If we’re being completely technical, NBA opening night was Tuesday. The champion Celtics earned their rings. LeBron James and his son made history. The Knicks and Timberwolves got a (disappointing) early return on their blockbuster trade. But in the end, only four teams played. The first Tuesday of the season is a smooth start. The real work always starts on Wednesday.
Of the 26 teams that did not play on Tuesday, 20 began their seasons on Wednesday. That’s two-thirds of the league that opens its season on the same night, and we’ve got them all covered. While it’s dangerous to read too much into a sample of one regular-season game, here’s one lesson from all 10 Wednesday games that you can take with you as the season really gets underway in the coming days.
1. A little space can go a long way for pistons
The Pistons had the dubious distinction of being the only team in the NBA last season to rank 25th or lower in both 3-point attempts and 3-point percentage. Obviously poor shooting is a problem in and of itself, but it affects every other element of the offense. There’s only so much a penetrating guard can do when the opponent can pack the paint with all of their defenders. This complete lack of shooting has made it impossible to fairly evaluate Detroit’s young players. How much can we really take from the seasons Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey had a year ago under these circumstances?
Even now, no one would think Detroit is a good shooting team. They went 9-for-33 from deep on Wednesday, after all. But the Pacers actually had to consider additions Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley. Cunningham and Ivey had little room to work with, and the results were promising: 45 combined points and 12 assists in a 115-109 loss to the Eastern Conference finalist. A win would have been nice, but this is a review season for the Pistons. They have to know what players they have around them, and Wednesday was a good first step.
2. Evan Mobley will be an offensive focal point
The Cavaliers just made Evan Mobley a cap player this offseason, and they clearly plan to make him earn that money on both ends of the court. Mobley led the Cavaliers in scoring on Wednesday with 25 points, and tied for the team lead with 14 shot attempts. He even attempted two 3-pointers, which may not seem like a lot, but he only did that 17 times last season. New coach Kenny Atkinson made sure to run the offense with his young force up front, allowing him to lift the ball and create shots for himself and others in Cleveland’s 136-106 win over the Raptors. If the Cavaliers are going to pull off their top-two lineup, Mobley will have to grow as a shooter and overall offensive player, and he indicated Wednesday that his team is determined to make that happen.
3. Giannis is not Deem’s partner
Milwaukee can’t argue with the effectiveness of its offense on Wednesday. The Bucks scored 124 points and 16 three-pointers in their 124-109 victory over the 76ers. However, the manner in which those points were scored is worth considering, in light of everything leading up to this opening match. When the Bucks took on Damian Lillard last season, the expectation was that he and Giannis Antetokounmpo would form the best partnership in the NBA. That didn’t happen, and when asked if they connected to work together and perhaps improve their chemistry over the offseason, they revealed they didn’t.
Well, the Lillard-Antetokounmpo pick-and-roll was certainly only a small part of Milwaukee’s offense in the opener. As was the case last season, Lillard’s preferred partner was Brook Lopez. Lillard scored 22 points on the pick-and-roll against Philadelphia, according to Synergy Sports, but only one of those field goals and one trip to the foul line came off a pick-and-roll with Antetokounmpo. More often than not, Lillard has used Lopez as his marker, and while this play can certainly be effective for Milwaukee, the Bucks will need to figure out how to maximize their best players playing together if they are going to reach their championship potential. .
He played just 13 minutes and 39 seconds, and his numbers don’t exactly jump off the page, but let’s take a moment and acknowledge that Lonzo Ball played in a regular-season NBA game on Wednesday for the first time in 1,014 days. — and in that relatively brief sample, he mostly looked like his old self. In the third quarter, he even threw a nice alley-oop to Zach LaVine.
There’s no telling how Paul can stay healthy this season, and he may remain a low-minute player for the rest of his career. But seeing someone back on the field after such a long absence is always encouraging. Any amount of Lonzo ball is better than none at all.
5. Ben Simmons is finally a center
For years, the basketball world has told Ben Simmons that he should play center. This was the only position that could tolerate his absolute refusal to shoot 3-pointers — or any jump shot at all. Well, the Nets have finally realized that vision. On Wednesday, first-year coach Jordi Fernandez started Simmons and four perimeter players: Cameron Thomas, Dennis Schroder, Dorian Finney-Smith and Cameron Johnson. They stunned Simmons and their $97 million center, Nicholas Claxton, almost completely before Claxton was fired in the fourth quarter. Almost every minute, Simmons was serving as center, even if he was still relatively small for the position.
