Surprises Of The 2023-2024 Season So Far
So far, this NBA season has been filled with high-quality basketball, ranging from dominant performances from the presumed best teams, as well as some surprise team performances that have changed opinions on that team. However, there have been a few teams that have stood out, thanks to their overwhelming success relative to lower-expectations of them. I’ll be looking at 3 of these teams. Let’s get into it.
The Minnesota Timberwolves
Photo Credit: Abbie Parr, AP
The Minnesota Timberwolves have had lofty expectations since they acquired Rudy Gobert before last season, but ultimately fell short in the first round last season. Riddled with inconsistencies, and a clearly not fully-meshed roster, the 2022-2023 season was ultimately a process of adaptation, as the new-look roster underwent significant changes both before the season (Gobert), and during the season (D’Angelo Russell out, Mike Conley in).
Fast forward to now, and it looks like the roster has finally put it all together.
Anthony Edwards has blossomed into a true two-way star. Through 8 games this season, he has put together some of the most efficient offensive numbers of his career. His improved numbers, combined with his strong perimeter defense, have transformed him into one of the most complete guards in the league. He is averaging 27.9 ppg / 6.3 rpg / 5.3 apg / 1.3 spg on 50/40/80 splits. Having now become a true three-level scoring threat, this is the most complete his offensive game has been since he entered the league in the 2020-2021 season. He has not only improved his efficiency through better decisions and improved shot-making but has shown improvement as a facilitator as well, all while guarding the opponent’s best perimeter scorer.
His impact on all facets of the game has made him integral to the Timberwolves’ success. With him on the court, the team is one of the best in the league. Without him, they’ve struggled.
He has evolved into one of the best two-way guards in the game. Already an all-star last year, Edwards has improved even further, which bodes extremely well for the Timberwolves. He is a bonafide star. Paired with the steady and ever-consistent 19-year veteran Mike Conley (10.8 ppg & 4.5 apg on (50.8/45.7/100 shooting), the Timberwolves backcourt has finally become a strength after years of inconsistencies.
Edwards has always looked primed to be a star. However, the Timberwolves’ defense had many questions swirling around them since they traded for Rudy Gobert. Finally, it looks like they’ve put it all together.
The Timberwolves stand alone at the top of the league in defensive rating. Their 101.0 defensive rating is a whopping 3.7 points lower than the second-place Knicks. They’ve finally meshed together on the defensive end, and found a system that works. They’ve got elite defenders in the backcourt with Edwards, guarding wings with Jaden McDaniels, and in the paint with 3-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. Pair that with high level IQ from Mike Conley and elite offensive talent in Karl Anthony-Towns, and this has shaped out to be one of the most complete starting fives in the league.
At 6-2 through 8 games, The Timberwolves currently reside as the third seed in the Western Conference. With impressive wins over the Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics, they have shown they are able to go toe-to-toe with some of the league’s best. Now, consistency is the biggest key. If this level of play can be sustained, watch out for the Timberwolves come playoff time.
The Houston Rockets
Photo Credit: NBA.com
Ime Udoka has this young team playing extremely high-level basketball.
At 6-3, the Rockets, fresh off a 107-104 win against the defending NBA Champion Denver Nuggets, are now the 4th seed in a highly competitive Western Conference. After winning just 22 games last year, they already have 6 wins, 9 games into the season.
The improvements have not been limited to certain areas. This is simply a better basketball team in all facets, whether it’s coaching, offense, or defense. Starting with the defensive side, a year after harboring the 28th-ranked defensive rating (118.6), the 2023-2024 Houston Rockets have the 5th-best defensive rating in the league at 108.1. On the offensive side of the ball, after ranking 27th in the league at 110.5 last year, the Rockets are currently 10th in the league with 113.1.
