Let’s start with the obvious: writing this post is absurd. Nonetheless, there are a lot of insane NBA fans out there who like overreacting to what they see in season-opening games.
It is understandable. They’ve been waiting all offseason to see their club and favorite players play, and the season openers feel more significant given the excitement and attention that surrounds the start of a new season.
However, these observations are virtually invariably classified as excessive overreactions. They may be correct over a larger sample size, but we must give ourselves enough time to establish at least some acceptable conclusions.
1. Pelicans sunk without Murray!
That applies to the five Game 1 overreactions listed below.
Dejounte Murray is out indefinitely with a broken hand, which he looks to have sustained on a 3-point attempt on which Zach LaVine made contact with his hand with two minutes left in the fourth quarter of New Orleans’ season-opening victory over Chicago.
But let us not overreact.
Yes, Murray looked fantastic in his Pelicans debut, scoring 14 points, 11 assists, and grabbing eight rebounds. They had lacked a typical point guard in previous years, and Murray was going to and will continue to solve most of that issue.
However, New Orleans has enough playmakers to hold the line in Murray’s absence. CJ McCollum can take the initiative. Last year, Zion Williamson played primarily as a point guard. Jose Alvarado comes off the bench.
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Perhaps most importantly, Brandon Ingram scored 33 points in the opener. Ingram’s fit with the Pelicans isn’t ideal, with Williamson controlling more possessions and Ingram not being a natural off-ball player, but with Murray’s scoring production gone, Ingram’s offense will pick up a lot of slack and may even increase his value enough to be traded later in the season. And hey, the Pels are unbeaten! What are we concerned about?
2. Klay Thompson is back!
What are we going back to? If you mean Thompson’s pre-injury self, you’re exaggerating his fantastic Dallas debut, in which he made six 3-pointers and scored 22 points. Thompson hit at least six three-pointers 12 times last season. He will do this from time to time.
He’ll also toss in several stinkers. As he’s gotten older, he’s grown a little unpredictable. It’s great that he had this performance in the opener to get his Dallas career off to a strong start, but he shouldn’t and won’t be expected to play like this every night.
That does not imply he isn’t a good match in Dallas. He is. He’ll get a lot of open shots from stationary positions as Luka Doncic develops his downhill leverage, which is significant since shooting on a sprint, which Thompson frequently did in Golden State’s labyrinth of movement, is immensely more difficult.
Klay Thompson can average 15 (ish) points every game and shoot about 40% from three. That is great. But he’s not returned. He’s no longer the defender he once was, nor is he the scorer or shooter he once was, even though he can still fire lights out if he narrows his shot selection.
3. Mikal Bridges‘ shot is broken!
Anyone with a functional set of eyes can tell that Bridges’ new shooting form is noticeably different, and in fact, quite ungainly. He missed 17 of his 19 3-pointers in the preseason and started the season by missing all five of his first-half shots, four of which were 3-pointers, in New York’s loss to Boston.
But he changed the narrative in the second half, hitting seven of eight shots, including a pair of three-pointers that were much more confident, in rhythm, and noticeably less hitchy.
Mikal Bridges found something in the second half last night 👀
16 points
7/8 FG
2/3 3P pic.twitter.com/yEAtRpfeok— The Strickland (@TheStrickland) October 23, 2024
It is too early to determine whether the doubts regarding Bridges’ shooting can be put to rest. There was no pressure on any of the shots he made in the second half. The game ended as a rout.
New mechanics can only be trusted after they have demonstrated their ability to perform under pressure.
But it’s also far too early to declare Bridges’ shot is broken. We all have Markelle Fultz’s PTSD, but let’s not jump to harsh conclusions based on one awful preseason and one bad half of regular-season shooting. Again, he pulled it together in the second half.
This is something to keep watch of. But nothing more at this moment.
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