ICYMI: 10 takeaways from the 1st 10 days of the NBA season

So much for Kevin Durant's sacrifice

One of the biggest questions facing the Warriors was which star's offensive numbers would be sacrificed. Five games in, we know the answer won't be Durant, who's averaging 30.2 points on a career-high 58.7 percent shooting to go along with his lowest assist ratio (12.5 per 100 possessions) in six years.

The dip in Durant's usage thus far - 28.7 percent is his lowest in eight years - seems to have been offset by the quality of his supporting cast and the looks he's getting because of it.

OKC needs every ounce of Russ

The Thunder's road win over the Clippers was legitimately impressive, and their defense has been outstanding, but it was telling that they needed every bit of Russell Westbrook's superhuman performances to beat the 76ers and Suns by a combined nine points.

OKC has been 18.8 points per 100 possessions better with Russ on the court, posting a -15.1 net rating without him that would best only Philadelphia.

Even The Brow can't save New Orleans

At least the Thunder are competitive with Westbrook. The 0-5 Pelicans have been downright awful, despite Anthony Davis averaging 31.6 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks, 2.8 steals, and two assists in over 37 minutes per game.

With Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans out, it's tough to find even an average NBA talent among Davis' teammates. The only hope of finding The Brow some help is probably through next summer's draft. Thanks for coming out, Pelicans.

DeMan on a mission

Given that 57.4 percent of DeMar DeRozan's field-goal attempts have come between 10 feet and the 3-point line - a career high, even for DeRozan - you have to expect a cold spell eventually. For now, just enjoy the show the All-Star shooting guard is putting on.

DeRozan is the early-season scoring leader, averaging 36.3 points on 55 percent shooting while getting to the free throw line nearly 10 times (9.8) a night and making only one 3-pointer. It's like he analyzed why he was ranked lower than he wanted to be, then decided to prove a point by taking his supposed flaws to the extreme and excelling at them.

Hill acquisition paying dividends in Utah

Injury luck and a thin backcourt have conspired to extend Utah's playoff drought in recent years, but with the addition of George Hill (and Joe Johnson), the development of Rodney Hood, and the return of Dante Exum, the Jazz are finally balanced and deep enough to withstand injuries in their loaded frontcourt.

Despite Gordon Hayward's absence, Derrick Favors already missing time, and Boris Diaw's latest injury, the Jazz have managed to win three of five, buoyed largely by Hill's 21.4 points, 4.6 assists, three rebounds, and 26.1 PER.

The only thing worse than the Knicks' defense...

...is the Knicks' offense.

Seriously, New York ranks 26th in defense (108.6 points allowed per 100 possessions) and 27th on offense (96.1), culminating in the league's third-worst net rating.

None of this should surprise anyone. Despite his delusional evaluation of his own game and his "super team," Derrick Rose hasn't been an above average NBA player in four years, injuries have turned Joakim Noah into a shell of his best self, and Rose, in particular, is only taking away from Kristaps Porzingis, who's better than both of them.

Porzingis, Noah, and Carmelo Anthony would be better served with a more team-friendly point guard who could spread the floor.

The Lakers (and Nets?!) are fun

Kobe Bryant's swansong and the 181 losses L.A. has incurred over the last three years distracted from the fact that the team has accumulated some exciting young talent between D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, Brandon Ingram, and Jordan Clarkson.

Throw in some veterans like Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov (who they still shouldn't have broken the bank for), questionable gunners Nick Young and Lou Williams, plus Luke Walton orchestrating it all, and the Lakers have an unpredictable mix that can trouble any team on any given night.

As an aside, the Nets' future is still depressing, and they have no surefire young talent, but Kenny Atkinson is getting the most out of Brooklyn's limited roster, which has stolen games from playoff hopefuls Indiana and Detroit.

Don't give up on the Timberwolves yet

Between Ricky Rubio's latest injury and a disappointing home loss to Denver that dropped Minnesota to 1-3, some may already be fearing the worst in the NBA's most playoff-starved market.

But despite their frustrating record, there are signs the Timberwolves can and will turn things around. They actually own the sixth-best net rating (+10.3), and among 40 lineups that have logged 25-plus minutes together, the quintet of Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, Gorgui Dieng, and Kris Dunn have been the league's third-best.

Towns also awoke from his early-season slumber with a 32-point, 14-rebound performance on Thursday.

Dwight Howard's renaissance

It's early, but four games into his Atlanta tenure, D-8 looks a lot like the old D-12.

Howard has looked as spry as he has in years, averaging 15.5 point, 12 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks for the 3-1 Hawks, who have outscored opponents by a league-leading 13.8 points per 100 possessions.

The caveat is that Atlanta's four opponents so far have a combined record of 4-14, and there are still questions to be asked of this roster outside of the Howard-Millsap frontcourt.

Stretch-5s are out of control

In the last five days alone, Marc Gasol and Brook Lopez have each made more 3-pointers in one game than they ever had in an entire season.