After the first full week of NBA action, there are already plenty of interesting talking points in league circles.
The Boston Celtics are on pace to set new league records for shooting. Tyrese Haliburton, meanwhile, has struggled to rediscover his form from the beginning of last season. A couple of veteran title contenders, the Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets, have had inconsistent starts, while rising teams in Cleveland and Orlando have been led out of the gates by young star forwards.
Here’s a look at each of those topics and more of what league insiders are buzzing about heading into another busy weekend across the NBA.
Jump to a section:
Major questions in Milwaukee in Denver
A big change powering the 5-0 Cavs
The early buzz around Banchero
Scouts, execs examine Haliburton’s start
No, the Celtics won’t stop launching 3s
Scouts, execs examine woes in Milwaukee and Denver
Bontemps: The Bucks didn’t expect to find themselves at 1-4. And, while there are several reasons for their struggles, one has stood out.
As an opposing executive told ESPN this week, “Watching them, it’s just clear these quick guards are able to get where they want.”
It’s one thing to struggle to defend the Boston Celtics on the second night of a back-to-back at TD Garden. But in Milwaukee’s other three losses — against Chicago, Brooklyn and Memphis — the Bucks’ perimeter defense has been dismantled by the opposition’s quick guards.
Chicago Bulls guards Josh Giddey, Coby White and Zach LaVine combined for 77 points on 60% shooting last week. Dennis Schroder and Cam Thomas poured in 61 points Sunday in Brooklyn. And Thursday, Ja Morant went off for a 26-10-14 triple-double as teammates Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart watched from the bench in street clothes.
Windhorst: And adding an impact player via the trade market isn’t currently an option. Milwaukee has been heavily impacted by restrictions brought on by the new CBA.
“What no one talks about is how much money they’re losing and have lost over the last few seasons, it’s tens of millions per year,” one league executive told ESPN. “And if they’re in the repeater [tax] next year, the penalties are even more severe.”
Not only are the Bucks in the repeater tax, they are above the second apron and currently looking at a $75 million luxury tax bill that comes with all sorts of trade restrictions. They’re also short on draft picks, with only a 2031 first-rounder at their disposal. Mortgaged is an understatement. There are locked doors everywhere. The Bucks’ only feasible way forward is health and making this roster work as is. Then again, that roster includes two of the top 75 players of all time. It’s a challenging spot but not a dire one.
Bontemps: It might not be dire, but it isn’t good. Bucks coach Doc Rivers called out his team’s lack of physicality heading into Monday’s game in Boston, and it improved for stretches before the Celtics’ avalanche of 3-pointers overwhelmed Milwaukee. But then came the 23-point loss in Memphis, where the Bucks couldn’t hit a shot (going 9-for-42 from 3) and their defense suffered as a result. Now, a team expecting to get back on track after Antetokounmpo injuries led to back-to-back first-round exits is tied for last in the conference. And the upcoming schedule is a bear: a home-and-home with the streaking Cavaliers, followed by games against the Knicks and Celtics sandwiched around a home meeting with the winless Utah Jazz.
Windhorst: It’s not too different of a situation in Denver, where the Nuggets are 2-2, with both wins needing Nikola Jokic-fueled comebacks in regulation to win in overtime against, shall we say, draft-focused teams in the Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets. Denver coach Michael Malone has lamented, on the record, the loss of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s shooting, and Jokic himself was blunt: “We are not a good shooting team. Except [Michael Porter Jr.] and [Jamal Murray]. All of us are … just average shooters.”
Internally, the Nuggets are very pleased with what they’re getting out of Caldwell-Pope’s replacement in the starting lineup, Christian Braun. His size and toughness are assets, and at 23 years old, he’s in his prime when it comes to speed. He has nearly doubled his scoring, so far averaging 14.0 points per game while shooting 53.8%.
Bontemps: Braun had a nice game Tuesday in Brooklyn, finishing with 12 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks with Malone singling him out for praise for a huge 3-pointer he hit late in Denver’s second straight come-from-behind overtime victory. But the issue in Denver, or for those who questioned the Nuggets letting Caldwell-Pope walk this summer, wasn’t because of a lack of faith in Braun. Rather, it was because losing Caldwell-Pope means that Braun becomes a starter — and, thus, is a loss for an already thin second unit. That bench unit is now anchored by Russell Westbrook, who, even after scoring 22 points Tuesday, is shooting 10-for-37 overall and 3-for-12 from 3. “Their second unit is now at Russ’ mercy,” an opposing scout told ESPN.
It also hasn’t helped that the team’s third max player, Michael Porter Jr., started the season 4-for-20 from 3 before going 4-for-7 against Brooklyn. “The real story of their struggles is Murray and Porter,” a rival executive told ESPN.
