First impressions are everything. For Philadelphia 76ers rookie point guard Michael Carter-Williams, his first impression was a thorough domination of the defending NBA champion Miami Heat.
Carter-Williams finished his regular season debut with 22 points, 12 assists, seven rebounds and nine steals on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from the arc as the Sixers pulled off a shocking 114-110 upset. If you’re impressed by those numbers, don’t stand up just yet – Carter-Williams was so good that he will sweep you right back off of your feet.
MCW set an NBA record for steals in a first career appearance. The old mark was six.
Furthermore, Carter-Williams posted the highest number of assists in a career debut since 1985-86. It’s the second-highest mark for any player making their career debut in NBA history.
According to Basketball-Reference.com, the only other players since 1985-86 to begin their career with at least 10 assists were Jason Kidd, Damian Lillard, Damon Stoudamire and Spud Webb.
If that’s not enough, Carter-Williams is one of three players to ever go off for at least 22, 12, seven and nine in any statistical category. It was the first time any player had done it since Johnny Moore in 1985.
That’s not just amongst rookies—that’s in any game by any player.
MCW is the fourth player since 2000 to record at least four steals in a career debut, with the other three being Manu Ginobili, LeBron James and Stephen Curry. That rare company may have different styles of play, but for all of the criticism directed toward Carter-Williams’ jump shot, everyone seemed to overlook his elite physical gifts and dominance as a facilitator and ball hawk.
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One game into his career, Carter-Williams has already joined the ranks of history.
D-12 Already One of Houston’s Elite
Since being signed by the Houston Rockets, Dwight Howard has inevitably been compared and contrasted with the greatest centers in franchise history. From Moses Malone to Hakeem Olajuwon to Yao Ming, Houston has a long line of dominant big men, and that had some questioning whether or not Howard could live up to the hype.
So far, so good.
Howard finished his team debut with 17 points, 26 rebounds, two assists and two blocks on 8-of-14 shooting from the field. It was a vintage performance by the three-time Defensive Player of the Year and it helped him join the ranks of legendary Houston big men.
According to Basketball-Reference.com, Howard became the first Rockets player since Charles Barkley on January 10, 1997 to put up at least 15 points and 25 rebounds. Howard is also the first Houston player to achieve the feat while blocking at least two shots since Barkley did it on December 4, 1996.
It’s safe to say Howard is prepared to live up to the hype.
Additional Notes
- Going up against Carter-Williams, LeBron James finished with 25 points and 13 assists. It was the 15th time in his career that he’s posted at least 25 and 13.
- Cleveland Cavaliers forward Anthony Bennett, the No. 1 overall draft choice in Carter-Williams’ draft class, was 0-for-5 from the field in his career debut.
- Bennett’s teammate, Andrew Bynum, suited up for the first time in 527 days. He finished with three points, three rebounds, two assists and two blocks in eight minutes after missing the entire 2012-13 regular season with a recurring knee injury.
- Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson scored a career-high 38 points vs. the Lakers. His previous regular season high was 32 on Jan. 29, 2013 vs. Cleveland. He also scored 34 points in Game 2 of last season’s Western Conference semifinals at San Antonio.
- Paul Pierce scored 17 points and Kevin Garnett grabbed 10 rebounds during their first game with the Brooklyn Nets. Jeff Green scored 25 points in his first game replacing Pierce for the Boston Celtics.
- After blocking seven shots in his season debut, Roy Hibbert added five swats on night two. This is the second time in Hibbert’s career that he’s blocked at least five shots in consecutive games.
- Kevin Durant scored 40 points and was 22-of-24 from the free throw line.
Max Ogden is a regular contributor to SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter.