[Celtics3178Participant]

 This year I think a lot of guys seriously turned it up this offseason. Who are the biggest surprises at each position. I know their are many deserving but here’s my 5 one for each position.

C Andre Drummond the guys is playing the best basketball of his life. He can finally sorta hit free throws and he’s not just beasting the boards he’s passing and playing D I think he’s a dark horse MVP. 

PF LaMarcus Aldridge he’s kept he Spurs alive and is playing better then anyone thought he would. All offseason we heard trade rumors and now he is playing like he did in Portland. 

SF Jason Tatum I don’t think anyone thought he was this far along so young. He’s got some of the best 4th quarter stats in the league. He plays solid D and he’s a threat offensively. Simmons is a pick for MVP but he is right behind him.

SG Victor Oladipo he looks like the best player in that Paul George trade. He’s offensively having his best season and he plays above average D. He should be an All Star in the east imo 

PG kris Dunn I know the Bull are terrible so that always makes a player look better but he’s finally getting starter minutes and he’s putting up impressive numbers. 

[The GoatParticipant]

Agree with 4/5.  Kris Dunn has had a lot of terrible games. Tatum has been good but I think after Ainge made that trade there was a sense he could play. Jaylen Brown  and Tim Hardaway have really stepped it up to a surprising level though. 

 

[Jr. ROXASParticipant]

Tatum has totally changed his style of play from high school/college going to the NBA and it’s one of the bigger reasons why he is succeeding. The guy was a ball-stopping iso post up player in high school, college and in the summer league that I doubted if he would be that great a fit to professional teams.

Now, he is a modern 3 and D player on steroids. First of all, he takes and makes threes at a high rate. Couple that with his natural desire to drive the ball and finish with George Gervinesque layups, you got yourself one hell of a 3rd option.

Also, unlike some other "3 and D" players. he actually has great anticipation on defense and passing lanes. The popular belief nowadays is that steals are a misleading stat, and that as long as you stay on your man, you’re good and steals don’t matter. I say, why not do both? Offenses have a hard time against Tatum because he has such great feel for stripping the ball loose with his long arms and jumping on passing lanes. You can’t just dribble nonchalantly against him unlike with say, a player like Wes Matthews as he can swipe that rock with ease. A true defensive menace racks up steals, defelctions and blocks while ALSO staying on his/her man. Kawhi builds fear through that. I believe Tatum can too.

 

 

 

 

[Evan_MilbergParticipant]

Good list. Oladipo is the frontrunner for MIP in my opinion. Tatum has stepped up in a big way with Hayward out for the season. Aldridge has recovered from a poor last year in San Antonio and has helped keep them competitive with Kawhi out. 

Drummond’s play hasn’t surprised me because despite a poor year last year, I think we always knew that he has amazing potential. He just needs to be motivated. Dunn’s recent surge to me isn’t so much a surprise as much as it is overdue. With the minutes he’s getting in Chicago, I think we all expected more from him earlier.

Some other names I’d throw out there: 

-Donovan Mitchell: I think we all expected him to be decent, but I don’t think many here expected him to be in the running for ROY. What a gifted scorer. 

-Lauri Markkanen: On a team that already features Portis and Mirotic, I figured it would take longer for Markkanen to establish himself. 

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