LA Clippers
Thankful for: Norman Powell's breakout start
Amid the mystery that continues to surround Kawhi Leonard and his injury status, the LA Clippers have done a pretty solid job of remaining afloat in the Western Conference. The biggest reason for the Clippers' solid play so far this season is not necessarily just James Harden. Though he's played a role in the team's competitiveness to begin the year, you can't begin to credit this team without bringing up Norman Powell. As the team needed someone to step up with Kawhi out and Paul George leaving in free agency, Powell answered the call.
Powell has been the team's leading scorer so far this season and is having a career year while also being a versatile defender on the other end of the floor. Powell has been a bench player for the majority of his time with the Clippers but as he's been thrown into a starting role for the team, he's managed to step up in a big way. Who knows if he can sustain this level of productivity but if he can, perhaps the Clippers aren't in that bad of a situation after all as they await the return of Kawhi.
Los Angeles Lakers
Thankful for: Hitting on Dalton Knecht
The Los Angeles Lakers have gotten off to an impressive start to this season. They have been one of the most consistent teams in the Western Conference so far this season and have shown the potential for greatness. Whether they will reach their ceiling this season likely revolves around how healthy they can remain over the course of the season. Right now, the Lakers should be increasingly thankful for how impressive rookie Dalton Knecht has looked so far this season. For a team that didn't make a big move during the offseason, Knecht has helped fill in the gap.
In the last week, Knecht has truly flexed his potential as a potential breakout rookie. Over this past week, he's had breakout games against the Utah Jazz, in which he scored 37 points, and against the New Orleans Pelicans, in which he finished with 27 points. As the Lakers continue to remove the training wheels off of Knecht, he's only going to emerge as a bigger piece of the puzzle for the Lakers. At least to start the season, it does seem as if the Lakers hit big-time on their selection of Knecht.