With the brand-new NBA Season being one month old, several compelling storylines have made it one of the most interesting seasons in recent years. In this series, we will be looking at four storylines in the NBA season that have drawn the attention of fans from around the world.

When the Rockets made Mike D’Antoni their new coach, an offensive oriented coach, and signed two skilled offensive minded players in Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon, the Rockets had the potential for one of the most high powered offenses in the NBA. However James Harden & Houston Rockets have stretched the boundaries of how offense should be played.

Analytics have shown that the three most efficient shots in the NBA are the three point, free throw, and shots close to the rim. The Rockets are the most analytics based franchise in the NBA, it shows in James Harden as he is a master of generating foul shots and shooting 10.4 foul shots per game (2nd in the NBA) and also taking 8.4 three pointers per game (2nd in the NBA).

Another big difference in the Rockets offense this season is the move of James Harden to point guard, which has led to Harden having more control of the offense to create as many three pointers and shots at the rim as possible. Harden is averaging a league leading 11.8 assists, a huge step up from his previous high 7.5 assists.

Center Clint Capela is reaping the benefits of Harden’s mastery, despite his limited offensive game he takes 77% of his shots from 0-3 feet from the rim (mostly all dunks) and is shooting a very efficient 63% from the field. The sharpshooters that the Rockets have surrounded Harden with have had a significant increase in 3 point percentage as Harden commands so much attention, with 4 players shooting above forty percent from behind the arc.

The Rockets have obliterated the 3 point attempts per game record by shooting 37 threes per game, with the past record being 32.7. They are revolutionizing the way Basketball is being played through the brilliance of James Harden and the forward thinking of Mike D’Antoni, making their offense is a must-watch every time Harden has the ball.

When Kevin Durant left the Thunder to go play for the Warriors, most expected Russell Westbrook to have a historically great season as his first full season being the leader of the team. Westbrook is surpassing the extremely high expectations coming into the season, comfortably averaging a triple double with 31.0 points per game, 11.3 assists per game, and 10.8 rebounds the game.

Only Oscar Robertson has finished a full season with a triple double, however, Oscar Robertson played in an era where the game was at a much faster pace and had a lot of more possessions. Which makes what Westbrook is doing this season arguably the most impressive all-around statistical season in NBA History.

Yet the thing that makes Westbrook stand out the most compared to his peers is the amount of energy and intensity he brings throughout the strenuous 82 game season that most of his peers can’t match. Westbrook plays like a bat out of hell, out jumping players 8 inches taller than him, as the strongest, most athletic point guard in the NBA, Westbrook imposes his will and intimidates players guarding him reminiscent of a young Mike Tyson.

“There are many times throughout a season that you may not feel like playing,” says Westbrook. “You may not want to play on this night, or against this team. But I don’t feel that way. This is one of the best jobs in the world, and you never know how long you’ll be able to do it—how long you’ll be able to run like this and jump like this. So I go for it. I go for it every time. It may look angry, but it’s the only way I know.”

Westbrook has made several clutch plays in the season that has led Oklahoma City to a 14-8 record despite of the loss of their other star player Kevin Durant. Oklahoma City is oddly built with several talented players such as Victor Oladipo, Steven Adams, & Enes Kanter. However they lack shooting and depend on Rookie Domantas Sabonis to stretch the floor, even though he didn’t shoot threes in college. Despite this, Westbrook’s brilliance is singlehandedly keeping the Thunder in the playoffs.

Ben B