Biggest Early Surprises of the 2014-15 NBA Season
The NBA typically does not keep many tricks up its sleeves.
The league constantly evolves and improves, but it doesn't do a lot of surprising. True contenders can often can be counted on one hand, and the All-Star rosters fielded in February feature mostly the same names that could have been rattled off in October.
But not everything about this game goes according to script. Sure, we knew the Cleveland Cavaliers might need time to jell and the San Antonio Spurs could have a season-long bout with complacency. But we had no idea the Sacramento Kings could factor in the playoff race or that the Milwaukee Bucks could make a near-worst-to-near-first leap in defensive efficiency under head coach Jason Kidd.
And those are just two of many early-season surprises the 2014-15 campaign has produced. Whether these surprises can stick for the duration of the year is another source of intrigue.
As sports fanatics—or, in many cases, sports junkies—we like to think we know everything. The following seven NBA narratives have served as reminders that we cannot always predict the next chapter to these fascinating stories.
Houston Rockets' Addition by Subtraction
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Regression was supposed to hit the Houston Rockets this season, perhaps with enough force to nudge them out of the Western Conference's jam-packed playoff field. After all, Houston had willingly thinned its own ranks by shipping out valuable reserves Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik to clear enough space for perennial All-Star Chris Bosh.
Bosh declined Houston's overtures and returned to the Miami Heat. Skilled swingman Chandler Parsons then signed a massive offer sheet with the Dallas Mavericks that Houston eventually opted not to match.
Just like that, the Rockets had lost three of the top-seven rotation players from last season's 54-win team.
But the Rockets haven't suffered any setbacks. In fact, they have launched out to their first 6-1 start since 2007-08. Their only loss came against the then-undefeated Golden State Warriors in a game Houston played without Dwight Howard (flu-like symptoms), Terrence Jones (leg) and Patrick Beverley (hamstring).
Howard has been a force (19.7 points, 11.5 rebounds), and All-Star teammate James Harden has been equally dominant (25.4 points, 7.1 assists). Trevor Ariza, Parsons' replacement, has been a natural fit as a floor spacer (47.8 three-point percentage) and lockdown defender.
"The Rockets could have been ... a riches-to-rags story that put their contender status in jeopardy and their championship hopes on hold," wrote Bleacher Report's Dan Favale. "Ariza has thus far been one of the reasons why that respite from the ranks of the elite doesn't look like it's coming."
With a dominant defense to complement its explosive offense, Houston's championship ceiling seems to be holding up just fine.
Nikola Vucevic's All-Star Credentials
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The Orlando Magic saw a good bet—albeit an expensive one—so they made it. Two years after acquiring Nikola Vucevic in the four-team trade that sent Dwight Howard out of town, the Magic awarded the 24-year-old with a four-year, $54 million contract extension.
That is obviously a ton of money. But Vucevic's torrid start has it already looking like a bargain.
"Nikola Vucevic is putting up numbers like Dwight Howard used to in Orlando with averages of 18.6 points and 12.3 rebounds," noted Yahoo Sports' Marc J. Spears.
Vucevic has five double-doubles to show for his first seven games. He has grabbed 12 or more boards five different times and owns this season's highest single-game rebounding total (23). He has twice poured in at least 23 points and only once finished with fewer than 15.
These are uncharted waters for him. His previous career-high scoring average was last season's 14.2 points-per-game mark.
The numbers feel sustainable. He shoots a good percentage from the field (50.5 for his career) and punishes defenses for sending him to the free-throw line (70.3).
The Magic need a go-to option on offense. Given that Victor Oladipo remains sidelined by a facial fracture and the franchise is so heavily committed to Vucevic, it makes perfect sense to keep feeding the big guy.
Milwaukee Bucks' Disruptive Defense
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The Milwaukee Bucks are massive. Whether measuring by vertical height or horizontal length, this roster has the pieces to cover tremendous ground at the defensive end.
So, yes, the potential was there for the Bucks to grow into a defensive power. But who could have seen that transformation taking place overnight?
Milwaukee allowed 108.9 points per 100 possessions last season. Only the Utah Jazz surrendered points at a higher rate.
This season, the Bucks have sliced that number down to 96.3. Only the Rockets, Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies—teams with a combined record of 17-3—have a lower defensive rating.
"The biggest thing we're focused on this year is being able to play defense," Coach Kidd told reporters recently. "... We have to believe that defense comes first and then offense."
That message is clearly getting through to his players. Not only do the Bucks have an impressive defensive efficiency, but they also hold top-10 rankings in both steals (9.9, third overall) and blocks (6.0, eighth) per game.
This team is still a work in progress at the opposite side, but this defense is so tenacious that Milwaukee can pester opponents even amid its offensive struggles. And with the defense causing this type of live-ball chaos, the Bucks' biggest strength is helping address their primary weakness.
Courtney Lee's Explosive Start
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Entering this season, everything about Courtney Lee's NBA career had graded out as average—or slightly below it.
He had been a mid-volume scorer (9.5 points per game), a solid shooter (.450/.382/.845 slash line) and a hair-below-mediocre player in terms of efficiency (12.4 player efficiency rating, league average is 15.0).
