With the first week of NBA basketball in the books, it’s time to highlight five guys who have been impressive so far.
LeBron James
Year 20, 38 years old, and over 1,500 total games played, you would think LeBron James would show signs of aging, and yet, he continues to prove us wrong. In his first three games, he’s averaged 27.3 points, 11 rebounds, 7.3 assists, a steal, and 1.3 blocks per game. When others have found it hard to produce in the twilight of their careers, LeBron has shown why he is in the conversation as the greatest of all time.
Jayson Tatum
After losing in the NBA Finals last year, Tatum is back with a vengeance. He took the loss personally, and it’s now showing that he wants to get back to the big stage. Through four games, he’s averaging 32.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.3 blocks. What’s even more impressive is that he’s doing it by shooting 55.6 percent from the field and 90.3 percent at the line with less than two turnovers per game.
The Boston Celtics are 3-1 right now but they’ve racked up two wins against two potential playoff teams in Philadelphia and Miami and that’s mainly because of Tatum’s overall play.
Lauri Markkanen
The Jazz may have blown it up during the offseason but they won their first three games in large part because of this guy. The Finnish big is averaging a career-high in points (21.5), assists (3.0), and steals (1.0). Not to mention, he’s pulling down 8.8 rebounds and shooting 45.1 percent from the field. And before his 0-for-3 performance at the line against Houston, he was a perfect 15-for-15.
Markkanen is looking like he’s going to take that next big step forward this year into becoming an NBA All-Star.
Donovan Mitchell
Cleveland was one of the more intriguing teams to start last year. They were a young team who busted out of the gate racking up wins left and right but ultimately lost steam as the year went on. In the offseason, the Cavs went out to get Mitchell to boost their playoff push and so far, he hasn’t disappointed.
He’s posted career-highs across the board with 33.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 2.0 steals on 49.3 percent from the field and 88 percent from the line. We expected big numbers from him, but not this godly. Does he now become part of the conservation as one of the superstars in our league?
Anthony Davis
There are currently a lot of memes regarding Anthony Davis and his health. We know that he’s still one of the best in the league when he’s on the court and fans are getting teased about what he can do.
Check out his numbers in his first three games: 24.7 points, 8.0 boards, 1.0 assists, 2.3 steals, and 2.3 blocks. We have come to expect these kinds of games and the question was always if he can stay on the floor for most of the season. But if this is a taste of what’s to come, then fans have to brace for the Brow train.
