The Dallas Mavericks are one of the best feel-good stories of the NBA so far. People saw their first six games and thought they might struggle, but Kyrie Irving's return and Cooper Flagg making a second-year leap have the Mavs with a 4-2 record coming out of October.

Most preseason projections had the Mavs around the 9-12 range in the Western Conference, and while there are still 76 games to go, the Mavericks certainly look like they'll find themselves in the thick of the playoff race.

Entering November, here's a reshaped look at the West. Teams are separated into tiers in order from worst to best, but teams ranked between 2 and 9 are all pretty interchangeable so far.

Bottom-Dwellers

The Sacramento Kings are horrifically bad. They have yet to win a game at 0-6, and only one of their losses was by single digits (still an 8-point loss). Someone may want to tell them that being the worst team in the NBA doesn't give them better lottery odds anymore.

Many people thought the Utah Jazz would make a jump, but they've started just 1-5, with their lone win being a one-point slugfest against the Pelicans. They have talent, but it hasn't come together the way they would've hoped yet.

The New Orleans Pelicans have a lot of interesting talent, but this just feels like a trade-machine team. Pieces like Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, and Dejounte Murray would all be on the move with normal front offices, but most normal front offices don't have Joe Dumars. They are 2-4.

The LA Clippers will be pesky throughout the season because of good coaching, but they are really lacking in talent, which is why they're 1-4. Brandon Ingram will be out for most of the season recovering from a partially torn Achilles.

Play-In Hopeful

There are already rumblings of the Phoenix Suns being disappointed by the lack of a true point guard, and they have just one win on the season so far. Still, SOMEONE has to make the Play-In, and they feel like the best team of the bunch at the bottom, even if they've started the season 1-3.

The Golden State Warriors picked up a big win over the Lakers on Friday, but until they get Jimmy Butler back from injury, it feels like they're just going to be treading water, which is exactly what they're doing at 3-3.

Injured But Still Dangerous

Anthony Edwards will be out for the Minnesota Timberwolves for around two months after having an arthroscopic procedure on his knee. It'll be up to LaMelo Ball to keep things rolling, but he and Rudy Gobert haven't been on the same page. They sit 4-3.

No team has been hit harder with injuries than the Oklahoma City Thunder. Cason Wallace and Jalen Williams are likely already out for the year, and now Chet Holmgren is out for 8-10 weeks because of having a knee procedure this week. They still have the reigning two-time MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but the talent around him is quickly dwindling. After starting 4-0, the Thunder have lost two straight.

Surprise Threats

The Portland Trail Blazers have been intriguing with their deep backcourt of Ja Morant, Damian Lillard, Scoot Henderson, and Jrue Holiday. Pair that with an All-Star scorer like Deni Avdija and a defensive anchor like Donovan Clingan, and they're going to be a tough out as they sit at 4-1.

No team has been a bigger surprise than the Memphis Grizzlies, who are 6-0, but those wins have been two against the Jazz, two against the Kings, and then one each over the Blazers and Warriors. I'd love to see them play someone that we know is good.

The Dallas Mavericks have knocked off the Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, battered OKC Thunder, and Houston Rockets. The Rockets were without Alperen Sengun, who is arguably their best player, but it was still an impressive win.

Sluggish Start, Still Talented

The Los Angeles Lakers have a weird roster around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, and have gotten rid of nearly all of their tradeable draft capital to get Walker Kessler. Still, Doncic is a big enough offensive engine to keep them competitive for most of the season, even if they sit 4-2 right now.

A lot of what was said about the Lakers can be said about the Denver Nuggets. They're 3-2 with no good wins, but they still have Nikola Jokic.

The San Antonio Spurs started 0-2, but have won four straight since. Victor Wembanyama had been rough offensively early in the season, but he looks like his usual self now.

The Early Favorite

The Mavericks finally broke the Houston Rockets' unblemished record on Friday, but Alperen Sengun didn't play. As of now, they look like the best team in the West at 5-1.

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