One week into the 2026-27 NBA season, the league already has a handful of numbers that jump off the page. Six teams were still unbeaten when Tuesday morning arrived, with the 4-0 Grizzlies and 2-0 Trail Blazers in that group. On the other end, five teams were still hunting for their first victory, including the 0-3 Knicks and the 0-4 Heat.
And beyond the standings, the first seven days have produced some truly strange stat lines.
Memphis has been the loudest surprise. A team that won just 25 games last season is sitting at 4-0, and the Grizzlies haven’t just scraped by-they’ve looked sharp on both ends. Their offense is posting a 115.6 rating, their defense is sitting at 105.9, and they’ve shot 39.3% from three, which ranks sixth in the NBA after finishing 22nd in that category a year ago at 35.3%.
Ty Jerome has been a big part of that early surge, even with a rough night in Memphis’s win over the Jazz on Monday. Jerome entered the season with a career average of 9.3 points across 244 games, then came out firing with 45, 28 and 31 points in his first three contests.
He became the 37th player since 2000 to score at least 100 points over the first three games of a season, and only the fourth to do it without an All-Star appearance on his résumé. Even after going 4-for-15 on Monday, he still ranks third in scoring at 29.8 points per game.
Minnesota has carved out its own early lane of dominance. The Wolves became just the third team in NBA history to win their first three games by at least 20 points, and Ball has been right in the middle of everything.
The sample is tiny, and defensive rating can be noisy this early, but Ball has looked the part on that end too. Lonzo Ball has noticed as well, live tweeting during Wolves games this season.
"This the most I’ve ever seen Melo defend lol noticing"
Ball wasn’t known for defense in Charlotte, and he also wasn’t playing in many meaningful games there. Now the question is whether Chris Finch, along with Anthony Edwards, can bring that version of him through the full 82-game grind.
In Sacramento, the spotlight is on the No. 7 pick in the 2026 draft, and Acuff is letting it fly without hesitation. Through his first three career games, he has taken 73 shots from the field.
The problem is that they haven’t been falling. He’s shooting 32.9% overall and 14.8% from three-point range, hitting just 4 of 27 from deep while scoring 67 points on those 73 shot attempts.
The only player in ABA/NBA history to take more field-goal attempts in his first three games was David Thompson, who launched 74 for the ABA’s Denver Nuggets in 1975 and scored 89 points in the process. For now, Sacramento’s focus is on Acuff’s development, and the best way through a slump is to keep shooting.
Then there’s New York, where the shine of a championship run has quickly given way to a rough opening stretch. The Knicks have already lost their first three post-championship games, falling to the 76ers, Celtics and Magic to start 0-3.
Their numbers have been ugly, too: second-worst field-goal percentage in the league at 40.8% and second-worst offensive rating at 103.4. Mikal Bridges has started slowly, going 5-for-23 from the field and 0-for-10 from three, while Jalen Brunson has also been off from outside, shooting 26.7% from deep.
History suggests reigning champs don’t always bounce right back from an 0-3 start. The 2011-12 Mavs finished 36-30 in a shortened season and were swept in the first round, while the 1969-70 Celtics went 34-48 and missed the playoffs altogether.
Still, there’s no panic button here-at least not yet. The Knicks are expected to sort it out, even if the first week has been rocky.
Miami’s situation has been even bleaker. The Heat’s starting five of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell has been brutal together in the team’s 0-4 start, with a net rating of -33.1 over 43 minutes.
The issues start with Antetokounmpo and Adebayo, who were brought together this offseason to raise Miami into real Eastern Conference contention. Among duos that have played more than 70 minutes together, only three pairings in the NBA have a worse net rating-and all of them are also on the Heat.
Even Antetokounmpo’s former team, the Bucks, have managed to win a game.
In Other News...
Kings Already Face A Bigger Darius Acuff Jr. Problem
Darius Acuff Jr. is already giving the Kings a useful early lesson in how delicate rookie development can be. Bobby Gerould's read on the young guard centers on patience and structure, with the idea being that Sacramento has to let Acuff make mistakes, learn from them and keep sharpening his decision-making without putting too much on his plate too soon. For a team trying to shape a long-term core, that means the environment around him matters just as much as his talent.
Gerould also pointed toward the roster construction issues that will come with Acuff's growth, especially if the Kings want to put him in position to succeed. He emphasized the need for more size, defensive ability and seasoned college experience around the rookie, while also noting how Domantas Sabonis fits into the broader equation. Sacramento still has to find a defensive center who can complement both Sabonis and Acuff, and that need makes the Kings' bigger roster-building problem feel even more immediate. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Winless Start Is Forcing A Brutal Rebuild Decision
A winless start has already pushed Sacramento into an uncomfortable corner, and the new NBA lottery reform rules only make that reality harsher. At 0-4, the Kings are staring at a rebuild that does not come with the same kind of draft safety net teams used to count on, which makes every early loss feel a little heavier as the organization tries to map out its next move.
Scott Perry may have to make a tough call sooner rather than later, with the possibility of moving veteran pieces and leaning harder into the young core. The February trade deadline looms as the first major checkpoint, but next offseasons draft and free agency could end up being just as important in determining how aggressively Sacramento reshapes the roster, starting with a meeting against the New Orleans Pelicans next. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Already Facing Bigger Questions Than Fans Expected
A 0-4 start has a way of sharpening the early-season conversation, and the Kings are already there after a 130-103 loss to the Spurs in San Antonio. Sacramento was missing several key players because of injuries, but even with that context the bigger concern was how quickly the game got away from them, especially on the defensive end.
De'Andre Hunter led the Kings with 24 points, which at least offered one steady offensive note in an otherwise rough night. The Spurs had been off to a slow start themselves, but they controlled this one at home and left Sacramento with more than just another loss to sort through as the questions around the roster only grow louder. [Read more 🡒]