Most surprising developments thus far in the NBA season

As Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (h/t NBA.com) explained in October, scoring in the NBA was at "the highest rate in 49 years" eight days into the campaign. Little has changed since the unofficial start of the holiday season. Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving told reporters "there’s no defense. There’s just none," the Monday before Thanksgiving, per Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. ESPN's Brian Windhorst called the situation a "full-blown defensive coaching crisis" in a piece published on Nov. 7.

OK, so LaVar Ball did refer to his son LaMelo Ball as the "most famous high school player ever " earlier this month. That barely registers a blip on the radar for the outspoken father of Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball. In September, Bill Simmons told WFAN personality Mike Francesa he believes LaVar is "getting a nice paycheck to not really be heard from that much." 

It doesn't feel like all that long ago when Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green and Kevin Durant were part of a memorable and hilarious gif rather than of on-the-court verbal slap-fights that may or may not be related to Durant leaving the club via free agency next summer. Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. All dynasties end. We may be witnessing the final year of Golden State's dominant run. 

We're old enough to remember when Carmelo Anthony signing with the Houston Rockets made him a popular candidate to win Sixth Man of the Year honors. The 34-year-old lasted all of 10 games with the Rockets before the team was ready to move on. Anthony will probably find another NBA home before he retires, but it's a sad situation and drastic fall for a future Hall of Famer who seems destined to end his career featuring for a lackluster team, if he plays at all.  

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue didn't even get half a season to show what he could accomplish without LeBron James on his roster before the Cavs showed him the door. Starting out 0-6 was enough to get Lue fired, but nobody should pretend coaching is what failed Cleveland in November. Phil Jackson couldn't save these Cavs with or without Kevin Love healthy and available. 

LeBron James couldn't prevent the Los Angeles Lakers from starting 0-3 and eventually 2-5, which inevitably resulted in questions being asked about the King's playoff streak that dates back to 2006. Not only are the Lakers over .500 as of Nov. 20, but James also is on pace to lead the NBA in scoring after his 34th birthday, which arrives in December. We'll see James and the Lakers play meaningful games in April. 

The Los Angeles Clippers aren't the Showtime Lakers with LeBron James in the lineup. They're merely the best basketball team in their city as of Nov. 20. Even before the Clippers improved to 11-5, SBNation's Tom Ziller wrote why he believes the Clippers are for real. The club's plan to entice Kawhi Leonard to sign next summer is going even better than expected. 

There's no nice way to say that watching Philadelphia 76ers guard Markelle Fultz struggle with basic aspects of his game has become an uncomfortable exercise. The 20-year-old tinkering with his free-throw routine generated headlines for the wrong reasons, and spirits may or may not be chasing him on the court. Fultz received only seven minutes of playing time during Philadelphia's win over the Phoenix Suns on Nov. 19. 

Prior to the Miami Heat's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 18, Miami center Hassan Whiteside posted a streak of six consecutive double-double performances. Per ESPN, the 29-year-old was tied for fifth in the league in double-doubles with 11 as of Nov. 20. As Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel explained, the Heat need Whiteside "exerting energy and force" to become a mainstay of his game rather than something seen when the mood strikes him. 

New Orleans Pelicans forward Nikola Mirotic clearly isn't missing life with the Chicago Bulls, the team that dealt him to New Orleans last February. The 27-year-old posted career-best averages for points (19.2) and rebounds (10.9) per game across the first 15 outings of the campaign. Mirotic never flirted with averaging a double-double his first four years in the Association. 

It's far too early for anybody to seriously suggest the Cleveland Cavaliers got it wrong by taking guard Collin Sexton with the eighth overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft. After all, any of the veterans on the roster willing to criticize the 19-year-old either publicly or anonymously may be discarded by the Cavs before October 2020. That doesn't change the harsh reality that Sexton hasn't performed like a starter for even a .500 team early into his career. 

The Chicago Bulls are terrible, but don't let that overshadow that guard Zach LaVine may not just be "back." LaVine looked better than ever the first 16 games of the campaign. The 23-year-old, who suffered a torn ACL in February 2017, averaged 25.3 points per game up through Nov. 17, which is nearly 11 points better than his career average. There were signs earlier this month that he was coming back down to earth, however, and that descent could cause the Bulls to fall even further down the conference standings.  

It's bad times for New York professional basketball, and the Knicks are irrelevant until Kristaps Porzingis is able to return from the torn ACL he suffered last February. But guard Allonzo Trier has been a bright spot for the team despite the its 4-13 start. The undrafted 22-year-old notched 21 points in his first start, a loss to the Chicago Bulls on Nov. 5, and he reached double figures in nine of his first 17 appearances. 

Third-year guard Caris LeVert was never going to continue averaging 25-5-5 as he did early into the campaign, per The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor, but the 24-year-old gave casual viewers reasons to care about the current Brooklyn Nets and also about the team's future. Unfortunately, LeVert suffered an ugly injury on Nov. 12. At the time he was downed by the dislocated foot that could cost him the remainder of the season, he was Brooklyn's leading scorer (18.4 ppg). 

