A quick look at the top five teams after two periods of games -- moving forward I'll be abbreviating them as "WK#" for a period. Also, this is a work in progress but ODE ratings sheet is here: "ODE Ratings 2019"
What is ODE? It's a contrived ratings thing that I made up so we can talk about category sets, and to make articling more fun. We got real analytics departments here don't we? At least a few RDA interns?
LAL (14-4)
Well we already said LAL was headed to the inaugural RDA Finals, so they might as well set the pace early on. LAL made short work of SAC in WK1 and then rode roughshod over PHX last week. That’s two 7-2 wins for our commissioner. Our new ODE ratings reveal that LAL is using a fourth rated defense to take down their opponents, stifling foes with the top ranked STL and third best BLK numbers. Jonathan Isaac, Bam Adebayo, Robert Williams, and Moe Harkless are crushing people!
The LAL offense is a different matter. Despite a top ranking in AST, LAL has been pretty inefficient with poor percentages across the board. It’s possible this top spot in the standings is just a mirage for Son, but it’s more likely my numbers are trash and he's here to take all our money. Which he already has anyway...💸
WAS (13-5)
Our second place team is also into ball movement, as they are tied with LAL for number one in AST. However, WAS has top ten PTS and 3PT to pair with those assists as well, bringing their offensive rating up to an admirable third overall. Add in a top ten defensive rating and Jay won't have to worry much about the middling percentages that have so far plagued his team.
WAS took down preseason favorite MIA in a close first matchup, and then blew the doors off ATL last period, 8-1, vaulting them up in the standings. With rookie Ja Morant starting off quite nicely in his R.O.Y. campaign, WAS has been riding Morant, CJ McCollum, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Julius Randle to the top!
MIN (13-5)
It looks like taking down PHX is a great way to sit atop the standings. MIN beat PHX 7-2 in the opening week and then defeated OKC last period to move into a tie for second place. Jesse’s team has the fourth ranked offense and most impressively, MIN is pouring on all that offense with a second-best efficiency rating. MIN is excellent from the free throw line and also quite decent at not turning the ball over. MIN is also ranked second in BLK, adding a bit of defensive pizzazz to those offensive highlight reels.
Any guesses on what’s powering MIN's early success? It’s Kendrick Nunn! Okay, just kidding, it’s Anthony Davis…and then Nunn. It looks like Jesse has managed to assemble the new big three of Davis, Nunn, and Bradley Beal. Throw in Isaiah Thomas possibly coming back to be King of the First, and MIN is a very dangerous team moving forward.
NYK (13-5)
Just like in real life, NYK took advantage of a matchup versus CLE to put up big numbers and took pole position after our first week of games. That 8-1 win gave them a leg up but we’re not sure how strong NYK actually is, as they barely eked out a win versus the Steph and KAT-less BKN team last week. Next week will tell us if we're dealing with a fugazi.
Brian’s team does boast the best efficiency rating, with sterling FG% and FT% so far. Add in their excellent REB work and we’ve got a middle of the pack offensive team and an almost top ten defense working together in concert. The even better news for NYK is that half their team has started the season off pretty cold, so there’s plenty of upside to explore. Let’s see if NYK can prove they're the class of the Atlantic!
POR (12-6)
We have three teams clumped together with identical 12-6 records but we’ll go with the one Fantrax has highest. (What is that based on btw?) Sorry PHI and LAC, your time in the top five will come. POR racked up a clean 8-1 beatdown of DEN in week one and then fell to UTA 4-5 last period. So which team are they really? Well, let’s look at the numbers.
POR currently sports a top two defense, a seventh rated offense, and the sixth highest efficiency rating. So far they are top five ranked in PTS, 3PT, REB, STL, and BLK, and also top ten in FG% and AST to boot. That sounds better than any of the teams above them doesn’t it? POR's only true weakness has been TOs, which is not really a weakness at all. Going purely by the contrived ODE formula, POR is the best team in the league right now. I guess when you have Luka Doncic and Dwight Howard, you should set your sights on instant contention. HalleHoward!
