Three weeks into the 2026-27 NBA season, several veterans are defying expectations, and one new-look contender is finding its footing. Stephen Curry has turned back the clock, Dyson Daniels is doing stuff that hasn’t been done in decades and the Heat have won four of six after a winless start. Klay Thompson has caught fire, Davion Mitchell ranks fourth in the league in assists and Giannis Antetokounmpo is back to his MVP ways, while Andrew Wiggins‘ slump has opened the door for Pelle Larsson. This breakdown covers which hot starts are sustainable, which slumps are buy-low opportunities and who deserves a spot in your 2026-27 fantasy basketball lineup.
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors 
Curry is defying Father Time with an impressive start to his 18th season. The 38-year-old is averaging 30.6 points per game, which would lead the league if not for Luka Doncic‘s incredible run. Nonetheless, Curry is not only scoring with fluidity, but he is also doing so with incredible efficiency, shooting 50.3 percent from the field, including 45.7 percent from deep. Of course, he also continues to thrive from the foul line, hitting a magnificent 98.7 percent of his free throws. Moreover, he is taking care of the ball, boasting an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.4, which would rank as the second-highest of his career. His current pace would have him on track for one of his best seasons yet, which would be an incredible feat at this stage.
He also recently passed LeBron
Three weeks into the 2026-27 NBA season, several veterans are defying expectations, and one new-look contender is finding its footing. Stephen Curry has turned back the clock, Dyson Daniels is doing stuff that hasn’t been done in decades and the Heat have won four of six after a winless start. Klay Thompson has caught fire, Davion Mitchell ranks fourth in the league in assists and Giannis Antetokounmpo is back to his MVP ways, while Andrew Wiggins‘ slump has opened the door for Pelle Larsson. This breakdown covers which hot starts are sustainable, which slumps are buy-low opportunities and who deserves a spot in your 2026-27 fantasy basketball lineup.
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Curry is defying Father Time with an impressive start to his 18th season. The 38-year-old is averaging 30.6 points per game, which would lead the league if not for Luka Doncic‘s incredible run. Nonetheless, Curry is not only scoring with fluidity, but he is also doing so with incredible efficiency, shooting 50.3 percent from the field, including 45.7 percent from deep. Of course, he also continues to thrive from the foul line, hitting a magnificent 98.7 percent of his free throws. Moreover, he is taking care of the ball, boasting an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.4, which would rank as the second-highest of his career. His current pace would have him on track for one of his best seasons yet, which would be an incredible feat at this stage.
He also recently passed LeBron James for the most 40-point games by a player age 35 or older, recording his 16th such game and second of the season. Additionally, in the same outing, he broke his own record as the oldest point guard to drop 40 points, five rebounds and five assists in a game.
Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks 
Daniels has been an absolute stud to start the season, becoming the first player since Scottie Pippen in 1994 to total over 100 points, 75 rebounds, 50 assists and 30 steals through his first 11 games of the season. He is averaging 9.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 3.0 steals through 12 total games. He has posted three outings with at least five swipes and leads the league in steals per game. He also handles the ball with poise, recording 4.6 assists per turnover, an incredible ratio that ranks as his career best so far.
He has already developed a reputation as a pickpocket, but it’s impressive to witness his increasing ability to contribute in other areas. He’s averaging a career-best mark in rebounds per game and is on track to average over five assists a night for the second straight season. On the other hand, his offensive versatility remains a bit limited, as he has knocked down only two three-pointers this season despite averaging 1.3 attempts per game. His free-throw shooting also continues to lag, as he’s hitting just 57.1 percent from the line.
The Miami Heat 
A four-game losing streak to start the season had even the most forgiving analysts questioning what was going on with the Heat. It was fair to expect some growing pains with such drastic changes to the lineup in the offseason, including having to integrate a high-usage player like Giannis Antetokounmpo and parting ways with a couple of good playmakers in Tyler Herro and Jaime Jaquez. The rough start was surely tough to swallow for everyone involved, especially since it raised questions about whether the new dynamic between Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo would ever work. However, the squad has since gone 4-2, providing a bit of hope for better things to come.
The Heat are attempting 39.7 three-pointers per game, which ranks 12th most in the league, but they are hitting just 34.0 percent from deep, which ranks 10th lowest. Despite having two of the more dominant interior players in the game, they do not rank inside the top 10 in terms of free throws (13th) or points in the paint (11th) per game. Additionally, they are struggling on the glass, with just 42.1 rebounds per game, which is the ninth-lowest mark in the league. Meanwhile, on the defensive end, they are giving up the league’s fifth-most points (121.1) per game, including the most three-pointers (16.4).
Now for a look at some of the trends among the individual starters, beginning on a positive note with the improved play of Klay Thompson. Thompson averaged a measly 7.8 points on 31.7 percent shooting through the first five games of the season but has picked up his play drastically since then. The 14-year vet is averaging 21.6 points on 52.8 percent shooting, including a blistering 50.0 percent from deep over the last five games, and he knocked down a game-winner to help spark the squad’s anticipated turnaround.
Davion Mitchell has been another bright spot, averaging 16.2 points on 50.4 percent shooting, along with 8.5 assists per game, which ranks fourth most in the league. He has already racked up double-digit assists on six occasions, a mark he reached just nine times last season. Add in his average of 1.2 steals per game and the sixth-year guard is looking like one of the most efficient and productive point guards through the first few weeks of the season.
Bam Adebayo drew a lot of criticism after two single-digit scoring performances through the first four games, but he has since found his groove, averaging 23.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.2 steals over the last six outings. He is shooting 53.0 percent from the field through 10 games and is averaging just 3.3 three-point attempts per game, down from a career-high 5.5 last season.
Unfortunately, Andrew Wiggins is in the midst of one of the worst stretches of his career, averaging just 8.3 points on 40.2 percent shooting, 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 26.4 minutes per game. He is also struggling to get to the foul line, with just six free throws attempted through 10 games. He’s having a hard time finding his place in the new offense, which could lead Erik Spoelstra to make Pelle Larsson a full-time starter, as Larsson is averaging 11.1 points on 45.7 percent shooting in 29.4 minutes per game.
Lastly, Giannis Antetokounmpo has been fulfilling his side of the bargain, averaging 27.5 points, 12.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.1 blocks through 10 games. He finished with fewer than 20 points just once in that stretch and already has eight double-doubles, including two triple-doubles. He is averaging 2.5 three-point attempts per game, which is his most since 2022-23, but he is hitting only 20.0 percent from deep. He also continues to show unimpressive free-throw efficiency, shooting 62.2 percent from the stripe.