NBA 10 Game Review - The Greek Freak Plays Big Through October

     The early NBA season is very different then we all could have imagined. Playoff teams are starting slow and the new Superteams of the NBA seem to be working wonders across the league, displaying early signs of dominance and giving NBA fans hope in a new set of teams fighting it out in the Finals next May. Here's the biggest storylines of the early season, and my work in keeping you, the reader, informed.

1. The Greek Freak plays big through October 

     Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the story of this NBA season so far. Even though the Bucks are just 4-5, they have played competitively thanks to the work of the Greek Freak who continues to showcase his unbelievably freakish athletic skills and abilities. He started this season off with four straight 30 plus point games, including 44 against the Trail Blazers in Portland.

     The most improved player award winner of last season, Antentokounmpo has blasted his competition out of the water so far this season in terms of the MVP argument. He's already got five double-doubles this season, and he's averaging 31 points per game. He has incredible athleticism, and can dunk over people even when an arms length away from the basket.

2. Lonzo Ball has yet to find consistency

     Lonzo came into the league with high expectations, and he has yet to really meet them. Twice now, he has scored less then 5 points in a game, including a scoreless effort in a loss to Portland that merited criticism from his own head coach saying that he was "being too passive."

     Lonzo was drafted to be the offensive savior that Los Angeles needed. His college stats are off the wall in terms of offensive production. However, so far in his NBA career, we aren't seeing the confidence that we saw him play with in college. Is he being unselfish, or is it more of that he lacks the confidence to put the ball in the hoop himself?

     He has shown signs of greatness, like the 29 he scored against Phoenix, but he's shooting 30.8% from the floor, and only half of his free throws. If Los Angeles wants to get into the playoff hunt, it's Ball that they need to see more production from.

3. Is Boston even stoppable? 

     Boston started the season 0-2 with losses the first two games of the season to Cleveland and Milwaukee. However, they bounced back with a huge 7 game win streak and look like they are the team to beat in the East. Kyrie has been the missing piece that the Celtics have been looking for, leading the team in points (22.1), assists (5.7) and steals (2.6), and it's the young players that are stepping up for the Celtics.

     Jaylen Brown has emerged as a talented shooting guard, being the second leading scorer on the team and averaging 15.6 PPG. Celtics rookie Jayson Tatum has filled in beautifully for the injured Gordon Heyward and is the teams fourth leading scorer, averaging 13.7 PPG and is second on the team in rebounds (6.6).

Playoff Outlook 

     While it still is early to be looking at the playoff race, this will be a regular installment of the my coverage of the NBA every 10 games to keep the hunt in mind. Every team is playing for the playoffs, so why not take a few moments to see where each and every team stands if the season were to end tomorrow? 

East
1. Boston Celtics           7-2    PRE 2
2. Detroit Pistons           6-3    PRE 7
3. Orlando Magic           6-3   PRE NR
4. Toronto Raptors         5-3   PRE 4
5. Philaelphia 76ers       5-4   PRE 5
6. Indiana Pacers           5-4   PRE 8
7. Charlotte Hornets      5-4   PRE NR
8. Washington Wizards 4-4   PRE 3
In the Hunt
New York Knicks          4-4   PRE NR
Cleveland Cavaliers       4-5  PRE 1
Milwaukee Bucks          4-5  PRE 6

     Orlando has been surprisingly competitive so far this season, I believe I had them contending to be one of the NBA's worst squads this season. There is magic in Orlando yet again with chemistry between Aaron Gordon, Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic. All three of those players are averaging more then 15 points per game. Johnathan Simmons has been a nice addition from San Antonio and has led the bench with 14.7 PPG, ranked fourth on the team.

     The Knicks look like a brand new team being led by Kristaps Porzingis, and the rest of the team seems to be coming into it's own. While I don't know if they can really make the playoffs, they're going to stay in the hunt thanks to their 7'3" big man averaging 29 PPG, tied for third in the league at the current moment.

     Cleveland has been off to an incredibly slow start, and it looks like age is finally starting to get to them. The average age of the Cavaliers players is almost 31, so teams have simply been forcing them to run all over the court to cover them, and it looks like its wearing them down. They still won't back down from a nationally televised game, however, and Lebron put up 57 against the Wizards to give them their fourth win of the season.

