Bruno Altieri Nov. 6, 2023, 10:00 a.m. ETLectura: 6 min.
We will delve into suspected earthquake territory for equipment that must change before collapsing.
We have been two weeks into the season regular of the NBA And although it is still too early to draw conclusions, we can enter into the realm of hypotheses. The first games They brought with them a first x-ray of the franchises, a preview of what they may or may not be in this 2023-24 academic year.
Some things have looked very good and others not so much. Precisely, we will immerse ourselves in this second order: the territory of suspected earthquakes for equipment that must change before collapsing.
Welcome, then, to the five nightmare franchises at the start of the season of the NBA.
Without further ado, come and see.
The arrival of Marcus Smart is one of the few positive aspects for Memphis at the start of the season.Justin Ford/Getty Images
If I had to choose a single nightmare team at the start of the season, it would be the Grizzlies. With raw material to fight important things, they lost six games in a row (the most since 2002-03 when they started with 0-13) and were only able to recover against the weak Blazers Sunday night.
The arrival of Marcus Smart to Taylor Jenkins’ team has been positive, but without Ja Morant – absent due to suspension for the first 25 games – the Memphis offense looks chilling: they look 28th in attacking efficiency ahead of only New York and Portland. The defense, to make matters worse, is not a luxury either: they allow 110.3 points per hundred possessions and rank 18th.
Desmond Bane has stood up for his people, but his efforts are insufficient. And Jaren Jackson Jr., without Steve Adams out due to injury for the entire season, is not the same. Who do they miss? In part, to Dillon Brooks, today at a high level in the Houston Rockets.
The return of Santi Aldama serves to reinforce the painting as does the signing of Bismack Biyombo. We will see if this victory against Portland is a takeoff or just a breath of encouragement before descending deep into the Western Conference standings.
Tyler Herro is one of the positive stories from the Heat’s cold startNathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty ImagesThey beat the Pistons, but then fell, consecutively, to the Celtics, the Timberwolves, the Bucks and the Nets. They bounced back against the Wizards, but this 2-4 start is disheartening considering all the good they had done in past playoffs.
For now, the departure of Max Strus and Gabe Vincent on the perimeter is noticeable. Kyle Lowry’s start is below expectations and Bam Adebayo is missing serious company in the paint. Yes, the Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler thing has been acceptable, but that alone is not enough. Rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. still has to mesh more and Luka Jovic does not seem to have full confidence yet from Erik Spoelstra. The truth is that the Heat appear in sixteenth position in defensive efficiency and nineteenth in offense, well below a team that intends to play in the playoffs in the future.
There’s a long way to go, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Pat Riley and Spoelstra are already thinking about a potential move to improve the team after the deep disappointment of seeing Damian Lillard leave for the Milwaukee Bucks.
With Devin Booker playing part-time due to discomfort, Kevin Durant’s production is not enough to carry the Suns.AP Photo/David Zalubowski
We will give the benefit of the doubt because Bradley Beal has not yet played a minute in the regular series and Devin Booker has been more off the court than on the court. But this version of the Suns, with Kevin Durant in responsible superhero mode, can only lead to one place: disappointment. They have won three games out of seven played and are still far from a competitive version that allows them to think about something more than a good position in the West.
Eric Gordon and Grayson Allen help Durant on the perimeter and Jusuf Nurkic is still trying to fill the vacancy left by DeAndre Ayton. But he is not enough. Frank Vogel knows that, to compete, it is impossible to live in mediocre offensive efficiency. What happens with these Suns is that after two weeks they are still far from fluid: it is a dance group that does not have coordinated movements and that hopes to resolve impurities as soon as possible. For now, it’s much more of a wish than a work in progress.
Time. Perhaps this is what Phoenix needs to continue working on chemistry in the laboratory, but for now the results on the field look much more like a nightmare than a hopeful dream.
Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are a powerful 1-2, but Chicago needs more to wake up from its nightmare.(Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire)
Worse than doing it right or wrong is not knowing why you are in a place. That’s what happens with these Bulls, who continue in cruise mode towards infinite insignificance. They defend terrible (22nd in defensive efficiency) and attack even worse (27th in offensive efficiency). They won two of seven games and their flagship players, such as Zach Lavine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic, have suffered a regrettable decline in their brand image in recent times. Beyond isolated positive productions, we all know that if there is one thing missing in Chicago, it is leadership.
There is no need to go back to the golden era of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen… Where were those years of Derrick Rose’s explosion? Far. Maybe too much. The sadness of not knowing if they will one day be able to count on Lonzo Ball again, and Billy Donovan’s vain attempts to form a team above individualities, makes us think that this season will be very stormy in the Windy City.
For what reasons should we see the Bulls in 2023-24? They do not know? Well, me neither.
Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo still have a lot to refine in Milwaukee.Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images
The Bucks a nightmare? Oh really? This situation may change soon and be a temporary bad dream, but the truth is that Milwaukee is not playing well at all. They have won three of five games, but they are still crying profusely over the departure of Jrue Holiday on the perimeter. They are still looking to accommodate Damian Lillard in star mode, but one thing is attack and the other is defense. The Bucks are tenth in offensive efficiency (111.1 points per hundred possessions) but 27th in defensive efficiency! (they allow 115.2 points per hundred possessions).
Holiday’s departure completely changes the map of this team’s off-ball game. And also the inexplicable departure of Mike Budenholzer that caused the arrival of Adrian Griffin to the substitute bench. I believe that the Bucks are going to improve as the games go by, but today they look rough, predictable and individualistic. It’s not about Giannis Antetokounmpo putting on the superhero cape or Dame Time arriving to tip the balance: they have to grow as a structure. More passes on offense, better rotations at the back, and regain good feelings again.
They are very far from the team that won the championship in 2021. Oh, and the whereabouts of Khris Middleton, who signed a multimillion-dollar contract and knew how to be, not so long ago, an NBA star, are still being sought.
2023-11-06 15:00:00
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