A light bulb has apparently clicked for the seven-year veteran, opening up previously unforeseen levels of production across his stat sheet. In five games played—he sat out two with a concussion—he has tallied personal bests in points (15.2), rebounds (3.8) and assists (2.4) in 32.3 minutes a night.
His counting stats are strong, but the efficiency behind them is the real eye-opener.
He leads the league in three-point percentage with a ridiculous .667 conversion rate. From the field, he has buried a career-high 55.3 percent of his attempts. And because everything he has touched has turned to gold, the career 84.6 percent free-throw shooter has cashed in 92.3 percent of his attempts at the line.
With Mike Conley (38.7 field-goal percentage), Tayshaun Prince (37.5) and newcomer Vince Carter (35.9) struggling to find their shots, Lee has provided the perimeter punch needed to free up Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph underneath.
Far from the pedestrian production of his past, Lee is now a major reason the Memphis Grizzlies (6-1) are one of the NBA's hottest teams.
Golden State Warriors Pick Up Pace Without Sacrificing Defense
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One can often find a give-and-take between playing with pace and fielding a dominant defense. A lot of teams that emphasize one do so at the expense of the other.
Under first-year head coach Steve Kerr, the Golden State Warriors are doing both at league-leading levels. No team has averaged more possessions per 48 minutes (103.28), and none has surrendered fewer points per 100 possessions (91.4).
Last season, the league's five fastest teams had an average defensive efficiency ranking of 20.6. None found itself inside the category's top 10, and only two had top-half standings: the Houston Rockets (12th) and Minnesota Timberwolves (15th).
The NBA's best defenses did not necessarily play slow. Of the top-five defensive clubs, two played at a top-third pace (the Warriors, sixth, and Oklahoma City Thunder, ninth). But two others hit the floor at a bottom-half speed (the Indiana Pacers, 20th, and Chicago Bulls, 28th).
That the Warriors are running and gunning isn't exactly new. Unfortunately, neither are this team's turnover woes (22.5 per game, easily the league's highest average).
But this combination of a breakneck attack and a dominant defense has the Warriors positioned to change their leaguewide perception into that of a full-fledged championship contender.
"Basic cable types will continue to take Golden State down a peg as some sort of shoot-first outfit," wrote Yahoo Sports' Kelly Dwyer, "... but the Warriors have literally raced out to the top of the league on the defensive end."
Anthony Davis' Rapid NBA Takeover
6 of 7The basketball world knew Anthony Davis' time was coming. Reigning MVP Kevin Durant foreshadowed Durant's eventual ascent over the summer.
"He's an MVP-caliber player," Durant said of Davis in July, per NBA.com's Jim Eichenhofer. "So he's next. He's next in line—a guy that has grown so much in just a year. I'm excited to see what he does from here. He's definitely on pace."
Even with those warnings, it was hard to imagine Davis crashing the elite ranks quite like this—or, hard to foresee him doing it this early into his career, at least.
But the 21-year-old has absolutely arrived. And that's putting it lightly.
The New Orleans Pelicans forward leads the NBA in rebounds (13.0), blocks (4.2) and player efficiency rating (35.7). For good measure, he also ranks second in total win shares (1.5), fourth in scoring (24.8) and fifth in steals (2.5). Oh, and he's shooting 51.8 percent from the field and 81.4 percent from the free-throw line.
If players are still in front of him, there aren't enough to be considered an actual line. With a whopping 137 regular-season games under his belt, the lethal two-way force is already on a shortlist of the NBA's greats.
Should the Pelicans make their first postseason appearance since 2011, Davis would have a shot at supplanting Derrick Rose as the youngest MVP in NBA history.
Sacramento Kings Are Winning...with Defense
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Under second-year head coach Michael Malone, the Sacramento Kings have had a head-turning start in the standings. Seven contests into the campaign, the Kings already have five wins in the books. It took them 18 games to collect their fifth victory last season.
But the real surprise isn't simply that the Kings are winning but rather the manner in which they are finishing on the right side of the scoreboard. Despite having furious starts from DeMarcus Cousins (23.0 points, 11.1 rebounds) and Rudy Gay (22.3 points, 7.1 rebounds), the Kings aren't overwhelming with offense.
It's their top-shelf defense that has analysts wondering aloud whether this team could crash the jam-packed Western Conference playoff party. The Kings rank eighth in defensive efficiency (100.0 points allowed per 100 possessions), fourth in field-goal percentage against (42.0) and third in three-point percentage allowed (29.2).
Just last season, the Kings had the NBA's eighth-worst defensive rating (106.3). Both their field-goal percentage against (46.1, 20th) and three-point percentage allowed (38.0, 29th) ranked in the bottom half.
"I think really we're just buying in on the defensive end," Ray McCallum told Bleacher Report's Sim Risso. "Coach Malone's a defensive-minded coach, and that's the area he stresses every day. We're going out there defending at a high level."
Despite having already slayed conference dragons like the Los Angeles Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers, the Kings haven't convinced everyone that their new identity will stick. Sacramento could convert a lot of the doubters if it survives this upcoming gauntlet: road tilts with the Dallas Mavericks and Grizzlies and then home for the San Antonio Spurs, Pelicans and Chicago Bulls.
Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.
