If the playoffs started today, the Detroit Pistons would have the #1 seed in the East, and the Minnesota Timberwolves would have the #2 seed in the West.
But unfortunately for those two teams, and fortunately for us basketball fans, there is a lot of time left in this NBA season. However, these two reigning lottery teams, along with a couple others, have shown early signs of being able to leave the NBA dwellers and take the next step to the playoffs.
The Pistons have come out of the gates hot this year, jumping to a quick 3-0 record. And their opponents have certainly not been slouches either, topping the Hawks, Jazz, and Bulls. The biggest key to their early success is the explosiveness of the starting lineup. Cornerstones Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond have been stellar, but the biggest surprise has been the emergence of Marcus Morris, who was traded to Detroit in the offseason. Morris leads the team in scoring, averaging 19.3 PPG, while shooting an unheard of 57% from three. Small sample size that it is, Morris and forward partner Ersan Ilyasova, also acquired this offseason, provide the spacing that Andre Drummond needs to thrive, and boy is he ever. Drummond has been a monster down low, averaging 18.7 points, 16.3 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, and has a very impressive 24.0 PER. Probably everyone but Joe Dumars saw that the combo of Drummond, Greg Monroe, Josh Smith didn’t work, and the shooters that Van Gundy has replaced Monroe and Smith with have changed the way the Pistons score for the better. And Reggie Jackson is still not shooting efficiently, but his ability to score, move the ball, and rebound from the guard position has the Detroit Pistons setting their eyes on the playoffs this year.
The Timberwolves have probably the most impressive collection of talented youth on their team. Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns have superstar potential, Ricky Rubio and Gorgui Dieng are still young, and Zach Lavine, Shabazz Muhammad, and Tyus Jones have all shown flashes of exciting potential. But no one expected them to be good this year, at all. However, off to a 2-0 start, albeit against the Lakers and Nuggets, Minnesota has shown they may be more competitive than originally expected. It all starts with the #1 overall pick. I give it two or three years before Karl-Anthony Towns is undisputedly the best center in the NBA. Towns has all the tools of the modern NBA center in abundance, and he has shown them off a lot in his first two career games. Averaging 21.0 points and 13.0 rebounds between the two games, Towns is the youngest player in history to begin his career with two double-doubles. He is also only the second teen to record at least 28 points and 14 points in a game (via Jeff Zillgitt), joining some other guy named LeBron James. So, yeah, remember the name Karl-Anthony. You will be hearing it a lot. Joined by Andrew Wiggins, who has started off somewhat slow dealing with a back injury, but whose absurd athleticism will most likely lead to him being a two-way force on the wings, and a healthy Ricky Rubio, who posted his own 28-14 line against the Lakers, except with assists instead of rebounds, the Timberwolves have a very exciting young core that should be scary in the future, and maybe even in the present.
The New York Knicks are not undefeated, but they do not look like the mess that they were last year. Dominating the Bucks in the season opener, followed by a close loss to the Hawks, the Knicks’ new additions and the return of Anthony have made them look a lot more complete so far. Melo leads the team in points with 18 a game so far, but no one can say he isn’t rusty, as he is only shooting 32.6% from the field, a ghastly low number. But once he is able to get back on track shooting wise, Anthony could be heading toward a resurgence this season. New York brought in a few free agents this year, namely Robin Lopez, Kyle O’Quinn, and Derrick Williams. Lopez’s job is to protect the rim, and he has done just that so far, averaging 1.5 blocks through two. Williams, a former #2 overall pick, came out of nowhere to drop 24 points on the Bucks in the opener. Although he came back down to earth against the Hawks, Williams might have finally found the right place for him to succeed. And O’Quinn has proven he will be a great bargain this year for the Knicks, as he has played more minutes off the bench so far than Lopez has and is averaging an impressive 9.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.5 blocks. But the biggest reason the Knicks should be excited is what they’ve seen from Kristaps Porzingis so far. While he has struggled shooting, Porzingis has made an impact early in the season, something most pundits weren’t expecting to see. Watching him against the Bucks, I could just see how difficult his physical tools are to deal with on both ends of the court, and while he still isn’t there yet, the Latvian big man looks to be ahead of schedule.
The Sacramento Kings boast one of the best and most uniquely talented players in the league in DeMarcus Cousins, and yet, they haven’t had a successful season in a long time. There have been a multitude of reasons for that, but things are looking up for the Kings this year. Killing the Lakers and narrowly losing to the title-contending Clippers, Sacramento has started off the year 1-1. Boogie has been phenomenal, averaging 26.5 points and 12 boards, and also showing off a newfound three-point stroke; it doesn’t look like anyone will find an answer for Cousins this season. Rudy Gay has also been strong, but what is different about these Kings is their impressive depth. Rajon Rondo and Darren Collison alternated having strong performances between the first two games, Willie Cauley-Stein and Kosta Koufos give Sacramento some of the best frontcourt depth in the league, and journeymen Omri Casspi and Marco Belinelli have given the team some quality wing depth behind Gay and McLemore. While making the playoffs is still unlikely, there is hope that the Kings will finally give their fan base a season not completely filled with suffering and poor basketball.
Every team has at least 79 more games to play. That is a lot of games, and a lot can and will change in that many games. But these teams have shown early signs that we might not be covering them much longer here.
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