NBA Early Season Surprises

We are just a few weeks into the 2024–25 NBA season and some significant trends – some of which were not anticipated – are beginning to show up throughout the league. What have been the biggest surprises thus far? Let’s take a look.

The New Nets

Brooklyn is playing well and appears to be vying for a postseason berth under new head coach Jordi Fernández. The Nets coach finally got his big break taking over a team that was predicted to have the worst record in the NBA. Through eight games, the Nets were 4-4 and in the top-8 in the East.

Brooklyn took Denver to overtime and they have defeated Milwaukee and Memphis. While Nic Claxton is limited in minutes, Fernández is making small-ball lineups work. Dennis Schröder and Cam Thomas are scoring 52 points a game between them. Should the Nets continue to play at this level, they could find themselves, at the very least, participating in the play-in tournament.

Three Ball

For the first week or so of the season, the Knicks just were jacking enough threes. Then, as if on cue, New York attempted 40 in a win over Miami on Oct. 30. The only reason it’s surprising is that this offseason the Knicks added Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges to the starting lineup. Both can shoot the three.

Those two, along with Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby, two more three-point marksmen, give New York one of the best long-range shooting lineups in the league. That’s one of the reasons they are listed at +700 to win it all this year at BetUS.com. As it stands as of Nov. 8, the Knicks are 22nd in three-point attempts per game (34.0) and they are the top three-point shooting team in the league at 42.4 percent.

How About Those Cavs?

The new Cavaliers coaching staff appears to have figured out how to make better use of Evan Mobley when Jarrett Allen is on the court. Running the offense through Mobley has allowed the team to keep its two big men on the floor at the start and finish of games while maintaining spacing. 

Mobley is also handling the ball a lot more and dishing out more assists. It’s probably what the Cavs should have been doing last season. Regardless, the results have been outstanding. Cleveland is the last remaining unbeaten in the NBA at 9-0. Head coach Kenny Atkinson deserves high praise and you might want to sneak in a wager on Cleveland to win the NBA championship. They are given +1800 at BetUS.com odds right now. Those odds are likely to change.

Motor City Hoops Revival

New head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said that his Pistons team will start with defense. He wasn’t lying. Detroit ranks in the top-10 in opponent points allowed per game (109.3 ppg). The big surprise for the Pistons is Jaden Ivey, the fifth overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft. 

Ivey is shooting a career-high 42.9 percent from three on 5.3 attempts per game and he was averaging at least 20 points for the first time in his career. Even more impressive is that Ivey was shooting 50% in the restricted area on 7.5 attempts per game. Only a handful of NBA players are better and they are guys like Anthony Davis, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The Pistons will continue to grow as a team. Ivey and Cade Cunningham will continue to provide an offensive scoring punch. Detroit is 5-4 ATS through nine games and they are 5-3 ATS as an underdog. 

What’s Wrong in Milwaukee?

The Bucks looked good against the Sixers in their first game of the season. Then, the Milwaukee defense fell apart. It was as if head coach Doc Rivers made playing defense optional. The result has been six straight losses. The Bucks (and the Sixers) sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings after seven games. 

Khris Middleton remains out of the Bucks lineup. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard are carrying the Bucks on offense. Giannis is averaging 31 points per game; Lillard is scoring 27.6. On the other side of the floor, a once-tough Milwaukee defense now ranks 23rd in scoring (118.3 ppg) and 26th in defensive efficiency.

Oh No! No Banchero

The Magic started off 3-2 then star and leading scorer Paolo Banchero went down with an injury. He’s missed Orlando’s last four games. The Magic have lost all four. It is unknown when Banchero will return. He is listed as out indefinitely while he deals with a torn oblique. Banchero was averaging 29.0 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.

It’s not all bad for the Magic. They do have one of the deeper benches in the NBA. Anthony Black has been a pleasant surprise for Orlando. The sixth overall pick in the 2023 draft, Black is only 20 years old. He filled in nicely for both Banchero and Jalen Suggs when Suggs has gotten into foul trouble. Black could continue to develop into a very nice surprise for the Magic because of his size and knowledge of the game.

Thunder Struck

Top team in the West? The Thunder are no fluke. Oklahoma City has the best defense in the NBA, but the surprise is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s game. It’s no surprise he’s the team’s leading scorer or that he’s averaging 26 points a game. What’s different is that SGA is jacking threes from everywhere.

His play inside the arc has always been strong, but SGA over the last seasons averaged right about three three-point attempts per game. Now, he’s at double that and while he’s cooled off some over the last few games, it will be interesting to see how his scoring and OKC’s team scoring is impacted by his newfound affinity for shooting threes. It’s not just him either. The rest of the lineup has the green light to launch from downtown too. The Thunder are second on the NBA title betting board, given odds of +450 at online sportsbooks.

The Three Musketeers

Like last season, the West is super-competitive. After eight games, three teams were tied at 7-1 at the top of the conference standings. We just mentioned OKC and their new love of the three-pointer. The Suns are also 7-1 thanks to a lineup that includes the Big Three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. Beal has missed two games. Hopefully, those three remain healthy this season.

The surprise for Phoenix is rookie Ryan Dunn. He’s playing about 16 minutes a game and he is an absolute beast on the defensive end. He was one of the best defenders at the college level while at Virginia and that has carried over into the NBA. Dunn has been effective taking on some of the league’s best – Luka, LeBron, and James Harden. He’s also averaging 6.8 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. He’ll be a key to the Suns postseason hopes. Phoenix is +1800 to win the NBA title.

What About the Lakers?

The big news this season, of course, is that LeBron gets to play with his son Bronny. The younger James scored his first NBA points in Cleveland on Oct. 30. The more important news is that Anthony Davis may be playing the best basketball of his career. He’s averaging 32.6 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. He’s on track for his second-highest usage rate and his highest scoring average in his career.

The surprise is that the Lakers can’t defend anyone. As a result, they are just 4-4 after eight games and are hanging around the rest of the teams that are currently in the play-in spots. Los Angeles is allowing 120 points per game which is dead last in the conference. The only team worse in the NBA is Toronto (124.7 ppg). Breaking news today is that the Lakers are assigning Bronny to the G League to develop his game more.