The 2020-21 NBA season is a few weeks old now, and there’s already been no shortage of action. Between all that has happened between the lines, and all of the issues related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that the league has to deal with, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the season has gotten off to an interesting start. With that said, here’s a look at five facts from the first few weeks of the season that just might make you say “wow.”
1. Zion Williamson is putting up points at a historic pace
Zion Williamson played in his 32nd career NBA game earlier this week, and he crammed a whole lot of point production into those games. With an average of over 22 points per game, Williamson scored 711 total points in his first 32 games. That point total is the fifth-most by any player over the past 40 years, and it’s the highest total since Shaquille O’Neal in 1993. Not a bad start to a career for Williamson, who entered the league last season as one of the most highly-hyped rookies in recent memory. Williamson’s game is still expanding, too. So, his ability to produce points will likely only grow. That’s a scary thought for the rest of the league.
2. Bradley Beal scoring 40+ doesn’t seem to help the Wizards win
Wizards guard Bradley Beal has been on a scoring spree to start the 2020-21 NBA season. Beal scored a total of 315 points through Washington’s first nine games, which is the fourth most since the NBA and ABA merged in 1976. Only Michael Jordan (twice) and James Harden have previously scored more in that same span.
The problem for Beal is that his scoring isn’t necessarily leading to wins for the Wizards. In fact, Beal has now scored 40-plus points 12 times dating back to the start of last season, and the Wizards have only won one of those games. For a player, that has to be pretty frustrating.
3. Collin Sexton did something that even LeBron James never did with the Cavaliers
LeBron James is the best, and most decorated player, in Cavs history. But, to start the 2020-21 NBA season, Collin Sexton accomplished something that even LeBron never did in a Cavs uniform. Sexton scored 20-plus points each of Cleveland’s first eight games of the season. James never got past seven straight to start the season. Thanks, in part, to Sexton’s scoring, the Cavs (5-4, seventh in the East through nine games) are off to their best start to a season since LeBron left to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018.
4. Lack of on-court action for Markelle Fultz
Markelle Fultz’s professional career has gotten off to a rough start. After being selected first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2017 NBA Draft, Fultz dealt with a lingering shoulder injury throughout his tenure in Philadelphia, and he was ultimately traded to the Orlando Magic after playing a total of just 33 games in a Sixers uniform. Fultz found a fresh start in Orlando, but the injury bug followed him there, too. Fultz suffered a torn ACL earlier this week and is expected to miss the remainder of the season.
Assuming that his season is done, Fultz will have played 113 total NBA games through his first four seasons in the league. That’s the second-fewest ever by a number one overall pick in the modern draft era (since 1966). The only other top pick that played fewer games than Fultz in the same span was center Greg Oden, who the Portland Trail Blazers drafted first overall in the 2007 NBA Draft. Oden only played 105 games in his career. Obviously, the hope for Fultz is that he’s ultimately able to put the injury issues behind him and have a long and productive career, but he’s certainly gotten off to a rough start.
5. Dwight Howard passes Hakeem ‘The Dream’ in the record books
If you pass Hakeem Olajuwon in the NBA history books, you know you’re doing something right, as Olajuwon is undoubtedly one of the best centers to ever lace them up. That’s exactly what 76ers center Dwight Howard did on Saturday. Against the Denver Nuggets, Howard snagged the 13,749th rebound of his career. With the board, he passed Olajuwon to move into 13th place on the league’s all-time total rebounds list.
Over the course of his career, Howard has established himself as one of the best rebounders that the NBA has ever seen. He has led the league in rebounding five separate times, and he could quite possibly move into the top 10 in total boards before he decides to call it a career. Howard may not be the dominant offensive force that he once was, but he’s still an extremely productive player in his seventeenth season.
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