The most surprising NBA players thus far

By Thanksgiving, NBA contenders have, for the most part, separated themselves from pretenders and from clubs doomed to spend the majority of the season in the lower halves of the conference standings. It’s no longer a stretch to suggest the Toronto Raptors will be fine without Kawhi Leonard in the lineup through the end of March, barring injury setbacks or other unforeseen circumstances. As many predicted, LeBron James and Anthony Davis have the Los Angeles Lakers atop the West.

Like in other aspects of life, not all of the surprising NBA players and developments have been positive for teams and the Association, in general. At the start of the holiday shopping season, Kevin Durant’s move from the West Coast to the Big Apple is no longer the biggest story hovering over the Golden State Warriors, a franchise plagued by injuries and, seemingly, out of the playoff race before the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.

The first month of the 2019-20 NBA season was anything but the most wonderful time of the year for the Dubs.

Everybody associated with the Golden State Warriors

On Oct. 1, the biggest concerns regarding the 2019-20 Golden State Warriors were Kevin Durant’s move to the Brooklyn Nets and Klay Thompson’s torn ACL. Those are but blips on the radar as of Thanksgiving week. Stephen Curry is sidelined until further notice due to a broken hand. A sprained thumb cost D'Angelo Russell games from mid-November through the month’s final week. Draymond Green missed some action because of heel soreness. Center Willie Cauley-Stein, who signed a team-friendly deal in the offseason and who was supposed to be an asset for an uptempo and high-powered offense, disappointed across his first 15 Golden State appearances to the point that the Warriors could shop him ahead of the trade deadline. 

The Warriors dropped 15 of their first 18 games. We no longer have to ask if they’re actively tanking for the remainder of the campaign. This team doesn’t need to attempt to lose. 

Devonte' Graham

The Charlotte Hornets lost 12 of their first 18 games, but they weren’t an unwatchable disaster over that period even though both Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb fled for greener pastures last summer. Twenty-four year-old guard Devonte' Graham, his team’s leading scorer, has helped make Charlotte worth at least the price of a ticket. After he averaged a paltry 4.7 PPG in the first 46 appearances of NBA career, the second-year pro and 2018 second-round pick tallied 18.1 PPG, 7.1 AST, and 3.4 REB in 18 games this fall. He drained 40 percent (60-150) of his three-point attempts during those outings. On Nov. 16, the Most Improved Player candidate hit nine of 16 threes, including the game-winner, in a one-point win over the New York Knicks. 

CJ McCollum

Unlike with the Charlotte Hornets, there’s nothing positive about the Portland Trail Blazers suffering through a surprising 6-12 start. The hope ahead of the season was that the duo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum would both elevate their games and guide Portland near the top of the Western Conference standings. An optimist would claim Portland guard CJ McCollum merely suffered an early-season slump over his first 18 contests. A pessimist might say there are legitimate reasons to worry about his long-term form. 

The 28-year-old is trending toward suffering a drop in field-goal percentage for the second time in three years and in free-throw and three-point shooting a third straight season. After McCollum scored 37 points vs. the Milwaukee Bucks on Nov. 21, he went a combined 4-14 (28.57 percent) from distance over his following two games. 

Tristan Thompson 

Fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers may not want to admit it, but this portion of the club’s rebuild is right on schedule. The Cavs lost 12 of their first 17 games, and both Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson bolstered their trade values over the season’s first month. Minus a handful of poor showings in November, Thompson experienced a career renaissance, averaging personal bests in PPG (14.4), and BLK (1.4). He averaged 9.9 REB and over 31 MIN, and the one-time NBA champion center even converted three-point attempts (3-7) for the first time of his pro career. 

Per Joe Vardon of The Athletic (h/t Bleacher Report), both Thompson and Love “would like to play for a team with a chance to win another title as they reach the later stages of their careers.” Thompson’s contract expires at the end of the season.

