🏀 The New Best Player of All Time

Welcome back, Chirp Fam! Hope you enjoyed issues 1 and 2 of the newsletter so far! Trying to condense it even more from now on so bear with me! If you’re new here and reading on the web, be sure to sign up and never miss the best unfiltered daily sports report on the fucking planet.

Today we’re going to break down what’s been goin on in the NBA world 12 games into the season.

Going into the season it came as no surprise to basketball fans that Victor Wembanyama was poised for a massive breakout this year.

10 games into the season, the San Antonio Spurs are 2nd in the Western Conference at 8-2. At the same point last season they were sitting at 4-6.

If you dive into Wemby’s stats so far this year he’s slightly improved across most major categories. The biggest difference maker this year so far is just how much of a killer the French Freak is now. He truly looks like a leader out there.

He already has 7 double doubles on the season and is leading the league in blocks per game. The only improvement we could possibly ask for from Wemby right now is his ability to get offensive rebounds.

Wemby’s MVP odds have already improved from +1500 in the preseason to +600 today. This Spurs team is playing amazing basketball. They’re one of the best defensive teams in the league, laying the fucking pipe on opponents every night with their top 5 defense.

They also are top 5 in offensive efficiency and team shooting percentage. They just got point guard De’Aaron Fox back and they’re 2-0 so far with him back in the lineup. The biggest breakthrough so far for them has been the elevation of 2nd year guard Stephon Castle.

Castle is up 4 PPG from his rookie season, shooting 6% better from the field, and is also up 3.6 assists per game. He’s doubled his steals per game as well. Even with Fox back in the lineup, his game as actually improved. Three straight double doubles averaging 16.3 PPG and 12.3 APG in his last 3.

Rookie guard Dylan Harper was balling out before his injury at the beginning of the month as well. Putting up a nice ass 14-4-4 line off the fucking bench, as if this team needed more young talent to add to their core.

The biggest weakness for the Spurs right now is 3 point shooting. This team is close to the middle of the pack/bottom of the league in most categories and they could make a big move to acquire a sharpshooter to really lock in their offensive firepower, but with the Hawks 1st round pick in the draft next year they may just wait it out.

I really wouldn’t want to fuck with the Spurs right now in the West. Wemby is full zen mode right now after spending the offseason with the Buddhist monks and this could be the new offseason norm for players looking to make an MVP race after seeing what he’s become.

There’s probably no other player in the NBA who through 4 seasons had fans chomping at the fucking bits to figure out what his potential is more than Cade Cunningham.

The 2021 number one draft pick played through his first 3 seasons battling injuries and finally showed a glimpse of the future star he could be last season. Now, this year… oh boy he has arrived.

He’s putting up 27.5 PPG and 9.9 APG so far this season for a Pistons team that is currently 9-2. Through 11 games last season the Pistons were 4-7. They didn’t win their ninth game until November 29th last season.

This Detroit team plays absolute bully ball. They’re 2nd in the league in paint points per game and run at a blistering pace too, 4th in fastbreak points per game. They’re pretty dogshit at shooting the 3 ball ranking near the bottom of the league.

Their defense is top 5 right now though, 2nd only behind OKC in opponent shooting percentage. A big part of that is center Jalen Duren who is tied 3rd in the league in Defensive Win Shares.

The 4th year player has a legit shot at Most Improved Player of the Year this year. His odds currently sit at +600 only behind Josh Giddey. He’s improved on both sides of the ball scoring a career high 19.4 PPG up from 11.8 PPG last season.

He’s also shooting a career best 81% from the FT line which is massive when you can have a big fucker out there on the court who can knock em down at the charity stripe.

This team still has a lot to prove, 5 out of their last 6 W’s came against non-playoff contenders, but they’re fun to watch so far and Mr Chirp approves of the direction they’re headed.

Austin Reaves has been lighting it up for the Lakers. LeBron hasn’t even seen the floor yet, but “Tres Leches” Luka and Reaves have been balling the fuck out in his absence. They’re putting up a ridiculous 67.4 PPG right between the two of them and sit at 8-3.

Ozempic Luka really doing his thing so far this year it’s only a matter of time before Crypto Arena has a Novo Nordisk suite and the Lakers offer package deals for $5k a pop where fans can drop 5 pounds instantly from the comfort of their seats while pounding $30 nachos.

Julius Randle is going crazy right now in Minnesota. After struggling to find his footing in his first year on the Twolves last year, he’s putting up a 25-7-6 stat line. He’s top 5 in Win Shares right now. Ant man is also shooting 50% from 3 right now which is fucking ridiculous.

The OKC Thunder are 11-1 right now and early favorites to repeat as champs sitting at +240 right now. Shai is the early favorite to win another MVP, he’s 2nd in Win Shares and putting up an eerily similar stat line to last year of 32-5-6.

The biggest surprise to casuals is probably the impact that center Isaiah Hartenstein has on this squad. He leads the NBA in Defensive Win Shares and is 6th in overall Win Shares.

The biggest fuck you to the rest of the league going on in OKC right now is the ascendence of 2nd year man Ajay Mitchell. Sam Presti worked his voodoo magic once again and got the Thunder an absolute steal.

Drafted in the 2nd round of 2024 by the Knicks and traded the same night to OKC, this dude is putting up freakish numbers in Jalen Williams’s absence. Oh yeah… Jalen Williams, the guy who put up 22 PPG for OKC last year hasn’t even played a game yet this year and they’re still 11-1.

Anyway, Mitchell has gone from 6.5 PPG last year to 17.2 PPG right now all while only playing 28 minutes per game off the bench. He’s quietly become the pseudo 3rd scoring option for the Thunder in Williams’s missed time and this shit just isn’t even fair.

Let’s also not forget Isaiah Joe another 2nd round draft pick from 2020 who is putting up 15.6 PPG as well while JWill relaxes on the sideline. This OKC team is freakish and has even more depth than a season ago.

Is Cooper Flagg a bust? Who fucking knows, probably not… Mr Chirp doesn’t really evaluate rookies until after the all-star break year 1. But my favorite rookie right now is Grizzlies guard Cedric Coward. What a name baby.

On a horrendous squad where Ja Morant has seemingly Markelle Fultz’d himself into most regressed player of the year, this dude is the one bright spot right now. Coming off the bench in every game so far, he’s putting up a 14-6-3 stat line and ahead of guys like James Harden, Kevin Durant, and even Cade Cunningham in Offensive Win Shares.

The NBA is back baby and Mr Chirp is hyped as fuck to see the Rockets go all the way this year. We’ll keep covering hoops all season long, but let’s be real. None of this shit matters until at least March.

All of this to say, it’s still Nikola Jokic’s league and he’s running this shit like he never fucking took his foot off the gas. Putting up a mind boggling 26-13-11 stat line he leads the league in almost every notable advanced stat right now for total performance.

Until next time Chirp Fam!

-Mr Chirp