Five Takeaways From the First Month of the NBA Season

November is now behind us, and already the contenders and pretenders are emerging. Some things don’t seem to change, like the Oklahoma City Thunder dominating the NBA, while other things have left us stunned, like the Indiana Pacers’ woeful 4–17 start.

As the NBA moves into the winter months, several storylines are beginning to take shape. Here’s a look at five takeaways from the first full month of the NBA season.

It’s scary to think about, but the Thunder are actually a lot better than they were last year. In fact, the 2015–16 Golden State Warriors’ record of 73 wins could be in a bit of jeopardy if the Thunder keep at their pace. The defending champs currently sit at 20–1 (as of Dec. 1), making them only the fourth team in NBA history to win at least 20 of their first 21 games.

It’s not just the fact that they are winning; it’s how they’re doing it. The Thunder are winning by an average of 15.4 points per game, by far the highest scoring differential in the league. That puts them on pace to top last year’s 12.9 average winning margin, which set an NBA record.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 32.5 points per game, second in the league. Carson Wallace leads the NBA with 2.2 steals per game, and as a whole, the Thunder are second in the NBA with 10.4 steals per game.

Just a month into the season, the Thunder already have a four-game lead in the conference, and that number could rise even more in December.

Try this one on for size: Just two seasons ago, the Pistons and Spurs combined to win a grand total of 36 games combined. The Pistons had just 14 wins, making it one of the worst regular seasons in NBA history.

Just a little over a month into the 2025–26 season, and these same two teams have already combined for 40 wins. The Pistons already have 16 wins, two more than they had over the entire 2023–24 season.

The bottom line is that all those early draft picks they’ve accumulated in recent years have begun to pan out. Victor Wembanyama has officially arrived, scoring 26.2 points and piling up 10.2 rebounds per game. He leads the team in almost every statistical category and is a real contender to win the Defensive Player of the Year award. Stephon Castle, drafted fourth overall by the Spurs in 2024, is also making a huge impact, while Devin Vassell’s three-point shooting has further contributed to the team’s 13–6 start.

Detroit is a bigger story, though. The same franchise that spent most of the last decade in the league’s basement is now standing tall in the attic. They are the Eastern Conference’s best team, owning a 17–4 record. It all revolves around their No. 1 draft pick in 2021, Cade Cunningham, who is dominating on the court. Cunningham is second in the NBA in assists (9.3) and is scoring a team-best 28.2 points per game.

Jalen Duren, 22, has also contributed to the youth movement, leading the team in rebounds while scoring just under 20 points per game. Ausar Thompson, the Pistons' 2023 No. 5 pick, has also contributed behind the arc, shooting 33.3% and complementing Cunningham well.

The Spurs and Pistons may not meet in the NBA Finals this year, but the way they have improved, a future NBA Championship matchup is most definitely in the cards.

It wasn’t the prettiest start to Cooper Flagg’s career, as he failed to record a field goal in the first half of the Mavericks’ opener, scoring just 10 points in the loss to San Antonio. In fact, through his first 10 games, Flagg recorded just one game where he scored more than 18 points.

However, things have changed in the last two weeks, and the Rookie of the Year odds have dramatically shifted in his favor. In his last 11 games, Flagg has scored at least 21 points five times. In his last six contests, he’s put up 29 against New Orleans, 35 against the Clippers, and 29 against the Nuggets. Since November began, his average shooting percentage is just under 50%. And that’s just the offensive side of things. Flagg is also averaging 7.5 rebounds per game over his last six starts.

Flagg isn’t getting much help, though, which has led to the Mavericks’ 7–15 record. Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving are battling injuries, leaving the lineup mostly depleted of talent. 

It’s never a good thing when December rolls around, and the Indiana college football team has more than twice as many wins as its professional basketball team.

The bottom line is that injuries have crushed the Pacers’ chances of repeating in the East. Tyrese Haliburton’s season-ending Achilles tear is a big reason for the team going from a half away from winning the NBA Finals to now being one of the worst teams in the NBA.

But it goes beyond just Haliburton's injury. The team has also been without Bennedict Mathurin, Johnny Furphy, Quenton Jackson, Kam Jones, and Aaron Nesmith (knee injury) for part or all of the season. Nesmith's injury, in particular, is crippling, given his starter status and impact in last year's playoffs. However, he is due back this week. Another starter, Mathurin, has returned but missed most of November.

Still, even while the Pacers are getting healthy, the damage has been done early in the year. They have a steep hill to climb without Haliburton if they hope to make the NBA Playoffs.

The Lakers are back, and for the NBA, that's a good thing. Despite not having LeBron James for the first three weeks of the season, the Lakers have benefited from having strong depth on the roster. And at 15-5, they currently sit in second place in the Western Conference. 

The biggest misconception surrounding the team is that this is LeBron and Luka's team. Head coach JJ Redick has tapped into the team's depth, as evidenced by Austin Reaves' dominance during LeBron and Luka's absence. Reaves is averaging 28.1 points per game, the second-best on the team behind Doncic. Reaves is also shooting 36.4% from behind the arc. He has put up monster games, including a 38-point performance against the Mavericks, a 33-point one against the Pelicans, 41 points against the Trail Blazers, and 51 points against the Kings. Throw in some great contributions from DeAndre Ayton and Rui Hachimura, and it's clear to see how the Lakers have put themselves among the title contenders.

The only obstacle to getting to the NBA Finals? They have to go through Oklahoma City. But if this is LeBron's final year in the league, is there a better way to close out a career than by winning a fifth NBA championship?