Teams have been anxiously anticipating the start of the season and it is finally here. The NBA has just concluded their second week of the 2020-2021 regular season and a lot has gone on so far. Teams are finally starting to develop an identity of what their team is going to look like this season. Every year, teams are projected to finish with good and bad records depending on their current rosters. But every year, some teams and players surprise a lot of fans with their performance. And I am here to discuss the biggest surprises of the NBA so far.

One of the biggest surprises comes from the Phoenix Suns ranking number 1 in the Western Conference thus far. This team failed to make it to the playoffs last year and really was defined as the stereotypical “below average” team. But they acquired much need veteran leadership this offseason in Chris Paul that really helped them establish a respected scoring offense. The defense was a huge struggle for this team last year, letting opposing teams score on them at a very consistent rate. But with the acquisitions of lockdown wing defenders such as Jae Crowder and Cameron Payne, they were able to solve that problem and their defense is looking a lot better. The team is off to a very hot start being 6-2 thus far, and I don’t see them slowing down anytime soon.

The entire NBA was caught off guard by the emergence of two stereotypical average players that have really elevated their games this season and impressed us thus far. The first is Julius Randle who severely underperformed last year on a terrible New York Knicks team. He has really shown huge signs of improvement in his jump shot and his off-ball movement this season, averaging 22 points and 7 assists on the year. I am eager to see if he can keep up this performance as the season progresses. The other player who has surprised the NBA is Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics. Jaylen Brown has always been a solid 3-4 option on a playoff contention team but has really significantly improved his game so far this season. He really developed a good 3-point shot and has improved his decision making by averaging 26 points and is shooting over 40% from 3-point range. His consistency in making 3 pointers has really elevated his role on his team and he now is a consistent 2nd option on a contending team.

Although some teams have surprised us NBA fans in a good way, some teams that were expected to get off to a hot start have done the complete opposite. The first one is the Miami Heat who currently sits at 3-4 and is 11th in the Eastern Conference. The Miami Heat were by far the most improved and surprising team last year after making it all the way to the NBA finals.  They exceeded all expectations last year, but this year they are struggling. They prioritize outside shooting and limiting turnovers but their shooting has been horrendous so far. Players such as Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro are not living up to expectations. I see them improving as the season progresses, but for now, they are disappointing. The other disappointing team that was supposed to be off to a hot start is the Houston Rockets. The Rockets dealt with a lot of off the court issues last year but still have an abundance of talent on their roster. They currently are 2-4 and are 13th in the Western Conference. their main star James Harden seems to be the only legitimate scorer on this team, and it is very hard to win with only one reliable scoring option. The team acquired key pieces in John Wall and Demarcus Cousins this offseason who was projected to make a serious impact right away. But so far, both of these players are severely underperforming. They prioritize offense more than anything, but their offense is one of the worst in the league thus far. I don’t see this team progressing too much as they really haven’t established any chemistry yet.

Make sure to leave any comments you may have on this post. I’m sure a lot of you are fans of certain NBA teams, so let me know if you agree or disagree with my opinions. Take into consideration that it is only the beginning of the season, so these opinions can change quickly. I leave you guys with a few questions: What team and player have been the most surprising this season? Will the Suns continue to exceed expectations? What team has regressed the most so far?

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