The NBA is now one month into the 2020-21 season, each team about 15 games in. The reigning champs in the Los Angeles Lakers are on top of the western conference with a record of 11-4, while the Utah Jazz and LA Clippers sit 0.5 games behind the Lakers at 10-4. In the east, the Boston Celtics sit in first place at 8-4 ahead of the Bucks and 76ers at 9-5. 

The Celtics were just one of a few teams who were hit hard by covid-19, as they missed 7 straight games when 7 of their players were unable to play due to health 7 safety protocols. The Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans, and Minnesota Timberwolves also missed a could game for the same reason. Timberwolves star big-man, Karl-Anthony Towns was one player who tested positive last week. When this news broke the entire league, and NBA following showed their support for him as he has already lost six family members due to covid, including his mother. The future of the season is uncertain at the moment as the number of player cases rises, but for the moment there isn’t too much to worry about. 

Last week we saw a blockbuster trade go down involving James Harden who had been causing drama in Houston all season. This turned into a four-team trade that sent Harden to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen. LeVert was then traded to the Indiana Pacers for Victor Oladipo, and Allen went to the Cleveland Cavaliers for future draft picks. Harden to the Nets was a highly anticipated move, as he stated earlier in the year that he wanted to play there to reunite with former teammate and MVP Kevin Durant. These two have been looking very good together in their first two games, but the real question is how well they will play when their third all star player Kyrie Irving returns to the line up later this week. 

Other news surrounding this trade came out when Caris LeVert arrived in Indiana. Like every player does when they come to a new team, LeVert went through all the health tests, screenings, and MRIs to make sure he’s healthy. Normally this is just a formality that every team follows, except this time doctors actually discovered a small mass on his left kidney. At the moment doctors are not sure what this mass is or if it will have any effects on his health, but it is certainly a scary situation. When interviewed, LeVert was certainly not happy to hear this news but said in the long run this trade could have saved his life. 

This season has started out as chaotic as expected as the league tries to battle Covid-19, but is shaping up to be one of the most competitive and entertaining in a long time.