.
Ben
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Runner-up: LeBron James): The defending league MVP has started this season on a tear, making this my easiest decision of the bunch. Giannis is averaging a career-high 30.8 PPG while shooting an insane 56.4% from the field. What is truly scary is that he is now a 31.6% shooter from three-point range (up from 25% last season). Showing improvement that should give the rest of the league nightmares. What separates Giannis from the pack in this category is his efficiency and ability to play both ends of the floor. Being top 5 in defensive win shares, averaging a light 30 PPG on 56% shooting, and leading the Bucks to the best record in the league is more than enough to have me call him the best player in the NBA so far this season.
Jade
I have to go with Luka Doncic here. For me, picking a best player is never just about numbers. Not that Luka doesn’t have the numbers on his side. He’s averaging 30 PPG with almost 10 rebounds and just over 9 assists. Oh, and let me not forget to mention that he’s only in his second NBA season. There is something special about the way this kid sees the floor. It’s like he’s playing 3D chess and everyone else is playing checkers. And because he’s such a great facilitator, he elevates his team along with him. That’s what I like to see in a basketball player. Especially one playing the point.
Most Improved Player
Errol
Fred VanVleet. By the end of the season, VanVleet could be averaging 20 PPG or more and could be an All-Star out East. He’s averaging 18.0 PPG and 7.3 APG on a Raptors team that many thought would fall off. Last year, his numbers were slightly above half that. VanVleet’s scoring and playmaking have the Raptors currently sitting at 15-7 placing them fifth in the East. VanVleet has quickly made a case that he’s the second-best player on the Raptors after being virtually unknown for the majority of his career and could look to get a big payday this off-season.
Paul
Could it be possible for a guy to win this award two times? Back to back? But Pascal Siakam may just be the guy to do it. He has tried to take up where Kawhi left off. He has raised his scoring from 16 points last season to 24 points this season, good for 14th in the league. It is also the way he has stepped up with Fred VanVleet to be leaders on the team as well. Siakam gives eight boards a game with four assists. There may be a few other players that can make their case but Pascal has made a case for MIP as well.
Ben
Luka Doncic (Runner-up: Brandon Ingram): Luka was in contention for the Best Player award as well. Showing just how amazing he has been this season. This award usually goes to a player who steps into a bigger role and more playing time allowing them to explode statistically.
What is so impressive about Luka is that he stepped right into that role last year as a rookie. His statistical improvement from year one to year two is based solely on his actual improvement as a player, not increased playing time. He has jumped from a stat line of 21.2 PPG, 6 APG, 7.8 RPG his rookie year to 30 PPG, 9.2 APG, 9.8 RPG this year while only playing 1.2 more minutes per game. He also has made this huge jump while being even more efficient, upping his shooting percentage 42.7% to 47.6% from the field. Pretty remarkable. On top of all that, his play is resulting in the important stat that we often overlook, W’s. The Mavs are currently a surprising third in the western conference, sitting at 16-7 thanks to Luka’s improvement this year.
Jade
Trae Young gets my vote. He’s up to 28.8 PPG over 19.1 last season. And his stats are up significantly in almost every metric that is tracked. His percentages for field goals, three-pointers, and free throws are all up and I still don’t think he’s peaked. He also seems to have stepped into a leadership role with the Hawks. Unfortunately, the team is struggling for reasons that Young can’t be held solely responsible for. And since he’s on a losing team, he’s not likely to get recognition for the jump in his game.
Top Rookie
Errol
Ja Morant. With Zion Williamson being sidelined, Morant has fully taken advantage of the competition in his rookie class. He leads all rookies in scoring at 18.6 PPG and assists with 6.4 per game. He’s one of only three rookies this season to score 30 or more during a game. He’s the key to the ignition already in Memphis. Several other rookies are having strong performances but as of now, Morant is the clear front runner.
Paul
I may be out by myself, I don’t know, but I like Tyler Herro. Again tough call as Ja Morant has had a better statistical year than Herro. Herro with 14.5 and Ja with 19 points. But it has been Tylers play with the Heat. The way he has jelled with the other guys and plays as if he has played with them for years. He is a part of a team that has a chance to contend in the East. He is one of the big reasons why. They will both be fantastic pros in this league but right now I take Herro.
Ben
Ja Morant (Runner-up: Eric Paschall): I actually had this award going to Paschall. until I watched these two elite rookies showdown when the Grizzlies visited the Warriors on Monday. Morant led the Grizzlies to the win, outplaying Paschall and nudging himself ahead in this unexpected ROY race.
Morant had far higher expectations coming into this season being the second overall pick. Whereas Paschall was a second-round steal for the Warriors. But if you exclude draft day value from consideration here. Morant has been playing better as of late and as a whole. This is even more impressive considering that he is a rookie who stepped right into being the lead point guard for an NBA team, historically one of the most difficult positions to thrive at as a rookie. Morant leads all rookies in PPG, is shooting an impressive 43.2% from deep. He flashes his elite athleticism darn near every possession. This is a highly impressive rookie class overall, but Memphis might just have the best of the bunch with Ja.
Jade
I’ve always found it disappointing that the rookie conversation revolves around rookies who play on teams where they get to start out of necessity. Terence Davis is the Toronto Raptors’ most recent undrafted rookie addition. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a rookie more NBA ready than Davis. He plays a tough, tenacious style of defense; he’s got a sweet stroke from range; Davis always understands where to be and doesn’t mess up coverages; he rarely makes mistakes. But he won’t be in the ROY conversation because he plays on a team where, as a rookie, he’s going to be playing off the bench. But he was the first of the new Raptors this season to earn regular rotation minutes. Were he playing for the Knicks or the Pelicans, or any one of half a dozen other teams we would all already know his name.
Be sure to check out other articles from our contributors; Errol Chandler, Paul Casanova, Ben Dorfman and, Jade Johnson
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