Luka Doncic is averaging 33.8 points this season. Can he maintain his pace to win his 1st scoring title in 2023-24?

With 71 games worth of data to work with, what can we glean from the start of the 2023-24 NBA season? Even though the sample size is small (each team has played between 4-6 games), it’s not too early to review top performances, upward trends and milestones so far.

Here are 10 stats that stand out from the first 10 days of the season.

1. Luka leads five players averaging 30+ ppg

Last season, a record-tying six players averaged over 30 points per game. As offensive numbers continue to rise, will that record be broken this season?

At this same point a year ago, nine players were averaging 30+ ppg, but that number has dropped to five in 2023-24:

1. Luka Doncic: 33.8 ppg
2. Donovan Mitchell: 31.5
3. De’Aaron Fox: 31.3
4. Stephen Curry: 31.0
5. Joel Embiid: 30.3

Since entering the league in 2018-19, Doncic has finished 22nd, 6th (two times), 3rd and 2nd in the scoring title race. Is this the year he claims his first scoring title?

2. Coming up clutch

Four players have racked up 20+ clutch points, including two generational talents – one in season 21 and the other just five games into his career.

• LeBron James: 23 PTS, 9-12 FG
• Luka Doncic: 22 PTS, 7-10 FG
• Victor Wembanyama: 21 PTS, 7-10 FG
• Stephen Curry: 20 PTS, 6-9 FG

3. Wemby leads rookie class

Through the first 10 days of 2023-24, there are four rookies averaging double-digit points with Wembanyama the only first-year player over 20 ppg.

1. Victor Wembanyama: 20.6 ppg
2. Chet Holmgren: 15.8 ppg
3. Brandon Miller: 15.5 ppg
4. Ausar Thompson: 11.0 ppg

Four rookies are averaging 7-plus rebounds:

1. Ausar Thompson: 9.3 rpg
2. Victor Wembanyama: 8.0 rpg
3. Dereck Lively II: 7.8 rpg
4. Chet Holmgren: 7.2 rpg

Only two rookies are averaging 4-plus assists:

1. Scoot Henderson: 4.6 apg
2. Ausar Thompson: 4.0 apg

Wembanyama is the only rookie averaging more than 1.0 steals:

1. Victor Wembanyama: 1.4 spg
2. Six players tied: 1.0 spg

Four rookies are averaging more than 1.5 3-pointers:

1. Chet Holmgren: 2.2 3pg on 52.4% shooting
2. Brandon Miller: 2.0 3pg on 42.1%
3. Jordan Hawkins: 1.8 3pg on 31.3%
4. Victor Wembanyama: 1.6 3pg on 50%

Seven NBA players are averaging 2+ blocks, and two of them are rookies:

1. Chet Holmgren: 2.6 bpg (3rd in NBA)
2. Victor Wembanyama: 2.2 bpg (T-7 in NBA)

4. Elite offense = undefeated

The two teams with the top offensive ratings in the league – Boston (124.8 points per 100 possessions) and Dallas (121.0) – are also the only teams without a loss.

Boston (4-0) is the only team in the top five on both ends, ranking fifth in defensive rating (104.7) and first in net rating (20.1).

Dallas (4-0) doesn’t have the same balance, ranking 19th in defensive rating (111.5) and fourth in net rating (9.4).

5. Devin Booker the playmaker

When the Suns traded Chris Paul for Bradley Beal, it begged the question of who would run the point in Phoenix.

In two games played (he missed three with an ankle injury), Booker has shown himself as more than a capable playmaker, ranking second among all players in assists per game:

1. Tyrese Haliburton: 12.3 apg
2. Devin Booker: 10.5 apg, previous career high 6.8 in 2018-19
3. Trae Young: 10.0 apg
4. Luka Doncic: 9.8 apg
5. Dennis Schroder: 9.3 apg

6. Bam protecting the paint

When the GM Survey was released last month, Miami’s Erik Spoelstra questioned the lack of recognition for Bam Adebayo’s defense.

Adebayo is the league’s best rim protector so far this season despite ranking 19th in blocks (1.5 bpg). Among the 40 players who have defended at least 20 shots at the rim, Adebayo is holding opponents to a league-low 30% (6-20).

Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert (35.0%), Detroit’s Marvin Bagley III (39.1%) and Orlando’s Wendell Carter Jr. (39.4%) are the only other players holding opponents under 40%.

