The List: 5 way-too-early NBA observations

It’s only been a week but…everyone needs to find an angle for their weekly columns.

The Warriors have won two titles in three seasons and are only a couple of plays removed from working on a four-peat. They have two of the top five players in the league flanked by a pair of perennial All-NBA performers and a veteran supporting cast. The regular season means nothing to them. It happens to all great teams at some point.

Dropping two of their first three games merely confirmed the message that Steve Kerr has been sending since training camp: His team’s conditioning isn’t up to speed. That has manifested itself primarily on the defensive end and on the glass, as one would expect. It’s a troublesome trend, but easily corrected.

The reality is that the Warriors can win 64 games simply by showing up to the arena on time, and there is little allure to playing for regular-season glory. A brief skid to start the season should help quiet any talk of 70 wins, and it’s for the better that they don’t get caught up in chasing win totals or other regular-season ephemera.

The Warriors are fine. This has been your regularly scheduled Warriors update.

Hello, fourth-year leap. A three-game sample size is a blip, but the Andrew Wiggins we’ve seen so far looks an awful lot like the Andrew Wiggins we’ve been waiting to see since he came into the league. His fourth-quarter takeover on the road in OKC Sunday night would have been impressive even if he didn’t drain a game-winning buzzer-beater.

Wiggins is in fantastic shape and looks more fluid and confident. He’s too quick and athletic for most defenders, especially without unnecessary dribbles or moments of hesitation. The eye test has always been kinder to Wiggins than the stat sheet, but the numbers are popping off that page, as well. He’s doubled the amount of attempted threes, and he’s making them at an absurd rate while rebounding more and turning it over less.

Those numbers will eventually find a sustainable level, and we have yet to find out of his defensive reputation will match his performance. Still, these are all encouraging signs of a breakout campaign. The Wolves were going to be better this season with the additions of Jimmy Butler and other veteran reinforcements, but they won’t reach their promise unless Wiggins makes good on his potential.

Even before Gordon Hayward’s injury, there were whispers among league insiders that the Wizards might be better positioned to challenge the Cavs this season than either Boston or Toronto. With Hayward out for the season, the Wiz will never have a better chance to make their move.

The Wizards have always acted like one of the league’s top teams, even if they didn’t have the accomplishments to back up their bravado. It may have been poor form, but they weren’t wrong when they suggested they would have been a tougher conference final opponent for Cleveland than Boston.

We know about their backcourt. John Wall is primed for a huge season, and Bradley Beal is ready to claim All-Star berths and All-NBA nods. Yet, there are reasons why they have underachieved relative to their own expectations. The bench, in particular, is still problematic. The Wizards also need a healthy Markieff Morris along with a motivated Marcin Gortat and continued improvement from Otto Porter to maximize their potential. Even with those caveats, it’s all there for them.

The Jazz have been carefully constructed through the draft over the last half-decade to peak right about now. Losing Hayward was a huge blow, yet the Jazz will always be a viable entity as long as their defense remains stout. With Rudy Gobert in the middle, that’s a given.

What they need are playmakers. Joe Ingles has stepped into the wing breach and it’s worth remembering that he knocked down over 44 percent of his threes last season. Ingles has been a revelation, but it’s the trio of Rodney Hood, rookie Donovan Mitchell and veteran Alec Burks who need to step up in Hayward’s absence.

Hood is already battling injuries, and Burks is still trying to recapture the form that made him an intriguing prospect. Mitchell, who looked so good in summer league, will need to handle the usual rookie adjustments. There’s enough talent to help make up for Hayward’s loss and continue Utah’s upward trajectory.

Just four games into his career, the Sixers rookie is already one of the more unique players in the league. He can’t shoot and has no clearly defined position defensively, but he’s already providing plus-rebounding and playmaking.

Simmons notched double-doubles in each of his first three games and on Monday, he recorded his first career triple-double with a 21-12-10 line in a road win over Detroit. He really shouldn’t be able to function this well in the modern NBA, but his debut has been remarkably seamless.

What stands out most about Simmons is how he plays the game at an unhurried pace. His handle is good enough that he can get into the paint whenever he wants. While his range is limited, at 6’10 he can still finish over defenders near the basket. His passing is clearly advanced for a young player, and his court vision may be his best skill.

Simmons is the obvious favorite for Rookie of the Year. Given the lack of starpower in the East, an All-Star run shouldn’t be out of the question either.