Rising up, crashing down - 6 NBA early season surprises and shocks
The Rockets’ deplorable start led to the exit of coach Kevin McHaleThe first six weeks of the NBA season have blasted by us like a blur. There has been chaos, and from that chaos – like a scrambled loose ball that somehow ended up in the hands of Stephen Curry – we have seen beauty like never before. So while Curry and the Golden State Warriors continue to make history in the league’s greatest-ever start, there have been a lot more teams left faded in their dust. But look beyond the Doof Wagon of Destruction that are the Warriors and you’ll see many more intriguing storylines unfolding around the league.Before the season began, NBA fans and analysts such as myself had rough premonitions of how the future could unfold, of which teams would perform well and which ones will disappoint. While those at the top (Warriors) and the bottom (76ers) have fallen in their predictable places, there has been a lot of unforeseen movement of teams in the middle. Here are the teams soaring up and crashing down in surprises and shocks early in the 2015-16 NBA season.
#6 Crashing down: Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee are the Eastern Conference mirror image of the Pelicans. A young team with freakishly athletic pieces that rose impressively to the playoffs last season and returned this year with expectations to rise higher up the charts.
Unfortunately, just like the Pelicans, the results haven’t matched the expectations, and a team that I was expecting to challenge for 4th or 5th in the East with the development of Giannis Antetokuonmpo, the return of Jabari Parker, and the signing of Greg Monroe, is currently way outside the playoff picture.
The problem starts front and center with the team’s offense. Milwaukee is 29th in the NBA’s scoring charts, ahead of only the woeful 76ers. They are among the slowest teams in the league with the second-fewest possessions per 48 minutes, and are dead last in rebounds despite having a tall and athletic lineup.
Still, it’s early in the season, and I’m confident that the core of Khris Middleton, Antetokuonmpo, Monroe, Carter-Williams, and Parker will turn things around for the better.