To all, a Merry Christmas and jolly end of the year as the NBA gave us some wonderful holiday games to help kick off the new NBA year! There are young and rising stars with all kinds of franchises that are universally renowned! The NBA gave us Christmas early this year as the 2020-21 season started much earlier than anticipated and with that, they so far have not disappointed. We have seen the duos and buckets and blowouts alike. A perfect start to an NBA season to help kick things off just right. With the NBA in full effect and the season finally here, let’s continue to enjoy all these great games and pray that 2021 will be a better year!
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 32 | 14 | 1 | 11/20 | 0/1 | 10/15 | 1 | 0 |
More minutes, no problem. Entering this season without a minutes restriction or the nagging injuries from college, Williamson has come back with a point to prove as he notches back-to-back double-doubles in the first two games of the season. Despite it being in a losing effort, Williamson’s Christmas Day debut just goes to show you that the lights are never too bright and that he is going to be a matchup nightmare on a night-to-night basis. Under new head coach Stan Van Gundy, who has properly coached the likes of elite big men like prime Dwight Howard, expect Williamson to be aggressive on the boards and be at least a 20-10 machine for the entirety of the season.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 28 | 2 | 3 | 7/17 | 4/8 | 10/11 | 0 | 0 |
Back at it like a bad habit, if you want something then you should go grab it because today baby, we are getting buckets! After being voted to the All-Star game and selected as the 2020 Most Improved Player, Ingram has come into this season looking to show that last season was not a fluke. As a 6-foot-7 guy who can put the ball on the floor, score from all three levels and facilitate for his team, expect another big year for Ingram in year two with the New Orleans Pelicans. NOLA has got them a real bucket getter down there in the Bayou.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 23 | 5 | 0 | 8/14 | 7/13 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 |
Can you say flamethrower?? Christmas came early for young sniper Duncan Robinson, whose version of a layup comes from anywhere beyond 25-feet away from the basket. His shooting prowess helped head coach Eric Spoelstra maintain a perfect Christmas Day Games record (8-0), but it also tied for the most threes on Christmas with seven on the night. It is safe to say that Robinson is one of the league’s most elite long-distance shooters in the league and Spoelstra will be winning a lot more than Christmas Day games with this guy around. Pencil Robinson in for at least three made threes a night. He will do you justice.
Goran Dragic
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 18 | 2 | 9 | 6/11 | 0/4 | 6/7 | 4 | 0 |
Rise of the Dragon! In absence of superstar guard Jimmy Butler, who the Heat lost in the first half due to ankle stiffness, someone was going to need to step up and be a ball-handling scorer for Miami. His name: Goran Dragic. Coming off the bench for the Heat, Dragic was firing on all cylinders and turning back the hands of time to a few months ago when he was arguably Miami’s best player during the Bubble Playoffs. We should call Dragic “Ol Reliable” because it seems that anytime you need a bucket or someone to step up to the plate, he is always there ready and waiting to take advantage of the opportunity.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 18 | 8 | 0 | 5/11 | 3/4 | 5/6 | 0 | 3 |
Did someone say Rookie of the Year!? It may be too early to tell right now, but James Wiseman sure is making an early case. With the Golden State Warriors looking like a shell of themselves without the presence of Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, this kid looks like the only true bright spot the Warriors have. If there was a debate entering the season on whether or not Wiseman would be a starter, that discussion needs to be thrown in the garbage, as he gets buckets, boards, can stretch the floor, and is a block machine. At 7-feet, Wiseman has all the tools and will probably look even better with a healthy Green playing alongside him.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 19 | 4 | 6 | 6/17 | 2/10 | 5/5 | 1 | 0 |
The heartbeat of the Golden State Warriors is starting to palpitate. Everybody and their momma know that if Steph Curry shoots 2 of 10 from three, the Warriors are probably going to lose. Simple as that. In a 138-99 rout by the Bucks, questions are beginning to rise about whether or not Curry is capable of steering this team to playoffs without his backcourt bro alongside him. Now that he is asked to carry so much more of an offensive load and cannot be hidden on defense the way he has been able to in years past, is this the year that the NBA exposes Curry? He is still one of the greatest three-point shooters of all time and can get hot from behind the arc so do not sleep on the stroke. But with more of an offensive responsibility and significant lack of spacing for a Warriors team that is used to having more shooters on the floor, Steph is going to have to pick up his play quickly if Golden State even wants to be in the mix for a Western Conference playoff spot
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 31 | 4 | 5 | 10/15 | 6/8 | 5/5 | 2 | 0 |
Just a 50-40-90 guy doing 50-40-90 guy things. Although Middleton may not be known as an elite scorer, he is due for a 30-piece every now and then throughout the course of a season. With the Milwaukee Bucks on the clock for a championship, Middleton will have to continue to be the second star that Milwaukee needs him to be. Two big-time performances to start the season is definitely a good start.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 15 | 14 | 4 | 4/14 | 0/3 | 7/15 | 0 | 0 |
Jitters at the free-throw line are going to have a big impact on this season for two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. As a double-double machine, we know he can rack up 15 and 14 in his sleep, but Antetokounmpo’s efficiency from the line is going to hurt his team down the line. He may not be feeling the effects of it now coming off a blowout victory, but he will when this team is facing nail biters like the opening game against the Boston Celtics, when one free throw made all the difference.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 29 | 4 | 3 | 9/16 | 3/4 | 8/9 | 2 | 0 |
Certified bucket getter. Set it in stone. Pencil Kevin Durant in for at least between 20-25 points a night. As a guy coming off of a devastating Achilles history, the kind of buckets he is getting makes it look like he is back like he never left. Efficient, efficient, efficient. Nothing is better than watching a guy get any shot he wants on the floor and do so within the flow of the offense. Masterful!
