It feels like we’re already in midseason form. Truth is, we’re barely a month in.

Due to the breaking news battles between Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania, off-season intrigue around free agency, summer league, and a daily television show dedicated to discussing the league on ESPN, the NBA has become a 24/7, 365 league. But this season, it feels different. The usual optimism and fun that a new season brings feels like it’s lacking as the drama surrounding Kyrie Irving, Ime Udoka, the Brooklyn Nets, and the Los Angeles Lakers have sucked all the air out of the room.

And because of that, some players and teams are off to hot starts and doing surprisingly better than most assumed they would. Here’s a list of 10 storylines that would be getting more love if Adam Silver’s league wasn’t playing out like an episode of The Young and The Restless.