We are just over a quarter of the way into the new season and despite this being a small sample size we are seeing many statistical anomalies, which raises the question; Can they do this all season?'
I will be giving my verdict whether these stats are 'Trends' or 'Dead Ends'
1. James Harden will average over 40ppg
James Harden is a legendary scorer who is still underrated by a lot of NBA fans, he is currently averaging a mind-blowing 39.3ppg; something that belongs in the Wilt Chamberlain record book. He seems to score 50 every other night and it is a real possibility he can average over 40ppg. My guy feeling says he doesn't, I'm can see his shooting picking up but as Houston gel more I think the rest of the roster will pick up their scoring.
For the record, I would love for Harden to average over 40ppg
Verdict: Dead End
2. Lebron James will finally lead the league in assists
LeBron is averaging a career high 10.7apg (leads the league) and I'm confident he can keep this up. He's currently 1.3apg ahead of Ricky Rubio in 2nd which is quite a big gap. Surprisingly Lebron has never averaged double figure assist numbers but with his scoring slightly down it balances out.
Verdict: Trend
3. A team will win 70 games this season
The Lakers and Bucks sit at 24-3 currently which puts them on pace to win 73 games this season. The Lakers seems to be clicking perfectly with long win streaks after each of their 3 losses . The Bucks are on an 18 game win streak which is insane. I find it to hard to say any team will win 70 games though, I just cant see it happening.
Verdict: Dead End
4. At least 1 team from each conference will win 60 games
For the first time since 2010-21, we could see a team from the East and West both winning 60+ games (Chicago 62 / Spurs 61)
This season the Lakers and Bucks are on course to cruise to this, I'm confident they will both achieve this with relative ease.
Verdict: Trend
5. Golden State Warriors will go from the best record in the West to the worst in 1 season.
We all knew the Warriors would be worse this season due to KD departure and Klay's injury, but with Steph Curry breaking his hand, it capped it all off. For a team that looked unbeatable, they now have the worst record in the whole NBA.
I think Steph Curry will come back this season but the Warriors could be too far gone by then, They are 5 games behind 13th place Memphis and if the Pelicans (14th) pick up some wins the Warriors could be left behind.
Verdict; Trend
6. James Harden will break the all time single season record for 3 pointers made
James Harden is on track to just about beat Steph Curry's record of 402 made 3's in 1 season, as this doesn't account for any injuries/load management I think Harden will fall slightly short of this record
Verdict: Dead End