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10 Biggest Surprises From NBA Season So Far

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By @NickCWilder

Biggest Surprises From NBA Season So Far

Sacramento Kings NBA
Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

The 2014-15 NBA season is very young, as we are only about two weeks in. However, there have been numerous surprises to start the season regarding several teams and players around the league. As the year progresses, it will be interesting to see if these surprises become consistent, or are simply short-term occurrences.

10. Denver Nuggets

Denver Nuggets NBA
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

10. Denver Nuggets

Denver Nuggets NBA
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The Nuggets have endured a very disappointing 1-5 record to start their season, with their lone win coming against the Detroit Pistons in the season opener. It’s somewhat surprising to see this team struggle so far, with dynamic players such as Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried, and a great home-court advantage. Head coach Brian Shaw might look to trim down the rotation as the season continues.

9. Stephen Curry

Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

9. Stephen Curry

Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Curry has been one of the NBA’s most versatile players for a few seasons now, but, surprisingly, Curry has been a top-three player in the league thus far for a great Warriors team. He’s averaging a blistering 26 PPG, 6.9 APG, 6.1 RPG and a PER of 26.80. Those are MVP numbers and if he continues on this pace he will surely be in the running for the award at season’s end.

8. Houston Rockets

Houston Rockets NBA
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

8. Houston Rockets

Houston Rockets NBA
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The Rockets made the playoffs last year, but they’ve enjoyed a surprisingly fast 6-1 start to the season. Their only loss came to the Warriors, when they played without starters Dwight Howard, Patrick Beverley and Terrence Jones. Adding the veteran Trevor Ariza has certainly proved to be an upgrade over Chandler Parsons thus far, especially defensively.

7 . Miami Heat

Miami Heat NBA
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

7 . Miami Heat

Miami Heat NBA
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

No LeBron James, no problem so far for the Heat. They’ve raced out to a solid 5-2 record behind Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, who’ve showed through seven games that they are still phenomenal players in this league. The addition of Luol Deng to this team has also helped significantly, and it appears this team will not be an easy out come playoff time.

6. Chicago Bulls’ Rebounding Woes

Chicago Bulls NBA
John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports

6. Chicago Bulls’ Rebounding Woes

Chicago Bulls NBA
John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports

Tom Thibodeau’s squad has been fortunate enough to play the easiest schedule in the league through eight games, as they currently have a record of 6-2. However, the team has been out-rebounded in six of their eight games this season, which is shocking considering they have perhaps the best front line in the NBA and have dominated the boards in previous seasons.

5. Anthony Davis

New Orleans Pelicans Anthony Davis
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

5. Anthony Davis

New Orleans Pelicans Anthony Davis
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Mostly everyone expected a great season from Davis this year, but through the Pelicans’ first six games, he’s played at a historic rate. The 21-year-old power forward is averaging an absolutely absurd 24.8 PPG, 13 RPG, 4.2 BPG and a PER of 35.79. New Orleans will likely be in the playoff hunt throughout the year, even in the loaded Western Conference, due to having a monster like Davis on their roster.

4. Toronto Raptors

Toronto Raptors NBA
Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports

4. Toronto Raptors

Toronto Raptors NBA
Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports

The first-place spot in the Eastern Conference is currently held by the Toronto Raptors, which boast a record of 7-1. It’s surprising to see them atop the East thus far, as many predicted the Bulls or Cavaliers would own that position at all times. The sensational backcourt of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry continues to be one of the best in the NBA.

3. Memphis Grizzlies

Memphis Grizzlies NBA
Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

3. Memphis Grizzlies

Memphis Grizzlies NBA
Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Quietly, the Grizzlies have been one of the best teams in the NBA to start the season and are playing great basketball. Through eight games, Memphis leads the Western Conference with a record of 7-1. It appears they’ve finally found some outside shooting to go along with their bruising front line. Nobody will want to play this team in the playoffs, especially if their early-season play continues.

2. Problems With Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland Cavaliers NBA
Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

2. Problems With Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland Cavaliers NBA
Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Most people expected the Cavaliers to blitz the league offensively and lose very few games along the way, prior to the season. However, the team is surprisingly 3-3 right now and has a long way to go before they can be crowned champions. Cleveland has real issues defensively and is still jiggering with their rotation, two problems they will have to fix in the coming weeks.

1. Sacramento Kings and DeMarcus Cousins

Sacramento Kings DeMarcus Cousins NBA
Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

1. Sacramento Kings and DeMarcus Cousins

Sacramento Kings DeMarcus Cousins NBA
Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

The biggest surprise so far this NBA season has been the play of the Sacramento Kings, along with their rising star DeMarcus Cousins. They’ve enjoyed a 5-3 start to the year and have played inspiring basketball for the first time in several years. Cousins has been a beast, averaging 22.1 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 1.3 BPG and a PER of 27.18. He’s been controlling his on-court emotions and is becoming the mature, dynamic player everyone hoped he'd grow into.

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