The Athletic NBA Daily: Austin Reaves Game Winner + Early Season NBA Trends

Released: October 30, 2025
Hosts: Dave DuFour, Zena Keita
Guest: Hunter Patterson

Episode Overview

This episode recaps a thrilling NBA slate highlighted by Austin Reaves' game winner, the Chicago Bulls’ surprising strong start, key early-season league trends (fouling, three-point shooting), and a deep-dive conversation with Pistons beat writer Hunter Patterson on Detroit’s promising young core and their big win over Orlando. The discussion balances light banter with thoughtful, data-driven analysis, offering takes on player development, team outlooks, and what’s “real” so early in the season.

Austin Reaves’ Game Winner & Breakout Performance

[02:08–06:52]

• Dave opens by calling out an “insane” scoring stretch for Austin Reaves, who lifted the Lakers (missing both LeBron and Luka) to victory over the Timberwolves (no Anthony Edwards). Reaves poured in 28 points and 16 assists, now up to 34.2 PPG in his last five games.
  • “Austin Reeves just busted open the door like a bull in a china shop.” (Dave, 02:38)
• Zena marvels at Reaves’ clutch shot, breaking down the last play:
  • “All of that is maturity, right?...He has responded so well to the pressure. And I love it—because it’s the ultimate underdog story.” (Zena, 04:13)
  • Stats: Doubled his free throw attempts, up 5% in 3PT%, scoring up 16 PPG over last year.
• Dave recalls last year’s narrative that Reaves was the league’s best 3rd option, and wonders out loud:
  • “I wonder if someone’s going to start saying, ‘wonder if we could trade for Austin Reaves? Could we throw a haul at the Lakers?’” (Dave, 05:37)
• Zena sees no reason his production can’t continue: “Absolutely...as much as LeBron is going to be sitting, you are absolutely going to see Austin Reaves be the guy.”

Chicago Bulls’ Surprise Hot Start

[06:52–09:20]

• The Bulls are 4–0, leading the East—a “hang the banner” moment, jokes Dave.
  • “They are very good at doing a thing that bad NBA teams...don’t—you can be decent just by playing hard every second of the game.” (Dave, 07:22)
• Zena highlights defensive improvements: Top five in defensive rating, keeping opponents under 110 PPG.
• Dave calls it “a little bit of fool’s gold”: The Bulls are giving up threes, but opponents just aren't hitting them (yet). “Defensive shooting luck” might not last a full season.
• Key positives:
  • Developing young talent (Matas Buzelis)
  • Good early wins (Detroit, Orlando, Hawks, Kings)
  • Tough schedule ahead (Knicks, Sixers)—can they stay on this pace?

Early Season League Trends

Fouls and Free Throws Are Way Up

[09:20–13:58]

• Dave points out: “We’re currently on pace to shoot the most free throws since the 1990–91 season…”
  • “The officiating is too much. They’re kind of putting handcuffs on players as far as defense goes.” (Dave, 11:08)
• Zena explains why: Increase in “high five contests” (foul calls on closeouts); players and refs alike are adjusting to new points of emphasis.
  • “It's making closeouts look a little bit awkward...players are going to have to adjust.” (Zena, 12:19)
• Dave predicts balance will return: Players and refs both adapt; “I want hand checking anyway.”
• Zena notes the women’s NCAA hot touch rule as a parallel, emphasizing that leagues are rethinking what really impedes a driver.

Thunder’s Early Three-Point Shooting Struggles

[13:59–16:20]

• Defending champion Thunder are 5–0 but shooting a dreadful 28.8% from 3—dead last in NBA.
  • “That is abysmal—making their life difficult...struggling until crunch time when Shea [Gilgeous-Alexander] takes over.” (Dave, 13:59)
• Zena expects regression: “They were just under 38% last year...I don’t think it’s going to be sustainable; eventually it’s going to hurt them.”
• Team strengths: Improved offensive rebounding; still launching lots of threes (2nd in league in attempts); defense covering for shooting woes.

