Almost a month into the season players are showing who was in the gym this off-season and those who are not are off to early season struggles.
After last year a lot of faces are in new places, players are coming off of injuries and young stars are starting to take steps.
The moral of the story is there were a lot of players with question marks this season and some of them are delivering and some are letting the pressure get to them.
Any obvious stars are not going to be on this list, this is not who had the best season.
Even someone like Dame had some small question marks when it came to fit and a new team, but obviously he is going to be Dame and figure it out to some extent.
This is for the underdogs who are just getting their name out into the world.
Players like Herb Jones and Austin Reaves stepped on the scene last year, and even Lauri Markkanen last year had already been in the league for years and became a first time All-Star.
Those are the types of players on this list.
There were a lot of players who have been better than expected, so it was hard to narrow it down.
Nonetheless some impacts are bigger than others, so let’s see who has impressed so far this season.
Honorable Mention: Cam Thomas, Brooklyn Nets
Cam Thomas is off to a terrific start to the season averaging the 11th most in the league 26.9 points per game, 3.8 rebounds per game, and 2.1 assists per game on 47.9/32.1/85.1 shooting splits in 32.4 minutes per game.
I am a huge Cam Thomas supporter and have been a fan since I saw him at LSU.
The only reason he is not on the list is because at least not to me, his play this year is not surprising. Anyone who has paid attention to Cam Thomas’ production in the minutes he has been given knows that he was destined to be a household name.
And no that does not mean you had to be a basketball superfan, he literally put up three consecutive 40 + points games and then was just stripped of his minutes for no reason. He has been given the most questionable DNP’s of all time.
#5: Kristaps Porzingis, Boston Celtics
Kristaps Porzingis is the new star big in Boston and was maybe the most under-rated pick up of the off-season. A lot of people thought that Porzingis may never be the same and that he might be on the decline of his career due to his play in Dallas and Washington.
He was not being talked about as a huge addition for the Celtics and his injury history made fans think that they were getting a washed up star on his way out of the league.
So far he has only proved the opposite and has been the third star the Celtics have been looking for in the past few years.
His three level scoring has allowed him to space the floor and dominate down low when needed, and defensively he has been nothing short of elite. He has seemed to fit in nicely with the Jays and he has been the rebounding, scoring and rim protecting addition that they hoped for-
Porzingis is averaging 19,7 points per game, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game on 56.5/40.8./83.9 shooting splits in 30.2 minutes per game. In ten games he has six 20+ point games including a 30 piece on opening night and he has 6 games with multiple threes made.
Porzingis is 5th because he may be considered a star, but for how he was being talked about in the off-season he has showed that he could be the missing piece to the Celtics championship run this year.
#4: Cade Cunningham
The former number one overall pick Cade Cunningham has returned to the Pistons after missing almost all of last year with an injury. Cunningham showed flashes of being a star player but has yet to be able to put on a complete season so far in his young career.
Although the Pistons are 2-10 right now, Cunningham has shown that he is a future All-Star in the league. Coming off of an injury it was a big question if he was going to come back the same and if that would stunt his growth as a player.
None of the above was true as he has gotten off to a hot start this year. Cunningham has averaged 21.3 points per game, 7.3 assists per game, and 3.6 rebounds per game, on 40.2/29.7/ 87.5 shooting splits in 36.2 minutes per game.
Cunningham already has three 30 point games, eight games over 20, and two double doubles. This does not include the first game of the season where he had 30 points and 9 assists, and it does not count his most recent game where he had 9 points but 12 assists.
Cunningham has put up great numbers and has played terrific, however his efficiency
has been slightly below average. This is because he has the 11th highest usage percentage in the NBA.
Cunningham has been great, the only reason he is not higher on the list is because his play has not translated to wins. He was still impressive and he silenced the doubters who thought he was not going to bounce back.
#3: RJ Barrett, New York Knicks
I think the most doubted and “written off” player on this list is Barrett. In the media Barrett has been getting a bad rep for only being a scorer and being inefficient at that-
A lot of people were saying he was a bust of a third overall pick and Barrett seems like he has been hearing the noise.
Barrett is averaging 22.6 points per game, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in what has so far been the most efficient season of his career. He has shooting splits of 48.7/50.84.6, and a true shooting percentage of 62%.