Kendrick Nunn 

In October 2018, Kendrick Nunn couldn’t get on an NBA court after the Golden State Warriors relegated the undrafted guard to the team’s G League affiliate. Fast-forward 13 months, and he’s now a significant contributor for the Miami Heat and in early Rookie of the Year conversations. Among those eligible for the award, only Ja Morant (19.1), the second pick of this year’s draft class, sat above Nunn (16.9) in scoring as of November 26. Nunn converted 40.7 percent of the three-point shots (37-91) he took over his first 16 official NBA games. He was second (21) to only RJ Barrett (22) in steals among rookies on the eve of Thanksgiving Eve. Did the Heat stumble upon a future All-Star? 

Dwight Howard 

Center Dwight Howard performing so admirably for the Los Angeles Lakers over the first 17 games of his second stint with the club that he earned an apology from Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea has to be right up there among the most surprising NBA developments of the past several years. Nobody should pretend Howard is anything close to being the player of old in his Lakers uniform this fall. The veteran has, however, contributed over 20 MIN and tallied 6.7 PPG, 7.2 REB, and 1.5 BLK coming off the bench for the league’s best team. While it’s early days into his latest club journey, there’s no drama behind the scenes linked with Howard (that we’re aware of), and he’s playing selfless basketball alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. On Nov. 26, Howard was fourth on the Lakers in player efficiency rating.

Ben Simmons 

It’s probably our fault Ben Simmons is among the most surprising NBA players since we believed those summer videos showing his alleged improved jump shot served as evidence of his evolution. Recorded reactions and memes sparked by the 23-year-old finally making an NBA three-pointer for the first time elicited chuckles. One trey every 15 games isn’t going to cut it, especially for a team living in the bottom half of the league in three-point percentage. 

Simmons’ lack of a jumper remains a serious problem at a time when spacing means more than at any point in league history. Don’t believe that? Ask Joel Embiid and Philadelphia coach Brett Brown. After 17 games, the Sixers were no closer to closing the gap in the Eastern Conference than they were last spring. 

Andrew Wiggins 

We’re not going to act as if Andrew Wiggins reverting to bad habits during Nov. 20 and Nov. 23 losses didn’t cause us to worry that the Minnesota Timberwolves guard regressed after a hot start. Over those two outings, the 24-year-old converted only three of 16 threes (18.75 percent) and 19-45 attempts from the field. We’re staying positive ahead of holiday vacations, though, and pointing out that Wiggins is still averaging career highs in scoring (25.2 PPG), AST (3.4), and overall field goal percentage (46.9).

As J. Kyle Mann of The Ringer explained in late November, Minnesota head coach Ryan Saunders has Wiggins attacking the rim more and limiting long-range low-percentage two-point shots. While old ways don’t disappear overnight, particularly for a pro in his sixth season, Wiggins took career steps in the right direction in his first 14 games. It’s a start. 

Luka Doncic 

After Luka Doncic's dynamic Rookie of the Year campaign, everyone should’ve realized the Dallas Mavericks forward could eventually become a generational talent. The MVP candidate one month into the season may be the greatest 20-year-old in NBA history who is only getting better and stronger as colder weather impacts much of the United States. In 12 November contests, Doncic averaged 32.5 PPG, 10.8 AST, and 10.6 REB. Opponents can't prevent him from hitting stepback threes or beating defenders off the dribble. As Kurt Helin of NBC Sports wrote, Doncic is on pace to eclipse numbers LeBron James produced at the same age. 

On Nov. 26, Doncic trailed only reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo in player efficiency rating. 

Carmelo Anthony 

What’s more surprising: that Carmelo Anthony is back in the NBA, or that ‘Melo might be back. In his first four appearances with the disappointing Portland Trail Blazers, Anthony averaged 16 PPG and shot 39.1 percent beyond the arc (9-23). On Nov. 25, he torched the Chicago Bulls for a team-high 25 points on a 10-20 night from the field.

Let’s be clear that one vintage performance vs. a lousy opponent doesn’t alter the reality that the best basketball version of Anthony is gone forever. He turns 36 years old in May. He’s a defensive liability. The Trail Blazers had nothing to lose signing him to an inexpensive deal, and maybe he’ll provide some energy to a squad that has no business losing to the San Antonio Spurs and Cleveland Cavaliers.