The NBA is back. With just over one-third of the season gone, there have certainly been a few surprises. Let's take a look at five observations from the first one-third of the season.
Donovan Mitchell has led the Utah Jazz to a surprising and dominant early season run.
The Utah Jazz- The Utah Jazz lead a star-studded western conference through the first third of the season, with a 23-5 mark. Shooting guard Donovan Mitchell leads the Jazz in scoring, averaging 24.2 points per game. Center Rudy Gobert ranks third in the NBA in rebounds per game at 13.2 and second in blocks per game at 2.8. The Jazz are top five in multiple categories to start the year. The Jazz sits at fourth in points per game, third in points allowed per game and first in rebounds per game. The Jazz look poised to make it to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2007.
Joel Embiid- Embiid is off to the best start of his career, helping to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 18-10 start to the season. Embiid is averaging a career-high 29.6 points per game, to go along with 10.8 rebounds per game. Embiid is also averaging a career-high in field goal percentage, shooting 54.3 percent, while also shooting 40 percent from three-point land. Embiid's hot start has him in the discussion for Most Valuable Player with Nikola Jokic and Lebron James. Embiid’s playing performance will be key down the stretch into the postseason, as he hopes to lead the 76ers to their first NBA title since 1983.
Bradley Beal- Despite the Washington Wizards only having eight wins on the seasons, Bradley Beal is having the best season of his career. Beal is coming off a career year last season, averaging 33.1 points per game on 47.6 percent shooting this season. Despite acquiring all-star Russell Westbrook, the Wizards remain at the bottom of the league standings. With the Wizards trading away John Wall, Beal has been freed up to take more of a lead in the Wizards offense. The question lingering around for the Wizards is whether they will choose to build around Beal or begin a full team rebuild by trading him.
The Brooklyn Nets- The Brooklyn Nets made a huge splash at the beginning of the season, trading for perennial MVP James Harden. The Nets traded three first-round picks, along with several players and draft pick swaps to land Harden. Harden’s numbers have taken a slight decline in his first 15 games with the Nets; however, there was some expectation of that because of who he is sharing the court with. With the trade for Harden, the Nets have the NBA’s most lethal trio, adding him to a roster that includes all-star Kyrie Irving and former MVP Kevin Durant. The trio has only played a handful of games together due to Durant being unavailable because of COVID-19 contact tracing protocols. As the season goes on, the Nets will aim to gain ground on the 76ers, who currently occupy the conference's top seed. The playoffs will make the final determination as to if this trio will make its mark as one of the best in league history.
5. The Miami Heat’s Struggle- Despite making it to game six of the NBA finals last season, the reigning Eastern Conference Champions have gotten off to a very slow start to the season. The Heat sit in 10th place in the Eastern Conference with an 11-16 mark. The Heat have been hammered with injuries early in the season, with Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic and Tyler Herro missing at least nine games each. Bam Adebayo, however, is continuing his strong form since the last postseason. Adebayo is averaging a career-high 19.8 points per game and 5.3 assists per game. Once Miami’s players return to optimal health, only time will tell if Miami’s postseason in the bubble was for real or just another fluke.