Early Season NBA Report

The new NBA season is well underway, with several teams now having played as many seven games. 

Whilst it’s far too early to tell which teams may be capable of competing for this year’s Championship, the standings are starting to take shape and there looks to be several teams capable of making the postseason shakeup.

In this article, we will breakdown who will be enjoying their start to the season and who has plenty of work to do.

Early Contenders

Boston Celtics

Whilst it isn’t a surprise to see the Boston Celtics get off to a hot start, the Celtics have looked imperious. Starting the season with a perfect 5-0 record, the Celtics already look like one of the dominant forces in the NBA.

Scoring has been easy, with the Celtics putting up over 120 points in each of their last two games, including a 156 – 104 rout of the Indiana Pacers.

The front office must be praised for keeping one of the most dynamic duos in the entire NBA together, with both Jaylon Brown and Jayson Tatum getting off to hot starts.

One small concern is defensively where they have given up 100 points in each of their first five games. With bigger tests to come, they will need to sharpen up at that end of the court. 

Despite not being at their best at the back end of the court, this season looks promising and the team look well on course to win their first championship since 2008.

Philadelphia 76ers

Before the start of the new NBA season, betting sites such as FanDuel sportsbook were having a hard time trying to decide what to make of the Philadelphia 76ers. Out has gone Doc Rivers and in his place has come former Toronto Raptors coach, Nick Nurse.

Despite the James Harden trade saga disrupting the 76ers preparation for the new season, the team have clearly been able to put the Harden drama behind them and sit second in the early standings of the Eastern Conference at 4-1.

With Harden now out the door, much of the 76ers postseason chances will rest on the shoulders of Joel Embiid. Last year’s MVP, Embiid has continued where he left off – top scoring for the team in each of their four victories so far this season.

Aided by the brilliant Tyrese Maxey, there are serious hopes that the 76ers could be in for a special season.

Denver Nuggets

Last year was special for the Denver Nuggets. They finally were able to win their first NBA Championship and through the early parts of the new season have shown they clearly have the appetite for more.

Through their first seven games the Nuggets have won six games, with their only blip coming against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

2023 Finals MVP Nikola Jokic has looked impressive, and the Serbian looks primed to make a run for the regular season MVP.

The Nuggets clinched the number one seed in last year’s playoffs and look well positioned to repeat the feat this season.

Dallas Mavericks

Last year was nothing short of a disaster for the Dallas Mavericks, who despite trading for Kyrie Irving failed to make the playoffs.

Ahead of the new season, many pundits were sleeping on the Mavericks, with few believing that the Mavericks had the squad to compete. So far, those pundits have been proven wrong.

The Doncic and Irivng partnership is starting to blossom, and at the time of writing, the Mavericks have won five of their first six games. 

Consistency will be the key for Mavericks, and it will be interesting to see how they perform over the next few months and where they can position themselves in the Western Conference.

Who is hitting the panic button?

At this stage of the season it’s way too early to discount any team’s chances, but there are some teams who need to start producing.

The Memphis Grizzlies have won just one game all season and lost their first five games. Clearly feeling the absence of Ja Morant, who won’t be able to play for the first 25 games of the season, the Grizzlies seem to be lacking an offensive spark and look to be facing a year of rebuilding.

It might be unfair to include the Milwaukee Bucks in this list considering they are currently sitting at 3-2, but it’s fair to say that most of the basketball-loving public were expecting a hotter start. 

The acquisition of Damian Lillard alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo has put the Bucks firmly in the Championship conversation, and they will want to cement their position at the top of the Eastern conference. Over the next few weeks fans of the Bucks will hope they can overcome the sloppy losses that has hindered their season so far.