The NBA season is back and so am I! With new rookies, surprise starts, and never-ending drama (gambling, Ja Morant, Jaylen Brown’s hairline) the league’s regular season has returned with a bang. Here are my three biggest takeaways after a few weeks!
Takeaway #1: A New Era in Los Angeles?
As always, the offseason for the Los Angeles Lakers was packed with intrigue and drama. There was good news: the birth of “Skinny Luka”, as superstar Luka Dončić debuted a slimmer, more athletic frame after an offseason of intense training. There was ominous and potentially bad news: Lebron James and his camp issued a cryptic statement about his future with the Lakers before the announcement that James would be out for the first couple months of the season with sciatica. And then there was the “huh?” news: the Lakers brought in a random assortment of league veterans like Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, and Jake LaRavia to fill out a roster that desperately needed elite role player talent. As such, the vibes were mixed coming into the season—there was potential with the Lakers, as always, but consensus firmly had them as a first to second round playoff team and nothing more.
A few weeks into the season and Los Angeles has largely blown those expectations out of the water, sitting at 10–4 (as of November 17). Dončić looks sensational, averaging nearly a 34-point triple double as a clear MVP candidate. Secondary star Austin Reaves has been incredible as well, averaging 31 points and 9 assists per game while also shouldering a much larger shot creation burden. But perhaps the most surprising part of the Lakers’ start has been the play of their ragtag offseason additions—Ayton has played heavy minutes at the center position while averaging over 16 points and 8 rebounds a game, Smart has brought valuable defense and energy, and LaRavia is averaging a solid 10 points per game on decent splits. Even the end of the bench guys are making an impact for Los Angeles; former first-round pick Nick Smith Jr. has brought a needed scoring punch to their rotation, and Bronny James(!) has given some positive spot minutes with his defense. Second-year coach J.J. Redick is pushing all of the right buttons, and the short-handed Lakers are balling.
All of this begs the question: What does this team look like when Lebron is back? Will they hit another level? There’s some discourse out there that the return of James will actually hurt the Lakers, which I think is patently false; Lebron has clearly demonstrated that he knows how to fit with Doncic and Reaves, and his basketball IQ, rebounding, and defensive size will be a welcome addition. If anything, the dynamic creation duo of Dončić and Reaves will allow James to take more of a backseat in the regular season, conserving his body for the playoffs. I’m not putting the Lakers down as the favorites in the West—as good as their role players have been, I think Oklahoma City and Denver still have more supporting talent behind their superstars, Shai-Gilgeous Alexander and Nikola Jokic—but I’d firmly put Los Angeles as a top-5 team in the NBA at this point in the season.
Takeaway #2: Disaster in Dallas
Now to the depressing other side of the ridiculous Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade that transpired last February. After miraculously receiving the number one pick in the 2025 NBA Draft post-Dončić, the Dallas Mavericks hoped to land another generational star in Duke forward Cooper Flagg. The addition of Flagg to a core of Davis, Dereck Lively, and Kyrie Irving (who’s slated for a possible midseason return from ACL surgery) made Dallas a sneaky intriguing team in the West with a potentially ferocious defense. Add to that the returns of Klay Thompson and Daniel Gafford, the offseason signing of D’Angelo Russell, and the continued growth of Max Christie, and the vibes were surprisingly upbeat heading into this season.
Everything’s come crashing down in just a few weeks. Davis and Lively have missed time with injuries, and Davis, in particular, is averaging his lowest points per game since his second year in the league. Flagg’s offensive game has struggled, landing him at fourth in rookie scoring despite being the massive favorite to win Rookie of the Year before the season; his defense has been solid, but the overall transition has not been as smooth as many expected. Christie has been a bright spot, averaging a career high in points and assists, but Russell has underperformed at the guard spot, and Thompson has shot uncharacteristically poorly to start the year. As of November 10th, the Mavericks sit second-to-last in the Western Conference ahead of only the lowly New Orleans Pelicans. To make matters worse (or better, depending on who you ask), Dallas GM Nico Harrison, the architect of the disastrous Dončić trade, is apparently on the hot seat with team ownership. With a few more losses, the Mavericks might be headed for an organizational shakeup—a once-bright season seems lost already.
But I’ll do a glass-half-full pitch for Dallas fans! Flagg is just a few weeks into his career and will undoubtedly get better; as I noted, he’s already an impact defender and is developing more of his creation skills by the day. Irving is yet to come back, and his return might inject some much-needed scoring and energy into the team. Christie looks like a legitimate young piece, Lively will get healthier, and Dallas might be bad enough this year that they get to draft in the lottery again and add some potential star talent to this group. Davis, as injury-prone as he is, still has some trade value if they decide to pivot, and solid veterans P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, and Naji Marshall could fetch some draft capital from playoff teams. The future is still somewhat bright in Dallas, mainly due to Flagg, but two things are clear: the team is nowhere close to contention right now, and the Dončić trade remains one of the worst deals in sports history.
Takeaway #3: An Encouraging Rookie Class
The 2025 Draft Class was panned as one of the more talented in recent memory, led by Flagg at the top. And while Cooper’s been alright so far, it’s some of his peers that have stolen the show early in the year. V.J. Edgecombe, the no. 3 selection to the Philadelphia 76ers, dropped 34 points in his first game and is averaging 15.6 points per game while playing on a team with stars like Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid—his explosiveness, athleticism, and burgeoning playmaking have stood out. Kon Knueppel, the fourth selection by the Charlotte Hornets, actually leads all rookies in scoring with 17.2 ppg and has shot over 40% from three, fitting wonderfully next to LaMelo Ball. 2nd overall selection Dylan Harper has been encouraging as well, averaging 14 ppg with room to grow on a young, rising Spurs team.
That’s just the top four players, as the most fascinating part of this class has been their depth later in the lottery. Cedric Coward, the 11th selection by the Memphis Grizzlies, is averaging 14 ppg while shooting a 37% from three; he hasn’t even been starting, so those numbers might rise when he stops coming off the bench. Seventh overall selection Jeremiah Fears has shown some flashes as well, averaging 14.6 ppg and 3.2 assists per game for the dreadful New Orleans Pelicans—I’m a little skeptical of his overall ceiling in a winning context, but he’s certainly performed so far. His fellow rookie and teammate Derik Queen looks solid too, playing less minutes but flashing some playmaking chops at the center position (although very little can undo the mind-numbing trade New Orleans made to draft him). Tre Johnson, the sixth selection by the Washington Wizards, was an intriguing prospect for me pre-draft and has played well a few weeks in, averaging 11.5 ppg while shooting 37% from three.
We even got some second round studs! The Hornets seemingly hit on both of their picks in the later round of the draft—center Ryan Kalkbrenner has been a ferocious rim protector while playing starting minutes, and guard Sion James has been a surprising shooter and tenacious defender. Keep an eye out for Will Richard, a national champion at Florida who was picked late by the Golden State Warriors but is thriving in their movement and high-basketball IQ system; he may play some spot minutes in the playoffs for a hopeful contender. The future seems bright in the league, and we’re excited to see these rookies evolve over the course of the year!
Predictions:
- The Chicago Bulls eventually end up back in the 7/8/9 seed in the East despite their hot start (sorry Bulls fans)
- DeMar Derozan is traded from the Sacramento Kings by the trade deadline
- The Oklahoma City Thunder win 70+ games
- Nikola Jokic wins another MVP
Teddy Benchley can be reached at tbenchley@wesleyan.edu.
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