The 10 most important developments, starting with the 5 eliminations of the 2023-24 NBA season

WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Inception 5.

New Netflix documentary series Starting from 5 leaves out some important stories and details about the 2023-24 NBA season. Starting from 5 offers extensive deep dive into the 2023-24 NBA season through the exclusive lenses of five elite players. Directed by Peter J. Scalettar (Senior Team) and producers Barack and Michelle Obama (Leave the world behind), Starting from 5 takes a behind-the-scenes look at the off-game lives of five of the NBA’s biggest stars. Starting from 5 He is followed by Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings, Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat, Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Starting from 5 also features never-before-seen footage of these five NBA talents during the regular season and playoffs, including previously unreleased audio and in-game commentary between players, coaches and other NBA personnel. The series carefully compiles some common themes between these five NBA superstars, such as their personal battles with injury, legacy and fame, as well as their roles as fathers, partners and public figures. Starting from 5 has a great soundtrack and comes out just one day after the start of the 2024-25 NBA preseason. chronicling the entire 2023-24 season up until the Boston Celtics’ victory in the NBA Finals. in June 2024.

Starting from 5 doesn’t put much emphasis on its core group of star talent, hence the name. It also doesn’t touch on anything too scandalous or controversial, as it truly feels like a promotional series highlighting not only the best basketball players in the world, but the NBA itself. Looks like a Netflix series about football. Defender And RecipientThe series focuses on the positives and exclusive lifestyle benefits of some of the NBA’s biggest stars. It’s almost voyeuristic to be a fly on the wall in the homes of select NBA stars, showing a relatively normal and human side of these prominent sports figures.

10

JJ Redick to replace Darwin Ham as Lakers head coach after Dan Hurley bows out of role

Former NBA player Redick has never coached in the NBA before.

While head coaches like Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics and Mike Brown of the Sacramento Kings appeared in the Starting 5 and gave exclusive sit-down interviews, 2023-24 Lakers head coach Darwin Ham was not included into the Netflix series. This is likely due to the fact that the Lakers organization parted ways with Ham after he spent two seasons as their head coach. Although the Lakers moved from 5th to 3rd place in the Western Conference’s Pacific Division last year, The Lakers lost 4 games to 1 to the 2023 NBA champion Denver Nuggets..

Although the first round game against the Nuggets was an uphill battle for the Lakers from the start, the series loss ultimately cost Ham his job. The Lakers were actively pursuing the University of Connecticut head coach and two-time NCAA champion. Dan Hurley, who turned down a role and a huge salary to stay in his current position. The Lakers then hired former NBA player and TV analyst JJ Redick to coach LeBron James, Anthony David and Bronny Jr. for the upcoming 2024-25 season.

9

Jaylen Brown won NBA Finals MVP over Jayson Tatum (who won Eastern Conference MVP)

Tatum seemed unfazed and happy for his superstar teammate in the starting 5.

While much of the Celtics’ focus during the 2024 championship season was on Jayson Tatum, it was his teammate and fellow superstar Jaylen Brown who ultimately won the NBA Finals MVP title over him. Tatum is generally considered the Celtics’ best player.although Brown, who was once the league’s highest paid player, certainly isn’t far behind.

Tatum briefly touches on the fact that he didn’t take home the Finals MVP trophy in Starting from 5but sees it as a sign just how talented the Celtics were and remain heading into the 2024-2025 NBA season.. Tatum was all smiles after taking home the Celtics’ 18th championship and wasn’t worried about Brown winning the MVP award, especially since he had won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP award weeks earlier.

8

Miami Heat President Pat Riley publicly criticized Jimmy Butler for trolling the Celtics

Butler criticized Jaylen Brown after the Heat’s Game 2 win on social media

Jimmy Butler was perhaps the most interesting and eccentric of them all Starting from 5 band, showcasing their passion for cappuccino, playing dominoes, country songwriting and emo sensibilities. One notable part of his 2023-24 NBA season that is not covered on the show is the “trolling” comments he made towards the Boston Celtics during their first-round playoff game. Butler was out due to injury, but still decided to post a meme that ridiculed”Don’t let us get one” comment Jaylen Brown made in 2023 when the Celtics lost 3-0 to the Heat. in the Eastern Conference finals.

Butler also told the press: “If I played, Boston would be home. New York would sure as hell be (expletive) home.Riley didn’t like Butler’s comments, saying:I thought, “Is Jimmy trolling or is Jimmy serious?” Unless you’re on the court against Boston or the New York Knicks, you should keep your mouth shut about criticism of those teams.” (by using Fox Sports). Riley’s criticism may have resonated with Butler, who didn’t show up to NBA Media Day this year with an outrageous hairstyle. as he did in past years. The Heat will have to decide what to do with Butler when he becomes a free agent at the end of this season.

7

Karl Anthony Towns was traded from the T-Wolves to the Knicks in the offseason.

There will be more pressure and expectations placed on Edwards this season.

