The Most Exciting And Disappointing Players In The NBA 2021/2022 Tip Off Week
The NBA season is underway, with a milestone anniversary season for the league. This season is officially the NBA's 75th season — a huge achievement for a league that is thriving more than ever with generational superstars and future Hall-of-Famers.
This week, the NBA announced its top 75 players in history. With basketball season underway, we're taking a look at who was disappointing and who was exciting for this tip off week.
This list of players is a quick preview of the stars who will be playing in their respective opening games. These players are not named Kawhi Leonard and Jamal Murray, who are not playing until later in the season.
As always, the name selection for this list was a collaborative effort between our 10 member analysts pool. We had some lengthy discussions followed by voting to bring you this top 5 exciting and disappointing players out there.
Most Exciting Players In Tip Off Week
Jaylen Brown
Anthony Edwards
Lamelo Ball
Zach Lavine
Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Jaylen Brown
For someone who just recently emerged from a 19-day quarantine, Jaylen Brown looked good at the Celtics' season opener yesterday. And that's saying something considering Coach Ime Udoka and Brown himself couldn't have predicted he would do so well.
Jaylen Brown put together a ridiculous performance on Wednesday: he scored 46 points on 16-of-30 shooting (8-of-14 from 3), grabbed nine rebounds, dished out six assists, nabbed three steals, blocked one shot and turned the ball over four times.
Anthony Edwards
Anthony Edwards had a good night against the Rockets. He had six rebounds, three assists, and one steal while also making 10 of 21 shots and scoring 29 points.
Despite the score, this game was very one-sided. The Timberwolves had an explosive second quarter, widening their lead to 72-45 by halftime.
Edwards is full of confidence and possibilities for this season. Last night, he not only shot threes to swing the momentum, but also scored 21 points and hit four triples. If he can continue with that kind of performance, Edwards will have a breakout season in his second year with the team.
Lamelo Ball
LaMelo Ball gave the Hornets a big win on Wednesday night, scoring 31 points and nine rebounds. The Pacers had a 23-point lead, but the Hornets rallied to win 123-122.
The Hornets trailed by 14 points and then Ball hit a couple of clutch shots and Washington made some free throws, and the Hornets were able to seal the deal. Ball came into fantasy drafts with a lot of hype and he lived up to it.
Zach Lavine
The Bulls won the season opener against the Pistons. Zach LaVine had a great performance, going 11-for-17 from the field and 11-for-11 from the free throw line while adding seven rebounds, four assists, one block, and one triple.
The Bulls are deeper than they were last year, but Nikola Vucevic and LaVine seem to be the only two to get the ball down low tonight. "We are an explosive offensive team that will be even scarier on defense," LaVine said. "We have a bunch of guys who are playing for each other, trying to figure each other out, and are extremely unselfish". LaVine is coming off his most efficient season by far and we would bet that he does it again.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Nickeil Alexander-Walker had a stellar performance against the Sixers, as the guard went 9-of-16 from the field and four 3-pointers on the night.
NAW's hot start has to make his fantasy managers happy. If you drafted him and he's on your roster, it looks like you made a good decision.
Most Disappointing Players In Tip Off Week
Russell Westbrook
Jalen Suggs
Tyrese Haliburton
Kristaps Porzingis
Kevin Porter Jr.
Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook had a rough Tuesday night, shooting only 4-of-13 from the field and missing all four of his three-point attempts in 35 minutes.
Although LeBron James and Anthony Davis seem like they're ready to ball, it's unclear how Westbrook is feeling about his season. The fact that LeBron and Westbrook both need the ball in their hands is a problem for Westbrook and if they continue to play like this, one of the two may be benched and we all know LeBron James won't be the one definitely.
Jalen Suggs
Jalen Suggs had a rough Wednesday night. He shot 3-of-14, grabbed one rebound, and was unable to grab any other stats in 30 minutes of play.
Although Gary Harris might be a threat to Suggs's playing time, but Suggs will still be a important asset to rebuilding Magics. Keep in mind that he's coming off a rough preseason and could be a while before he is reliable for your fantasy team.
Tyrese Haliburton
Tyrese Haliburton had a forgettable game Wednesday night, hitting just one of five shots for two points. He also had two rebounds, four assists, and one steal in 29 minutes of game time.
Haliburton played his worst game of the season tonight, but I wouldn't panic. His huge turnover in the last minutes of the game let the Blazers stay in it. This is a good time to buy low on him. I think he'll do better next time.
Kristaps Porzingis
Kristaps Porzingis finished Thursday night's game against the Hawks with 11 points, four turnovers, and 29 minutes on the floor.
One of the most difficult challenges for KP in tonight's game against Atlanta was battling with the opposing big players. He only had five rebounds and shot 4-13 from the field. He also got to the line twice and had one of the worst plus/minus ratings of the night.
Kevin Porter Jr.
Kevin Porter Jr. attempted 12 shots on Wednesday night, converting only 2 of them into three-pointers. He grabbed 3 rebounds and had 3 assists, but also had 9 turnovers in the process. Obviously, this was not enough to beat the Timberwolves.
KPJ may want to forget this game more quickly than the nine turnovers he had, which is saying something. These 9 turnovers were not only uncommon but also terribad, with three assists and essentially no defensive stats.