MVP Battle � Dual of the Alpha�s Alphas
It�s not newsworthy to consider Giannis as an MVP candidate � off the top of my head, he�s likely won it, twice? Once, for sure. But, for the first time in Giannis� career, he�s actually on a good team, with a boastful, media-darling GM who is going to make sure all of us realise and remember just how great he is, and how great he did to convince him to come to San Antonio.

However, up North, in Oregon, one of the games greatest scorers has finally got the same supports behind him, too. Kevin Durant, NSL Champion, Finals MVP (snubbed of an All-Star spot last season, LOL), has a fully committed, vetted and battle-hardened organisation behind him. While he doesn�t get quite the fanfare of some superstars, he strikes fear into each team he plays.

Durant and the Blazers have gotten off to an 8-0 start, with the Spurs getting off to a just as dominant 7-1 start, with their only loss coming to Portland.



This looms to be a fantastic, entertaining battle throughout the season. Adding to the drama: both these teams will swap supporting superstars with each other in just six weeks� time.

Aside from these two, Jayson Tatum looks to be a legitimate superstar, with the Celtics primed to make good on all that promise. Stephen Curry will always be in the conversation, backed by a finally healthy Nuggets. Anthony Davis has revived the Bulls, SGA leads the Bucks continued growth and new-Pelican PG13 wants to elevate them to the next level.

Risers and Fallers � overreaction or readjustment of expectation?

Toronto #1, Chicago #3, Boston #4, Cleveland #6, Charlotte #10, Detroit #14. There are many examples in the East standings that make you do a double take. The close proximity of teams was predicted in the off-season, with almost all teams aspiring to make the playoffs. In the West, there is more of the natural order. However, OKC are at #3, and have taken big scalps, which is very exciting for wanting-OKC fans. We are still in �overreaction-season�. Some of these teams will make significant moves in both directions. Some will stay and hold.


Survival of the Fittest
With the NSL�s delayed start to the season, NBA injuries kept ticking over and accumulating. When it came to the NSL kicking off, some players had already accrued 3-4 weeks of missed games. Most teams have been hit with multiple injuries over the opening weeks. Minnesota, New Orleans, Memphis, New York, Brooklyn, Miami and New York are teams who have taken significant hits to their best players� availabilities. Will the injuries ease? Or is this just the new-NSL; a league that wrecks players bodies quicker ,leading to cautious players and organisations complicit to the players� decisions to sit.

Threes and Rebounds

To quote the great Digga, �it�s a shit f*cking time to have built a three-point shooting team.� Recency-bias aside, this was one of the better hot-takes/whines I remember, as the engine and league potential and realism were called into question in one fell swoop (all of the back of 3/4s of a pre-season game). After roughly 10% of the season, and 120+ games, the Nuggets are launching almost 40 threes a game, connecting on 38%. I�m no statistician, but that seems like a bloody lot. Almost all teams are shooting 20+ attempts per game, and most teams are shooting above 34%.



Also, the death of the big man may have been exaggerated, too, as these tall bastards pull down exorbitant totals of rebounds every single night of NSL action. San Antonio and OKC averaged 14 offensive rebounds per game, with the Spurs leading the league in rebounding at a whopping 56 rpg.

Trade Restrictions: Now Restricting
I have heard it from multiple sources: �the trade block is dead�. An overreaction? Perhaps. It�s hard to remember if there�s ever much trade action in these early weeks, while teams are getting to know what they have before they evaluate what they think they need. However, it�s likely never been harder to put together a trade. Purely guesswork, but I imagine upwards of 25% of the league�s players are unable to be added into a trade-deal with another player, and another 25% of the league�s players are restricted due to free agency. With half the players unable to be moved, and teams struggling to find common ground or momentum in talks, one has to wonder if the days of �fantasy� trading, and reacting to blockbusters, will be few and far between.