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One game into the new NBA season is when every fan of every team always overreacts to the product they saw in the first 48 minutes of their first game. The New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves made huge mistakes with their recent trade. The Boston Celtics are going 82-0. The Golden State Warriors may be back. LeBron James and Bronny James are going to win the 2025 NBA Finals with the Los Angeles Lakers.
These are a handful of the many false narratives being spread on social media.
The main reason these are all false right now is because this is the start of the season. What every team looks like right now isn't what they will look like in March and April. Not to mention, so much happens over the course of the NBA season. Every result is certainly notable, but what we need to keep in mind is that there is a greater meaning to everything than just who wins and loses.
Take the Lakers, for example, with Bronny and LeBron sharing the court together to become the first father-son duo in NBA history. Regardless if you feel this moment was forced, sappy, or whatnot, this was a special moment for the league. More importantly, it was yet another remarkable achievement, perhaps the greatest achievement, for LeBron in his career.
So much can be discussed about Bronny making his NBA debut and the Lakers' first game of the season, especially since JJ Redick owns the best coaching record in the league among active head coaches at 1-0. Hey, give Lakers fans their spotlight for just this moment!
Another good sign from Los Angeles' victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday's opening night was Anthony Davis' dominance. Although many will always make fun of his constant injury struggles, AD has silently remained healthy over the last year and is looking like arguably the best two-way big man in the league. More performances like this one will lead to him being in the MVP conversation.
On top of all of this, the biggest storyline that has flown under the radar is the arrival of a new Lakers rookie. No, we aren't talking about Bronny anymore and all of the fluff that came with him stepping on the court with LeBron. Under all of the headlines you have seen coming from the Lakers' season opener lies Dalton Knecht, who may be the hidden weapon this team has been searching for.
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JJ Redick's hidden weapon isn't Bronny James, it's Dalton Knecht
Knecht 4. What a fantastic nickname!
Dalton Knecht slipped on draft night for reasons that are beyond my brain capabilities, and the Lakers ended up with the steal of the draft at 17th overall. It is fair to call Knecht the steal of the 2024 NBA Draft simply because he's a mature, experienced shooter who is able to help his organization right now. While every other rookie in the league is going to be a work in progress, Knecht is probably going to lead all first-year players in threes this season.
Redick showed off what could realistically be his Mini-Me in the Lakers' season opener against the Timberwolves, as Knecht scored five points while hitting one of his three shots from deep in 16 total minutes. If anything has become clear, it's that the rookie from Tennessee has a solidified spot in Los Angeles' nightly rotations.
The rookie wing just has a knack for finding the right spot on the perimeter, and his basketball IQ is exceptionally high. This is a mirror image of Redick from his days as a player. Now that he is on the sidelines, Redick has a greater appreciation for how to utilize a player of Knecht's skill set, especially since he lived it. The new Lakers head coach has impressed many so far with his strategic planning and approach to the game, which is why it wasn't all that surprising to see him get Knecht involved early on and win his first game in Los Angeles.
“Huddles last year were honestly pretty incredible. You had guys not even bothering to pretend they were listening. I don't think I ever saw a coach lose a team as quickly as (Darvin) Ham did,” an NBA assistant told ClutchPoints' Lakers insider Anthony Irwin. “This year, you can sense a real belief in what they're trying to build. That's the first step. It's early, but you have to start there.
“It was always going to improve compared to last year, but even beyond that, Redick seems to really have their attention. LeBron especially.”
This is a major step in the right direction for the Lakers. The James' are buying into what Redick is selling, Davis is healthy, and Knecht has a chance to be the biggest rookie surprise. Redick gets an A+ for his start to the season in Los Angeles.
Joel Embiid, Dejounte Murray injury concerns overshadow opening week
Is anyone actually surprised that Joel Embiid didn't play in the season opener for the Philadelphia 76ers? As good as Embiid is, his legacy is beginning to be defined by his time missed, which is never a good sign for any player. If you need proof of this, just ask Kawhi Leonard, as he has gone from a revered two-way superstar and two-time Finals MVP to being called the “worst superstar in NBA history”. Embiid continues to battle injury concerns, and now he is being labeled as that guy who robbed Nikola Jokic of winning four straight MVPs.
