NBA 2026 Round One Shockers

Round one is already breaking expectations, from the Lakers jumping out to a 3-1 lead to the Wolves shocking people with their edge and defense. We sort through the biggest team surprises, the player question marks, and what these series say about pressure, health, and who really shows up in playoff basketball. 
• Lakers taking control early and why it feels unexpected 
• Wolves up 3-1 and what the Nuggets cannot defend 
• Deni Avdija’s playoff surge and a possible top-25 case 
• Kevin Durant’s injury and whether it shifts legacy blame 
• Sengun’s lack of dominance in favorable matchups 
• Jamal Murray efficiency concerns and Jokic not looking right post-injury 
• Joel Embiid’s health and what it means for the 76ers vs Celtics 
• Suns vs Thunder and why Devin Booker has to carry scoring 
• Pistons vs Magic and whether Cade can get a true second option 
• Cavs vs Raptors and the Donovan Mitchell star debate 
• Scotty Barnes’ playoff numbers and why they change the conversation 
So please make sure to like, subscribe, comment, tell anyone who's anyone about the show.

Transcript

Round One Updates And Surprises

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What's up, everybody? It's your favorite show, it's favorite show Get a Bucket. I'm your host, Trey, and as usual. Hope you're all having a wonderful, wonderful day. Today we're talking about the NBA round one updates, and this should be a good one. Because I have a couple surprising both teams and players. And then we're gonna talk about a couple of the series, right? So my biggest surprises so far. Off break, my Lakers are up 3-1. I did not see that coming. I don't think a lot of people saw that coming personally. Kevin Durant's injury is a thing, but still, he was able to play one game. I didn't see us winning three games and being up 3-0 at one point in time. I genuinely did not. Next up, the Wolves being up 3-1. I didn't see that coming, especially when Jaden McDaniel says, and I quote, they're not good defenders. I like that is that is that is I did not see that coming. I also did not expect Denny Avdia to be who he is in this in uh in the playoffs against the Spurs. I did not expect to see that at all. Then the Raptors tied with the Cavs 2-2. I I'm not gonna say I'm overly surprised. I just had more expectations for the Cavs. Call me crazy. Then we got here Paolo Banquero and Wendell Carter Jr. on the Magic actually outperforming Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duran. To be clear, we're talking about two all-stars on the Pistons. And I know for a fact Wendell Carter Jr. was not an all-star. So that's what we're talking about, ladies and gentlemen. Right. Like right now, Cade and Jalen, they have a case to be on Team USA come in 2028. Paolo, maybe Wendell Carter Jr. does not, I don't think so. So again, I'm I'm kind of surprised at seeing that, you know, Paolo and Wendell are outperforming Cade and Jalen. Normally, if I said that, it would have been because of Duke bias, but this go-around, it's not because of that, ladies and gentlemen. Now, my player question marks, right? Kevin Durant, his well, is this injury actually saving his legacy? Because again, when he played, his team lost. Then his team was down 3-0. He only played one game, to be fair. But if this Rockets team loses, will people put more blame on Kevin Durant or will they put more blame on the Rockets? Because when I look at Shingoon, I'm thinking he needs to be more dominant, right? And he's also a player that I have a question mark around. Why is Shingoon not able to dominate more when he's going up against DeAndre Ayton and like who else? Really? Jackson Hayes? I'm sorry. That's not that stellar of a defense. We're talking about a big man. Also, Jamal Murray. He has not been as efficient, and Nikola Jokic has not looked like himself. He has not looked like himself since that injury that he sustained during the regular season. I don't know what happened, but I'm telling you right now, his decision making has changed a little bit. It's regressed because I've seen him get more turnovers after that after that injury than I've ever seen him hit. And like, is he scoring at the same level? Not as much, too. The game don't look as easy for him now. And again, it's playoffs, so it's supposed to be harder. But still he does not look like himself. And then finally, how healthy is Joel and B? Ladies and gentlemen, I have question marks around that. Because him coming back now, I didn't think he was going to be like injury free until later on. I didn't think he was going to be healthy until a little bit later on. I'm not a doctor, but that was my observation. That was my expectations based on what I've researched. I didn't think he was going to be completely healthy by now. So, how healthy is he if he's not that healthy? Well, that might negatively impact the 76ers. So let's see what happens. Because, you know, we can talk about the clutch factor all the time, or he shrinks in the playoffs. Still, he just needs to be healthy because they have the pieces to make it work. Going up against the Celtics is tough, but we'll talk about it a little bit more. So, y'all heard my biggest surprises in terms of teams. Y'all heard my surprises in terms of players, right? Question marks, if you will. So now let's go over some of the rounds, the team rounds, and see what these and see what we're talking about here. So the Spurs versus the Blazers, right? Again, I mentioned Denny's play has surprised me. I was not expecting him to arrive. I can we can