The current NBA season has brought nothing but thrill. During this month, many teams have suffered from injuries while others have proved themselves as worthy championship prospects.  Below are statistics and predictions on your favorite teams to add hype to the season.

The Houston Rockets, leaders of the Western Conference, are 13-4. James Harden, point guard, shooting guard, and the superstar of the Rockets, has been on fire; he averages 31.6 points and 9.9 assists per game for this season. Chris Paul, point guard, just recovered from his injury, and aided in the victory against the Phoenix Suns. Shooting guard Eric Gordon and power forward/center Clint Capela have also majorly contributed to the Rockets’ success. Overall, James Harden’s abilities makes him one of the top MVP prospects, and the Rockets’ success makes them a strong contender for the NBA championship.

The Boston Celtics are leading the Eastern Conference and the entire NBA league with 15 wins and 2 losses, managing to compensate for the unfortunate loss of star recruit, Gordon Hayward, in the 2017-2018 season due to an ankle injury. The Celtics’ success is primarily due to the leadership under point guard Kyrie Irving. Averaging 20.9 points, 5.2 assists per game, he has united his teammates, including power forward Al Horford, center Jaylen Brown, shooting guard/point guard/small forward Jayson Tatum, and point guard/small forward Marcus Smart. Jayson Tatum, the rookie fresh out of Duke University, has declared himself a promising prospect, already averaging 13.9 points. The Celtics have a unique team approach, in which everyone on the team contributes to their success. Sneha Hariharan, ’19, impressed by the Celtics’ team cohesion, comments that “their team is full of young, energetic players with great potential. Their coach really manages to get the Celtics to work together.”

The Cleveland Cavaliers, another strong team in the Eastern Conference, experienced success in the past few seasons, but lag behind this year. Several of the athletes on the Cavaliers are unfortunately injured: point guard Isiah Thomas, traded from the Celtics this past summer, is currently out with a hip injury and will not return until January. In addition, shooting guard/small forward Iman Shumpert, power forward/center Tristan Thompson, and point guard Derrick Rose, are all injured and expected to be out until December. Power forward/small forward Lebron James, however, averaging 28.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.6 assists, brought the Cavaliers to a winning streak of 4 games. Despite their slow start, Allen Marakov ’21 reflects that “they’ve really been struggling with injuries with their team members: but recently they’ve definitely been on a run and have been able to compensate for that loss. This ability definitely makes them a potential NBA champion.”

Finally, the Golden State Warriors, the defending champions, place second in the Western Conference with 13 wins and 4 losses. Small forward Kevin Durant, averaging 24.9 points, 7 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game, and star point guard Stephen Curry, averaging 25.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game, spearhead the team’s success. Klay Thompson, a sharpshooter currently averaging 20.1 points, also assisted in early, yet critical wins. With a roster full of superstars, the Warriors are a strong candidate to maintain their throne.

It’s been one fun month full of basketball, but the statistics can only reveal so much. We are left to wait and savor the remainder of the season. The unique changes in many of the teams’ rosters and the injuries that almost every team faces will make this NBA season one of the most interesting of the decade, and unlike any we have ever seen before.