Basketball Intelligence for 10/24/24
Opening night takeaways and reactions galore!
LEAGUE STORIES
Measured reactions to opening night(s)
Mike Shearer, Locked On NBA
It’s only been one game, of course, and several newbies will make their debuts tonight (Stephon Castle and Alex Sarr, in particular). Rookie struggles are normal and expected. This is not meant to bury the 2024 class, call anyone a dud, or anything like that. But strong starts are preferable to slow ones, and unfortunately, most rookies stalled out — with two notable exceptions.
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Dan Devine, Yahoo Sports
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Jeremy Woo, ESPN
NBA way-too-early takeaways from opening games, including a concerning start for Knicks
Morten Stig Jensen, Yahoo Sports
TEAM STORIES
ATL: Young, Okongwu lift Hawks to victory in feisty opening night affair with Brooklyn
Graham Chapple, Peachtree Hoops
“Dyson is a hell of a player,” said Young. “I’m probably going to be over-complimenting him all year! Just playing alongside him so far has been fun. He’s going to make my job a lot easier, on both ends. Not just defensively, offensively he cuts, he’s smart, I can get him the ball and if there’s not something there he’s coming right back to another action. He’s a smart player, a young player that’s still trying to establish himself but I feel like here in Atlanta he’s going to do that and put himself on the map even more.”
BKN: Nets player grades: Cam Thomas drops 36 points in 120-116 Hawks loss
Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire