Everyone knows that the NBA is season is very long and championships are definitely not won in November. Teams are still jelling, coaches are figuring things out, and players are reestablishing their rhythms.

However, you can make certain critical evaluations after just a few games, and you can either make or break a season depending on the consequent adjustments.

I’ve scoured game tape and statistics of every team in the NBA, uncovering both positives and negatives. Here, I present what I believe to be each squad’s best feature at this point in the season, as well as one area in which they need to improve if they want to ultimately succeed.

EAST

Boston Celtics (7-1)

Best Feature: So many it’s hard to choose, but most impressive might be how smoothly they’ve incorporated the new guys, ‘Sheed, Shelden, and Marquis.

Improvement Area: I hate to nitpick when they are beating teams by an average of 14 points. However, Garnett doesn’t look completely comfortable on the offensive end yet.

Miami Heat (5-1)

Best Feature: They are forcing opponents to shoot terribly against them, especially from behind the arc (25%).

Improvement Area: They’re still too reliant on Wade for offense. At some point they might need to trust Michael Beasley.

Atlanta Hawks (5-2)

Best Feature: Jamal Crawford is a huge upgrade over Flip Murray playing the role of scorer off the bench. His firepower has already been a key to several wins.

Improvement Area: Though they’re making strides, Crawford, Josh Smith, and Joe Johnson have not quite kicked the habit of going one-on-one a little too often.

Orlando Magic (5-2)

Best Feature: They are ridiculously deep, which has enabled them to start strong even though they have missed key elements with injuries (Vince Carter and Mickael Pietrus) and suspension (Rashard Lewis.)

Improvement Area: Teams are getting to the free throw line against them, and Dwight Howard has been in foul trouble more than ever.

Chicago Bulls (4-2)

Best Feature: Luol Deng is back from his injury and as good as ever. He gives them a versatility on the wing that they lacked last year.

Improvement Area: John Salmons and Kirk Hinrich need to start hitting from downtown to make room for Derrick Rose’s slashing.

Cleveland Cavaliers (4-3)

Best Feature: LeBron is still awesome! (I wish there was more good news but there’s not.)

Improvement Area: Shaq and Varejao don’t know how to play together effectively. This was a common concern entering the season and it has proven legitimate.

Milwaukee Bucks (3-2)

Best Feature: The supposed “gamble” on Brandon Jennings seems to be working out. Jennings is sometimes erratic but always electric.

Improvement Area: Michael Redd cannot find his stroke (32%), and they’re definitely going to need his scoring.

Toronto Raptors (3-3)

Best Feature: Bargnani is really trying to silence the haters and justify his #1 pick. He’s shooting lights out from all over the court and playing tougher down low.

Improvement Area: They are missing the fifth piece of their starting lineup. Coach Jay Triano has not showed much confidence in rookie DeMar DeRozan, and neither Antoine Wright nor Marco Belinelli are the answer.

Charlotte Bobcats (3-3)

Best Feature: They are killing teams on the boards, pulling down almost 7 more rebounds than their foes, which is good for second in the league.

Improvement Area: Charlotte is the NBA’s sloppiest team, turning the ball over more than 18 times per game. Three individual players, Raymond Felton, Gerald Wallace, and Boris Diaw, all cough up the rock at least three times.

Philadelphia 76ers (3-3)

Best Feature: Though still inconsistent, Lou Williams is showing signs that he might be a competent starting point guard. Additionally, Marreese Speights appears to have serious all-star potential.

Improvement Area: The Elton Brand experiment does not look any more promising in year two. Either he hasn’t actually recovered from the injury or he’s just a terrible fit.

Detroit Pistons (3-4)

Best Feature: They have multiple guards/wings who can put the ball in the cup.

Improvement Area: By far last in the league in assists, evidence of a selfish, stagnant offense. (But what did you expect when their big off-season signing was Ben Gordon?)

Indiana Pacers (2-3)

Best Feature: Roy Hibbert looks pretty good manning the middle, posting three straight double-doubles and blocking shots.

Improvement Area: Besides Danny Granger, can anyone hit a 3 on this team? I guess Troy Murphy usually shoots the ball well, but Dahntay Jones, TJ Ford, and Brandon Rush have no range at all. How are they going to have any floor spacing?

Washington Wizards (2-5)

Best Feature: Arenas is finally healthy! He looks fluid and can still fill it up with the best of them.

Improvement Area: Arenas is finally healthy. He’s back to his old tendencies of attempting questionable shots and turning the ball over. The Wiz were hoping that a couple years watching from the sidelines would help him play smarter, but so far that hasn’t been the case.

New York Knicks (1-6)

Best Feature: Danilo Gallinari has been a real bright spot in Madison Square, unleashing that beautiful stroke.

Improvement Area: They are undersized and getting absolutely smashed on the glass.

New Jersey Nets (0-7)

Best Feature: Well, they’ve been close in a couple games. And Brook Lopez is the real deal.