     The Pistons are starting to look like the Pistons of old, led defensively by Andre Drummond and former Celtic Avery Bradley. Bradley has contributed a lot on offense as well, as he along with Tobias Harris and Reggie Jackson average 51 points per game combined. They're hot this season, so keep your eyes on them as they continue to dominate.

West
1. LA Clippers                     5-2   PRE NR
2. Houston Rockets              7-3   PRE 4
3. Golden State Warriors      6-3  PRE 1
4. Minnesota Timberwolves 5-3  PRE 5
5. Memphis Grizzlies           5-3  PRE NR
6. Utah Jazz                          5-4  PRE 7
7. Portland Trail Blazers      5-4  PRE NR
8. Denver Nuggets               5-4  PRE 6
In the Hunt
San Antonio Spurs               5-4 PRE 2
Oklahoma City Thunder      4-4 PRE 3

     The LA Clippers have been the surprise of this season so far in the west, dominating early with the likes of Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and Patrick Beverley at the helm. Five Clippers are averaging more then 10 PPG, including Griffin who is averaging 22.9. Jordan leads the league in rebounds (15.3 per game), and splitting point guard play between Beverley and Austin Rivers is working beautifully. The Clippers are one of the top defenses in the NBA right now, thanks to 8.5 steals and 4 blocks per game.

     The Spurs are struggling early without Kawhi Leonard, and are starting Kyle Anderson in his place. It is certainly not the same. Anderson is only averaging 8.4 PPG with 7 rebounds and 2 assists, leaving LaMarcus Aldridge to pick up the slack. Gregg Popovich is obviously frustrated with his teams struggle to operate without Kawhi's production, and they hope to have him back from injury soon.

     Another team struggling to stay in the hunt with high expectations early is Oklahoma City. Westbrook seems more relaxed now that he has the help he knows he needed in Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, but the Thunder game up a ton of depth to get those guys and it looks like it might be hurting them. Westbrook is still averaging a double double, 0.6 rebounds per game short of a triple double, but the defensive play is still short of what is needed and the Thunder will need to find ways to overcome that.


MVP Race - Setting the Candidates
SF Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks 
     The Greek Freak is not disappointing. Five 30 plus point performances in the first nine, games, four double doubles, 31 points per game, 9.9 rebounds per game, and an astonishing 36.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game in wins. Giannis has a enough highlight tape already to fill a top 10 season long playlist. No one can deny his talent, and he is clearly sitting at number one in this MVP race.

SF Lebron James, Cleveland Cavaliers 
     The King returns for his 14th NBA season and is still one of the very best in the game. A 57 point dominant performance on national TV against the Warriors has put him here in second in the MVP race. While the Cavaliers are struggling as a team to win games, Lebron continues to dominate from every position on the court. Averaging 37 minutes a game, 29.1 points per game, 8.7 assists and 7.4 rebounds, he's still the King and he will remain so for a very long time.

PF Kristaps Porzingis, New York Knicks 
     Porzingis has been an unstoppable hammer so far this season. Tied for fourth in the league at the moment with 29 points per game, he's put in six games with 30 points or more in his first eight. Both of his double doubles were against playoff teams (Cleveland and Oklahoma City) so there is no doubting this man's clutch ability. The Knicks are in the playoff hunt thanks to this guy, so it's a good reason to keep an eye on this team too.

SG James Harden, Houston Rockets

       Averaging 26.8 points per game, Harden has scored consistently so far this season. His lowest point total in a game so far was in a loss at Memphis where he scored 20. He's put up three double doubles and a triple double, so even with Chris Paul around Harden is still the more dominant guard on the team. He's third in the NBA in assists at the moment, averaging 9.4 a game.

PG Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
     Russell Westbrook is again close to averaging a triple double, despite adding two superstars to his team in Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. The Thunder have struggled a little bit early, as production from the bench seems hard to come by, but Westbrook has continued to play at his elite level, averaging 19.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and 9.4 assists per game. His field goal percentage is much better this season too, hitting 45.3% of his shots from the floor. He's still a premier level player with a lot of potential to take the Thunder far this season.

We will check back in next time when teams start to hit the 20 game mark. Thanks for reading!