The NBA season has been rolling along for a couple weeks and heading into the middle of November, the Golden State Warriors remain undefeated and look like the best team in the league. The Atlanta Hawks are leading the eastern conference to start off, while the Pistons, Jazz and Raptors have been some of the surprise teams in the standings.
The Pistons have opened the season 5-1 after missing the playoffs last year and this season has also shown off some strong rookie play, including from Emmanuel Mudiay, Karl-Anthony Towns, Justise Winslow, Jahlil Okafor, Jerian Grant, Kristaps Porzingis and Stanley Johnson. The Lakers have struggled to start the season and so has Kobe Bryant, who is looking like his age and has not been shooting well from the floor through the first six games of the season.
Here are 5 Things to Know from the NBA season so far:
The Warriors remain the best team
The Warriors won the NBA title last season and coming into this year everyone expected the team to perform well again, but Golden State has even exceeded those expectations. The team has opened the season 7-0 and is the only undefeated squad in the league and Stephen Curry looks like a man on a mission even after winning the MVP and title last season. The team had a 50 point win already this season and they have been blowing out teams. Also, they have been doing it with Steve Kerr recovering from surgery.
The Hawks and Cavaliers are best in the East
The Hawks were the top team in the eastern conference in the regular season last season and they look like they have the chance to do it again. The Cavs are right there behind them and also have a chance, but the Hawks appear ready to battle Cleveland for the top seed again. The Hawks are 7-1 after opening the season 0-1 with a loss to the Pistons and even that loss doesn't look bad with how Detroit has started. The Cavs have won six straight and are 6-12 to open the season, while the Pistons are 5-1 and the Raptors are 5-2 at the top of the conference standings behind the Hawks and Cavs.
The Detroit Pistons are the surprise team
The Pistons made a number of moves in the offseason and so far it looks like they have worked, as the team is 5-1 to start the season. The team lost Greg Monroe, but they drafted Stanley Johnson and kept Andre Drummond and now Drummond has been off to a great start for Stan Van Gundy. The team may not keep up pace with the Hawks and Cavs this season, but they look like a playoff team in the east.
There are some strong rookies in the league from this draft class
Players like Emmanuel Mudiay, Karl-Anthony Towns, Justise Winslow, Jahlil Okafor, Jerian Grant, Kristaps Porzingis and Stanley Johnson have been impressive to start the season and it should be a tough battle for rookie of the year this season. D'Angelo Russell has struggled a bit for the Lakers, but he has also shown some potential and will have the chance to turn things around. Porzingis has been one of the biggest surprises, as many felt he would need more time to develop, but he has started off averaging 12 points and nearly nine rebounds per game for the Knicks. Mudiay has the look of a pro point guard, while Towns, Okafor and Johnson have also played well for their teams. Jerian Grant has given the Knicks a solid backup point guard and he could end up starting soon if he keeps playing well.
The Lakers and Kobe Bryant have struggled. So have the Nets, 76ers and Pelicans.
The Lakers are just 1-5 to start the season and the team has been struggling to get things going overall. Kobe Bryant has not looked good and he is shooting just 32 percent overall from the floor. Byron Scott said the team will turn things around, but the opening to the season has been tough. The Nets, Sixers and Pelicans remain winless as of Monday and they will be looking to get one in the win column coming up this week.