Detroit Pistons’ Turnaround & Cade Cunningham’s Big Night

[20:13–29:51]
With guest Hunter Patterson (Pistons beat)

Cade Cunningham’s Historic Game

• Pistons improve to 3–2, beating Orlando 135–116.
• Hunter: “He is the first person in NBA history with 30+ points, 10+ assists, 3+ steals, 3+ blocks, and no turnovers in a game.” (21:32)
  • Cade had been averaging 5.5 turnovers, so this discipline is a big step forward.
  • Teams are defending him hard (“packing the paint”)—Hunter notes Cade is adapting well by getting off the ball sooner.
  • Zena: “Cade Cunningham is going to get his; it’s just a matter of more reps...”

Pistons’ Bench Identity & Jalen Duren’s Leap

• Detroit’s bench praised: “They remind the starters of the identity of the team—to be on the ground for loose balls, on the offensive glass, and regaining that grit.” (Hunter, 23:11)
• Big man Jalen Duren had 21 points, 12 rebounds: “He’s been a monster on the offensive glass...he and Cade have great chemistry in pick and roll situations.” (Hunter, 24:44)
  • Allowed to “initiate offense” more, showing surprising skills off the dribble.

High-Scoring Game—But Offenses Still Developing

• Despite big point totals, both Pistons and Magic are struggling with efficiency:
  “They’re in the bottom five, bottom ten in all those categories [FG%, eFG%, 3P%] across the board.” (Zena, 25:37)
• Defense or officiating?
  • 50+ fouls in the game, disrupting flow but juicing the scoreboard via free throws.

Orlando Magic—Disappointing Start, Rotation Uncertainty

[28:05–29:51]

• Hunter notes Magic’s rotation is unsettled: Several young players (Tristan Da Silva, Jace Richardson, Jet Howard) are still trying to find minutes.
  • “They are in the process of just figuring out what their rotation is, and right now it doesn’t really seem like it’s too solidified.” (Hunter, 28:56)
• “To give up 135 points to a team still looking to figure out their offensive identity is not boding well for you.” (Hunter, 30:54)
• Dave’s takeaway: “It’s amazing how early it can get late when you have expectations of home court advantage…”

Notable Quotes

• “It’s the ultimate underdog story. And you want to root for Austin Reaves when he’s doing things like this.” (Zena, 04:13)
• “You can be decent just by playing hard every single second...these guys just never stop.” (Dave, 07:22)
• “We're currently on pace to shoot the most free throws since the 1990–91 season…” (Dave, 10:22)
• “It’s amazing how early it can get late when you have expectations of home court advantage.” (Dave, 29:51)
• “He is the first person in NBA history with 30 plus, 10 plus, 3 plus steals, 3 plus blocks and no turnovers in a game. That’s a huge accomplishment for him.” (Hunter, 21:32)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:08 — Show opens, Dave and Zena on Austin Reaves’ game winner and leap
• 04:13 — Zena on maturity and player development (Reaves)
• 06:52 — Bulls’ undefeated start and defensive “mirage” debate
• 09:20 — NBA foul and free throw trends (historical context)
• 13:59 — Thunder’s shooting/early struggles
• 20:13 — Detroit Pistons segment with Hunter Patterson begins
• 21:32 — Cade Cunningham’s historic stat line
• 23:11 — Pistons’ bench identity and impact
• 24:44 — Jalen Duren’s emergence and offensive skills
• 25:37 — Zena on Pistons and Magic offensive struggles
• 28:05 — Orlando’s disappointing start, rotation questions

Overall Tone & Takeaways

• Playful but sharp, with a focus on both high-level trends and team-specific insight.
• Hosts balance excitement over breakout performances (Austin Reaves, Bulls) with measured skepticism about sustainability (defensive luck, three-point shooting regression).
• Deep respect given to adjustments (by players, teams, refs) necessary in any NBA “early season weirdness.”
• Smart, stat-savvy context for why some things might not last, and which trends watchers should track most in the coming weeks.

“As a former Bulls fan...man, what a throwback.”
— Dave DuFour, [09:20]