The NBA season is barely more than a week old, but that won't stop us from analyzing and overreacting to some early story lines. What’s caught our eye? The Crossover staff breaks down the players and teams that are off to impressive (and not-so-impressive) starts.
Who has had the most surprising start to the season?
Howard Beck: The obvious choice is the Jazz and Spurs, who are supposed to be wallowing for Wembanyama and instead are defying us all by (zoinks!) winning games. But I’m going with the Trail Blazers here, because a) the Jazz/Spurs thing won’t last, and b) it’s just a delight to see Damian Lillard doing Dame things again, on a team that appears legitimately good. Anfernee Simons is flirting with stardom. Josh Hart and Jerami Grant have given Portland a nice defensive edge. Mostly, it’s just great to see Lillard, one of the game’s most electrifying talents, lighting up the scoreboard and hitting clutch shots again after missing most of last season with an abdominal injury. It’s early yet, but this team looks capable of reclaiming a place in the postseason.