Twenty-one-year-old Zach Collins was a pleasant surprise for the first-place Portland Trail Blazers over the team's first 16 games. After averaging a paltry 4.4 points as a rookie, the second-year big man tallied 9.4 ppg, and he earned praise for his defensive play while averaging 1.1 blocks per contest. In a piece published on Nov. 13, Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer called Collins "one of the NBA’s best young big men at defending in space." 

On Nov. 18, James Hansen of SLC Dunk wrote that Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert is "conquering the NBA." That may be a stretch, but the 26-year-old reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year seems on the cusp of a breakout offensive campaign. Gobert scored 15.2 points per game, five points above his career average, in Utah's first 17 contests, and he buried 70 percent of his attempts over that time. 

Zamir Bueno of Sir Charles in Charge recently wrote about Josh Jackson's struggles through the opening month of the season, and The Ringer's Kevin O’Connor called the 21-year-old "abysmal."  Jackson started in only three of Phoenix's first 16 games, during which he shot 52.2 percent from the charity stripe and averaged 7.0 points per contest. The Suns are going to be the worst team in the West, and Jackson could find himself on his way out of town as soon as next year if he doesn't earn a long-term roster spot during the club's attempted rebuild. 

The Houston Rockets winning seven of nine helped erase from our memories the fact the club started the year 1-4. In late October, Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post asked what was wrong with the Rockets, and he wasn't the only one. The Carmelo Anthony experiment failed. Houston's defense over the first couple of weeks left much to be desired. The Rockets began Nov. 20 shooting 33.7 percent beyond the arc, good for 24th overall in that category, according to ESPN. 

The Boston Celtics are to the East what the Houston Rockets are to the West as of Thanksgiving. LeBron James' relocation seemingly opened the door for Boston to ascend to the conference's throne. But offensive woes, touched upon by Tom Westerholm of Mass Live and John Karalis of Boston.com, were largely to blame for the Cs starting the season with a 9-8 record. It's not time to panic. Open shots should start to fall. However, Boston acquiring Carmelo Anthony would be a sign that some within the franchise believe the team's issues won't be fixed via time alone. 

LeBron James dragging these Cleveland Cavaliers to the 2018 NBA Finals looks more miraculous as Black Friday approaches than it seemed last summer. Cleveland may struggle to win 10 games in total — seriously — after beginning the campaign with a 2-13 mark, and the worst could be to come once the franchise is able to unload veterans like J.R. Smith. The only positive one can say about the Cavs is that few local fans are paying attention because Cleveland Browns rookie Baker Mayfield looks like a franchise quarterback. Spring training will be here soon enough, Northeast Ohio. 

One can't blame the Washington Wizards for signing Dwight Howard in an attempt to appease John Wall. Things simply didn't go as planned. Washington began the season 5-11. Wall earned himself a fine after apparently cutting a WWE-esque promo on coach Scott Brooks during a practice. The Wizards are allegedly shopping both Wall and Bradley Beal, as explained by Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. Blow it up, Washington, and begin the tank. 

Maybe the most surprising development about the Jimmy Butler saga with the Minnesota Timberwolves is that it ended so quickly after Tom Thibodeau came to no agreement on a trade with either the Houston Rockets or Miami Heat for Butler's services. But five straight losses was enough for Thibodeau to rip the bandage off and send Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 12. For what it's worth, Minnesota won three of four immediately after that transaction. 

Damian Lillard recently told ESPN's Zach Lowe "we're gonna make the Finals," and Lillard made it clear he meant with the Portland Trail Blazers. Say, for the sake of argument, drama continues to hover over the Golden State Warriors throughout the season and ultimately sinks the league's dynasty. Lillard's words could be prophetic come June. On paper Portland, currently atop the conference standings, has more staying power and talent than the Los Angeles Clippers or Memphis Grizzlies. If Golden State implodes, which would still be quite the surprising development as of late November, Portland should be considered a favorite to win the West. 

After the Toronto Raptors started the season 4-0, The Ringer's Dan Devine offered reasons for why he views Toronto as a "complete contender." As issues such as inconsistent play on both ends of the court and dysfunction affected other would-be conference leaders, the Raptors won 13 of their initial 17 games to climb to the top of the overall league standings. Kawhi Leonard is an MVP candidate early into what will likely be his only campaign up north. Kyle Lowry is averaging a double-double. Most promising, Toronto won't see LeBron James in the playoffs this time around. 

As Jack Maloney of CBS Sports explained, Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton was an early favorite to get fired all the way back on Oct. 23 after the Lakers started the season with three consecutive defeats. Even those cynical about how LeBron James (allegedly) handled things during his second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers probably expected such rumors wouldn't emerge before Santa Claus came to town. Walton's job security will be mentioned on national television and radio programs the next time the Lakers endure a losing streak. Don't hold your breath waiting for James to come to his coach's rescue.