Today’s news will be all about the teams who have taken to shocking the folks around the league with their hot starts. This season features various upstart teams that have come out of nowhere to dine among the elites through the first several weeks.
Miami Heat
We start off with the Miami Heat, who knocked off the Pelicans Saturday night to get to 9-3 for the year. They have been doing this while not at full strength, losing Justise Winslow to two different injuries already on the season, and Jimmy Butler also missing the first few games for the birth of his newest kid.
They have the tallest starting power forward in the game in 7-0 Meyers Leonard, proving to be a perfect fit alongside Bam Adebayo. They have budding star Tyler Herro played with Goran Dragic, who is now looking like a Sixth Man of the Year candidate off that bench, and one of the league’s best coaches in Erik Spoelstra to make it all work. Let’s not forget Kendrick Nunn.
While Miami has all of this talent among its interesting group of guys, it should not be 9-3. The Heat are working harder than their opponents to get good looks and playing elite ball by committee.
Boston Celtics
We go to Boston and bring up the Celtics, maybe an even bigger surprise. Kyrie Irving and Al Horford, both All-Stars during their career, left, and the big acquisition was Kemba Walker, signing a big four-year deal to join the Celtics.
They had Gordon Hayward fully healthy and with a chance to contribute in a much bigger way than a year ago. Jaylen Brown signed a hefty four-year deal to stick around, while Jayson Tatum was ready to shine in year three.
It is all coming together for this team, also thanks to the new rim-protecting bigs and the “I can defend any player on the floor” Marcus Smart.
Brad Stevens is crushing it from the coach’s chair and looks to keep it going as Hayward will miss a lot more time with a broken hand.
Phoenix Suns
In the West, we have a team that really nobody saw coming in the Phoenix Suns. They lost their former No. 1 overall pick and starting center, DeAndre Ayton, after two games to a failed drug test. They brought in a new coach and several new starters. But it is all coming together.
Monty Williams is proving that he was the right hire for this struggling team and its disgruntled star (Devin Booker). Ricky Rubio is playing like a quality NBA starting point guard, and Aron Baynes is playing like an actual All-Star.
They have Kelly Oubre playing good ball and a new defensive identity that we never expected from a Booker-led team.
There have been rumors with little truth about a possible relocation for this franchise that has grown accustomed to losing. Booker has complained about being sick and tired of losing so much. But it is starting to work for the Valley Boys (as Oubre calls them), as they are 7-4 and a tough out every night.