Windhorst: Perhaps more telling is what Malone said in the preseason about his players not being in shape. That has been a bit of a concern so far with Murray, who is scoring his fewest points per game (18.8) since 2019-20 and, so far, has seen his shooting drop 10% from last year. Even the great Jokic isn’t in the same condition he has been in at this point in past seasons, some in the organization admit, though he’s averaging only 31.5 points, 12.3 rebounds and 9.3 assists on 57% shooting. Ridiculous.
Mobley, Cavaliers’ 5-0 start is creating early buzz
Windhorst: Last season, Cleveland’s second-best pairing was Donovan Mitchell playing with Jarrett Allen. You could cite a whole bunch of advanced data points to back this up, but all you need to know is then-coach J.B. Bickerstaff played these two together more than any other Cavs combo. But when Kenny Atkinson took over as coach going into this season, one of the first things he did was break them up. Early in the season, the Cavs’ most-used duo is Mitchell and Evan Mobley. This change has nothing to do with Allen, team sources said, and everything to do with Mobley.
Bontemps: In talking to opposing coaches and scouts about Cleveland’s start, Mobley’s name is the first that comes up. The fourth-year forward was given a five-year max contract this summer by Cleveland. And, as this year has gotten underway, they’ve been impressed with the way Atkinson has made sure to get Mobley involved in the offense. That’s how he was able to get up 16 shots in 19 minutes against the Los Angeles Lakers in a game he was limited by foul trouble.
It’s a similar tack to the one first-year Lakers coach JJ Redick has used this season with Anthony Davis. By making sure they’re touching the ball virtually every time down the court, their coaches are forcing them to be more assertive and aggressive offensively. So far, that’s paying big dividends in Cleveland.
Windhorst: When Atkinson and Mitchell had discussions in the offseason about improving an offense that ranked 14th out of 16 playoff teams last season, Mitchell accepted the need to supercharge Mobley. That meant playing them together more and Mitchell being more invested in the success of the player the Cavs gave $220 million to in July.
“I tell him, ‘Go score. Don’t be passive. Go out there trying to make a play. Go dominate.’ Kind of turning that part of his brain on,” Mitchell told ESPN. “And I think Kenny’s the perfect guy to unlock that. I’m here to help.”
Five games into the season, the Mitchell-Mobley pairing is plus-71 in 130 minutes. Mobley is averaging 9 drives per game, per Second Spectrum tracking data, up from 4.7 last season. His scoring is also up from 15.7 points per game last season to 19.2.
Banchero’s superstar turn hits a roadblock
Windhorst: Cleveland will not hold happy memories for Paolo Banchero. In May, he was devastated after the Orlando Magic dropped Game 7 to the Cavaliers there despite him having one of the best games of his career — 38 points, 16 rebounds — in his first Game 7.
Thursday afternoon, after flying in from Chicago with the team, Banchero got an MRI at the Cleveland Clinic, and it revealed he’d torn his right oblique muscle in a loss to the Bulls the night before. It’s a painful and slow-healing injury that won’t even allow him to be reevaluated for at least four weeks. He will likely be out longer. Banchero had been one of the stories of the early season, largely inspired by what went down in the spring. His agent, two-time NBA champion Mike Miller, sat with him after that Game 7 loss and delivered some tough love.
“This isn’t what you want to hear right now, but this is exactly the type thing you and this team need to experience,” Miller, who as a player didn’t reach the second round until his sixth postseason, recalled of the conversation. Banchero responded by spending the offseason home in Seattle truly working on his game for the first time as a pro. After being the No. 1 pick in 2022, he was focused on the transition and in 2023 he suited up for Team USA, playing out of position at center much of the time.
Bontemps: An NBA scout who was at Monday’s highly entertaining clash between the Magic and Indiana Pacers came away really impressed with Banchero after his 50-point explosion: “He absolutely outplayed [Pacers forward Pascal Siakam],” the scout said. “He looked like a guy that can be a contending team’s top guy.”
Banchero’s injury comes at a fascinating moment in the schedule for the Magic, who have 10 of their next 12 games against teams that made it to the playoffs last season — including their next four (Cavaliers, Mavericks, Thunder, Pacers) all on the road.
Windhorst: At 6-foot-10, 250 pounds, Banchero has learned he can routinely put his defender in a bad spot, either by posting up or putting the ball on the floor and going to bully tactics. As a result, he was getting to the line 12 times per game so far this season. It has been a factor in him averaging 29 points over the first five games of the season, including 50 Monday against Indiana.
“No one wants to be compared to LeBron or Giannis, but he’s their size, he’s got a comparable skill set and the Magic are using him the way those guys have been used,” a veteran scout told ESPN.
That said, more contact can lead to injury. Banchero has missed only 12 games in his first two-plus seasons. He will probably exceed that recovering from this injury, and the Magic, who were 3-1 and up by double figures at halftime in Chicago on Wednesday before withering in the second half, have hit some adversity.
