We’re just about done with the first month of NBA basketball. Now the real games are about to begin.
October and November are typically the time teams use in the season to get their rotations together while feeling out their strengths and weaknesses.
Some of the narratives for this season are beginning to take shape. December is really when teams truly start to figure out who they are. By the end of 2019, we’ll know who is truly tanking, who is truly contending and who should give up hope altogether for this season.
Here are six things you need to pay attention to in the NBA for the next month.
1. Just how real are the Lakers?
The Lakers are the league’s best team right now with a 16-2 record and have the league’s third best net rating at 7.9. They’re legit good. That’s not a question. The thing still left to be figured out is how good has their success actually been.
Their schedule has been weak. Their opponents’ .475 winning percentage ranks 24th in the NBA. We’ll see who they really are by the end of the month after they face the Jazz, Mavericks, Nuggets (twice), Bucks and Clippers next month. Buckle in, y’all. It’s might get bumpy.
2. The Raptors might be legit Finals contenders
Don’t look now, but the Raptors are one of two teams in the league that rank in the top 5 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. The other is the Milwaukee Bucks. These Raptors look like have a real shot in getting back to the Finals.
This upcoming month will be tough. Six of their first eight matchups in December are against playoff teams — including Kawhi Leonard’s Clippers. That slate will be a great litmus test to see how real they actually are.
3. James Harden’s push for 40 points per game
As it stands, James Harden is averaging 37.7 points per game, just a shade under 40. He’s still shooting 43 percent from the field and 34 percent from deep – slightly below his career averages in both categories – so he can still get to that 40 mark.
The Rockets’ December schedule should help. They’ll play six matchups against the bottom 10 defenses in the league. They get the Spurs twice, Cavaliers, Pistons, Warriors and the Pelicans to close the month out. Harden is going to have a field day.
4. Will Kyrie Irving’s return throw the Nets off?
Kyrie Irving should return soon after missing some time with a shoulder injury. The problem? The Nets have been just fine without him. They’re 6-2 in the eight games without him after a 4-7 start and Spencer Dinwiddie has looked like an All-Star.
It’d be ridiculous to say that the Nets are better off without Irving. But there’s something to them playing better right now with him out of the lineup. The Nets are better when the ball moves and Irving’s 34 percent usage rate clearly doesn’t mix with that. They’ll have to find a happy medium when he gets back to stay afloat.
5. Can this Carmelo Anthony experiment last?
Carmelo Anthony has been up and down in his time with the Blazers. His last two games he’s averaging 22 points per game and shooting 61.3 percent from the field. Before that? 13 points while hitting 34 percent from the field and 31 percent from deep. The real him probably lies somewhere in between that.
The problem is the Blazers badly need him to be that best version of himself. If he can’t, this experiment might end quickly. He’s on a non-guaranteed deal until January 7 and is paid by the day. Any slip and he could be out of there.
6. Victor Oladipo back?
Malcolm Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis have played like All-Stars and have the Pacers just a game back of the four seed in the East. The good news is Victor Oladipo might be back soon to help. There’s still no timeline on his return, but he was assigned to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants a couple of weeks ago and has been a full participant in practice.
He won’t be the same Oladipo when he finally gets back, but anything close to All-Star form is a bonus for the Pacers and will make them a formidable team moving in to the new year.
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