The 2024-25 NBA season is in full swing. Every NBA team has played at least six games, but in this small sample size, there have been some early signs early of what to expect for the next six months.

JJ Redick and the Lakers

After their 3-0 start, the Los Angeles Lakers now stand with a 4-3 record after a loss against the Detroit Pistons on the road, but it has been mostly positive for them; specifically during the first week of the season. Things started going downhill following their close loss against the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 28, but all that will be remembered from that game is LeBron James being able to extend his double-digit point streak to 1,226 games with under two minutes to go. But in my view, the three games before that are a sign of what’s to come throughout the rest of the season for the Lakers.

When you look at some offensive statistics, Los Angeles scored 118.9 points per 100 possessions in the first two games of the season and then scored 131 points in the third. The Lakers did this in a non-traditional way by shooting just 91 three-pointers over the course of their first three games. For comparison, the Boston Celtics shot 154 three-pointers in the same amount of games. The Lakers have shot 38.2% from beyond the arc on low volume. It’s hard to envision an offense being this good without high-volume shooting from three, but they have done it so far.

A lot of the credit goes to JJ Redick. The Lakers are mostly the same roster-wise compared to last season, but they replaced Darvin Ham with Redick, and it’s made a difference. A motion-heavy offense with more passes than dribbles on some possessions has been a recipe for success.

A great way to judge NBA coaches is their ability to score points after the timeout (ATO). JJ Redick ATO on opening night averaged 1.5 points per possession (PPP). Last year, the Milwaukee Bucks led the league with 1.25 PPP ATO. The Lakers were sitting at 1.13 PPP under Darvin Ham in this category. It’s a small sample size, but the tape and process look like it will continue to be good under Redick.

In terms of players, no one has benefited more from the arrival of Redick than Anthony Davis. The 31-year-old became the Laker to score 30+ points in the team’s first two games of the season since Kobe Bryant, while also becoming the third Laker ever with 35+ points through the first two games, joining Jerry West and Elgin Baylor.

The scary reality of the Milwaukee Bucks

This is short and sweet. The Milwaukee Bucks have not been good in the first two weeks of the season, and it looks like it won’t get better from here. They stand at 1-6 with losses to teams like the Brooklyn Nets and the Chicago Bulls. The Bucks’ starting lineup is shooting just 29.4% from behind the arc, while also ranking 27th in the NBA in assists.

Last season, the Bucks fired Adrian Griffin after starting 30-13, and ever since in the Doc Rivers era, they have been 18-22. Nine months ago on Jan. 29, Doc Rivers said “We gotta find what are we, who are we.” Giannis Antetokounmpo said after their loss to the Nets on Oct. 27, “We’ve gotta find an identity. We don’t have that right now.” It’s nine months later and they still have an identity issue. The Bucks are in danger of approaching the worst-case scenario, which is the Giannis Antetokounmpo era coming to an end in Milwaukee.

If you have any belief in the Bucks’ ability to right the ship, just remember that Thanasis Antetokounmpo isn’t there anymore to keep the locker room vibes in check.

The Rise of Clippers center Ivica Zubac

Through three games, Zubac averaged 22.7 PPG, 14.0 RPG, and 4.3 APG on 59% shooting from the field. Those numbers have since dipped slightly, but the 27-year-old has proven to be a key contributor to the Clippers. Those three-game numbers also included a game with 24 points and 14 rebounds against three-time MVP Nikola Jokic on the road. He is a gifted post scorer with a pure hook shot and has played a huge role in helping fill the void of no Paul George and (for now) no Kawhi Leonard, establishing himself as a clear top-10 center in the process.

If I told you that Zubac would average more points than Ja Morant, more rebounds than Rudy Gobert, and more assists than Tyrese Haliburton through the first week of the season, you likely wouldn’t believe me. A small sample size, but with a training camp with James Harden under his belt, Zubac will continue to dominate and rise in the center rankings.

The Breakout of Chet Holmgren

In the first week of the season, Chet Holmgren averaged 23.7 PPG, 13.0 RPG, and 4.0 BPG. He started the season as one of just two players averaging 5+ steals and blocks a game combined, alongside his teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He has helped the Thunder start 7-0 on the young season behind his defensive anchoring, while also flashing his potential offensive ceiling.

As someone who was wondering what his offensive ceiling could be, he has shown that it might be higher than I originally thought. The former Gonzaga standout is showing special talent in his sophomore season that we haven’t seen out of a young player since Anthony Davis in 2014. When Holmgren is playing and on the court this season, opponents are shooting 20.3% worse within six feet than when he’s not on the court, according to NBA.com.

When it comes to the chances of the Thunder being the last team standing in June, it might simply be dependent on Holmgren putting his name next to SGA instead of simply being a part of the supporting cast. So far this season, he is separating himself from All-Star to superstar, and I expect that to only be more true as the season goes on.

The struggles of the Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets are off to a 4-3 start, but it hasn’t exactly been appealing to the eye. They stood at 1-2 through the first week and in the process put a large workload on their core, as the Nuggets’ starting lineup played 25.7 minutes together per game. That ranked first by any five-man lineup in the NBA, comfortably in first by a total of eight minutes. Head Coach Mike Malone’s inability to stagger minutes with his star players has cost Denver, as they have consistently lost bench minutes; just 60.87 points per 100 possessions when Nikola Jokic is off the court.

After winning the title in 2022, people assumed the Denver Nuggets would be a consistent title contender, but ever since they have fallen to, what I call, a tier-two contender. People have blamed the arrival of Russell Westbrook for the struggles as he has been off to a slow start, but it looks just like a continuation of what we’ve seen a year ago. Michael Porter Jr. started slow, averaging just 12.3 PPG on 35.7% from the field during the first week. Despite his occasional late-game heroics, Jamal Murray has averaged just 16.2 PPG on 37% from the field. Two players that rose to the occasion in 2022 have now started to shrink. The lack of depth and answers from the Nuggets, coupled with the losses of Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in back-to-back off-seasons have turned them from a title favorite to just an average playoff team.

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