Bontemps: With Banchero sidelined for several weeks, the rest of the Magic’s supporting cast will be asked to step up — including second-year guard Anthony Black, who has closed each of the past two games for the Magic as Orlando forward Franz Wagner has been recovering from an illness.
Black hit a couple of triples to help Orlando win Monday against Indiana, including a corner 3 late in the fourth quarter that became the winning shot. And it’s that jump shot that, according to opposing scouts and executives, will determine his ceiling as a player.
Black, a 6-foot-7 guard who was the sixth pick last season out of Arkansas, got some spot minutes in Orlando as a rookie. But with Markelle Fultz no longer on the Magic, Black has stepped right into the rotation and delivered. With his length and athleticism alongside Jalen Suggs — already considered one of the best defensive guards in the league — Orlando could be a team anchored by a dominant defensive backcourt, like the one Boston has with Derrick White and Jrue Holiday. Both of those guys, however, have become strong 3-point shooters. Black, who is now 4-for-9 this season, has to prove he can make shots and do so at volume.
What to make of Haliburton’s slower start
Bontemps: The Pacers became the first team to hand the defending champion Celtics a loss when they avoided what would’ve been a disastrous collapse to beat them in overtime. But even in the 135-132 win, Tyrese Haliburton was relatively quiet. Although he had 12 assists and just one turnover, the All-NBA guard finished with 17 points on 7-for-19 shooting, going 2-for-10 from 3-point range. He is now 11-for-44 from behind the arc across Indiana’s first five games.
After the Pacers were routed in New York Friday, Haliburton repeatedly said he would start making shots, and that he wasn’t “tripping” about the way he and the team had started off the season, and he did go 4-for-9 from deep in each of Indiana’s next two games. But as scouts and executives have watched him play, several pointed to a lack of confidence in his play, particularly his jumper.
“Last year, he’d pull up from just inside half court and bury shots. He just isn’t playing with that same pop this year,” a rival executive told ESPN.
Windhorst: Over the first three months of last season when the Pacers were threatening pace records, Haliburton was one of the top 10 fastest players in the NBA on offense per the league’s tracking data. But then he suffered that nasty slip and fall in early January that left him battling a hamstring issue for much of the rest of the regular season and playoffs. He also had another leg injury that affected him at the end of the Olympics.
Tracking data has Haliburton moving, on average at least, about half a mile per hour slower this season than he was pre-injury last year. There’s a lot of caveats and sample size issues that could pick at this, but put aside the data for a moment. If you just watch him, you can tell he hasn’t quite recovered the form he had when he and the Pacers came flying out of the gates and reached the NBA Cup title game last year.
There’s a long way to go in the season, and underestimating Haliburton has been a losing proposition since he entered the league.
League insiders expect Boston’s 3 party to continue
Bontemps: The Cavaliers are atop the East because the Celtics lost a wild overtime game on Wednesday in Indiana. But while the loss ended Boston’s dreams of going 82-0, it didn’t stop the Celtics’ push to set every record for 3-point shooting this season.
After going 19-for-57 in this game, the Celtics are now leading the league in 3-pointers made (21) and attempted (51.6) per game — both of which would be NBA records. And while that volume of 3-point shooting has led to consternation in some corners about whether it is bad for the league to have a team shooting so many 3-pointers (Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards averaging more than 13 attempts per game hasn’t helped in that regard, either), that discussion ignores a key part of Boston’s success: It has several excellent shooters who can play enough defense to stay on the court.
“Just about every guy can play both ends,” an opposing executive said. “They have very few one-way players.”
And chief among those two-way players is Jrue Holiday. After watching Holiday play against his former Bucks teammates on Monday, an opposing scout said it was Holiday’s addition a year ago that truly changed the calculus in Boston.
“The unintended consequences of Holiday winding up in Boston changed everything,” the scout said. “You already had built a really good team, and then this guy gets added to the mix and it goes up another level.”
Windhorst: “He’s that little pest that gets under everyone’s skin,” is how Rivers described Payton Pritchard this week, and it was said with admiration. Pritchard’s ascension from third stringer to microwave scorer off the bench over the past two seasons has been a driving force in the Celtics’ 3-point volume growth.
The Celtics are shooting 10 more 3s per game this season compared to last season, and half of those new attempts are coming from Pritchard, who is hoisting a whopping 10 a game in less than 28 minutes a night. And he’s making 46% of them. It’s one thing to have a system that encourages 3-pointers, but it’s another thing when everyone you put in the game can make them.
“When he signed that $30 million deal [over four years, last year], some thought they were just trying to create a tradable asset,” a rival GM said. “The way he’s shooting it now, I wouldn’t even think of trading him with that value.”
ESPN Research’s Matt Williams contributed to this story.
Source: espn.com