NBA: 10 Early-Season Storylines To Keep An Eye On
By Brady Rippon
"May 26, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts after being called for an offensive foul against the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter in game five of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Thunder 120-111. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports"
One of the cardinal sins of NBA analysis is making too much of a small sample size. Still, early results are often red flags for something bigger and tangible.
Every season, a handful of players jump quick out of the gates only to peter out in the later weeks and months of the regular season.
The first couple of weeks of the season produces noisy results. It’s easy to lose the forest for the trees when a bad team wins its first three games or a player scores 40 points on opening night. Perspective is key when discussing early season trends.
With roughly two weeks of the NBA season in the books, we consider which early-season trends are a bunch of hot air and which are here to stay.
*All statistics and records discussed here are current to November 5, 2016