The 2019-20 NBA season is one week old, and that means we have all of the information we need to make ridiculous assertions that will surely be proven correct over a larger sample size.
It's that time of year once again when hoops fans are so starved for action that any set of possessions is enough to determine the permanent state of a player or team. Sure, everyone could just chill out for a second and understand this is an 82-game marathon rather than a sprint, but wildly speculating is much more fun.
So put on your "First Take" hats, baby. These major NBA overreactions are ready to fly...
NBA PREDICTIONS 2019-20: SN's Finals picks | Award winners
Forget about the Warriors. They're done.
Golden State forward Draymond Green put it in the most basic terms after a 120-92 loss to the Thunder. The Warriors suck.
"I would like to see us play harder. But the reality is, we f—ing suck right now," Green said. "[It] sucks. But I guess just about everybody except Tim Duncan has been through it. But it sucks pretty bad. I didn't have this feeling that it would be like this. I kinda figured like, it won't be the same, but I didn't think we'd be getting our ass kicked like this. It's pretty bad."
The Warriors got drilled by a combined 47 points in their first two losses of the season before getting on the board with a 134-123 win over the Pelicans. They hold the worst defensive rating in the league (120.0) by nearly four points through Tuesday's games. The leading scorers behind Stephen Curry, D'Angelo Russell and Draymond Green are names most Warriors fans wouldn't recognize.
There is some reason for optimism, though. Willie Cauley-Stein and Alec Burks will return soon from injuries, and simply having competent players in the rotation should help. Chemistry issues could be smoothed out over time as well.
However, because Golden State is hard capped, the front office doesn't have much wiggle room to improve the roster during the season. If Curry, Russell or Green miss significant time, the Warriors' playoff hopes could disappear.
Bow down to Trae Young, the best point guard in the NBA.
Prior to a minor ankle injury against the Heat, Young was setting the world on fire.
The Hawks star averaged 34.0 points, 9.0 assists and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 52.0 percent from 3-point range in his first three games. He has scored his points all over the floor, from pull-up 3-point bombs (6-of-12) to driving floaters (8-of-14). Those Curry comparisons don't seem that silly now.
It should be noted that Young is coughing up the ball at a high rate (at least five turnovers in his three full games), and his defense is, uh, developing. The NBA is packed with talented point guards, so don't crown him just yet.
By acquiring Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder won the Paul George trade.
It's impossible to know what kind of players the Thunder will land with all the draft picks they acquired in the George deal, but it looks like they've already found their point guard of the future in Gilgeous-Alexander.
The man known as "SGA" is posting stellar numbers in a starting role: 23.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 blocks per game. He has a terrific feel for the game despite being only 21 years old and never seems to play outside of his comfort zone.
And what has George done for the Clippers? Nothing! Well, he is recovering from offseason shoulder surgeries, but no one said this was rational. Fine, he will probably be really good when he returns.
Still, Oklahoma City landed a potential cornerstone with Gilgeous-Alexander. There might be more trades down the road, but he should stay in place.
Devonte' Graham is the 3-point king of the world.
A nice thing for the Hornets!
Graham has been a solid bench piece for Charlotte through four games due in part to his outside shooting. The former Kansas guard is 15-of-28 (53.6 percent) from beyond the arc with all of his makes coming from above the break.
Considering he only hit on 28.1 percent of his 3-pointers last year, it's not crazy to believe Graham won't become the greatest shooter in NBA history. But hey, if Charlotte is going to be a lottery team, why not be a top-10 team in deep attempts?
Let. Graham. Cook.
The Kings are a mess once again.
Sacramento finds itself near the bottom of the league in terms of offensive and defensive efficiency. Luke Walton's group is dead last in net rating by far through Tuesday's games. The Kings are 0-4 and haven't lost a game by less than seven points.
To make matters worse, Marvin Bagley III will be out multiple weeks with a broken thumb, and Harry Giles is dealing with a knee issue. The Kings don't have terrific frontcourt depth, and the starting backcourt of De'Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield hasn't produced.
Hmmm... It's possible the Kings are a mess once again?
