NBA Week 6 Takeaways

How the association looks one quarter through the season

Lakers coming back to Earth

Since starting the season 3-0, with LeBron, AD, and Austin Reeves looking like an unstoppable unit, the Lakers have somewhat stagnated and now sit at 12-10 in 9th place in the Western Conference. Unfortunately for the Lakers—and the rest of the league—if they were in the East with this record, they would be in 6th. One of the biggest stories of this week was LeBron James missing 20 three-point shots in a row. This inconsistency from deep is a major contributor to the Lakers losing 6 of their last 8. However, the silver lining is that these losses were against tough opponents in OKC, Phoenix, and the Timberwolves.

The Lakers are still in a strong position, especially considering the state of their team heading into the season. Although, if this unemphatic style of play continues, the Lakers will soon be out of the playoff/in picture. With this in mind, they need to simplify their game plan and go back to what made them so successful in the early weeks: let AD dominate on the interior, get LeBron back to good shooting form, and trust in guys like Reeves and Knecht to fill in the blanks.

Mavericks Returning to Form

The Mavericks had a somewhat slow start to their season, beginning 7-7 and losing Doncic to injury. There was a lingering belief that maybe they were a one-season wonder. However, now as we surpass the first quarter of the season, the Mavericks are 16-8, 4th place in the West, and the duo of Kyrie and Luka is averaging 52/13/13. Winning 11 of their last 12 games and advancing to the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup, where they will play the Thunder, the Mavs will look to continue this solid run of form. While they won't necessarily surprise many fans if they go on to win the tournament, it is certainly a step in the right direction for a team still trying to discover who they are.

This team still needs a few more pieces to click into place before midseason and a final playoff push. Klay has been better this season, but he is still not producing at the level the Mavericks had hoped. Meanwhile, players like Dante Exum, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Daniel Gafford are still too inconsistent to produce at a true No. 3 level. While this third spot remains somewhat available, it is a chance for the Mavericks to experiment with different game plans and rotations to see if they can pick up on something they might have missed in training camp.

Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, and the Hawks Return to Relevance

There is only one team this season that has beaten both the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers (twice)—the two teams with the best record in the NBA; that team is the Atlanta Hawks. Interestingly, despite this, they sit in 7th place in the East with a 13-12 record. The Hawks are a team that plays up and down to their opponents. It's the reason they managed to beat the two best teams and then lose to the Bulls and the Trail Blazers.

Recently, however, the Hawks have looked extremely deadly, winning 6 of their last 7—including those two games against Cleveland. Trae Young is a fantastic scorer and facilitator, averaging 21/12. Meanwhile, the supporting cast, consisting of Zaccharie Risacher, Clint Capela, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and MIP candidate Dyson Daniels, has been spectacular over this 7-game stretch, and has the Hawks looking like sleeper contenders.

The issue with the Hawks is that they are a high-flying, volatile offense capable of producing excellent scoring numbers, but they also have the tendency to capitulate once suffering a deficit. This is a key difference between a team like the Hawks and a championship contender—a refusal to quit. Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs have done it plenty of times so far this season. If the Hawks can find that deeper passion and care for every minute, they could be a really exciting team to watch.

Quarter-Season Playoff Picture

One quarter through the season, this is shaping up to be one of the most memorable seasons in recent history. Superstars are exploding, developing, and proving themselves before our eyes. Even the NBA Cup—something that was partially dismissed last season—has a greater sense of urgency for players and teams. This is an extremely exciting start to the 2024-25 season, and the current playoff picture equally matches this excitement and intrigue.

The Rockets are by far the biggest story of the Western Conference, currently sitting in 3rd place, only 2 games removed from first. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies are another surprising success story as they narrowly maintain 2nd position. The Thunder look extremely tough and should be the favorites for the 1 seed. However, the Mavs may have something to say about this, and this NBA Cup quarterfinal should be a really exciting matchup.

Meanwhile, in the East, the Cavaliers hold a 2-game lead over the Celtics for first. This should be an incredible back-and-forth battle between two superpowers. Painfully, the Magic have just lost Franz Wagner to the same injury as Paolo Banchero—a torn oblique. However, all is not lost. The Magic completely stunned the league when they maintained relevance even without the 2022 first overall pick.

Now, the Magic are in 3rd place with a 3-game lead over 4th—the Knicks—and Banchero’s recovery is on, if not ahead of schedule. The Magic may struggle for the remaining few games before Banchero makes his return, but from there, things are only looking up. Banchero can control the team for the few weeks that Wagner is out. Then, once fully healthy, they can look to dominate. The key for the Magic in this quasi-purgatorial period: stay positive. They will certainly drop a few games they could have won while fully healthy, but if they can remain in solid playoff seeding, they'll be dangerous when their stars return.