Many of those improvements can be attributed to the new additions that have stabilized both sides of the game. Ime Udoka, after leading a finals team in 2021-2022, has undoubtedly improved both. On the offensive side of the ball, new addition Fred VanVleet (16.1 ppg & 8.4 apg), and the much-improved facilitator and inside scorer Alperen Sengun (19 ppg / 8.3 rpg / 6.1 apg) have elevated this offense into a less iso-heavy, more team-centric offense. It has undoubtedly created dividends for the offense. Improved efficiency from Jalen Green (20.3 ppg on 45/41.5/75 shooting splits) has also helped. This, combined with the best efficiency of Dillon Brooks’ career (14.1 ppg on 55.6/55.6/86 splits) has the Rockets humming on the offensive side on the ball. Veteran Jeff Green has been integral on both ends, adding veteran leadership to a team that desperately needed it. Already equipped with loads of young talent, the improvements of the young players, combined with the positive production from the new veterans and the experienced leadership of their coach have allowed the Rockets to blossom into a productive offense.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Rockets have improved even more than their offense. Their plethora of rangy, switchable wings have always been present. Now, with more defensive direction and coaching, the Rockets have evolved into an elite defense. With athletic defenders such as Jabari Smith Jr, Jae’Sean Tate, and Tari Eason in the rotation (plus Amen Thompson when he comes back), plus Dillon Brooks’s scrappy, irritating defensive play, the Rockets had the potential to be an effective defense coming into the season, and that is exactly what they’ve become.
Throughout this 12 minute video, you can see many great examples of the defensive improvements. Rather than Stephen Silas’s enabling of poor defensive habits such as standing around, not communicating, and low effort, Udoka has the defensive rotating effectively, providing effective weak and strong side help, and showing effort by pressuring the ball. This is a new defensive culture, and it’s clear that defensive effectiveness has become an important goal for this team. The players are more engaged, and the result reflects that.
Due to this torrid start, some regression is to be expected, especially with the shooting splits. However, this team looks to have a strong direction and has seemingly improved in all aspects. The signs are very encouraging, and the Houston Rockets’ rebuild looks to have accelerated at a rapid pace.
The Dallas Mavericks
Photo Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
The Dallas Mavericks have simply been outscoring everyone.
Led by the Number 2 offense in the league (121.8 ORTG), the Dallas Mavericks have scored their way to an 8-2 record, and are now tied for the first seed in the NBA. Incredible production from superstar Luka Doncic (32.9 ppg / 8.9 rpg / 8.4 apg on 52/42/79 splits) means that the floor of the offense will always be at least a good offense. Kyrie Irving has struggled slightly with efficiency (21.3 ppg on 43/33/89 splits), but has still provided the complementary scoring necessary to compensate for Luka’s off nights or non-Luka minutes.
Grant Williams has been highly impressive in an increased, but still complementary role (12.7 ppg on 53/52/65 splits), while providing some defensive presence that the team sorely needs. Tim Hardaway Jr. has provided his usual secondary scoring on better-than-usual efficiency (17.9 ppg on 44/39/100 splits), while Dereck Lively has provided some spurts of interior defense and rim protection (8.6 ppg / 7.3 rpg / 1.0 bpg on 70.5% shooting).
Jason Kidd has this offense playing at an elite level. Backed by the most efficient shooting splits of Luka’s career in this young season, the offense has been humming. When Luka is not scoring at will, he has been an effective distributor, having made some ridiculous passes already this year.
Combined with Kyrie Irving’s ability to score from all three levels at will, opposing defenses have their hands full trying to stop this offense. If you blitz Luka or Kyrie, that means Grant Williams, Tim Hardaway Jr., Josh Green, and surprisingly Derrick Jones Jr (37% from 3) should be open from 3, all of whom are threats off the catch. The pick and roll game from Irving and Doncic with Dereck Lively has been effective, as Lively has been efficient at the rim, but the ball can also be kicked out to their elite catch-and-shoot 3-point scorers as well.
Overall, this offense has been borderline unstoppable. When both Luka and Kyrie have good, efficient games, they’re almost impossible to stop.
The defense is an issue and will need to improve. The Mavericks will likely need to make some trades to add a perimeter defender or two, preferably a wing defender. Someone like OG Anunoby makes sense, or in a lower tier, someone like Jonathan Isaac would be a great fit for them.
Their offense has been one of the most impressive in the league, backed up by the stats. I did not expect them to be this efficient. Although the defense will have to be better (24th — 115.6), for now, the Mavericks will continue to outscore everyone.
