None of this feels real to me. Not yet, anyway. It’s like we’re floating through an ethereal state of existence somewhere between awake and asleep. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something still feels off. The season has started. The music is playing. The lights are on. Is anyone home?

This was a win. From a basketball standpoint, the Spurs went out there against an overmatched Kings lineup and, mercifully, followed the script. They jumped on them immediately and never let up. Lobs, threes, blocks, the works. It all ran like a well-oiled machine, and we were treated to a comfortable, easy win that doesn’t require much analysis. The Spurs are better than the Kings. Let’s pack it up and call it a day, yeah?

Because no one needs me to come into this space and tell you that when Julian Champagnie hits eight threes off the bench, the Spurs are hard to beat. It’s not breaking news that Wemby will have a big night if he gets unfettered access to the lane on barely contested pick-and-rolls. I’m not getting a Pulitzer for informing the noble readers of this site that if every team were the Sacramento Kings, we could start planning the parade right now.

All due respect to the Kings, who I know are a real NBA team, but all of this brings me back to a nagging feeling in my gut that we’re stuck in some sort of basketball purgatory where nothing is beautiful and everything is fine. The stakes are real, but the outcomes feel perfunctory. Or maybe it’s just me.

Look, I think I maybe died in June. Not literally, obviously, I’m still here typing away, but somewhere between the double-overtime Game 1 against OKC, the OG Tip-In, and the Knicks holding the trophy on our court, the part of me that does the feeling sort of got used up. I think I just forgot how much effort the playoffs require. How locked in you get, night after night after night. You redline it like that for long enough without the payoff of actually winning and then you’re just sitting there feeling empty. Waiting for it all to click on again.

I wrote after the opening night Thunder game that I didn’t feel ready for the season to start, and I’m starting to think the season wasn’t ready either. The whole league seems to be out of whack in oddly specific ways. The Knicks hung their long-awaited banner and then became the first defending champs to start 0-3 since the 2011-12 Mavericks. The Nuggets got booed at their home opener, lost by 20 to the Warriors, and Jokic is snapping back at the crowd. The Heat got Giannis and promptly turned into the Bucks. I’m even seeing reports that LeBron James is a Sixer? That can’t be right.

What else, what else. The Thunder are 4-0 and also might be in crisis. Jalen Williams was carried off the floor Sunday with a gruesome leg injury, Cason Wallace is headed for shoulder surgery, and Chet Holmgren is out with a bad knee. Are they, like, already maybe done? The new-look Wolves were off to a great start until word came down Tuesday that Ant is having knee surgery and will miss up to two months, a day after he scored 47 playing on it. Even Certified Iron Man Kawhi Leonard might miss some time with a swollen knee! (Ok, actually that checks out.) Meanwhile, Memphis and Portland are sitting near the top of the West. Just like we all predicted!

In that sense, I suppose the relatively routine nature of the Spurs romping over the Kings last night was a welcome sign of life. Something happened the way it was supposed to. The shots went in. No one got hurt. The crowd cheered and we all moved on to the next thing.

I just can’t wrap my arms around any of it yet, and I don’t think I want to. This is the preseason, for all intents and purposes. From now on, I’m going to try to just let this stuff happen however it needs to happen. Go smooth-brained with it. Shake off the losses, ignore the wins, and clap like a seal when there’s a big dunk or a loud noise. It’s fine. It’s all fine. Or it’s not. Whatever.

Late in the fourth quarter, with the game long decided, Harrison Barnes rose up over Alex Karaban and the whole building went nuts as he threw it down. The bench was on its feet. The announcers fell apart. Wemby even said afterward that he stood up so quick he got dizzy, and his explanation for all the commotion was simply that everybody loves Barnes.

Maybe that’s it. The season started before we were ready and we simply stood up too fast. The blood rushed to our heads, the room tilted a bit, and the whole place got a little too loud for a few seconds. We couldn’t tell whether we were waking up or just finally losing it for good. Honestly, I’ll take either. In a league where up is down and left is right, the most meaningful thing that happened in this game was a dunk that didn’t matter. It could be that it was just nice to feel some synapses firing again, if only for a moment.

We’re all losing our minds. Or maybe we lost them already. Either way, the lights are on.

It’s time to go home.