Look, Embiid is great. Actually, he's better than great; he's usually the best player in any game when he plays. That's the problem, though, as we shouldn't have to say “when he plays” like this is a choice the Sixers star is making. That choice is being made for him, as Philadelphia recently came out and said that it is unlikely the seven-time All-Star plays in any more back-to-backs for the rest of his career. You can't just make statements like this and expect Adam Silver to laugh it off, especially with the new Player Participation Policy that is in effect.
The 76ers and Embiid are now under investigation by the league due to Embiid's availability. It is going to be very interesting to see how this goes and what the conclusion is. Oh, and how can we forget to mention Paul George being out as well for the 76ers to begin the year? The snowball effect has already started for the Sixers yet again.
Over in the Western Conference, Dejounte Murray and the New Orleans Pelicans were given awful news. After beating the Chicago Bulls 123-111, it was revealed that Murray suffered a fractured left hand. The All-Star point guard is now out indefinitely after undergoing surgery. It is safe to assume Murray is out at least four to six weeks, meaning he will likely miss the entirety of November.
Injuries continue to cast a dark cloud on the start of the NBA season, as Embiid, George, and Murray are joined by several other stars like Kawhi Leonard, Khris Middleton, Zion Williamson, Jaren Jackson Jr., and RJ Barrett on the injury report.
Immanuel Quickley (Toronto Raptors), Jonathan Isaac (Orlando Magic), and Brandon Miller (Charlotte Hornets) all left their first games of the season on Wednesday night due to hip injuries as well.
Hey NBA gods, can we get just one day without guys getting injured, please?
A silent NBA trade market to begin season
The trade that the Knicks and Timberwolves made involving Karl-Anthony Towns was a shocker to many around the league. There had always been chatter at the end of discussions among league personnel that the Knicks should trade for Towns, but nobody actually thought this was going to happen this offseason after the success both organizations saw during the 2023-24 season.
Outside of the discussion about Towns in New York and Minnesota's struggles to begin the season, the NBA trade market as a whole has been very quiet; some may even go as far as to say dormant. Very few teams have actually been shopping real talent on the market to this point due to many teams wanting to cut salaries and open up roster spots before the 2024-25 season began.
The Timberwolves were one of those teams, as they made a few calls regarding Keita Bates-Diop to try and trade him for a future second-round pick or cash since they had 16 players on their roster, league sources told ClutchPoints. That did not happen, and Minnesota ended up waiving the forward they acquired in the offseason. The Washington Wizards also made some calls while trying to finalize their roster before the season.
Around the league, many are anticipating the Milwaukee Bucks making a roster move at some point. While they are limited by the second tax apron, Milwaukee does have some paths to making a trade between now and the trade deadline. Although it is unlikely that the team would trade Bobby Portis, Pat Connaughton ($9.4 million) and MarJon Beauchamp ($2.7 million) are two players with contracts that can be moved. The problem for the Bucks is that they can't aggregate salaries and do not have much draft capital.
Other chatter among NBA personnel surrounds the Memphis Grizzlies and what they have planned during the 2024-25 season. Expectations in Memphis are for this team to get back to being a real title threat in the West, dreams that were shattered a season ago due to unforeseen and freak injuries.
Between their draft assets and young talent, general manager Zach Kleiman and his Grizzlies front office can be aggressive in their pursuit of more talent between now and the trade deadline. Former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart is also seen as a possible moving piece if the Grizzlies were to pursue a star due to the weight of his $20 million contract. A few teams inquired about Smart in the offseason, one of which was the Knicks, sources told ClutchPoints. However, New York's interest in Smart came earlier in the offseason prior to the team acquiring Towns.
Expect trade conversations to pick up after the first few weeks of the regular season and after NBA Cup group stage games commence. The Utah Jazz and Pelicans may very well control the start of the NBA trade market during the 2024-25 season, with names like Walker Kessler, John Collins, Jordan Clarkson, and Brandon Ingram being mentioned throughout the summer.
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