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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
Corey Johnson was the key man to drive one of the D1M results of the weekend, as previously winless Newcastle went to unbeaten Milton Keynes and edged them 82-81.
Whilst others may have had larger stat lines this weekend, few can argue they made a bigger impact than the former Derby man. Aside from his 31 points and 23 more from Logan Rooney, no other Knight scored more than 11 points in the win, and his points haul was both efficient (10/17 FG, 58%) as well as varied (4/7 2pt, 6/10 3pt).
With the two sides having differing fortunes entering this one and with Newcastle on the road, the start of the game was always going to be important. As MK tried to stamp their authority on proceedings behind a vocal home crowd, Johnson stood tall, netting 12 of his points, including three of his triples.
Adding seven boards and a pair of steals to his stat line, along with just a single turnover and drawing a team-high seven fouls, further heightened Johnson's claim for top spot this week.
It was a split weekend for Essex as they won one, lost one across their home stand double-header, but Saturday's 84-76 victory over Nottingham Hoods had Luke Busumbru's fingerprints all over it.
The talented guard's 16 points were a team-high, but more impressively, came on 7/8 shooting, with just a single missed three pointer (5/5 2pt, 2/3 3pt) and not a single attempt from the free throw line.
Seven boards and six assists demonstrated the former Solent man's production elsewhere, allowing the Rebels to pick up their first win of the season in the process.
Saturday's 111-78 win against Thames Valley was comfortably Simental's best performance to date in a Derby shirt after signing during the off-season.
With big shoes to fill in the shape of last season's departed guard Sam Masten, Simental did what was required this weekend as he played the role of both producer and provider.
27 points were a game-high for the Colorado native, but his game-high eight dimes allowed Derby to get the best out of the likes of Malcolm Smith (21pts) and Leighton Elliot-Sewell (18pts).
His +/- of 38 was also the highest of any player, showcasing that positive things happened plenty for the Trailblazers during Simental's 31:13 of action.
If a single basket doesn't go Newcastle's way last Saturday, KJ Johnson is a nailed on Player of the Week pick. But, that's not how this works, and Johnson's loss instead knocks him down to a still well-deserved spot in the weekly five instead.
35 points led all D1M players this weekend and the University of North Alabama alum did all he could to drag the Breakers over the line this weekend. Going 12/19 from the floor, Johnson was also reliable from the charity stripe as he went 9/9 after drawing a bruising nine fouls.
His battle with eventual POTW and namesake Corey Johnson was box office viewing, and with no other Breaker making it to double digits scoring in the loss, the plaudits deserve to go to the MK man for his part in one of the games of the season so far.
In what is becoming somewhat of a weekly occurance, another Hemel starter has put together a solid performance to help the defending playoff champs remain unbeaten.
Taking his turn this week is Canadian Matt Ellis, who narrowly edged out follow forward Darien Nelson-Henry for the final spot in the five.
18 points came on 8/10 shooting for a ridiculous 80% FG, netting his only three point effort in the process.
Six boards and five assists represented value to the Hemel cause, with the five dimes also tying a team-high with guard Trent Monkman.
In what for many could have been written off as a home banker before the weekend began based on early form, Milton Keynes tie against Newcastle provided great D1M viewing as the North East side headed back home with a one-point win.
POTW Johnson's exploits have been covered, but a special shout should go to Logan Rooney for his 23 point performance that included five triples. The former Loughborough man produced nine of his points in the pivotal 27-19 final quarter, the key frame that got Newcastle over the line.
Theo Riley (11pts, 5reb) shot at a 62% clip for his points but also deserves a mention for his +/- of 15, a huge difference in a single point ball game and the highest stat for either team in that department.
Between the KitKing Trophy and the early weeks of the D1M season, a pattern is beginning to emerge for the season ahead.
A few more weeks of action are probably needed, three teams (Loughborough, Bristol and Bradford) have still only played two games, but sides will already be thinking about their efforts so far.
No doubt Hemel and City of Birmingham will be delighted to be D1M's only remaining unbeaten teams, though both hit the road next weekend and will need big away performances if they're to remain that way.
It is also too early for Worthing and Bradford to hit the panic button after winless starts, but both may be thinking about what tweaks they can make to improve their fortunes going forward.
The interesting angles will be the 1-2 and 2-1 teams. Are they happy with their record so far? Or disappointed they haven't done better? Time will tell on that one, but the contests so far have certainly shown that D1M is shaping up to be a quality contest in 2024/25.
Denzel Vbiaro (BRI) - 24P/6R/3A/3S/2B/26EFF
Darien Nelson-Henry (HEM) - 19P/11R/3A/23EFF
Leighton Elliott-Sewell (DTB) - 18P/12R/4A/2B/27EFF
Elijah Maynard (WOR) - 20P/6R/4A/23EFF
Zach Powell (CoB) - 16P/7R/4A/21EFF
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Main image credit - Newcastle Knights
Team of the Week photo credits - Newcastle Knights (C Johnson), Luke Simcock (Busumbru), Nick Higgins (Simental), Josh Nesden (KJ Johnson), Nicola C Creative (Ellis)