Takeaways:

• I just can’t help feeling like the season doesn’t actually start until Tobias Harris gets in the mix. He’s the skeleton key that unlocks this whole thing. Has to be.
• It’s really frustrating to watch this game and feel like this is how the whole thing is supposed to look but, because it came against the Kings, it’s hard to feel like it matters. It’s a scientific result that happened in a vacuum. It’s a scrimmage against cardboard cutouts and traffic cones. I liked it. I was happy with it. I don’t trust it even a little bit.
• That said, made shots beget made shots beget made shots. Mitch has emphasized a few times this season that the process for getting looks has been good and that the shots going in was a matter of time. Well, tonight they went in. The Spurs came in shooting 31.2 percent from three and went 17-of-37, including 13-of-22 before halftime, and we were all treated to just how effective this offense can look when that happens.
• I know Wemby can’t be this aggressive against every team, but it would have been more worrying if he hadn’t taken full advantage of a night like this. He missed all three of his threes and still scored 29, because 18 of his 21 shots were twos, including nine dunks, five of them off lobs. So everyone here at WWL headquarters is going to go ahead and give him a polite golf clap anyway.

WWL Post Game Press Conference

So you’re having trouble getting out of the blocks this season?

I really am. I wish I could say that I’ll stop talking about it sometime soon but I’m not sure I can make that kind of a commitment. I’m adrift. I’m waltzing around in no man’s land. I’m lost on the Penrose stairs in an infinite loop of wondering when this season will feel like it’s actually real.

It seems to me like you flew too close to the sun and now you’re trying to dig out of the hole with as many metaphors as possible.

I’m looking for any port in a storm.

Sounds like you’re just spinning your wheels.

I’m certainly burning the candle at both ends, I’ll tell you that much for free.

Maybe you’re missing the forest for the trees?

I probably just put the cart before the horse.

It’s still early, no need to clutch at straws just yet.

I’ll try not to beat a dead horse.

Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Gotta keep pounding the rock.

Small-ball lineups have been the bane of Jordan Ott’s existence during his early tenure with the Phoenix Suns, as through his first season and three games, it appears that they simply don’t work. The team compromises on rebounding to prioritize athleticism and flexibility. In theory, you should be able to play five out and shoot the ball effectively, but the Suns aren’t particularly good at shooting the ball.

But here’s where two harsh realities need to take root, at least based on the small sample size we’ve experienced through the first three games. First off, you don’t have to look exclusively at small-ball lineups to recognize the undeniable truth that the starting five hasn’t played particularly well together either. The combination of Booker, Brooks, Bridges, Green, and Khaman Maluach has logged 37 minutes together, producing a net rating of -35.5 and an offensive rating of 94.7.

The second is that small-ball lineups exist within the Phoenix Suns’ ecosystem out of necessity rather than by schematic preference. Ott isn’t sending Miles Bridges out there at the five because he thinks it’s a strategic advantage. Mark Williams is injured. Oso Ighodaro is injured. That’s a seven-footer and a 6’10” big man who are simply unavailable. The Suns are rolling out small ball lineups because they have to.

And yes, some of those lineups have been absolutely blasted early on. To the moon. Take the combination of Collin Gillespie, Jalen Green, Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks, and Miles Bridges. That group has played a total of 6 minutes across 2 games and has a net rating of -105.2. I didn’t know that was possible. It is.

What’s interesting, however, is that the five-man lineup with the second-most minutes played this season features Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin, Luke Kennard, Miles Bridges, and Ryan Dunn. Would you call that one small? I sure would. Yet that group has an offensive rating of 131.8, a defensive rating of 100.0, and a net rating of +31.8. Gasp!

So all this pounding the table about the small-ball lineups Ott is putting on the floor is based on a false premise. He’s not doing it by design, and within that context, one of the combinations he’s deployed has actually been productive.

If your response is, “Well, they should throw Rasheer Fleming into the fold because he has size,” let’s remember a few things. First, he’s still only 6’9”… so he would be too small as compared to the opposing center’s size. Second, think back to the preseason and the challenges he experienced in understanding his spacing and where he needed to be on the floor. Now ask him to know where to be as a five. Good luck with that. Third, when Fleming has played as the small-ball five alongside Gillespie, Goodwin, Bridges, and Dunn, that group has produced an offensive rating of 33.3 and a net rating of -36.7 over five minutes. That ‘disease of what if’ relative to Fleming isn’t a quality argument for his insertion into this shit show.

There’s a lot wrong with this team right now, of that there is no doubt. And once again, we’re searching for the person responsible, the individual upon whom we can place the blame. For some people, that finger points directly at Jordan Ott. I’m not suggesting he’s without sin in this situation. I’m simply making the point that the small ball philosophy is being forced upon him rather than chosen, much like what we witnessed during the back end of last season.

