The American Basketball Association (NBA) has entered the regular season. With ten games played for practically every team, it’s a good indication of where this year’s roster is headed. We’ll take a look at how the favourites are doing, who the surprises are and who the losers are at the start of the 2023/24 season.
Ten rounds played in the NBA, the world’s most powerful basketball league
Dallas more impressive than expected
The performances of Luka Dončić, the only active Slovenian basketball player at the moment, are of most interest to us basketball fans on the sunny side of the Alps. He has made a strong start to the new season with his Dallas Mavericks. They have a record of eight wins and two losses, which currently puts them in second place, just behind the reigning champions Denver Nuggets, who share the same win-loss ratio. Interestingly, there is a similar tie in the current MVP standings, with Denver’s Nikola Jokić leading the way, while Luka lands in third place. Only the current MVP Joel Embiid – a member of the Philadelphia 76ers – is in between.
The schedule also plays in favour of Jason Kidd’s squad, as they will cross paths in the next ten games with teams that are currently ranked lower than them.
Denver, led by Jokić, continues to reign as the leader in the West
On the west coast, no surprises at the top. Vlatko Cancar’s teammates are also doing well there, but he is still recovering from a knee injury and may not see the field again this year. Nikola Jokić remains the team’s leader and Mike Malone’s extra arm, but the others are not lagging behind either. With a score of 8-2, they give a sign of confidence. Gordon, Murray, Porter Jr and the others are also determined to keep up the good run. Next up are the aforementioned Mavericks, who seem to have found the right chemistry between Luka and Kyrie Irving. A duo that is a force to be reckoned with when the others follow suit. At the same time, the team’s biggest gain compared to last season is that they are now dominating the last minutes of games, which cost them a play-offs last year. In third place, we find a minor surprise – the Minnesota Timberwolves. Anthony Edwards has taken his great form from the World Championships to the league, and it is already showing in the rankings. At the same time, he has a lot of help in Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert. The Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder and Sacramento follow.
A bad start for the Golden State Warriors and LA Lakers. Where do the LA Clippers and Phoenix Suns stand?
Among the negative surprises of the season are the LA Clippers and the Phoenix Suns. Particularly the LA Clippers and the Phoenix Suns are a real disappointment in terms of team composition. When Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were joined by James Harden, the team was impressive on paper, but far from it on the court. Only three wins and six losses are their current stats. Phoenix, with a game less, only won one more, but injuries have taken a bit of a toll on them. We expected a bit more from the Warriors and the Lakers, but the season is still long. The Warriors have five wins and four losses, while the Lakers, with five wins, have lost just as many games.
Philadelphia with an unexpected new star?
The top spot in the East currently belongs to the Philadelphia 76ers, who have a new star alongside their current MVP. Tyrese Maxey is playing phenomenally. He is currently scoring a brilliant 28.6 points and 7.2 assists per game. Add in Joel Embiid, who is scoring a bit more at 32.4 points and 11.7 rebounds, and it’s easy to see why they are on top. Close behind is the always dangerous Boston, whose line-up this year is a dream. Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holliday and others have lost just two games and won eight. Indiana, Miami and Milwaukee follow with the same ratio (6-4).
Toronto holds the golden centre, but we would have expected more
One of Luka Dončić’s two nemeses this season, the Toronto Raptors have a young team, but their 5-5 win ratio doesn’t seem to give a real impression of how strong their roster really is. The same ratio is also true of the two teams from the “Big Apple”, the Nets and the Knicks. We might have expected a bit more from Cleveland, which is behind the aforementioned teams, but otherwise there are no major surprises in this part of the league.
Best scorer:
- LUKA DONČIĆ – 32.6
- JOEL EMBIID – 32.4
- STEPHEN CURRY -30.7
- KEVIN DURANT – 30.
- NIKOLA JOKIĆ – 29.8
Best rebounder:
- NIKOLA JOKIĆ – 13.7
- RUDY GOBERT – 12.8
- DOMANTAS SABONIS – 12.4
- DEANDRE AYTON – 12.2
- ANTHONY DAVIS – 12
Best Assist Maker:
- TYRESE HALIBURTON – 12.2
- TRAE YOUNG – 10.2
- LUKA DONČIĆ – 8.5
- LAMELO BALL – 8.3
- NIKOLA JOKIĆ – 8.3
Interesting fact: Nikola Jokić is among the top five in all these categories. He deservedly leads the current MVP rankings.
It’s still a long season. The regular season has 82 regular season games, the so-called “IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT” is already in place and the teams have already played their first matches. We will continue to follow the league in detail, and you make sure you get YOUR FAVOURITE TEAM’S CLOTHING! Where else but at grosbasket.com , where you can also check out the NEW FOOTWEAR MODELS of Zion, Durant, Morant, Dončić, LeBron and others!
