The best team in the NBA right now is the Portland Trail Blazers. Point guard Damian Lillard is back after last season’s injury interruption and once again is shooting from the logo casually. He has a pair of 41-point games and a 31-pointer.
An unseen development for a team that missed the playoffs last season is the rise of shooting guard Anfernee Simons, fresh off of a 22-point third quarter against the Denver Nuggets where he made seven three pointers in the win. Simons is the new CJ McCollum and suddenly Dame not only has a solid backcourt mate, but a team to watch this season.
The Utah Jazz is near the top of the league in both three point shooting and scoring. Rookie center Walker Kessler has had moments, while youngsters Collin Sexton and Jarred Vanderbilt along with veterans Kelly Olynyk and Jordan Clarkson are all contributing in Utah.
The Los Angeles Lakers are winless, this team lacks deep shooters with a 24% form three point range (worst in the NBA). Already, the Lakers are exhausted and that’s not a positive sign here in LeBron James’ twentieth season, which is really the root of the issue. If LeBron wasn’t on the clock, there wouldn’t be as much urgency. But the whole purpose of having LeBron on your team in his sunset is to compete for a title while you can. The Lakers simply aren’t putting up the stats to take advantage of this, and that’s why they’re such a lightning rod.
Of all the newcomers, point guard Donovan Mitchell might’ve had the most impressive start with his new team. It’s a competitive race with Christian Wood in Dallas, Dejounte Murray in Atlanta and Jalen Brunson in New York. Mitchell has instantly taken the reins in Cleveland, as evident by his heroic veins in overtime against the Wizards and a trio of 30-point outings in his first three games this season. Cleveland is shaping up to be a better team with Mitchell, who doesn’t shrink when the lights get bright and who’s looking to elevate the young Cavs in the competitive Eastern Conference.