The results were at least somewhat promising. The Hawks were outscored by just two goals. They were outscored by 14 points in the paint, but that had more to do with Brooklyn’s offense than a lack of size on defense. The numbers won’t get him any awards: Simmons finished with six points, eight assists and five rebounds. But this could be a real chance for him to revive his career. He may never be a star again, but he could be a useful player as a big man handling the ball.
6. Rumors about LaMelo Ball’s death have been greatly exaggerated
It may seem like LaMelo Ball has been out as long as his brother has been around, but that’s not entirely true. He has played in 58 games over the past two seasons, and ankle injuries have largely robbed him of the opportunity to cash in on his All-Star selection for 2022. Fortunately, the Hornets have taken advantage of his absence to bolster the infrastructure around him. He now has a true teammate in Brandon Miller, and a whole roster full of up-and-coming young players to support him. Paul’s performance of 34 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds led the Hornets to a 110-105 victory over the Rockets at the beginning of the season. If he can play anywhere near this level from now on, the Hornets look like one of the most promising young teams in the NBA.
7. Magic goes on a diet (shot).
The Magic made the playoffs last season on the strength of their No. 3-ranked defense. They didn’t make it out of the first round because of their No. 22-ranked offense, and despite an offseason with a lot of spending, they haven’t exactly addressed the underlying issues that led to those scoring struggles. Orlando still doesn’t play like a traditional guard, and most of their formations lean toward defense. What the Wizards can do to address the offense is improve their shot selection. Last year’s team ranked 29th in the NBA in 3-pointers at just over 31 per game. Against the heat on Wednesday? They took 49 of them, making 18 of them en route to a 116-97 win. It’s a bold way to reform their offense. If they perfect their shot selection, they can improve their offense without sacrificing the defense-focused lineups that made them special a year ago.
8. The Grizzlies are embracing the chaos of last year
The Grizzlies made history a year ago when they used 33 different players throughout an injury-riddled season. One would think that with a stronger, healthier roster this season, head coach Taylor Jenkins would want to settle into a slightly more consistent rotation this season. no. He used 11 players on opening night, and none of them got token minutes either. Everyone who touched the floor for the Grizzlies in the 126-124 win played at least 14 minutes. No one played more than 31 minutes, and lest you believe that gaudy minutes total went to a star like Ja Morant or Desmond Bane, alas, it was Santi Aldama. Sure, the Grizzlies were without several key players on Wednesday – Jaren Jackson Jr., Luke Kennard, Vince Williams Jr. and JJ Jackson II – but Jenkins still took things much further than was reasonably expected. He wants to take a look at everyone on his roster, and he got the best of both worlds against Utah when his best players were still able to finish late despite playing fewer minutes than usual.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson once made up the greatest backcourt in NBA history, but Thompson hasn’t been the same player since returning from a torn ACL and torn Achilles tendon. While his jumper has remained excellent, over the past two seasons, he simply hasn’t been able to defend or create chances at the same level he once did. That decline eventually led to his exit from Golden State, and in his place, the Warriors added Buddy Hield to serve as Curry’s designated partner.
Hield isn’t nearly as versatile as Thompson was in his prime, but in terms of pure shooting? The gap is smaller than you think. Hield is a pro at shooting 40% from deep, and he has made and attempted more three-pointers per 100 possessions over his career than Thompson. Hield has four top-25 seasons in total 3-pointers, while Thompson has just three. The Warriors will miss Thompson’s presence and experience, but if opening night is any indication, they won’t miss a beat when it comes to shooting. Hield scored 22 points in just 15 minutes, making five of his seven three-point attempts to lead his team to victory over the Trail Blazers 139-104. The Warriors have lost some size and offensive versatility without Thompson, but rest assured, they will still have enough shooting.
10. It turns out point guards are important
It didn’t make sense on paper, but the Suns had the lowest fourth-quarter offense in the NBA in a season. They scored just 105.1 points per 100 possessions in the final frame despite having three shot-making superstars in Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker. The problem was that the Suns didn’t know how to properly utilize all that talent, instead often turning into a disorganized game of “your turn, my turn.”
They addressed that problem by miraculously signing Tyus Jones to a minimum-salary contract this offseason, and sure enough, the Suns looked like a legitimate offense down the stretch in their 116-113 overtime win over the Clippers. After scoring just 72 points in the first three quarters, the Suns came alive in the fourth period and overtime, scoring 44 points in total thanks to the presence of an actual point guard. Jones finished with 11 points and eight assists, but more importantly, he led Phoenix’s starting lineup with a plus-six point lead. The Suns were better with him on the floor because he could really utilize all of their firepower within the flow of the offense, and if the Suns really figured out how to maximize their top talent, they would be a major problem team in the Western Conference
