FIRST FULL GAME ANALYSIS

UPSYDE SPORTS PRESENTS:

Analysis of the First Full Night of Games:

There was a lot of fun games going on, but none more than the Celtics versus Knicks game, that went into double-overtime as the rival Eastern Conference teams duked it out and dropped haymakers. By the end of the game, only the Celtics were playing defense, but the Knicks just couldn't miss. This is mostly a list of players to watch the rest of the year, which players to be concerned about, and which players should bounce back.

PACERS VS. HORNETS - This was a fun game as well. The Hornets overcame a 23-point deficit to win in the final seconds of the game. Sabonis, Brogdon, and Duarte all scored over 25 points, but was not enough to overcome the deeper Hornets team. Duarte did phenomenally in his debut, but his performance was outshined by LaMelo's fantastic performance. Melo scored 31 points and added 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals in less than 30 minutes. The Hornets had six players in double-digits and took down a solid team.. This Hornets team could be this year's Hawks.

Melo is obviously the player to watch, Jeremy Lamb is probably on the trade block, and PJ Washington should have better games.

BULLS VS. PISTONS - An underwhelming game overall. The Bulls won, but the Pistons are a terrible team this year and should be lottery bound once again. The Bulls had a couple of bright spots - LaVine looked like he is already in mid-season form, Vucevic had a nice 15-15 double-double, and Patrick Williams was healthy enough to play 28 minutes. There was a lot not to like, and we will talk about that shortly. Jerami Grant was the only bright spot for the Pistons. Stewart slowed down Vuce but was otherwise drastically out-rebounded, Frank Jackson was a flop in his start for Cade, and Killian Hayes continues to struggle.

Saddiq Bey is a player to watch. He had 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists. With so many players having quick developments, he will be looking to have a jump in his second year after a solid rookie campaign. Killian Hayes I'm incredibly concerned about and I wouldn't be surprised if the Pistons make a massive pivot on him. I'm not concerned with Patrick Willams' production. He's a defense-first wing and it's his first game after a recent injury. After 5-10 games I'd be a little more concerned if he doesn't turn things around.

CELTICS VS. KNICKS - Obviously the game of the night. Jaylon Brown had a career high in points and minutes and showed a ton of heart. Tatum had a slow start, so Brown helped keep them in this game. The Knicks looked like they had Boston's number from the start. Fournier also had a career high in points, Randle continued where he left off with a 35-8-9 game, and RJ Barret at 19 second-half points, salvaging a slow first half.

Mitchell Robinson is the player to watch after seeing this game. He was dominant on the boards and as long as he can stay healthy, he could be in the conversation for an All-Defensive team. I'd be concerned about Immanuel Quickley's role. Kemba had 36 minutes, Rose had 22 minutes, and Quickley only had 7. Neither Kemba or Rose really dominated, so Quickley will have to impress in his limited action if he wants to snag some of those minutes. I wouldn't be concerned with Payton Pritchard. He did not look comfortable with his face mask but he is sort of that hustle Caruso-type role and should see plenty of minutes going forward.

WIZARDS VS. RAPTORS - This was a sloppy game from both teams. It was quite obvious with the turnover, both teams were going to have issues. The Wizards won this game despite clear issues at the center position, terrible outside shooting, and a bunch of unnecessary turnovers. The Raptors clearly miss their star player Pascal Siakam, Barnes had expected rookie woes with 6 turnovers, and the team overall shot very poorly. Because of the poor play with both teams, it's honestly hard to tell if this was rust from a shortened preseason or the beginning of both teams' rebuild.

Kyle Kuzma is the player to watch. He had a monster 11-15 double-double, played 35 minutes, hit 2 3-pointers, 3 assists, a steal and a block. He was +22 and could emerge as their #2 option. Bertans is the player I'm most worried about. Between him being buried on the depth chart, his struggling shot from last year has continued. VanVleet is the player to not worry about. He won't have many nights where his shot is missing this bad and his defense was actually pretty decent.

