The 2018-19 NBA season is up and running—literally and figuratively—and so far the franchises pegged by pundits for early season success have done well, with the more shocking factor being how easy their dominance has looked. The league leader in Pace factor are playing almost 8 possessions per game faster than last year's top-ranked Pelicans squad.
The Bucks, Ratpors and Warriors (all +10 or better in terms of point differential) are far ahead of the pack, and these three teams along with the Denver Nuggets have stood out early on.
The teams expected to do well that have struggled out of the gate included Houston, Oklahoma City and LeBron's young Lakers squad, that sits at 2-5 entering Monday night.
Injuries have played a factor, with OKC and Houston missing games from their former MVPs (Westbrook and Harden), but a lack of familiarity has plagued many of these squads that are still awaiting the return of top rotation players.
With everyone around the league nearing the 10 games played mark, we organize where the upstart teams fit into the big picture right here.