With 13 ties on offer, the highlights came thick and fast as some teams leapt out of the blocks, whilst others were a little slower to get going.
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We'll pick a Player of the Week and four other selections to round out the Team of the Week, paying attention to the following criteria:
Other players will also receive a shout out as honourable mentions at the bottom of the piece.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Those that have followed the NBL in recent years will be well aware of Olarerin's ability, but seeing the talented guard in a Rockets kit is a new one for us all. And following this weekend, Olarerin will have made Reading fans very excited as he earns Player of the Week plaudits.
The former Nottingham, Essex and Thames Valley man exploded for 30 points on Sunday in his home debut against Worthing, shooting 11/16 that included 5/8 from three-point land.
Add in five boards, two assists and a trio of steals, all in just 22:21 of action, and it is easy to see why Olarerin was the star man in the 132-74 win.
Saturday's outing wasn't quite as spectacular, but 19 points on 6/10 shooting, three rebounds, two assists and three steals in 17:40 was clearly just Olarerin getting himself warmed up for Sunday's barrage.
Another familiar face in a new place, Adeluola gave the Worthing fans a perfect introduction to his talents as he stroked a game winner with just seconds left on the clock to push Thunder past a dogged Barking Abbey, 88-86.
BA started the final frame up 67-60 but the hosts took the final 10 minutes 28-19 for the come-from-behind win. Adeluola hit the last-second dagger as part of his 13 points, two steals and an assist in the fourth quarter alone, making the former Hemel and Thames Valley man a key difference maker down the stretch.
His six steals were more than any other player, and twice as many as Barking's roster were able to grab between them, another big difference in a one score game.
Adeluola didn't do much in Sunday's heavy defeat to Reading, but few of the Worthing players managed to put up numbers of note in the 132-74 road loss.
Eze's numbers didn't top out across the weekend in any category, but he did more than enough, and to a high level, to earn a Team of the Week spot.
His 19 points were second-high behind only Trent Monkman (21) for Hemel and Eze's nine boards tied for a team-high with Matt Ellis. The former Barking and Ipswich product did however shoot a stunning 9/10 from the floor, with his only miss coming from outside the paint as a mid-range jumper.
That allowed Storm to control the contest down low, in the absence of usual paint protector Hakeem Sylla. Eze's efficiency numbers were also pulled down by his five personal fouls, the last of which coming with 42 seconds remaining, providing a slight blemish on what was otherwise a strong performance.
It wasn't one for the ages, but Eze's efficient contribution meant there wasn't a sniff of an upset for D2's London Elite, with a 96-68 final score.
With an air of inevitability, Smith is back for more and looks set to marshal a Derby offence that'll be hoping to power further success in 2024/25.
Saturday's KitKing Trophy rematch once again went the way of the Trailblazers, 95-85, with Bradford powerless to slow down Smith's 30-point output.
A 64% shooting day from the floor went with a 7/9 outing at the charity stripe, going there plenty as the Dragons fouled the forward five times across the evening.
Thirteen points and five assists showed another string to Smith's bow on Sunday against Newcastle. The Trailblazers passed the 90-point mark on both days last weekend, thanks in part to their American captain.
Skoric nabs the final Team of the Week spot across what was a competitive opening weekend filled with top performances.
The Nottingham man put together a double-double effort along with three blocks and four assists as the American produced highlights at both ends of the court in the 82-72 victory over Newcastle.
With just 36 rebounds in the contest, Skoric accounted for over a third of the Hoods' boards and with 11 of his 13 coming on D, he also did his bit to limit Newcastle to just six second chance points.
Despite the protestations of head coach Samit Nuruzade, it is hard to see Reading's 252-point weekend as anything but a shot across the bow for the rest of D1M.
The Rockets hit 50% of their shots in the 120-74 win against Solent, including 62% from beyond the arc (17/27). New signing Simon Chamberlain (21pts, 5/6 3pt) looked good, as did returning guard Mitch Clarke (17pts, 4/5 3pts), and that's without mentioning POTW pick Olarerin.
On Sunday then went one better, shooting 61% against Worthing on the way to a 132-74 victory in front of their own fans. The long-range shots were still landing, going a stunning 53% (14/26), with Lewis Champion (4/6) and Olarerin (5/8) leading the way.
Opposition strength is a tough one to gauge this early in the new season, but you have to walk the walk no matter who it is you're up against. Reading certainly did that this past weekend.
An often overlooked stat on the box score is +/-. In short, it keeps track of the net changes in the score when a given player is on the court. Points scored against points conceded.
Loughborough's 77-60 victory over D1M rookies Bristol Hurricanes wasn't a foregone conclusion on Saturday, especially since the former D1 champs entered the fourth up by just six points.
Victor Ndoukou's +23 +/- was the highest of any player on the court, and seven points higher than the next closest Rider, Oscar Curran (+16).
The young forward played every second of the last 12:14 in regulation, a clear indicator of the faith Coach Maynard has in Ndoukou's skillset, and his strong play and ability to get the best from those around him helped to keep the contest in the visitors' favour.
The likes of Justin Hedley (17pts, 8reb, 5ast, +/- 0) and Seth Wylie (12pts, +/- -2) will rightly draw plaudits, but performances like Ndoukou's can swing a game.
Simon Chamberlain (REA) - 21P/5R/3A/26EFF @ TSK & 7P/7R/13EFF VS WOR
Shaquille Lewis (TVC) - 10P/4R/13EFF @ ESS & 24P/8R/25EFF vs ELI
Romario Spence (ELI) - 19P/10R/3S/23EFF @ TVC & 23P/11R/25EFF @HEM
Daniel Edozie (BRI) - 15P/7R/2S/15EFF vs LOU & 28P/4R/3A/2S/2B/27EFF @MKB
Mo Walker (DTB) - 7P/3R/8EFF @ BRA & 23P/13R/29EFF vs NEW
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Main image credit - Luke Simcock
Team of the Week photo credits - Charlie Dodd (Olarerin), Gary Robinson (Adeluola), Toby Gastaldi-Davies (Eze), Nick Higgins (Smith), Rico Mariano (Skoric)