Even within those circumstances, there are some positives worth recognizing. The Suns have real problems to solve, and small ball hasn’t exactly covered itself in glory through the first three games. But context matters. Phoenix is playing without its two primary centers, the starting lineup hasn’t found its footing, and at least one smaller combination has produced encouraging results. Jordan Ott deserves scrutiny, but he also deserves a fair evaluation of the circumstances he’s navigating. Before we declare small ball a failed experiment, let’s see what happens when the Suns actually have the personnel to make other choices.

Don’t let this little nugget go unnoticed.

With so much going on in Mavsland, including an intriguing matchup on Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder, some good news on the injury front may add another wrinkle to the vibes surrounding the team.

The team’s PR machine announced on Tuesday that stretch big man Santi Aldama, whom the Mavericks acquired in a six-team draft day deal in July, has been assigned to the Texas Legends “to practice with the team as part of his return-to-play protocol.”

Thrown in with that announcement is an upgrade for Aldama on the team’s injury report ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Thunder from “out” to “doubtful.” And on top of that, was this note attached to the end of the MavsPR update:

“He will scrimmage with the team and be recalled following practice without appearing in any games for the Legends.”

As of this writing, that scrimmage has likely already taken place. So, it should stand to reason, then, when the Dallas Morning News reported alongside the announcement that “it appears possible that Aldama could make his debut on either Friday or Monday.”

Indeed, the PR machine basically confirmed as much when they gave a further update later in the day on Tuesday: that Aldama had been recalled from the Legends after practicing with the team.

The Mavericks host the Houston Rockets on Friday and the Sacramento Kings on Monday in the last two legs of the team’s first homestand of the season. That Rockets game is also the first group-stage matchup of the NBA Cup for the Mavs.

Dallas has turned some heads in the first four games of the season, with wins at the Indiana Pacers, in Tyrese Haliburton’s Welcome Home Game after missing last season recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon, and at the new-look Miami Heat, who remade their roster behind Giannis Antetokounmpo after nabbing the superstar in an offseason trade. Adding a stretch big to the mix after those early results, who scored 15 points per game last season (albeit in just 43 games), could elevate the Mavericks to a level many didn’t expect this year.

Joining the team five or six games into the season is pretty close to the best-case scenario we wrote about in Aldama’s purposefully vague player preview profile before the season started. He’ll need time to work his way into shape and into his role in a new team at the same time.

But if he can run the floor and fill lanes to shoot like he did with the Memphis Grizzlies, he definitely fits next to Cooper Flagg, as well as a true weapon off the bench.

He’s a versatile player. That gives us some level of confidence the veteran entering his sixth year will find a role and fill it successfully.

A little bit of excitement is gathering behind this young Mavericks bunch. The news about Aldama’s injury status should only serve to fill the fanbase’s sails with a little more hot air.

Washington Wizards forward AJ Dybantsa will play today against the Cleveland Cavaliers, according to the team.

Share your thoughts in the comments below. I’d imagine they are positive.

After making two preseason appearances earlier this month, rookie Cameron Carr hasn’t suited up since Oct. 6 as he navigates a right oblique strain. But according to Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick, Carr is making clear progress and practiced with the Coachella Valley Lakers on Tuesday.

“He was able to do a full practice today,” Redick told reporters prior to Tuesday’s loss against the Portland Trail Blazers. “[With] five games in seven nights, we’re not going to be able to practice this week. [We] wanted to be cognizant of his ramp up and what he needed to do to be back in our lineup. Today was a good step for him.”

Carr participating in a full practice is a crucial checkpoint on his road to recovery. The oblique strain hasn’t really hindered his ability to stay well-conditioned but the organization wanted to ensure he could handle the bumps and bruises associated with the sport’s physical nature. On Tuesday, Carr accomplished that.

“Well, we needed him to be able to get through a full practice. So that’s probably a very important step,” Redick said. “Obviously, he was able to do some level of conditioning because it was an upper body injury. Wanted make sure he’s able to take hits and able to be in shape.”

In Carr’s preseason debut against the Sacramento Kings, he delighted to the tune of 19 points (7-of-13 shooting, 3-of-7 from deep), three rebounds, two assists and two steals. A day later against the Golden State Warriors, he didn’t offer as rosy an encore with five points (1-of-4 shooting, 1-of-3 from deep) and two steals.

Presumably, Carr will earn plenty of run with Coachella Valley once he’s fully healthy this season, so familiarizing himself with those surroundings certainly can’t hurt. He’ll join the Lakers’ trio of two-way guys, Arthur Kaluma, Chris Mañon and AK Okereke, as a significant G League contributor who also spends lots of time with the big league club.

Coachella Valley begins its season Nov. 6 against the Salt Lake City Stars as part of the G League Tip-Off Tournament.

You can follow Jackson on Twitter at @jackfrank_jjf.