CAVALIERS VS. GRIZZLIES - This was an interesting game because it features two young franchises that seem to be on positive trajectories. The Cavaliers really couldn't get any lower and the Grizzlies are looking to capitalize on last season's success and build on it. The Cavs experimented with a weird line-up with Markkanen at the 3, which probably won't happen again, Allen dominated, and their bench looked solid. The Grizzlies however, were much more noteworthy. Ja Morant is making an early push at an All-Star bid, Adams debuted strong with a 14-rebound effort, JJJ had a 13-point, 4-block return, and Melton thrived in his start over injured Brooks scoring 20 points and knocking down 4 3-pointers.

The player to watch, however, is Evan Mobley. The Cavs' star rookie had a nice 17-point, 9-rebound, 6-assist, 1-steal, and 1-block game. He hit a 3 and suffered no turnovers. Playing a team-high 38 minutes, he should be in line to continue his success. I wouldn't be concerned with Sexton's performance in this game. He is the primary offensive weapon on this team, and even with the addition of Mobley I don't see him losing a significant share of his shots. Markkanen I think is still broken. He is a weird fit on this team, is not great as a wing, and his shot is not as confident as it was early in his career. Once the Cavs trade Love, I think their roster will make more sense.

ROCKETS VS. TIMBERWOLVES - The Rockets got exposed as team that is inexperienced. Green was trying to force too much and I think he got in his own head. Kevin Porter was ineffective as the primary playmaker. Nobody on their team scored more than 16 points. The Timberwolves did not look significantly better, but their big 3 looked comfortable playing together and gives the Wolves flexibility in figuring out the best line-up.

The player to watch is Alperen Sengun. Both Sengun and Theis performed well, but Sengun already looks ahead of schedule and with this team in no position to win, at some point they will let him loose. I wouldn't be too concerned about Jalen Green's poor performance. Anthony Edwards is a legit defender and the pressure of his first game, combined with being on the road and forcing his shots, he should shrug this off. D'Angelo Russell concerns me. He was very inefficient with his shot, had 3 turnovers, missed two free throws, and if he was not bailed out by the strong play of Edwards and KAT, this could've been worse.

76ERS VS. PELICANS - Simmons or not, 76ers are going to keep winning games. They have a lot of high level prospects that allow the Sixers as a "next man up" type of team. Korkmaz caught fire in this game, Maxey looked excellent in the start, and the Embiid and Harris front court is one of the best in the East. The Pelicans, however, looked REALLY bad without Zion. Valanciunas got absolutely dominated by Embiid, Hart went down with an injury, nobody on their bench scored more than 6 points, and their defense was atrocious.

The player to watch is Tyrese Maxey. He played well when Simmons was unavailable last year and is probably the more versatile player to Shake Milton. I'm not worried about Valanciunas, who has been a solid big man historically for quite some time. He was up against the league's best true center and he will have better games ahead. I am worried about Danny Green. He's seen a steep decline since he was on the Lakers, and it would not surprise me to see him involved in a trade to acquire another shooter like Eric Gordon or Buddy Hield - or a larger package involving Simmons to another team.

MAGIC VS. SPURS - This was probably one of the least hyped games of the night. Both the Magic and Spurs are in a long-term rebuild, the latter of which at least has competent coaching. Both rookies, Suggs and Wagner, failed to do much with their opportunities. Cole Anthony was not able to build on the momentum of last year. The Magic just look like an obvious rebuild team, which is a shame, because they were a solid team just a few years ago. The Spurs actually looked pretty decent. Murray's shot has not improved but he played well despite the inefficiency. Their young prospects Walker and Vessell looked solid in garbage time, and Jakob Poeltl but up a quality stat line with improved playmaking abilities.

