The 2018-19 NBA season has shaped up, and we are now able to determine what teams are good and what teams will just have to wait until next year. There have been some very exciting games already, and there are many more to come.

The biggest story coming into the season was Lebron James and the Lakers. This was a team that looked awful from the start and had no unity or organization when they played. It did not look positive for Lebron’s playoff hopes after the first few games of the season. But, the Lakers have quickly rebounded back to a stout 15-9 record with a key victory over the Spurs on Wednesday where James dropped 42 points. On the other hand, the Cavs are 5-19 and have still not figured out how to replace the giant missing piece in their lineup after the Lebron James trade. He has brought energy back to this Lakers team when they needed it the most. They will play the Spurs again Friday at 8:30 p.m.

The Warriors have high expectations due to visiting the finals the past four years in a row. They have already lost nine games, which is the total amount of games they lost in the entire 2016 season. This is mainly due to Steph Curry being out with an ankle injury for most of the games. Even with him back, they still are not the electric Golden State team that we are used to, but look for them to get things together as the season progresses. As for their next matchup, the Warriors will take on the 16-7 Bucks led by Giannis Antetokounmpo. This will be a tough task for the Warriors without key defender Draymond Green, who is currently benched with a sprained toe.

This season, all eyes are on arguably the hottest team in the league so far, the Toronto Raptors. They have been successful the past few years, but Kawhi Leonard has brought a new charisma to this Raptors team, averaging 26 points and 8 rebounds. Pairing him with center Jonas Valanciunas creates a force to be reckoned with. They are on the road Friday, facing a struggling Brooklyn Nets team.

A team that has been the most surprising is the Denver Nuggets. Nikola Jokic and his team are playing very consistent basketball right now and are sporting a seven-game win streak. They are currently leading the powerful Western Division but have several teams looming close by for the top spot. His team may not have as many star players as some do, but they are able to use what they have extremely well, which is more deadly than having a team of five all-stars that cannot work together.

There is a long way to go in this season, and many things will change as it progresses. But it is safe to say that we will see a different matchup in the Finals this year, which is something every NBA fan has been longing for.