Kobe and LeBron once again are the NBA's most intriguing stars

The most awaited games in the first week of the NBA season unsurprisingly included two of the most influential players of our era: Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Many fans were excited to have Kobe Bryant, the future Hall-of-Famer, back with the Los Angeles Lakers after an entire season on the sidelines while recovering from a left knee injury. A look at Bryant’s stats from the first two games against the Houston Rockets and the Phoenix Suns reveal that there is no slowing down for the Black Mamba.

Bryant was quick to make an immediate impact on the offensive end, scoring 19 and 39 points in the two games, respectively. His scoring ability and offensive patterns didn’t seem rusty after being away for a year. However, the Lakers ended up losing both games despite Kobe’s efforts. The main reason for this is their extremely weak roster. With Nick Young and Steve Nash both out with injuries, the Lakers have had to rely solely on Kobe to score from the guard position. The highly touted rookie Julius Randle from the University of Kentucky severely injured his leg while playing against the Rockets, an injury that could cost him the season. Jeremy Lin is simply not playing smart basketball with the Lakers. Carlos Boozer, who was picked up by the Lakers in the offseason, isn't showing the same energy he had with the Chicago Bulls. Simply put, the Lakers don’t have a second scorer who can support Kobe. The Lakers need to make some serious adjustments if they want to go to the playoffs this year.

LeBron James coming back to the Cleveland Cavaliers, his hometown team, headlined the NBA news this offseason. The best player in the league now has all-stars Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving in his corner. The Cavs, however, looked a bit shaky in their season opener against the New York Knicks. LeBron had a nightmare game with eight turnovers, and the Cavs' big three just couldn’t play well together. The Cavs’ offense came from the players’ personal talent and not from collective efforts. Cleveland ended up losing to New York by five, with Carmelo Anthony leading the charge and netting 25 points. The Cavs' squad bounced right back in their second game against the Bulls, however, when the big three led the team to its first victory of the season. 

Another big story this past week was Kemba Walker's opening night performance against the Milwaukee Bucks. Walker hit a 21-foot jump shot with five seconds left in the overtime to lift the Hornets to victory, one that erased a 24-point third quarter deficit, marking the largest comeback in Charlotte’s history.

Newcomers in the league always receive hype, and this season there are many new faces fans should focus on. Andrew Wiggins, this year’s number one pick, possesses surreal athleticism, though he has been inconsistent in his first couple of bouts as a pro. Jabari Parker, who was drafted second, is a natural perimeter scorer who can put up points on a daily basis. A few more of the extremely talented rookies include Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers, Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic, Nik Stauskas of the Sacramento Kings and Zach LaVine of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

On the other side of the spectrum, a few players nearing the end of their careers hope to solidify their spots in NBA history by moving up the leaderboards for a few important stats. This year, Kobe Bryant is looking to surpass Michael Jordan to take third on the NBA all-time-scoring list. Both Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett are trying to improve their standings as 10th and 11th on the all-time-rebound list. Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors is continuing his unreal shooting performance from 3-point land, already having netted more than 900 3-pointers.

Though the season has only just kicked off, fans of the NBA already have a lot of storylines to work with. While the usual stars are making headlines early on, it will be interesting to see which teams and players emerge as conference leaders as the season progresses.