2017-18 NBA season: 10 statistical oddities that won't last
Let's take a look at two NBA teams, Team A and Team B.
Team A sits atop their conference with a 5-2 record. They're one of just two teams with three players averaging 20 or more points per game, rank second in the league in offensive rating, 10th in defensive rating and are shooting a league-best 44.1% from three-point land.
Team B has already lost to Team A — a 21-point blowout, no less. They're tied for 10th in the conference with a 3-4 record, only have one player averaging 20-plus points, and rank 14th in the league in offensive rating, 27th in defensive rating and 20th in three-point percentage.
Team A is the Orlando Magic. Team B is the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Behold, the deceptive nature of early-season statistics.
With the 2017-18 campaign just two weeks old, here are 10 statistical oddities that may not hold up much longer.
The Warriors have one of the league's worst defenses
As far as defensive ratings go, the Warriors rank 26th in the league, allowing 108.3 points per 100 possessions through eight games. They finished second in the NBA last season (101.1), fourth the season before (100.9) and first in 2014-15 (98.2), and there's no reason to believe they won't find themselves back in the top five before long.
Victor Oladipo is ahead of Paul George in almost every major statistical category
Early signs indicate that the summer blockbuster that sent Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis from Oklahoma City to Indiana in exchange for George won't be as lopsided as we once thought, but can Oladipo keep this up? The fifth-year guard is averaging 23.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, three assists and is shooting 49.1% from the field and 45.7% from beyond the arc. George, on the other hand, is averaging 19.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and has a field goal percentage of 43.2% and a three-point percentage of 40.4%.
19 point guards are averaging more points than Kyle Lowry
The three-time All-Star is averaging just 13.5 points — a nine-point drop off from last season — on 36.8% shooting. Among the point guards averaging more: J.J. Barea, Malcolm Brogdon and Ricky Rubio, to name a few.
The Rockets are attempting 44 three-pointers per game
We knew the Rockets were going to let them fly, but 44 shots a game — they set an NBA record with 3,306 total attempts (40.3 per game) last season — is unheard of.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging 33.7 points per game
We love him, and we think he has a legitimate chance to win the MVP this season, but 34 points per game — especially for a guy who struggles with his jumper — is near impossible. The last player to average 34 points for an entire season? Kobe Bryant in 2005-06. Before that? Michael Jordan in 1987-88.
The Nets are allowing 118.8 points per game
This group is actually much-improved from last year, when they allowed 112.5 points per game, the second-worst mark in the league. Besides, no team has allowed more than 115 points per game since 1991.
Aaron Gordon is shooting 59.1% from beyond the arc
The fourth-year forward has made 13 of his 22 attempts, including going five-for-five during his 41-point outburst against Brooklyn. A career 30.3% shooter from deep, Gordon has clearly added the three-ball to his arsenal, but expect his percentages to dip into the high 30s as the season goes on.
The Timberwolves have the league's worst defensive rating
Nobody expects Tom Thibodeau's T'Wolves to play the type of defense his teams did during his tenure in Chicago, but they shouldn't be this bad. And they won't be. They're allowing 113.3 points per 100 possessions through seven games, nearly three points more than the 29th-place Mavericks.
The Magic, Grizzlies and Celtics have the NBA's top three records
All three teams are 5-2 — a .714 winning percentage, which translates to 58 ½ wins at the end of the season. Orlando and Memphis may exceed preseason expectations, and Boston may still finish as a top-four team in the East despite Gordon Hayward's season-ending injury, but flirting with 60 wins is out of the question.
Tim Hardaway Jr. has only scored 20-plus points in one game
The fifth-year swingman was brought into New York on a four-year, $71 million deal to be the Knicks' second option behind Kristaps Porzingis, but aside from his 34-point outing in Sunday's win over Cleveland, he has struggled mightily, averaging 10.4 points on 28.3% shooting. He thrived during his 30 games as a starter in Atlanta last season (17.5 points on 44.3% shooting), so it should be only a matter of time before he gets it going.
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