say right now, ladies and gentlemen, Denny Obia might be a top 25 player. I think that's fair to say right now, with no real ranking, top 25. Yes, that's for that's for certain. Then the Spurs game three comeback. Was that uplifting for Spurs fans? It should be. You're down 19 or game four, I'm sorry. You're down 19. Wimby gets injured. And he comes back that game. Well, well, he got injured the game before, but he comes back that game. He's able to get a bucket. At the beginning of the game, he was not getting a bucket. It looked like he could be the reason why they down, but he was able to turn it around. Him and De'Aaron Fox, we gotta start talking about De'Aaron Fox and Victor Wimbenyama as a dynamic duo. Yes, Defon Castle and Dylan Harper both scored or combined had 60 points the game three. But even still, that don't matter because game four is showed that Fox and Wimbenyama might be the best players on their team, still point in time. So a dynamic duo like that, we could be talking. We may need to start talking about them as their dynamic duo and how far can they go. But Spurs versus Portland, I still lean Spurs. Lakers versus Rockets. Like I told y'all, ladies and gentlemen, KD's legacy is in question right now. It was in jeopardy. Even with the injury, you cannot lose the way you have. You have to come back, KD. You have to come back, bro. One, you had nine turnovers in one daggone game. That is disrespectful. You cannot have that happen. Because that was the real reason why your team lost. Like your team played all right, actually. Like it was a winnable game. Actually, the last three games in the series were winnable for Portland. It's baffling that they're down 3-1. It really truly is with no Luka, with no Austin Reeves, maybe that actually should help the Rockets out, having Luca and Austin, because they're not the best defenders. Let's see what happens. I think Austin could come back. But if you don't win Rockets, should they blow it up? Like, should they look to trade for Giannis? Because now Singoon might might not be as dominant as he could be. Okay, cool. So what about Kevin Durant and Giannis with somebody else? Like that would be an interesting trade package right there. Plus, you get Fred Van Fleet back. Fred Van Fleet's stock has not been higher since 2019 when he was in the playoffs and won the championship. Promise you. Because they're looking, the Rockets do not look as great or as stellar as they could be. And I think the point guard play matters. Even though I do like Amin Thompson, and I think this is going to be good for him going forward. I think right now, point in time, Fred Van Fleet, he matters. And it's showing. But they have players who can get a bucket on their team. Could the Rockets end up coming back, like the chances of a game seven? There's still a world where the Rockets do come back. But ladies and gentlemen, it's a slim chance. They need the Slim Reaper to dominate. If that's not happening, if the team can't dominate a little bit more, be more aggressive, they're going to lose. Possibly next game. Which is, again, crazy to say in five. Disgusting. Nuggets versus Wolves. Listen, we got to start asking: is Anthony Edwards actually better than Nikola Jokic? Because every time they go up against one another, Ant-Man is getting the best of Jamal Murray and Nicola Jokic. Like, let's not forget he's knocked them out of the playoffs before. Okay. So, and again, that's this is like they just lost a game after they, and no, not a game, multiple games. After they were called out, we know Jamal Murray can get a bucket. We know Nicola Jokic can get a bucket, and they both can play make. We understand that their team can score pretty well. But Jaden Daniel said Daniel said, they cannot defend. They don't have good defenders. And that's tough. Now, hear me out now. Dante DiVincenzo and Anthony Edwards are both out more than likely for the remainder of this season. Or this series, at least, right? Dante for sure, and I hate the fact that he tore his Achilles. Dang, that sucks. Ant-Man with the hyperextended knee, that's going to be tough. Because now, can the Nuggets come back? What's the chances of them actually getting to a game seven? Again, I just told you, they won. The Wolves just lost two of their starters, their best player in one of those players, and two of their better perimeter defenders. The Nuggets can still get a bucket and defend decently enough to come back and win this series. I would love for the Wolves to advance, but I ain't gonna lie, that Dante injury really does hurt. And shout out AOS DeSumo for getting 43 points. You got a couple of buckets out there. But how often is that going to happen? How often? Is AO gonna have a few more AO moments in the playoffs? I don't know. Let's find out. But we're gonna have to. But in the meantime, I would like to see the Nuggets come back. Because going forward, unless you can tell me Ant-Man is healthy, yeah, I got question marks around it. Because he's supposed to be out for a couple weeks with that bone bruise. But we'll see what happens. Thunder vs. Sun, let's just keep this simple. There's nothing really to question currently. The only thing we got to talk about is we got to note Devin Booker's struggles, right? Like Jalen or Jalen Green, Dylan Brooks, they seem to be playing pretty well. But keep in mind, if D-Book isn't going off, the Sun have no chance of winning against the Thunder. So that's what the Thunder are focusing on. And that could be part of the reason why D-Book is struggling. But can we also