The first few weeks of the 2016-17 NBA season have provided plenty of surprises although some of them will be extremely difficult to sustain. Whether it’s a team that has overachieved with a strong start out of the gate or a team that hasn’t come close to playing to expectations early on, it’s only a matter of time before things begin to turn around. Here is a look at the four surprising starts in the NBA that won’t last.
Los Angeles Clippers (11-2)
The Clippers have the talent to be one of the top teams in the NBA but even still their current pace will be impossible for them to keep up. Everything has gone LA’s way early on as Blake Griffin is playing the best basketball of his career, Chris Paul is thriving as one of the NBA’s elite point guards and the trio of J.J. Redick, Jamal Crawford and DeAndre Jordan have provided some strong secondary scoring support. The Clippers suffered their second loss of the season to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday and while their schedule is relatively mediocre over the next couple of weeks it will eventually get tougher. LA has exceeded all expectations early on so while they should still be a true contender in the Western Conference look for their win pace to slow down over the next few weeks.
Charlotte Hornets (8-3)
Charlotte owns the third-best record in the Eastern Conference right now at 8-3, but there is a good chance they slow down a bit after capitalizing on a relatively weak schedule through the first three weeks of the season. The Hornets have posted an 0-3 record against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors – the three teams that are viewed to be the best in the Eastern Conference by most experts. They have a tough stretch coming up with games against the Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs coming up. Kemba Walker is playing at an All-Star level right now and he has a strong supporting cast with Nicolas Batum, Frank Kaminsky, Marvin Williams and Cody Zeller all contributing. However, the schedule will get a lot tougher over the next couple of weeks and it’s only a matter of time before Charlotte regresses a little bit. Nobody actually believes that the hornets are a top-four team in the East.
Los Angeles Lakers (7-6)
D’Angelo Russell has wasted little time establishing himself as the franchise player in Los Angeles as he has averaged 16.8 points, 4.7 assists and 3.4 rebounds in 27.2 minutes per game this season. The Lakers have an excellent core with Russell, Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle and the veterans they have surrounded that trio with have performed at a high level with Lou Williams and Nick Young both providing some solid secondary support. LA does have some big wins over the Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors but it’s still very early in the season and it’s important to temper expectations with such a young team. Los Angeles will go through many highs and lows throughout the year but it’s unreasonable to expect this group to be a playoff team before next season. However, it is worth noting that if the playoffs started today, this team would be on the inside as they are currently the seventh seed in the Western Conference.
Washington Wizards (3-8)
And you thought Randy Wittman was the problem? Apparently not.
NBA fans in Washington have hit the panic button following a 3-8 start. While the Wizards are an absolute mess right now, they are due to improve just based on the fact that they have too much talent to be this bad. Scott Brooks is going to have to figure out how to slow down opposing teams as Washington is giving up 104.6 points per game this season while their offense hasn’t been nearly consistent enough as they have averaged 100.1 points per game. John Wall is an All-Star point guard but the Wizards need more from their surrounding cast including Bradley Beal, Otto Porter Jr. and Markieff Morris. Washington has the talent to be a playoff contender in the Eastern Conference but even if they don’t turn their season around enough to make the postseason they are bound to improve after their worst possible start to the year.
