The NBA’s opening week of hoops delivered ALL the goods. Oklahoma City started its championship defense with two double overtime games, the Nuggets and Warriors delivered an overtime thriller. Luka Dončić became the first player in NBA history to open a season with back-to-back games of 40-plus points, 10-plus rebounds and 5-plus assists. Giannis Antetokounmpo became the first player in NBA history to start a season with 60-plus points, 30-plus rebounds and 10-plus assists through two games. Aaron Gordon joined an elite club of players to drop 50 or more points in a season opener. And then there is the *waves arms wildly* Victor Wembanyama of it all. It’s been fun.
Despite all of this, my mind has kept going back to the *checks notes* Eastern Conference.
Please resist the temptation to put an L in front of Eastern and stick with me. I’m sure it’s easy to point to the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks, stamp them as contenders and call it a day, but there is something about the East that I can’t shake.
There is more to be learned early in the regular season than meets the eye. We can acknowledge the early season hierarchy very quickly. In Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell continues to look unlocked in Kenny Atkinson’s high-octane offense. You can see the confidence he’s playing with leap off the screen. There is just a command and control he has offensively right now. A quick hesitation can get him downhill, open up plays for his teammates in space or set him up to get right to his pull-up jump shot.
As good as the Cavs have proven to be, though, questions swirl to a degree. Health feels like their greatest concern, but what is the next leap for Evan Mobley? Is it more on-ball work? Is it continued consistency when off ball? Will the Cavs be ready to deal with teams looking to put Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland and Mitchell in action during the playoffs?
The Knicks, meanwhile, are in Year 2 with this roster and Year 1 of Mike Brown’s vision. Brown has implemented more pace, more tempo, more opportunities to deliver a balanced offensive attack behind Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. That should only elevate Brunson as a star player who consistently keeps defenses off balance. Teams already know they have to deal with Brunson in pick-and-rolls, where he can find various ways to get to his spot and score. They now have to deal with him being the recipient of a drive-and-kick, where he can drive a closeout and attack a defense in rotation.
But how does that develop as the season progresses and teams get more film on them? Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby have a larger slice of the pie, which could unlock the Knicks’ offensive attack, but what happens when defenses don’t cooperate? How do the Knicks balance attacking quick vs. executing in the half-court?
And this is where the journey of the regular season draws me to the Eastern Conference. To truly understand what a team can accomplish, we can’t skip steps — we have to learn what a team does well, what a team struggles with, if it progresses with those struggles, and what opponents will try to take away.
If these are the questions we can all ask at the top, what do you think the rest of the conference is thinking? Don’t believe me, look at what Antetokounmpo had to say postgame after a loss to Cleveland.
“Obviously, we think that the Cavs and probably the Knicks are one of the best teams in the East, but time will tell,” he said. “Nothing’s guaranteed. Nothing’s given. They have to prove themselves.”
East hopefuls abound
Speaking of Giannis, he’s primed to bring the Milwaukee Bucks into the neighborhood. Milwaukee’s overall offensive attack has felt decisive, precise, purposeful. Opponents know Giannis will attack, but the Bucks have worked to move him around the court to ensure the “wall” is going to be more difficult to build early in possession. Transition attacks are a given, but Giannis can also attack as a ball-handler in pick-and-roll, as a screener, in early post-ups with an empty side, or with random flashes to the elbow.
The dedication to spacing has allowed Antetokounmpo’s passing ability to continue to shine while reading help defenses and delivering the ball to open teammates. Myles Turner’s spacing, movement and short-roll decision-making has been a great pairing so far.
The Cavaliers, however, delivered a slight dose of reality on Sunday by throwing a lot of early double teams at Giannis. If more teams follow, will the flow stay the same? Will this come down to those around him consistently making shots? Will any offensive struggles transfer to the other end of the court?
The Orlando Magic traded for Desmond Bane in the offseason to launch themselves into the upper tier of the East, and the early returns have been mixed. Bane’s ability to handle the ball gives them a lift in transition and in the half-court. His skill set allows him to be involved in movement sets which can help the Magic’s occasionally stagnant half-court attack. Something as simple as Bane pushing, hitting a trailing big and setting a back screen can open a scoring opportunity. He can be used as screener for Paolo Banchero or Franz Wagner, forcing defenses into a decision on if they want to switch or not.
Bane’s shooting ability was in theory a large piece of completing the Magic’s puzzle, and while his 3-point percentage likely won’t stay at 26.7%, it’s uncertain if that’s something the Magic can deal with. Old habits can take a while to flip, and defenses may take a beat to treat the Magic differently. If things slow down, if defenses still feel comfortable with switching and going under screens, will we see the full weight of what Orlando could be offensively?
Where do the Toronto Raptors fit into the equation? The talent they have put together does not scream of a team that does not believe it can compete. Brandon Ingram feels like a missing piece, a scoring threat who can consistently self-create to balance out an offense that can tend to search at times.
The Raptors will want to add more movement to their offense, which could open up more opportunities for Ingram to receive dribble handoffs and find easier pathways to his midrange pull-up. Those are the shots that can be an anchor for a team pushing for the playoffs. But is that a base that can be strong enough for Toronto while it balances everything out? Can its defense hold up enough to make its offense count? Activity is one thing, but without rotations it can open up consistent plays for opponents.
The Atlanta Hawks have high hopes, but can they develop an identity to compete every night? Can the Detroit Pistons tap into the formula of success they found last season and build on it, or will they have to deal with teams paying more attention to Cade Cunningham? If he consistently gets trapped in pick-and-rolls or game-planned, does that open up more plays or disrupt their flow?
This is the fun of it all. As I write this, the Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers are your only undefeated teams in the East with the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat above the Knicks and the Cavaliers.
Will this be the year LaMelo Ball’s unique blend of scoring and playmaking elevates a Hornets team that has scored 130-plus in two out of its first three games? Can Tyrese Maxey’s and VJ Edgecombe’s driving ability help sustain the Sixers as they work Joel Embiid back into the lineup? Will the increased tempo, a decisive Bam Adebayo and an aggressive Norman Powell be enough to render Miami back to pesky status? Will the Boston Celtics and Jaylen Brown be able to leave a mark in the standings with their competitive level?
My overall point is you can build a large list of Eastern Conference teams that believe they can beat each other, and that’s where the fun starts — having the mindset to understand what they can do and what they can take away from other teams.
The journey of the regular season draws me to these East teams because this is a land of opportunity, and they will be jockeying for space all season long. The chase becomes a lot of fun with hungry, talented teams working to shuffle the deck to put themselves into position to make a run when it counts. Tilt your head if you would like, but do you remember how you felt about the Indiana Pacers early last season?