Karl Anthony Towns, one of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ most productive players along with Edwards and Rudy Gobert, was traded to the New York Knicks in the 2024 offseason. Although Starting from 5 Edwards wrapped production before the deal was announced in early October, something that could have been briefly mentioned in documentaries given how big the loss was for the Timberwolves. It will take Edwards more than ever to live up to his status as an elite star.which is probably what the Timberwolves are hoping for. The T-Wolves did acquire some solid role players in the Towns trade, but their chances of reaching the Western Conference Finals again have become less likely.

6

Jayson Tatum surpasses Jaylen Brown to become the highest paid player in the NBA

He signed a five-year extension worth $315 million in July.

A year ago, Tatum’s Celtics teammate Jaylen Brown became the NBA’s highest-paid player with a massive five-year contract extension worth up to $304 million. In July 2024, Tatum surpassed his teammate as the league’s highest-paid player with an even longer five-year extension that could have paid a maximum of $315 million. This is the largest deal in NBA history. Tatum’s new contract begins in 2025 and will keep him with the Celtics through 2030.. Interestingly, this information was not discussed at all in Starting from 5.

5

Draymond Green was suspended for 5 games following a confrontation with the Timberwolves in November 2023.

He grabbed Rudy Gobert by the head during an in-season tournament.

Draymond Green has repeatedly made headlines for being overly aggressive during games during the 2023-24 NBA season. Bye Starting from 5 covered the in-season tournament in some detail, but didn’t mention the most infamous brawl of the 2023-24 NBA season, which left T-Wolves center Rudy Gobert in hot water. The incident occurred just minutes into the game on November 14. Green rushed in to intercept the fight between Klay Thompson and Jaden McDaniels.. Edwards was on the floor at the time, but was not at the center of the action. Greene’s attempt to de-escalate the situation only made the situation worse. He was suspended for five games, but told the press that he had no regrets.

4

LeBron, Tatum and Edwards were teammates on the U.S. team that won the Olympic gold medal in Paris

Not following these three stars to Paris seems like a missed opportunity.

A major omission from Inception 5 was the fact that Tatum, LeBron and Edwards were teammates on the U.S. Olympic team that won gold in Paris in the summer of 2024. One would expect that a series that chronicles the NBA seasons of three Olympians might end. with Team USA’s gold medal victory over their home country France, but no behind-the-scenes footage of the Olympics was provided. This does seem odd since the show ends with talk of the 2024-25 NBA season and completely skips the most significant sporting event in the world, which took place just weeks after the NBA Finals. Starting from 5 of course it would have been better if he had covered what could have been LeBron’s last Olympics.

3

Two of Anthony Edwards’ teammates named Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year

Karl Anthony Towns also set a new franchise record for scoring in a single game.

While much of the focus has been on Anthony Edwards’ supreme talent and potential, the series could have at least mentioned the impressive accomplishments of some of his teammates, whom Edwards could have arguably improved with his play and leadership. Rudy Gobert went from losing to Green to winning Defensive Player of the Year, an award he won four times during his career. which ties him with Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutombo for the best mark in NBA history.

Timberwolves center Naz Reid became the first player in franchise history to win the Sixth Man of the Year award, an award previously won by James Harden and Manu Ginobili. Of course, Edwards is the star, but so are his teammates, including his former teammate. Towns, who scored a franchise-record 62 points against the Hornets. in January 2024.

2

Domantas Sabonis will wear number 11 in 2024 in honor of his Hall of Fame inducted father

“Inception 5” includes home footage and interviews with Arvydas Sabonis.

Starting from 5 talked about how Arvydas Sabonis, the father of NBA Hall of Famer Domantas Sabonis, played a huge role in inspiring his son to pursue a career in the NBA. Even Kevin Garnett remembers how incredible Arvydas Sabonis was on the court, calling him “the best, without a doubt” Starting from 5 includes home videos of Arvydas and young Domantas. with his family, and also contains an interview with Arvydas, which adds a rich layer of content to the documentary series.

What was missing was a mention of Sabonis will take over his father’s jersey number for the upcoming NBA season.moving from 10 to 11 in his honor. The news first broke in mid-June 2024, giving producers plenty of time to end the Sabontis narrative on a high note after the Kings failed to make the playoffs. Sad, Starting from 5 missed a golden opportunity to show Sabonis’ legacy in the NBA coming full circle.

1

Anthony Edwards has several children from several women

Edwards and his girlfriend Shannon had a daughter in March 2024.

The birth of Anthony Edwards’ first child, Aislinn, in March 2024 to his girlfriend Shannon is featured extensively in the film. Starting from 5. Cameras even went into the maternity ward and recorded Edwards live-streaming the Timberwolves game, which he left at halftime when he met his daughter for the first time. What Starting from 5 were not included allegations against Edwards that he is the father of at least 2-3 other children he had relationships with more than one woman (via Page six).

Shannon, who reportedly had another child with rapper Chief Keef, has reportedly been with Edwards since 2020 and can often be seen courtside at Timberwolves games. While the story has picked up steam recently ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season, at least three separate women have come forward to claim Edwards is the father of their children in the past 12 months. This of course has nothing to do with basketball, but it would be a real shock if the rumors turned out to be true after seeing him welcome Aislinn into the world with Shannon in Starting from 5.