NBA Week in Review: Who’s Rising, Falling Fast And Notes From Week 1
Teams Falling Fast:
Milwaukee Bucks: The sad truth about the Milwaukee Bucks is that they’re no longer an underdog primed to surprise the NBA on their way to a playoff berth. The Bucks have been blown out by the Knicks and Raptors already this season, and their sole win came against a Nets team that’s destined for a lottery selection. The Bucks have seemingly hit a plateau in the development of their young guns. It doesn’t appear that anyone with the exception of the Greak Freak has made any serious improvements to their game.
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On top of that the bumps and bruises of the NBA season have already caused the team to sideline a number of key individuals, and last year’s early rookie sensation, Jabari Parker, has yet to make his season debut as he’s still recovering from last year’s gruesome knee injury (that changes tonight vs Philly).
New Orleans Pelicans: As you can see, there are a number of winless teams omitted from this list in favor of New Orleans and Milwaukee. That’s because those teams aren’t supposed to be good. The Magic, Hornets, Nets, 76ers, and Lakers are all going to be bottom dwellers this year and that was established well before the season got underway. The Pelicans have been a huge disappointment in the early goings of the season, struggling through their first three contests. Granted they’ve fallen victim to a nightmare schedule that featured a pair of contests against the defending champions.
The Pelicans have been hampered by an inconsistent guard rotation that’s been the result of key injuries to guys like Norris Cole, Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday. If nothing else, the Pelicans are aided by the fact that they have time on their hands. The season is still young, and if they can regain health, they’ll be poised to break out of this early rough patch.
Indiana Pacers: Many believed coming into the season that a healthy PG13, grouped on the wing with Monta Ellis would provide the Pacers with the spark they needed to reach the playoffs in a weak Eastern Conference. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been enough for the Pacers. The team ranks 24th in offense, and 17th defensively in the NBA.
This is a team that just a few seasons ago was contending with Miami’s Big 3 to be the cream of the crop in the Eastern Conference. This season they have a chance to jump back into the playoff mix, but the 0-3 start is a huge red flag as this team looks to put the pieces together.
Next: Players in Week 1