Five major surprises at the start of the NBA season: Reeves becomes a superstar in the league, Kuminga rewrites the script of Warriors career

1. Reeves transformed into a league superstar

Reeves has already proven that he has NBA ability, but his performance this season still exceeded expectations. In the first four games, he averaged 35.8 points per game.

Especially in the game against the Kings, he scored 51 points and was only 1 assist away from achieving a triple-double. He also became the first player in NBA history to score at least 50 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists in a single game with a true shooting rate of 80%. Then in the loss to the Trail Blazers, he scored 41 points.

After all, Reeves scored 92 points in about 30 hours. He will become a free agent this summer, and this performance is undoubtedly fighting for a maximum salary contract for himself. The data is enough to explain the problem, but what is more noteworthy is that in the game against the Trail Blazers, when both Doncic and James were absent and he became the focus of the defense, he still delivered such an answer.

Currently, Reeves has made 51 free throws, ranking first in the league. His breakthrough is more flexible than expected, and he is also good at hitting difficult shots. There are only two people in the league who can average at least 35 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists per game (the other is teammate Doncic who played 2 games), and Reeves's 57.3% field goal percentage, 42.9% three-point field goal percentage and 88.2% free throw percentage are hot by any standard, not to mention that he also maintains a very high volume of shots.

Although Reeves' ball usage rate will definitely decrease after James returns, judging from his current state, James may be the one who needs to adjust the lineup, whether in the short or long term. The Lakers may have ushered in a new "Gemini" combination. If he can maintain close to his current level, Reeves' first All-Star selection is not out of reach.

2. Kuminga rewrote the script of the Warriors' career

The relationship between Kuminga and the Warriors seemed to have changed from "arranged marriage" to "basketball soul mates" overnight. In the first 5 games, Kuminga averaged 16.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, shooting 53.7% from the field, 43.8% from three-point range, and 76.2% from free throws. The above six statistics all hit career highs.

Now, Kuminga has a clearer understanding of the Warriors’ tactical system of “moving around Curry” and his own position within it. Cole has repeatedly praised Kuminga's maturity, and the reason behind this is not difficult to understand: This summer, Kuminga's contract negotiations were full of tension. When the Warriors signed him, it was generally believed that it was because no other team was willing to provide considerable trading chips, and the team may still plan to send him away before the trade deadline. But now, he has performed like this with a strong sense of teamwork, which is really rare.

Compared with the past, Kuminga's ball usage rate has dropped significantly, but his contribution has been more. In the past, he often focused on inefficient mid-range singles, but now this type of shooting no longer exists. After missing a few shots in the season opener, his subsequent performance was almost impeccable, and he secured his starting position and even locked up a key rotation spot at the end of the game (at least for now).

This summer, the Warriors signed Kuminga to a two-year, $46.5 million contract (the second year is a team option). At that time, the outside world generally believed that this was a "trade-friendly" contract. But if Kuminga can continue to perform like this, unless there is a superstar-level trade with him as the core, the Warriors may no longer be able to afford to lose him.

3. The Bulls remain undefeated

This team, which was often ridiculed for "not knowing what the team's plan is", started the new season by defeating the Pistons, Magic and Hawks - these three teams are all considered to be playoff contenders on the edge of the East. The Bulls' current defensive efficiency value is 104.4, ranking second in the league, second only to the Thunder.

Such a defensive efficiency may be difficult to maintain for a long time, but the Bulls' current performance is indeed outstanding: the lineup is deep and there are many powerful players in the team, 6 of whom (Vucevic, Guidi, Dosunmu, Huerter, Buzelis, Trey Jones) averaged at least 13 points per game. They will try their best to interfere with every shot, and their rebounding rate is also among the top 7 in the league, further consolidating their defensive results.

However, the Bulls' next schedule will become difficult: in the next 10 games, they will face the Knicks twice, and will also face the 76ers, Bucks, Cavaliers, Spurs, Pistons and Nuggets. It is still unclear whether their hot start is a reflection of their true strength or another short-lived outburst of a "pseudo-strong team", but one thing is certain: this Bulls team will most likely cause trouble to many opponents this season.

4. Ajay Mitchell emerges

The Thunder already have a young championship lineup and 11 potential first-round picks in the next seven years. Just when people thought their talent reserves had reached their upper limit, Mitchell emerged and became one of the most eye-catching "dark horse" players at the beginning of the season.

Mitchell's outbreak was not without warning: he showed potential in sporadic garbage time last season, and became a star player in this summer league. However, the team has not given him stable playing time before, and he has not been included in the playoff rotation list. At the beginning of this season, Jaylen Williams, Isaiah Joe and Kenrich Williams were all absent due to injuries. Mitchell seized the opportunity and started from the bench in 5 games, scoring no less than 14 points in each game.

More importantly, his contribution is by no means "supplementary": he has become a reliable main attack point at critical stages of the game. With his top body balance, flexible rhythm, and delicate finishing touch in the crowd, he is almost difficult to defend at times.

Thunder core Alexander commented that Mitchell "knows how to play"-although this evaluation sounds very ordinary, it is extremely appropriate.. Look at his footwork, textbook-level "feint breakthrough", and clever feints; he has an extremely rich arsenal of mid-range emergency stop jumpers, which can be completed with both left and right hands, and the acceleration impact when breaking through is full.

The Thunder are already full of talent and rich in future assets. It is really amazing that they still have a powerful player like Mitchell. Every team in the league will be eager to get such a backup point guard: the Mavericks, Rockets, Timberwolves, or six or seven other teams may be willing to let him directly serve as the starting backcourt. This is no accident, Mitchell does have top quality. Even if the Thunder return all injured players, he will still be an important contributor to the team; as the trade deadline approaches, he may even become one of the league's hottest trade assets.

5. Season-opening 50+ scoring feast

The season has only started for one week, and the league has already produced 4 50+ scoring performances in a single game:

Aaron Gordon scored 50 points in the Nuggets' opening game against the Warriors, including Hit 10 three-pointers;

Alexander scored a career-high 55 points in a double overtime victory over the Pacers;

Austin Reeves scored 51 points against the Kings;

Markkanen scored 51 points against the Suns.

In NBA history, there have been four 50+ performances in October in a single month. The earliest date can be traced back to 1962, when Chamberlain scored 50+ points four times in a single month. In 2018, Griffin, Curry, Rose and Irving also each had a 50+ performance in October.

Frankly speaking, the record should have been broken: Doncic scored 48 points in the game against the Timberwolves and got a free throw opportunity, but he only made 1 free throw in the end and was subsequently substituted. The final score was fixed at 49 points, missing 50+. Of course, October is not over yet, and there may be another 50+ performance in the next two or three days.