Improvement Area: Devin Harris is a very good player, but he seems to be significantly lacking in the area of team leadership. If someone’s going to rally these guys, it’s gotta be him.

WEST

LA Lakers (6-1)

Best Feature: Andrew Bynum has apparently made that next step towards greatness, averaging 20 and 10 in the early going.

Improvement Area: They go through periods of extreme laziness on defense and impatience on offense.

Phoenix Suns (6-1)

Best Feature: They are incredibly balanced offensively, with 6 players scoring more than 13 points/game.

Improvement Area: Next to miserable Memphis, they have the worst turnover differential in the league at -2.8. On such a potent team, those squandered possessions could be huge.

Denver Nuggets (5-2)

Best Feature: Carmelo is playing like a man on a mission. He has taken his game to another level. And Tyrannosaurus Lawson is a fantastic backup sparkplug.

Improvement Area: They need to maintain consistency in all facets of the game.

Dallas Mavericks (4-2)

Best Feature: Shawn Marion is a great fit for the Mavs, on both ends of the court.

Improvement Area: Though Jason Kidd has lost more than a step, he’s going to need to figure out how to be more of a scoring threat. Right now he’s just a spot-up shooter.

Houston Rockets (4-2)

Best Feature: They are better than the sum of their parts because they are coached well and give maximum effort.

Improvement Area: When Aaron Brooks isn’t creating, their offense struggles mightily. Trevor Ariza is trying to become a go-to guy, but he’s not quite there yet.

Portland Trail Blazers (4-3)

Best Feature: They are playing pretty well in spite of Nate McMillan’s constant lineup tinkering. That’s because they’ve got a lot of versatile guys that can play multiple positions and guard multiple positions (think Brandon Roy, Travis Outlaw, Rudy Fernandez, Andre Miller)

Improvement Area: Which of the role players is going to step up and become the third major option besides Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge? So far it’s been a different man each night, but Portland is going to need one to be consistent.

Oklahoma City Thunder (3-3)

Best Feature: They are playing unbelievably better defense than last year. In particular, Kevin Durant is making a point of committing on the defensive end.

Improvement Area: They need more inside/outside offensive balance. At the moment, they have barely any post presence.

LA Clippers (3-4)

Best Feature: Chris Kaman and Eric Gordon are not only effective, but efficient. The pair is scoring 42 points/game while both are shooting over 50%.

Improvement Area: Al Thornton has seemingly regressed, which is bad news considering he was supposed to be an important part of the Clips’ future. Rasual Butler is a more than solid backup, but he’s not a viable starter.

Sacramento Kings (3-4)

Best Feature: Their recent draft experts should be proud. Tyreke Evans, Omri Casspi, Jason Thompson, and Spencer Hawes all have very promising futures.

Improvement Area: Their best offensive player, Kevin Martin, is an awful defender, and the rest of his mates are not so good either.

San Antonio Spurs (2-3)

Best Feature: Like typical Gregg Popovich teams, these Spurs don’t beat themselves by turning the ball over or taking bad shots.

Improvement Area: The Spurs have more corrections to make than any other contender. They appear to sincerely miss Bruce Bowen on the defensive end, as they are giving up more points than they have this decade. On the other side of the ball, Duncan and Ginobili seem somewhat out of sorts. Is age or injury finally catching up? Or is it that all the off-season moves that looked good on paper are failing on the court.

Utah Jazz (2-4)

Best Feature: Deron Williams is continually getting better and better.

Improvement Area: They’ve lost that characteristic toughness that was once synonymous with coach Jerry Sloan.

New Orleans Hornets (2-5)

Best Feature: This team has quickly gotten rather uncompetitive, but I guess Chris Paul’s 3 point shooting (68%) has been a pleasant surprise.

Improvement Area: Chris Paul is enough to win them a decent amount of games, but the Hornets’ supporting cast stinks. So maybe they should hustle more or focus on defense.

Golden State Warriors (1-4)

Best Feature: Their roster includes my erstwhile favorite Laker, Ronny Turiaf. My jersey is now a collector’s item.

Improvement Area: They take the term “matador defense” to a whole new level. My cereal defends against my spoon with more effort than the Warriors. They allow 115 points and 51% shooting. GUARD SOMEBODY!!!

Memphis Grizzlies (1-6)

Best Feature: Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol look great offensively, and OJ Mayo has flashes of brilliance. And it’s encouraging that they’re the youngest team in the league.

Improvement Area: I don’t think they understand the concept of “team.” Best case scenario: Iverson’s permanent leave prompts a reevaluation of chemistry and they develop a strong sense of ubuntu.

Minnesota Timberwolves (1-6)

Best Feature: They were lucky enough to play the Nets in their first game and thus obtain a victory. They also only lost by two to Boston (though I’m not sure how).

Improvement Area: Try to get Al Jefferson some easier looks by moving him to different spots on the floor. Defenses have been keying on him and making his life miserable.