{"id":259443,"date":"2025-11-03T19:35:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T19:35:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/259443\/"},"modified":"2025-11-03T19:35:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T19:35:12","slug":"nba-trendspotting-the-ja-morant-question-full-tilt-giannis-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/259443\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Trendspotting: The Ja Morant Question, Full-Tilt Giannis, and More"},"content":{"rendered":"

NBA<\/a>NBA<\/a>Seven fascinating early-season story lines that will determine the shape of the campaign to come\"\"Getty Images\/Ringer illustration\"\"<\/a>By Kirk Goldsberry<\/a>Nov. 3, 7:30 pm UTC \u2022 7 min<\/p>\n

The new NBA season is less than two weeks old, but that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s too early to start flagging trends that could determine the fates of teams and players around the league. We spent the weekend diving into the numbers to highlight the seven most fascinating early-season story lines, from Ja Morant\u2019s malaise to Victor Wembanyama\u2019s ascent and much more. Let\u2019s jump right in.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ja Morant and the Grizzlies Approaching the Boiling Point<\/p>\n

The vibes in Memphis are Grizzly, folks. Both culturally and statistically, Morant\u2019s fit in Memphis is on shaky ground. His \u201cdetrimental conduct\u201d and subsequent one-game suspension has been covered<\/a> extensively<\/a> elsewhere, but Morant\u2019s awful statistical start also deserves some scrutiny. Consider these two troubling nuggets:<\/p>\n

Out of 49 players who have tried at least 50 jumpers this season, Morant ranks last in efficiency by a country mile. He\u2019s made only 14 of his 57 jumpers, which equates to just 0.58 points per shot\u2014by far the lowest mark in the NBA.\u00a0In Morant\u2019s 171 minutes on the floor, the Grizzlies have an offensive rating of 106.2, a figure that would rank 28th in the league. In the 165 minutes he\u2019s been off, that figure balloons to 113.7.<\/p>\n

Nobody can question Morant\u2019s talent, but it\u2019s year seven, he\u2019s 26 years old, and it is fair to question how a player making nearly $40 million per year is affecting both winning and morale. November 2025 is a critical month for Morant and Memphis.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Wemby\u2019s No-Fly Zone\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Spurs didn\u2019t just start 5-0 for the first time in franchise history, they also did it in true Popovichian fashion. Even after Sunday night’s blowout loss in Phoenix, the vibes in San Antonio remain strong and the wins are coming in ways that should make Tim Duncan proud. The Spurs rank second in the league in both defensive efficiency and rebounding percentage, and it\u2019s no secret why. Whenever Victor Wembanyama is on the floor, the team\u2019s defensive numbers become downright scary.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The French phenom has played 203 minutes this season, and in that time the Spurs have allowed a measly 97.9 points per 100 possessions. Let me try to explain how ridiculous that is. The 2014-15 Sixers\u2014yes, the Process-era Sixers\u2014are the most recent NBA offense to post a lower offensive rating than that. Here\u2019s another stat: When Wembanyama is on the court, Spurs opponents are managing only 29.5 points<\/a> in the paint per 100 possessions; for context, the Cavs rank last in the NBA by scoring 39.1 points in the paint per 100.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Wemby effect is simple: He makes your offense suck, especially around the basket. His defensive services are priceless; maybe he should consult the Louvre<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Getty ImagesGiannis Out-Shaqing Shaq<\/p>\n

Speaking of paint domination, Wemby isn\u2019t the only European big man dominating the interior. Giannis Antetokounmpo is putting up some unprecedented offensive numbers at the rack. To help us appreciate what Giannis is doing so far this season, let\u2019s refer to some Shaquillean historical context.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The NBA started tagging shot locations back in 1996. Since that time, no player has dominated the lane like Shaquille O\u2019Neal, who led the league in paint scoring for a staggering 11 consecutive seasons from 1996-97 to 2006-07. In that window, the Big Diesel won four championships, a regular-season MVP award, and three Finals MVP trophies. O\u2019Neal\u2019s paint production peaked in the 1999-00 campaign, when he averaged 22.5 paint points per game in over 40 minutes per game.<\/p>\n

Now, back to the closest Shaq facsimile in the modern era. Giannis is playing just 33 minutes per game, but in that time he\u2019s averaging 23.2 points per game in the paint alone. (His 34.2 total points per game lead the NBA.) The best shots in the game are still close to the rim, and Giannis is by far the best in the league at getting them\u2014just ask the Knicks.<\/p>\n

As he led his team to a 10-point win over New York last week, Antetokounmpo had 31 points in the paint and converted seven dunks in 33 minutes of action. The other 19 players who played in that same basketball game combined to log just one (1) dunk.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a power vacuum in the Eastern Conference this season, and if Giannis keeps this up, the Bucks, currently 4-2, have a chance to help fill it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Small Returns on Dallas\u2019s Big Ball<\/p>\n

The Mavs\u2019 big, fancy frontcourt rotation is getting pushed around. The ensemble cast of Anthony Davis, Cooper Flagg, Dereck Lively, P.J. Washington, and Daniel Gafford was supposed to be ferocious, but to this point they\u2019ve been toothless.<\/p>\n

