The Rotation: Beyond the Early-Season Noise

Two weeks into the 2026-27 NBA season is rarely enough time to cement a narrative. As CBS Sports first reported, no team has played even 10% of its schedule, and outlier stretches are a standard part of the league's volatility. We saw this last January with the New York Knicks, who endured a 2-9 stretch despite being mostly healthy.

However, the danger of the 'early-season panic' narrative is that it can mask genuine structural decay. When looking at the current landscape, some teams are simply shaking off rust, while others are facing fundamental breakdowns.

Take the New York Knicks, for example. Despite a slow start to their title defense, CBS Sports suggests the concerns are relatively light. While coach Mike Brown has criticized the offense for standing around rather than utilizing the motion machine that defined their championship playoff run, the team remains competitive, with all four of their losses coming by single digits. There are individual concerns—Jalen Brunson's shooting is down across the board following offseason wrist surgery, and Mikal Bridges has seen a slip in on-ball defense—but the core formula remains intact. For the Knicks, the slow start is a matter of rhythm, not a collapse of identity.

Contrast that with the situation in Denver. The Nuggets are currently 3-3, and while their defensive struggles and low 3-point volume are historical norms for the franchise, the structural crack is the sudden vulnerability of their centerpiece. According to CBS Sports, Nikola Jokić—the dominant force of the 2020s—has appeared 'human' so far this season, failing to paper over the team's predictable flaws. When the primary engine of an offense stops masking the systemic weaknesses, the margin for error vanishes. Furthermore, Aaron Gordon is struggling to find easy looks or finish effectively at the rim, though CBS Sports notes this may be a result of Gordon spending much of the last two seasons injured.

Then there is the Utah Jazz, who sit at 1-6. While the Jazz are young and asset-rich, their current offensive output is jarring, ranking 29th in the league. The struggle is compounded by a rookie transition; Darryn Peterson has struggled to get to the basket or the free-throw line, and his fit with Keyonte George has been clunky. The Jazz's interior defense is also in flux after trading Walker Kessler to the Lakers for Jaren Jackson Jr., who is currently out of action due to a torn MCL. While the return of Jusuf Nurkić could provide relief, the early data suggests a team struggling to find a cohesive identity on both ends of the floor.

In the NBA, the first few weeks are a taste, not the full meal. But for teams like Denver, the early signs suggest that the usual safety nets are gone.