A big reason that Barrett is high on this list, besides the skepticism, is that his big time play has resulted in wins for the Knicks. Obviously you can not blame wins and losses on one player, but his play has saved the Knicks in some games and is a big reason that they are 6th in the east with a 6-5 record.
Barrett has five games with 24 or more points, 6 games with multiple threes and 4 games with at least three including a game with five. Barrett, who has struggled to shoot the long ball consistently, has been making almost three 3’s a game at 2.9.
He is the 26th highest scorer in the league and is only .1 points per game behind his teammate Jalen Brunson and being a top 25 scorer in the league. He is also shooting the 6th highest three point percentage in the league.
This year the Knicks are 5-2 when Barrett plays and 1-3 when he does not play. He is fitting in as an elite third option after Randle and Brunson.
Barrett has had a great season so far, but is simply not higher on the list because he is being out played by numbers one and two. His confidence and shot looks a lot better and it seems like he has been in the gym this off-season.
#2: Desmond Bane, Memphis Grizzlies
After an already solid season Bane has improved his play even in more difficult circumstances. His All-Star teammate Ja Morant was suspended the first 25 games of the season leaving Bane to be the teams first scoring option.
Most thought this would cause Bane’s efficiency and numbers to drop because he was not fit to be a first option and he would also draw the other teams best defender.
It was also assumed that newly acquired Marcus Smart and Derrick Rose would try to make up for the playmaking and scoring ability of Morant.
Bane was not mentioned to be a player to step up, all off-season it was more about the other Grizzlies. Nonetheless Bane has taken the role as the first option and thrived in it as well. He is the 13th leading scorer in the NBA at 25.5 points per game, 4.5 rebounds and assists per game, and 1.5 steals per game on 45.6/35.2/84.1 shooting splits in 34.7 minutes per game.
He has five thirty point games including a 37 point game against the Jazz, eight twenty plus point games, and 7 games with at least 5 assists. He has been scoring the ball at an elite rate and he has improved his play-making a lot.
He also has made multiple threes in 10 of the 11 games he’s played in, he has 7 games with at least 3 made, and a game with 7 threes made. He has been shooting lights out even though he has taken on a bigger role.
Bane has improved so much as a ball handler, finisher and facilitator. The reason he is not number one is because the Grizzlies are another team at the bottom of the standings with a 2-9 record which is last in the West. However with Banes playing out of his mind, the Grizzlies should be in a great position when Ja comes back.
#1: Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors
After having a rookie of the year first season, followed by a tremendous sophomore slump, the media has speculated whether Barnes was going to make the third year jump or if he was going to fizzle out.
Barnes is on the 11th seed 5-6 Raptors right now, which may seem hypocritical based on my other rankings, however he has played all around the best out of anyone on this list and he may have been doubted the most, coming into this season.
Barnes is averaging 20.9 points per game, 9.6 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.6 blocks per game on 47.5/37.5/76.1 shooting splits in 35.7 minutes per game. For him to be such a well rounded 2-way player in just his third year is special to watch.
Barnes is another player who’s improved their three point stroke a tremendous amount. Barnes had not been a good deep range shooter in his young career, but in year three he has seemed to maybe have found a bit of touch.
What puts Barnes over the edge of the other players on this list is his impact defensively. He has a 106.4 defensive rating so far this year and he has had his way with some of the league’s premiere scorers. He held Karl Anthony-Towns to 2-9 shooting, Joel Embiid to 4-9 shooting and Giannis Antetokounmpo to 2-7 shooting.
Barnes looks like he could be the future of the Raptors franchise.
The NBA has seen a lot of players like Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum, and Nikola Jokic already start putting on a show, but that was expected coming into the year. It is the players that step up and make the jump that help push teams to being better then they were the year before.
It is early in the year, so there is still time for more unexpected heroes or for players that are hot they might start to cool down. So far these 5 players worked on their games and are showing it on the court.
Bane, Barrett, Porzingis, Cunningham, and Barnes all are playing great and I hope that they keep it up. Possibly some early candidates for most improved in this list as well. It is great to see these young stars start to really come into their own!
ONWARD!