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 37 | 6 | 8 | 13/21 | 7/10 | 4/4 | 1 | 0 |
Momma there goes that man! Talk about vengeance being sweet. Could Kyrie even miss last night? It felt like nearly everything he put up was going to go in. While everyone is so worried about how Kyrie might affect this Brooklyn Nets team off the court, on the court he has done nothing less than put on a show for his team. With a start to the season like this, the 7/11 duo has put themselves on the map as potentially the best duo in the league and Irving is making a really good case for why he may be the best point guard in the NBA.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 20 | 8 | 2 | 9/22 | 2/6 | 0/0 | 1 | 1 |
Tough night at the office. When you have to guard KD and Kyrie on one side of the floor and then try to get 20+ on the other side, you know you have a tall task on your hands. Despite an inefficient shooting night, Tatum continues to show off his bag of tricks in his offensive arsenal. Celtics may be feeling the early effects of losing two all-stars in Gordon Hayward to free agency and Kemba Walker briefly to injury. With Walker back in the lineup, things will open up and the Celtics will look like the threat that everyone expects them to be in the Eastern Conference. But for now, let’s just let Jay-Tay cook.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 27 | 8 | 3 | 11/25 | 0/4 | 5/9 | 0 | 1 |
Partners in crime. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are obviously one of the league’s best young duos and nights like this are exactly why. When you have two ascending young stars who can nearly combine for 50 points and 20 rebounds, you know you have some special talent blossoming on your roster. Brown is the perfect wingman alongside Tatum and over the course of this season, this duos’ potential will slowly but surely be unlocked.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 27 | 4 | 7 | 9/19 | 2/5 | 7/8 | 0 | 1 |
Talk about carrying the team on your back. With no Porzingis to start the season, Doncic is being asked to make the recipe, cook the food, serve the food, and clean up the mess afterward. We all understand that he is the Mavericks’ best player, but it just feels like he is being asked to do too much. He is playing at a high level and will continue to all season because he is just that talented of an offensive player, but one can only wonder how long can Doncic carry this team on his back without another All-Star caliber player playing next to him on a nightly basis.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 22 | 7 | 10 | 8/18 | 3/8 | 3/4 | 1 | 0 |
King James back at it again! Nothing less than another big Christmas Day game from the reigning NBA Finals MVP. Big bounce back from opening night and just the kind of win the Lakers needed to get going.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 28 | 8 | 5 | 10/16 | 3/5 | 5/7 | 2 | 0 |
On a night where Los Angeles’s new signees Dennis Schroder and Montrezl Harrell combined 40 points, eight assists, and nine rebounds, the combination of AD and LeBron James still takes the take. Combining for 50 points, 15 rebounds, and 15 assists this unstoppable duo is picking up right where they left off last year.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 25 | 5 | 7 | 8/14 | 2/4 | 3/3 | 4 | 1 |
Prayers out to Kawhi Leonard who had eight stitches for his mouth after a rough collision with teammate Serge Ibaka, but that didn’t stop him from getting his revenge against the Denver Nuggets first. It is comeback season for the LA Clippers, and they are 2 for 2 on their hit list of Western Conference teams they need to take out this season. Big wins on Opening Day and Christmas Day to swing the momentum in favor of a Clippers team that once upon a time was considered the consensus favorite to win the championship. Kawhi Leonard gives you the full package as a superstar on both sides of the floor and he showed it by playing a complete game against Denver.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 24 | 4 | 9 | 8/14 | 5/9 | 2/2 | 1 | 0 |
PG out there looking like a point guard the way he was dropping dimes in this one. George may not be known as a passer, but it is nights like this that show you why he was once top-3 in the discussion for NBA MVP just two seasons ago. George did still have a “Pandemic P” moment as he got so assist heavy that he even wanted to get the referees involved, but that should not take away from the fact that he looks like he is coming into good form.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 23 | 5 | 3 | 9/20 | 4/11 | 1/2 | 1 | 0 |
Murray just does not look like the guy we saw in the Bubble. Maybe it came from the extended time off due to the season suspension or the intensity of the playoffs was just too big of a stage for him to pass up, but he just does not look like the same guy. It is too early to tell so nobody should be writing him off, but Murray looked like a superstar on the rise in the Bubble, but so far through two games, he looks like just another above-average point guard in a league full of extraordinary talent at the point guard position. He has time to prove that point wrong though.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 24 | 9 | 10 | 7/13 | 1/4 | 9/11 | 1 | 0 |
Flirting with a triple-double per usual. Jokic is arguably the best center in the NBA and is easily the best ball distributor at the position. But one thing we know is that Denver’s best friend is getting hot from three and when Joker and Murray shoot a combined 5 of 15 from beyond the arc, the joke is on you if you think the Nuggets are still winning that game. The Nuggets have started the season off rough, but they have seen a significant amount of role player production leave in free agency (Mason Plumlee, Jerami Grant, and Torrey Craig). With a guard-big tandem as talented as Jokic and Murray one can only expect that as the season continues along, this team is bound to catch fire soon.