None of the top four in rim protection match up with the top four in blocks, as defensive impact goes beyond counting stats.

Block leaders in 2023-24 so far: 

1. Anthony Davis: 3.0 bpg, 46.7% allowed at rim
2. Chet Holmgren: 2.6 bpg, 57.4% allowed
3. Joel Embiid: 2.5 bpg, 41.7% allowed
4. Jaren Jackson Jr.: 2.4 bpg, 40.9% allowed

7. Top lineups get shakeup 

Of the 43 five-man lineups that have logged at least 25 minutes together, three of the top four in net rating belong to the Clippers or Sixers, the centerpieces of the early-season blockbuster deal that sent James Harden to LA.

• Clippers with Westbrook / George / Leonard / Covington / Zubac: +38.0 net rating in 51 minutes 
• Celtics with Holiday / Porzingis / Brown / Tatum / White: +37.3 net rating in 72 minutes
• Clippers with Westbrook / George / Leonard / Zubac / Hyland: +30.6 net rating in 30 minutes
• Sixers with Tucker / Harris / Embiid / Melton / Maxey: +23.6 net rating in 49 minutes 

The No. 1 and No. 4 most-efficient lineups early this season are gone with Covington no longer with the Clippers’ top-ranked lineup and Tucker out of the Sixers’ 4th-ranked lineup. 

The other key name here is Russell Westbrook, who will likely have his role impacted most by Harden’s arrival.

8. First 150+ point game

Boston became the first team to eclipse 150 points this season, surging past Indiana 155-104 on Wednesday. 

The Celtics defeated the Pacers 155-104, their 2nd-most points scored in a game in franchise history (173 points against the Lakers on Feb. 27, 1959).

Boston has scored 508 points this season, tied for its 2nd most through the first 4 games in franchise history. pic.twitter.com/unGr3AAig6

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 2, 2023

There were 10 games last season where a team scored more than 150 points in a single matchup. That’s the most of any season of the play-by-play era (1996-97) 

The trend below shows 150-plus point games going from virtually non-existent (10 combined in the 22 seasons from 1996-2018) to far more common recently: 

• 2022-23: 10 games
• 2021-22: 6 games
• 2020-21: 3 games
• 2019-20: 8 games
• 2018-19: 3 games
• 1996-2018: 10 games total

9. Early 40-point games

We saw a record 203 40-plus point games posted by 57 different players in 2022-23. Ten days in 2023-24, there have already been six 40-plus point games by five different players:

• Stephen Curry: 42 points (GSW @ NOP, 10/30/23)
• Dejounte Murray: 41 points (ATL vs. MIN, 10/30/23)
• Zach LaVine: 51 points (CHI @ DET, 10/28/23)
• Stephen Curry: 41 points (GSW @ SAC, 10/27/23)
• Donovan Mitchell: 43 points (CLE vs. OKC, 10/27/23)
• Luka Doncic: 49 points (DAL vs. BKN, 10/27/23)

10. Shot zone leaders

Warriors guard Klay Thompson said he just had to get to his spot when reflecting on his game-winner against the Kings on Wednesday.

Here’s a quick look at the leaders in buckets from the five key shooting zones (minimum 2 games played):

Restricted Area: Three players have averaged over six baskets in the restricted area: Giannis Antetokounmpo (6.5 FGM on 68.4%), Zion Williamson (6.5 on 63.4%) and LeBron James (6.0 on 83.3%).

In the Paint (Non-RA): When it comes to the rest of the paint away from the basket, Nikola Jokic leads the way (5.2 FGM on 68.4%), followed by guards De’Aaron Fox (4.7 on 63.6%) and Devin Booker (4.5 on 64.3%).

Mid-Range: DeMar DeRozan owned this zone the past two seasons, but currently ranks ninth. Topping the mid-range list is Brandon Ingram (4.0 on 47.1%) and Kevin Durant (4.0 on 54.1%).

Corner 3: Dorian Finney-Smith leads all players with two corner 3-pointers made per game. He’s followed by two players on new teams: Indiana’s Bruce Brown (1.8 on 87.5% shooting) and Dallas’ Grant Williams (1.8 on 58.3%).

Above Break 3: The leaderboard here should come as no surprise. Curry leads with 5.4 triples on 46.6% shooting, followed by Doncic (48 on 42.2%) and Booker (4.0 on 57.1%).