Way too early NBA takeaways from the opening games, including a worrisome start for the Knicks

After an offseason that felt too long and left most of us with withdrawal symptoms, the first two days of NBA opening week are behind us.

So, here are some WAY-too-early takeaways from 30 hours of basketball, because…well, why not?

Difficult start for the Knicks' new acquisitions

The New York Knicks could have significant shooting problems. Mikal Bridges' change in jumper is extremely discouraging and has added to the concerns. His shooting motion is almost divided into three actions, none of which seem to fit together well. He slowly lifts the ball over his head, initiates the build-up of strength from his legs and then pushes the shot almost towards the basket.

Bridges had a better second half against the Celtics, but the jumper remains a big question mark for the future, especially since he was considered one of the cleanest players in the NBA. If Bridges is to become a dramatically worse shooter this season, New York's starting five will need to rely heavily on Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns for any spacing needs. If only they had someone like Donte DiVincenzo.

There's also the matter of New York using Towns in drop coverage, which, uh, wasn't great. But that might be more of a Celtics thing than a Knicks thing. Time will tell if Tom Thibodeau continues this strategy.

Hot start for the defending champions

As for the Celtics, they seem to have decided to continue playing like the Celtics, which seems like a pretty good strategy. However, they appeared to have made a significant change as they looked even more aggressive in their pursuit of the 3-ball, tying the league record for most makes in a game with 29 of these bad boys.

It's extremely difficult to see this as a bad thing, considering their accuracy and the steady influx of players constantly throwing them at opponents who can stretch the floor.

The NBA hasn't seen a repeat champion since 2018, but these Celtics are making it clear that they can be viewed as the team to break the Onesies streak.

Historic evening, ugly win for the Lakers

The Lakers won an ugly game against the Wolves that would have been hugely memorable had it not been for LeBron James and Bronny James making NBA history.

The father-son duo took the floor together, marking the first time that two generations shared the space at the same time. It was a sweet and healing moment that the James family will remember forever. Was it history or hype for the fans? We'll leave the answer to Vincent Goodwill.

Early return to Randle's stint with the Wolves

As expected, Julius Randle seems like an odd fit in Minnesota. He hasn't played badly, but his frontcourt, consisting of Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels, craves spacing that no one can really take advantage of.

Luckily for Randle and the Wolves in general, there are still 81 games left to get things right, and at least they got solid games from Anthony Edwards and Naz Reid, both of whom will have to take over the offense more than once this season. (It also didn't help that McDaniels couldn't stay on the floor, picking up five fouls in 16 minutes. He remains his own worst enemy.)

What the Sixers look like without Embiid, George

Tyrese Maxey showed us what to expect from him with Joel Embiid and Paul George both missing games. Maxey took 31 shots – 10 of them – and looked for his shot on the floor virtually every time.

We may have to get used to Maxey finishing games with a sore shooting arm, as Embiid may never play in back-to-back games again and George isn't exactly a pillar of health himself.

Speaking of health…

The NBA forgot to account for injuries as Immanuel Quickley, James Wiseman and Brandon Miller had to leave all games on Wednesday. Dejounte Murray broke his hand, which is terrible news for the Pelicans, who were already without Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy.

The league was already in somewhat poor health health-wise, with several key players out early in the season, including Embiid, George and former Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. Big praise.

But it was nice to see LaVine and Ball back on the court

Zach LaVine, who missed the end of last season after foot surgery, reminded fans how nasty a scorer he can be by knocking down five 3-pointers in the first half, most off the dribble and in consistent rhythm, and courting and enthusiastically the pelicans crowded around. The LaVine criticism was always too loud.

Speaking of the Bulls, it looks like Lonzo Ball is doing pretty well. That doesn't mean he'll play every game this season, and it doesn't mean he won't have issues after 1,006 days off, but it's at least encouraging to see him on the floor and making plays.

Breakthrough year for Duren in Detroit?

Pistons center Jalen Duren looks much better defensively as he plays with his feet instead of his hands and makes crisper defensive rotations.

That's a big holdout for Detroit this season, as the young center is already one of the league's best rebounders and a developing scorer. When it breaks out, it dramatically changes the trajectory of the pistons.

Pelicans rookie shines in debut

As planned, the Pelicans are actively trying to increase their 3-point percentage and are looking for moves to create a quality look. They didn't hit the magic number of 40 tries that head coach Willie Green expected them to, but considering how effectively they scored against the Bulls, that was clearly a mid-game adjustment.

Fortunately, against Chicago, the Pelicans got some good minutes from rookie Yves Missi, who scored 12 points, grabbed seven rebounds, blocked three shots and looked every bit the defensive beast he was considered before the draft. After an entire offseason of fans wondering who could fill a big role at center for them this season, they may have their answer.

Magic comes out firing

The Orlando Magic are another team that is clearly trying to increase its 3-point percentage, and they did so by making 49 long-range attempts against Miami, every excuse to push, and actively looking for the shot in both transition and half-court execution. That's three more than they attempted in any game last season.

If the Magic can somehow balance their already elite defense with top-notch, high-volume floor spacing, it's a strong recipe for advancement in the playoffs.

Best-case scenario start for Brooklyn

The Nets, a team everyone expects to turn around and play dead this season to maximize their chances for Cooper Flagg, looked surprisingly competitive against the Atlanta Hawks. The ball moved, they competed on defense, and probably terrified the entire Brooklyn borough by keeping the game close.

Losing games after trying to compete is undoubtedly the best-case scenario for the Nets this season, as they don't have a player on the roster to build around. They will recruit players, but if they can get into the rebuild without giving up their competitive edge, that's a win.