The player to watch is Keldon Johnson. This is basically his team now and with the departure of DeMar DeRozan, he has big shoes to fill. Early on, it looks like the usage got spread out across multiple positions but when the games are closer they will be looking for a reliable option in crunch time. I wouldn't worry about Suggs. He went against a very strong defensive backcourt in White and Murray and he was on the road against Pop. The Magic will shuffle around that starting line-up and their defense will improve when Isaac and Okeke return to play. I'd be worried about RJ Hampton. They traded for him last season, but I don't know what sort of role he has on this team. They drafted Suggs, Moore and Harris will return at some point, and he is also competing against Terrance Ross for minutes. Until Orlando trades the rest of their vets, he is mostly a non-factor, despite the talent.

THUNDER VS. JAZZ - This game went exactly how people expected. The Thunder, who lack any semblance of a reliable center, got torn apart by Rudy Gobert. Conley and Mitchell both had poor shooting nights, but that seems to be the theme of the league last night. Outside of that they just cruised. Nobody on the Thunder really stood out. Shai was disappointing in his 2021-22 debut, Dort and Giddey both shot poorly, and Poku was a complete flop. They'll have better days, but don't be surprised to see several games this season with similar narratives.

The player to watch Darius Bazley. He had a solid outing and was one of the lone bright spots for this awful performance. He shot poorly, but rebounded well for a wing, got 15 points, hit all but one free throw, and only had one turnover. Against less dominant team, he should see his efficiency improve. A player I would say not to worry about is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Mitchell players bigger than he is and was targeted all night. As the rest of the Thunder improves, he will have more freedom to play. Derrick Favors concerns me. The fact that he is their best center and doesn't fit their timeline at all makes no sense to me. Maybe their holding him to flip for a pick later, but if that's the case, don't play him at all and just start a young guy like Roby, who was the only player that played a decent amount of minutes with a plus box score.

NUGGETS VS. SUNS - The Knicks and Celtics game went so long, I barely saw any of the first quarter. This game was back and forth in the first half, but the Nuggets blew it open in the second half. Both benches played well, but Barton was hitting 3's, Jokic was all over the floor, and the defensive pressure was too much for the Suns. Ayton had a very forgettable performance after being snubbed in his extension negotiations. Booker looks off. Crowder was a non-factor. The only positive from the Suns is that Chris Paul still looks like his old self, even in his age-36 season.

The player to watch is Michael Porter Jr. He has a lot of pressure on him entering the season as the projected #2 option to Jokic until Murray returns. Despite playing almost 35 minutes, he only attempted 10 shots and was used more of a decoy in this game than anything. Let's see if he can continue his All-Star level play he was having at the end of last season. Booker is the obvious bounce back candidate. Many stars struggled with their shot last night, and between opening night gitters, short preseasons, and front office drama, it's not terribly surprising. The player to worry about is Jae Crowder. Cam Johnson is an underrated defender, an elite outside shooter, and much younger. Crowder is more aggressive on the boards, but on nights where Ayton is engaged, they may look to go for a rotation more 3-point oriented.

KINGS VS. TRAILBLAZERS - Another match-up that most people didn't see a ton of value in tuning into, but there are some interesting takeaways. The Kings, don't get too excited. At times last year, they went on these streaks and then eventually fell apart. I don't see this year being any different. Lillard had an unusually poor shooting night, Nance did poorly in his debut, and Covington continued his inconsistent play from last year. The Kings just overplayed. Barnes was scorching hot, careering in 3-pointers, Hield was efficient off the bench, and Fox effortless scored 27.

The player to watch is Richaun Holmes. Recently extended in the off-season, he very well could end ascending to superstar level this season. He was one of the most efficient centers in the league last year, a solid defender, and even added a 3 to his repertoire. A player I wouldn't worry about is Buddy Hield. Whether he's off the bench or starting, he will get starter minutes and produce. He should average 20 PPG this season. Haliburton, however, I would worry about. He looked awesome last year as a rookie, but failed to impress in opening night this season. Between Hield fighting for his starting spot and rookie Davion Mitchell vying for minutes, more games like this and he could see a reduction in his usage.

- Adam Safianow - NBA Analyst - Upsyde Sports [Copyright 2021]