The NBA’s first quarter is essentially over, with every team playing at least 21 games. Shockingly, or perhaps not, it doesn’t feel like a slog of a 2021-22 campaign yet.
But even with so much to learn, there’s still plenty we’ve discovered thus far.
All-Newcomer Team
With apologies to Spencer Dinwiddie in the District and Alex Caruso in Chicago — no arguments to their positive contributions at all and they can be interchanged — there are some great newcomers who’ve shifted the landscape of the league in an understated way.
DeRozan keeps sneezing at the 3-point revolution and the changing rules, repeatedly getting to his spots as a mid-range master (55% shooting between 10-16 feet, per basketball-reference.