NBA 2018-19: 5 Early takeaways from the season so far

The NBA season is finally underway and it hasn't disappointed so far. Teams are going at each other from the get-go. The Eastern conference has definitely become a lot more competitive now following LeBron James's decision to join the Los Angeles Lakers.

Whereas competition in the Western Conference has increased threefold. After a couple of games played let’s look at some of the early impressions from the season so far.

#1 The Oklahoma City Thunder are really struggling

Sacramento Kings v Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder have started the season with a 0-3 record. Not the start that they were hoping for at all, considering the talent they have at their disposal. It’s the first time that they have started the season 0-3 since the 2007-08 season.

The Thunder have been poor defensively and have given up more than 100 points in all three games so far. Added to that, has been the absence of former MVP and superstar athlete Russell Westbrook, whose offensive prowess has been missed to a great extent.

Westbrook returned for today’s game against the Sacramento Kings after a two game absence due to an arthroscopic knee surgery that he had in the offseason and was back to his usual best with a 32-8-12 stat line.

He and Paul George had great games but they eventually fell short and lost the game 131-120. With Westbrook now back, the team needs to work on their chemistry, the fact that they need help from other role and bench players and work on their defense in order to get back to winning ways in the packed western conference.

#2 LeBron’s had a great start, what about the Lakers?

LeBron James is off to a good start this season

Everyone from the basketball world has really high hopes from the Los Angeles Lakers this season. Why? Since the greatest player on the planet, LeBron James, signed with the team this offseason changing the entire dynamic of the league.

Veteran players like Rajon Rondo, Micheal Beasley, JaVale McGee and Lance Stephenson were added to the roster as well to join the talented young core of Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart.

Through two games this season, LeBron has averaged 25.0 points per game, 8.5 rebounds per game and 5.5 assists per game. The point is that LeBron is going to be great every night, he will give it his all and will put his team in winning positions but ultimately it is up to the team to perform well which has not happened so far, as the Lakers have started the season 0-2, losing to the Portland Trail Blazers and the Houston Rockets.

Things got chippy at the end of the game against the Rockets as both Rondo and Ingram were involved in an altercation with Rockets guard Chris Paul. Ingram was handed a four game suspension and Rondo was handed a three game suspension.

The season hasn’t started on a bright note for the Lakers. Let’s see how they respond going forward.

#3 The Rockets are missing some key defensive players

The Rockets have struggled defensively in the absence of Ariza and Mbah a Moute

The Houston Rockets lost two key players this offseason in Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute to the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Clippers. Both of them were integral pieces of the Rockets defense last season and their presence is really being missed this season.

The Rockets have started their season 1-2 and although their offense has shown no signs of slowing down, with them scoring more than 110 points in all thee games, their defense has been a cause of concern as they have allowed more than 110 points per game till now.

The Rockets added former scoring champion and multiple time all-star Carmelo Anthony to their roster this offseason and surprisingly he has accepted a bench role and has not been very productive so far.

#4 The Nuggets are playing some inspired basketball

The Nuggets have started the season very well

The Denver Nuggets have been the surprise package of the season so far. They have started the season 3-0 which wasn’t really expected by many.

They have beaten the Los Angeles Clippers, the Phoenix Suns and have had a very impressive victory against the defending champions, the Golden State Warriors. They are averaging more than 100 points a game and have limited each of their opponents to less than 100 points.

Everyone on the team is doing well in their respective roles as well as on both ends of the floor and much credit needs to go their coach Micheal Malone and star center Nikola Jokic. He has started the season brilliantly, averaging 26.3 points per game and also scoring a triple-double in the second game of the season.

Can they keep up this momentum going forward will be fun to watch.

#5 Jayson Tatum looks destined for greatness

The Boston Celtics have begun the season well. They are one of the youngest teams and have arguably the best roster in the league.

Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving are back to full fitness and their young core of Jaylen Brown, Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart are doing well. One player who has stood out has been Jason Taytum.

He had a fantastic Playoff series last year and showed no signs of being afraid of the moment or being under the spotlight as he really took it to LeBron James and the Cavaliers in an epic seven-game series.

Tatum has started the season on a high note and is averaging 21.0 points a game. The game he played against the New York Knicks yesterday reminded everyone of Kobe Bryant. He took over down the stretch and hit a clutch fade away to seal the game for the Celtics.

Jayson Tatum has started the season with some mamba mentality. He will be even more dangerous as the season goes on.

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