On Saturday night in Mexico City, the Mavericks\u2019 interior issues were on full display. The Pistons dominated the paint, outscoring Dallas 72-26 in the lane. It\u2019s a familiar story\u2014on opening night, San Antonio torched the Mavs, 68-26, in this same category. Dallas\u2019s frontcourt is putting up norovirus numbers\u2014there are bad stats coming out on both ends.<\/p>\n

The Mavericks rank 30th in the NBA by allowing 58.0 paint points per game.The Mavericks rank 25th in the NBA by scoring only 43.7 paint points per game.\"\"<\/p>\n

That paint differential of -14.3 is the largest interior deficit in the league, and it\u2019s a stunning stat for a squad built around AD and a gigantic frontcourt. The infamous Luka Doncic\u2013Davis trade hangs over everything about this Mavs team, and fairly or not that means everything will be under a microscope. Between the team\u2019s 2-4 start, its bottom-feeding offense, and these alarming paint numbers, the petri dish in Dallas is looking dicey.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sure, the team is without Kyrie Irving, but the Mavs aren\u2019t the only team in Texas without its starting point guard. Both the Spurs and Rockets are also down at the same position, and both of them are still top-10 offenses this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Jeff Haynes\/NBAE via Getty ImagesStretch(ier) Vooch<\/p>\n

Somebody in Chicago must have discovered Microsoft Excel, because suddenly the Bulls\u2019 shot diet is arguably the smartest in the whole league. The Bulls have attempted just 28 two-point jumpers this season, the lowest figure in the NBA. Meanwhile, they rank second with 57.7 points in the paint per game. That smart constellation of shots\u2014especially inside the arc\u2014is powering the team\u2019s mighty scoring numbers and impressive early start.<\/p>\n

The Bulls\u2019 5-1 record is brought to you by the league\u2019s fifth-ranked offense, which is being powered in large part by the awakening of Nikola Vucevic. I\u2019ve been mapping this dude\u2019s shots for over a decade, and 10 years ago he was one of the most active and impressive midrange shooting specialists in the NBA. It was his signature skill. But Vooch epitomizes the new-look Bulls in that he\u2019s stopped taking midrangers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 2015-16, 30 percent of Vucevic\u2019s shots were long 2s. That season, a 25-year-old Vooch took 394 2-point jumpers and just seven 3-point jumpers. A decade later, at 35, he has yet to take a single long 2 this year. Now, if he takes a jumper it\u2019s a 3. And the new approach is working\u2014Vooch is putting up the most efficient scoring numbers of his career, on pace to log career highs in true shooting percentage and free throws made per game.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Scorching the Nets<\/p>\n

It\u2019s early, but I’m ready to pinpoint the best offense in the league. The answer might not be what you\u2019re expecting. No, it\u2019s not Durant\u2019s Rockets, who lead the league by racking up a ridiculous 126.5 points per 100 possessions. That\u2019s impressive, sure, but that figure can\u2019t hold a candle to the real offensive juggernaut barnstorming the league: whoever is playing the Nets.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nets opponents are simply unstoppable, scoring a whopping 129 points per 100 possessions. No offense in the history of the league has even flirted with that number over the course of a season\u2014and in fact, no defense<\/a> in the history of the league has even flirted with allowing it. But records are made to be broken, and Brooklyn\u2019s defense appears well-equipped to make history.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Getty ImagesPaolo and Franz on Notice<\/p>\n

The Magic<\/a> still can\u2019t shoot. I say still because this was their biggest red flag last season, when they finished as the league\u2019s 27th-best offense, scoring less efficiently than the 17-win Utah Jazz. Welp, Orlando\u2019s shooting numbers this year haven\u2019t exactly sparked optimism.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Magic currently rank last in the NBA in points per game on jumpers at 36.4. Why? In simple terms: They don\u2019t shoot, and when they do, they miss. They rank 28th in jumpers attempted per game and 28th in jump shot efficiency.<\/p>\n

Again, we knew this. They ranked<\/a> 22nd in attempts per game last year, and 30th in efficiency. It was a glaring weakness for a talented team with big dreams, and it was a major reason why they went out and traded for Desmond Bane last summer. Yet Bane is just one man and it\u2019s a lot to ask a player who made 3.2 jumpers per game last season to fix an entire team\u2019s shooting woes by himself.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The real underlying issue here is the team\u2019s young stars, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. If there\u2019s one stat that sums up the team\u2019s jump-shooting woes it is this<\/a>: Since the beginning of last season, a total of 73 NBA players have attempted at least 500 jump shots. Among that group, Banchero and Wagner rank 71st and 73rd, respectively, in points per shot. Yikes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Any team with one of these two volume shooters would be hard-pressed to arrive at healthy overall jump-shooting numbers, and Orlando has both. The hard truth is that Banchero and Wagner still have very high ceilings, but improving their jump shooting is vital.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Kirk Goldsberry<\/p>\n

<\/a>Kirk Goldsberry is the New York Times\u2013bestselling author of \u2018Sprawlball.\u2019 He previously served as the vice president of strategic research for the San Antonio Spurs and as the lead analyst of Team USA Basketball. He\u2019s also the executive director of the Business of Sports Institute at the University of Texas. He lives in Austin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NBANBASeven fascinating early-season story lines that will determine the shape of the campaign to comeGetty Images\/Ringer illustrationBy Kirk…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":259444,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[434],"tags":[49,48,459,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-259443","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-nba","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259443","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=259443"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259443\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/259444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=259443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=259443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=259443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}