The Rockets have the No. 1 offense! US media reveals 6 surprises at the start of the season: Reeves transforms into a treasure hunt for the 76ers

The Rockets attack first! Two weeks after the start of the new NBA season, the American media "sbnation" revealed the six major surprises so far since the start of the season, including the transformation of Lakers Reeves and the 76ers' search for flowers and treasures.

Surprise 1: The 76ers found a treasure in the lottery

Before the start of the new season, the 76ers seemed hopeless due to the injuries of Embiid and George. However, the 76ers, who were in trouble, completed a counterattack with their excellent draft vision.

Not only has Maxey continued to transform and grow, Philadelphia has also successfully selected VJ Edgecombe, a new star with the lottery pick. Since the beginning of the season, he has averaged 19.5 points, 6 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game, and his three-point shooting rate is 43.2%, which is not like a rookie at all.

Coupled with the continued outburst of the Wizards Grimes, and last year's super rookie McCain returning from injury, the 76ers are currently faced with the dilemma of continuing to believe in Embiid + George, or handing the ball to young players such as Maxey and Edgcomb.

Surprise 2: The Rockets have the best offense in the league

In the absence of Van Jordan, the Rockets after acquiring Durant still performed a terrifying offensive performance, scoring an exaggerated 126.5 points per 100 rounds. If the Rockets maintain this state, they will surpass the Celtics' 122.2 points in 2024 and set a new NBA historical record.

The reason why the Rockets were able to perform such an amazing performance is, on the one hand, the addition of Durant, a super scorer, and on the other hand, the Rockets have maximized their advantage in offensive rebounds.

Since the beginning of the season, the Rockets have surrendered 42.1% of their offensive rebounding rate, while the highest offensive rebounding rate in the NBA in the past 10 years was only 35%. This shows that the Rockets have a terrifying advantage in offensive rebounding since the beginning of the season.

Surprise 3: Gidi's All-Star performance

The Bulls have been the most surprising team in the Eastern Conference since the beginning of the season. They once won 5 consecutive victories at the beginning of the season. After unfortunately losing to the Knicks, they achieved a 24-point comeback in the battle with the 76ers for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Gidi is one of the biggest contributors to the Bulls' ability to deliver such a performance. Under his coordination, the Bulls played a smooth team offense and fully demonstrated the excellent depth of the lineup.

As far as Gidi's personal changes are concerned, compared to last season, his mistakes on the offensive end have been significantly reduced, while his offensive aggressiveness has increased. Coupled with improved three-point shooting, Gidi has great momentum for further transformation.

Surprise 4: The Bucks are still competitive

After buying out Lillard in the offseason, the Bucks did not successfully introduce another second-in-command for Antetokounmpo. Instead, they signed several role players at a "cabbage price" in an attempt to solve the problem by increasing the depth of the lineup.

As a result, this unfavorable strategy actually performed well at the beginning of the season. Not only did the isolated Antetokounmpo's offensive and defensive output further improve, he had the style of destroying James after Irving left the team in 2018. At the same time, many role players around him successively acted as surprise troops to share the pressure.

But from the perspective of long-term championship competition, the Bucks led by Antetokounmpo's single-core team have obvious shortcomings. However, considering the injuries of Tatum, Haliburton and other players in the East, this Bucks team is still expected to become a qualified contender in the East.

Surprise 5: The Spurs return to the ranks of contenders

In the absence of Fox, the Spurs still performed surprisingly well under the leadership of Bunyama, who further transformed and continuously delivered MVP-level data.

Even in the game against the Suns, Wenban had his worst performance so far in the season, but this was closely related to the lack of a stable three-pointer around him and the Spurs' serious injuries.

I believe that with the return of core players such as Fox, Harper, and Cornette, this Spurs team built around Wenban is ready to disrupt the Western Conference.

Surprise 6: Reeves has become the top scorer

So far since the beginning of the season, Reeves has averaged 32.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 10.2 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. His true shooting rate is as high as 65.4%. Both productivity and efficiency are enough to be compared with MVP Alexander.

What is even more commendable is that when Doncic and James are not on the court, Reeves can lead the team to score 120 points in three games, including back-to-back 92 points, and a career-high 51 points in a single game.

After Doncic returned, Reeves seamlessly switched from red flower to green leaf mode, playing more of an off-ball endpoint and organizer role next to Doncic. Reeves's transformation and flexible role make him worthy of a big contract.