What is ODE? It's a contrived ratings thing that I made up so we can talk about category sets, and to make articling more fun. We got real analytics departments here don't we? At least a few RDA interns?
- Offense (O): PTS, AST, 3PT
- Defense (D): REB, STL, BLK
- Efficiency (E): FG%, FT%, TO
LAL (14-4)
Well we already said LAL was headed to the inaugural RDA Finals, so they might as well set the pace early on. LAL made short work of SAC in WK1 and then rode roughshod over PHX last week. That’s two 7-2 wins for our commissioner. Our new ODE ratings reveal that LAL is using a fourth rated defense to take down their opponents, stifling foes with the top ranked STL and third best BLK numbers. Jonathan Isaac, Bam Adebayo, Robert Williams, and Moe Harkless are crushing people!
The LAL offense is a different matter. Despite a top ranking in AST, LAL has been pretty inefficient with poor percentages across the board. It’s possible this top spot in the standings is just a mirage for Son, but it’s more likely my numbers are trash and he's here to take all our money. Which he already has anyway...💸
WAS (13-5)
Our second place team is also into ball movement, as they are tied with LAL for number one in AST. However, WAS has top ten PTS and 3PT to pair with those assists as well, bringing their offensive rating up to an admirable third overall. Add in a top ten defensive rating and Jay won't have to worry much about the middling percentages that have so far plagued his team.
WAS took down preseason favorite MIA in a close first matchup, and then blew the doors off ATL last period, 8-1, vaulting them up in the standings. With rookie Ja Morant starting off quite nicely in his R.O.Y. campaign, WAS has been riding Morant, CJ McCollum, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Julius Randle to the top!
It looks like taking down PHX is a great way to sit atop the standings. MIN beat PHX 7-2 in the opening week and then defeated OKC last period to move into a tie for second place. Jesse’s team has the fourth ranked offense and most impressively, MIN is pouring on all that offense with a second-best efficiency rating. MIN is excellent from the free throw line and also quite decent at not turning the ball over. MIN is also ranked second in BLK, adding a bit of defensive pizzazz to those offensive highlight reels.
Any guesses on what’s powering MIN's early success? It’s Kendrick Nunn! Okay, just kidding, it’s Anthony Davis…and then Nunn. It looks like Jesse has managed to assemble the new big three of Davis, Nunn, and Bradley Beal. Throw in Isaiah Thomas possibly coming back to be King of the First, and MIN is a very dangerous team moving forward.
NYK (13-5)
Just like in real life, NYK took advantage of a matchup versus CLE to put up big numbers and took pole position after our first week of games. That 8-1 win gave them a leg up but we’re not sure how strong NYK actually is, as they barely eked out a win versus the Steph and KAT-less BKN team last week. Next week will tell us if we're dealing with a fugazi.
Brian’s team does boast the best efficiency rating, with sterling FG% and FT% so far. Add in their excellent REB work and we’ve got a middle of the pack offensive team and an almost top ten defense working together in concert. The even better news for NYK is that half their team has started the season off pretty cold, so there’s plenty of upside to explore. Let’s see if NYK can prove they're the class of the Atlantic!
POR (12-6)
We have three teams clumped together with identical 12-6 records but we’ll go with the one Fantrax has highest. (What is that based on btw?) Sorry PHI and LAC, your time in the top five will come. POR racked up a clean 8-1 beatdown of DEN in week one and then fell to UTA 4-5 last period. So which team are they really? Well, let’s look at the numbers.
POR currently sports a top two defense, a seventh rated offense, and the sixth highest efficiency rating. So far they are top five ranked in PTS, 3PT, REB, STL, and BLK, and also top ten in FG% and AST to boot. That sounds better than any of the teams above them doesn’t it? POR's only true weakness has been TOs, which is not really a weakness at all. Going purely by the contrived ODE formula, POR is the best team in the league right now. I guess when you have Luka Doncic and Dwight Howard, you should set your sights on instant contention. HalleHoward!