NBA Weekly: Celtics get off to perfect start while LeBron and Bronny make history
Team of the Week
It might be a bit boring just to talk about the defending champions, but the Boston Celtics have made such an imperious start to the season that it is hard to ignore them.
Coming off the back of their first Championship in 16 years, Joe Mazulla's side have begun with four wins and zero losses, including victories over some of their closest contenders in the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers.
In typical Boston fashion, they are looking prolific offensively and from the three-point line. They are leading the offensive rating rankings (126.1), have drained the most three-points (86) and have the highest percentage from behind the arc (42.8%).
In their opening game, Boston knocked down an NBA record 29 three-pointers, and in their hunt to break the record, staggeringly missed their last 13 attempts.
The Celtics are looking formidable, and it is going to take some team to stop them.
Underachievers of the Week
It hasn't been the best start for the 2022 champions Denver Nuggets, who look a shadow of their former selves and are relying on the individual brilliance of Nikola Jokic, but times do look tough for the Milwaukee Bucks, even with star duo Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
After a troubling 2023/24 season, expectations were higher this year, with Giannis recovering from an injury that saw him miss the playoffs. But they have started with one win and three losses, including to the Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets.
Since Doc Rivers was appointed coach, the Bucks have won 18 of 39 games. The longer this goes on, the more pressure he will come under.
Player of the Week
LaMelo Ball, Trae Young and Nikola Jokic have all looked great, but Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis has been virtually unplayable so far this campaign. The Lakers have looked a far stronger side under rookie coach JJ Reddick compared to last season, and they have begun with three wins from four.
Davis is averaging a league-high 32.8 points as well as 12 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game and has been integral alongside the evergreen LeBron James in the Lakers' fine start.
Play of the Week
Luka Doncic has been in the highlight reels for some incredible passing, but Giannis' destructive poster dunk on Chicago Bulls centre Nikola Vucevic is just too good to ignore.
Story of the Week
LeBron James is into his 22nd year in the NBA and still continues to create history. On the opening night, he made a very unique type of history. With the Lakers leading the Timberwolves 51-35, LeBron entered the court alongside his son Bronny, who was drafted during the offseason.
In doing this, they became the first father-son duo in history to play a regular season game together. Bronny ended up on court for two minutes and 41 seconds on his debut.
"That moment - us checking in together - is something I'll never forget, no matter how old I get, how my memory may fade as I get older or whatever. I will never forget that moment," said LeBron.
"Everything was just great today, everything - from the moment I woke up. Obviously, this is the first time in this beautiful history of the NBA that a father and son have been on the same floor, let alone on the same team. It was pretty cool."
