What has the first month showed us?

After the first month of the NBA season we know a few things; the Golden State Warriors still look really, really good, and the Philadelphia 76ers are still really, really bad. Between those two teams they’re 18-18, those 18 wins coming from Golden State and the 18 loses obviously coming from the Sixers, but what else do we know? Here are some things you might have missed since opening night.

Andre Drummond is probably the best center in the NBA. The Detroit Pistons are getting better but still struggle at times; one thing that has remained constant during the first month for Stan Van Gundy is his 22-year old center and how dominating he has been. The third year man out of Connecticut is putting up some staggering numbers; he’s averaging 17 points and 17 rebounds so far, he’s had 4 games with 20+ rebounds, 11 out of the 17 games he’s had 15+ rebounds, and he’s already had three 20/20 games. If the Pistons are going to compete for a playoff spot in the East, Drummond has to keep showing why he’s the best center in the league.

Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns are fun to watch. The last two number one draft picks have been showing us why they were selected as franchise players for the Timberwolves who are 8-9 on this young NBA season. Wiggins is averaging 21 points a game and Towns is averaging nearly a double-double at 14 points and 9 rebounds. I don’t expect Wiggins and Towns to carry the Timberwolves to the promise land right away but it’s going to happen a lot sooner than people think. Having Kevin Garnett around for a bit doesn’t hurt their maturity.

Just 18 games into his NBA career, Kristaps Porzingis is a Hall of Famer. When the New York Knicks drafted Porzingis the boos rained down from the crowd because Knicks fans couldn’t believe their team wasted another draft pick on someone they had never heard of. Through 18 games the 7 foot 3 center is averaging 13 points and 9 rebounds, while the Knicks have an 8-10 record. Porzingis looks good don’t get me wrong, but a lot of player have looked good after their first 18 games, so let’s wait this one out, but I’m definitely going to enjoy how well he is playing for as long as it lasts.

Oh, and in case you missed it, Kobe Bryant announced that this season, his 20^th, would be his last. We’ll have more on this story tomorrow.