We’re just nine days and 68 games (5.5%) into the season. It’s early (two teams have played just three times) and the standings could look a lot different in a week or two.

But every game counts and the data is starting to pile up. With that, here are five takeaways from the first nine days.

1. Comparing the undefeated teams

After nine days and with the Oklahoma City Thunder suffering their first loss on Wednesday, we have three undefeated teams remaining. And they each have a different number of wins, along with varying point differentials and strength of schedules:

Unbeaten teams through Wednesday

NetRtg = Point differential per 100 possessions
OppPCT = Cumulative opponent winning percentage
H | R = Home and road games

The Rockets have two wins over other teams with winning records through Wednesday, having beaten both the Mavs (3-2) on opening night and the Spurs (in Austin) two nights later.

The Grizzlies’ four wins have come against the 1-4 Jazz (x 2), the 2-3 Warriors and the 0-4 Kings.

The Blazers are just 3-0, but they went on the road and handed the 4-1 Lakers their only loss on Tuesday. They also have wins over the 1-2 Suns and 0-4 Kings.

The Rockets are the 31st team to win its first five games since 2004-05, when the league expanded to 30 teams. And among those 30 other 5-0 teams, 29 went on to make the playoffs.

The only exception was last season’s Chicago Bulls. They started 5-0, with four of those five wins coming against eventual playoff teams: Detroit, Orlando, Atlanta and New York. And then they went 26-51 thereafter.

We’ll have a showdown of unbeaten teams on Thursday, when the Grizzlies visit the Blazers (10 p.m. ET, League Pass). Then Rockets take their 5-0 record into Dallas for their first Emirates NBA Cup game on Friday (8 p.m. ET, League Pass).

2. A big lead is still big

Sometimes, when a team takes a 20-point lead in a game (especially early), you’ll hear someone say that “a 20-point lead doesn’t mean anything these days.”

Actually, it does.

We remember the Knicks coming back from deficits of 22 and 29 points in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals and Game 4 of the Finals, respectively. We saw the Pistons come back from 22 down in the first game of the season and the Sixers come back from 29 down on national TV two days later.

Less memorable are the games where a team goes down by 20 … and loses. And those games are far more frequent.

Last season (regular season, Play-In and playoffs combined), teams were:

• 615-23 (.964) when leading by at least 20 points.
• 1,145-354 (.764) when leading by at least 10 points.

So, even 10-point leads are significant. Of course, 10 or 20-point leads don’t mean quite as much as they did 25 years ago.

• Over the first five seasons of play-by-play data (1996-97 through 2000-01), teams had a winning percentage of .807 when leading by double-digits and .972 when leading by at least 20 points.
• Over the last five years (2021-22 through ’25-26), those marks are .761 and .949.

It makes sense that, with pace and 3-point rates increasing over the years, there’s been an increased possibility of teams coming back from big deficits.

But a team that goes up by 20 or more still wins the game 19 times out of 20. A big lead still means a lot.

3. Injuries = Opportunities

We’ve had a slew of injuries in the first nine days of the season. But the season must go on, and the absence of one player provides an opportunity for another.

More minutes for guys further down the rotation could also benefit their teams long-term. If those guys develop into better (and more trustworthy) players than they would have become otherwise, the team is deeper and stronger.

With that in mind, here are four players to keep an eye on:

Terrence Shannon Jr., Timberwolves
Ayo Dosunmu is starting in place of Anthony Edwards, but we all know what he provides. The real opportunity is for Shannon to prove that he’s another reliable wing off the Wolves’ bench. He’s already averaging 23.2 minutes, up from 12.5 (in just 43 games) last season.

Bennett Stirtz, Thunder
Ajay Mitchell has the opportunity to be the Thunder’s second-leading scorer, and he’s totaled 59 points in their first two games since Williams’ injury. More intriguing is the idea of Stirtz (the No. 16 pick in this year’s draft) getting regular rotation minutes and developing into a shooter they can use in the playoffs.

Ja’Kobe Walter, Raptors
We knew that Kawhi Leonard would be taking some time off, and that Walter would be the replacement starter. But Leonard was on the shelf after just two games, leaving Walter to provide production on both ends of the floor. He was one of just 14 players who shot 42% or better on at least 250 catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts last season.

Quenton Jackson, Pacers
With Tyrese Haliburton and T.J. McConnell out, the Pacers are short on guards. It seems that Jackson’s primary job is to be a pain in the butt defensively, but this is an opportunity for him to develop some offense, having averaged just 9.8 points per 36 minutes through five games thus far.

4. The possession game matters more

Through Wednesday, the league has taken 42.11% of its shots from 3-point range, a rate that’s just a tick below the all-time record (42.12%) from two seasons ago. Shooting well from beyond the arc has never been more important and teams are 44-16 (.733) when they’ve shot 36% or better from deep.

But getting more shots also matters, and a lot of teams are emphasizing the possession game (via rebounds and turnovers) more in the last few years. And interestingly, the possession game has mattered more with each passing season.

The winning percentage for teams that win the possession game (get more shots + trips to the line than their opponent) has increased in each of the last four seasons, and it’s seen a pretty big jump thus far this season.

League record when getting more shot opportunities

Shot opportunity = Field goal attempt or trip to the line
Through Oct. 28, 2026

5. The Raptors are getting A LOT more shots

One team has dominated the possession game much more than any other thus far, with the Toronto Raptors averaging 12.4 more shot opportunities than their opponents through their first four games:

Best shot-opportunity differential, 2026-27

Through Oct. 28, 2026

The Raptors ranked sixth last season at +2.2 opportunities per game. Thus far, they’ve seen the league’s fifth biggest jump in offensive rebounding percentage and its biggest jump in opponent turnover rate, having forced an amazing 22.4 per 100 possessions.

They forced 20 turnovers out of the Magic on Wednesday and the two teams will meet again Friday night (7:30 p.m. ET, League Pass) to open Emirates NBA Cup action in East Group A.

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