think about this? Is he not engaged? Is that a thing? Or is Devin Booker just not good enough to be a first option on the championship team? He has gotten to the finals. But that's the only thing to really note in this series. Jalen Green's actually not had a bad series. Dylan Brooks has been all right. D-Book just has to be able to go off. But with the team that they currently have, it's going to be a little tough. There's a lot on his shoulders. And he's not this top five player that's going to get y'all over the hump. Personally. That's just me, though. But again, there's nothing to really look at from the Thunder perspective. Celtics versus 76ers. Listen, end of the day, Joel Embiid has come back. He got to the free throw line. He played an okay game. Does he have a positive or negative impact? That's what we're going to find out. And what's the chances of this series going the distance? Seven. Because they're down 3-1 right now, if I'm not mistaken. I think there's still a world, but I mean Celtics should advance given what's going on right now, honestly. The Jays out there hooping, shout out to P. Rabbit for doing what he did off the bench, right? 30 points. Celtics just look like the better the better team in terms of execution. Talent-wise, it's a jump ball who has more talent. 76ers could have more talent, actually. But in terms of cohesion, execution, management, coaching, Celtics win that one. So again, ladies and gentlemen, I'd love to see that Joel MB is back on the floor. But I would like to see Joel M doing a little bit less in order for his team to do a little bit more. So if that don't happen, then they're not going to win and they have no chance of getting to a game seven. Now the Pistons versus Magic. Can Cade Cunningham carry the team on his back? He shouldn't have to, because his team was number one. Yes, he did a lot of carrying during the regular season, but someone's got to step up. Jalen Durin. Who's their second banana? Supposed to be Jalen Duran. Is it though? Tobias Harris has looked more consistent than anybody else on the team, just saying. And then we also got to think and wonder: are the Pistons not physical enough? They've only won one game in which they had more free throw attempts. They won the free throw battle only once out of three games. Like the Magic are looking a little bit scrappier. That's all I'm saying. So again, the yeah, the Pistons, y'all are kind of losing your identity from what we saw in the regular season, ladies and gentlemen. That's a little bit scary to note. That really truly is. And we got to see that turn around quickly if the Pistons want to remain in the playoffs in advance. And then finally, the Cavs versus the Raptors. Listen, I'm just gonna say this because I'm tired of hearing this man's name in a positive light to a degree. But if Donovan Mitchell loses yet again, and this is in the first round, he has got to stop being viewed as a star, ladies and gentlemen. I don't think he is. I told people he's a shaky star. One of my friends actually said he finally agrees with me, right? Somebody who I've been trying to hype up for a while now, Scotty Barnes. I think he's starting to make a case for an NBA top 10 player. Whether he is or not, that's another discussion for another day, but he has an argument to be made, especially when you're looking at the playoffs. He's currently averaging 26 points, five rebounds, seven assists, 1.3 steals, 1 block. That's disgusting numbers, ladies and gentlemen. Those are pretty daggone spectacular. Especially when you're looking at the efficiency: 52 from the field, 47% from the three, 76 from the free throw line. Scotty can defend anybody and can get a bucket. And I'm tired of people talking about Donovan Mitchell like he's in that same rep. That's all I'm saying. So that is kind of surprising. If the Raptors win, Donovan Mitchell cannot be viewed as a star anymore. Can he get a bucket? Shakily. I said I don't like the James Harden pairing as well, too, because Donovan Mitchell still has to be a defender. He needs to be on the team where he does not have to be the defender of the guards. There should be a better player to defend. Hell honestly, if you if you actually swap him and LeBron James, that might actually work out if you keep Luca. But even still, he would have to defend. So Donovan Mitchell really has to be on a team where there's a better option on the floor, but he still does not have to be a defensive-minded player. They need to have a defensive-minded guard on their team in order to win. But that's all I got for the Raptors and Cavs, ladies and gentlemen. But ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, that does conclude the end of the episode. So I'm curious which round, well, I'm sorry, which series has been the biggest surprise to you? Which team has been the biggest surprise to you? Which players have been the biggest surprise to you? And then what do you expect from the teams going forward? Who do you expect to win? I'm curious. Let me know your thoughts. I could have talked about the Knicks and Hawks, ladies and gentlemen. I'm going to just say this right now. That might be the most entertaining series to watch. But I'm just being honest with you. So we're going to save that for another discussion for another day. But like I said, ladies and gentlemen, that does conclude the end of the episode. So please make sure to like, subscribe, comment, tell anyone who's anyone about the show. My name is Shrey. I'm the host of Get a Bucket. I hope you're all having a good one. Take care.