11 NBA Players Who Are Quietly Torching the Association in the Early Going

Just over two weeks into the season, we are starting to get a feel for which teams and players are excelling and which aren't. While names like James Harden, Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins are on the lips of every analyst, there are players who are lighting up the NBA and getting far less attention.

Taking a look at analytic numbers unveils several of these unproven stars whether their contribution is defensive or offensive. These numbers will be used to list the players who have had the hottest starts out of the gate.

Glossary for advanced stats and advanced stats themselves courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.

"

Player Efficiency Rating (PER)
A measure of per-minute production standardized such that the league average is 15.

True Shooting Percentage (TS%)
A measure of shooting efficiency that takes into account two-point field goals, three-pointers and free throws.

Total Rebound Percentage (TRB%)
An estimate of the percentage of available rebounds a player grabbed while he was on the floor.

Assist Percentage (AST%)
An estimate of the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while he was on the floor.

Steal Percentage (STL%)
An estimate of the percentage of opponent possessions that end with a steal by the player while he was on the floor.

Block Percentage (BLK%)
An estimate of the percentage of opponent two-point field-goal attempts blocked by the player while he was on the floor.

Usage Percentage (USG%)
An estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while he was on the floor.

Win Shares Per 48 Minutes (WS/48)
An estimate of the number of wins contributed by a player per 48 minutes (league average is approximately .100).

Value Over Replacement Player (VORP)
A box score estimate of the points per 100 team possessions a player contributed above a replacement-level (-2.0) player, translated to an average team.

"

Brandan Wright

8.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 75.1% TS%, 26.3 PER

Wright is enjoying an efficient year, scoring modestly but efficiently while providing an interior presence off the bench.

The Mavericks forward has the 16th-highest player efficiency rating in the league (26.3) and is contributing valuable points on offense while also making a difference on defense in the interior.

Wright sports the fifth-highest block percentage in the NBA, with 7 percent of plays when he is on the court ending in a blocked shot, like the play seen above.

The Mavs aren't asking for a lot of minutes from Wright, who is playing 18.6 minutes per game, but he is making the most of those minutes.

Gordon Hayward

19.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 65.2% TS%, 24.6 PER

I was ignorant enough to say that Hayward was unworthy of a max contract, and for that I am truly sorry. As I type and eat a heaping bowl of crow, Hayward currently is holding a top-10 PER, playing the second-most minutes in the NBA and garnering the seventh-highest offensive rating in those minutes at 128.

Once again, I'm sorry.

This offensive rating is nearly 20 points per 100 higher than last season!

Hayward has done damage from everywhere on the court, sporting a top-15 true shooting percentage, with 43 percent of his shots coming from beyond the arc.

Hayward has been one of the best players in the whole league this season, and this has resulted in wins for his Jazz team, with the forward earning the ninth-highest value above replacement.

And to cap it all off, how about a block on LeBron James?

Ed Davis

10 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, 67.5% TS%, 23.6 PER

The Los Angeles Lakers signed Ed Davis to a two-year contract worth under $2 million at the veteran minimum.

Davis has rewarded their confidence with a career start, having career highs in points, steals and blocks. The center has a top-20 PER as well as a top-10 true shooting percentage at 67.5 percent. Davis is taking all of his shots within 10 feet, and 65.8 percent of his shots have come inside three feet.

This philosophy of efficient looks has led to the second-highest offensive rating in the league, with 131.5 points scored per 100 possessions.

On defense, Davis is sporting a top-15 block percentage, with 5.1 percent of plays ending in blocks.

The Lakers have not looked good, but Davis is a pleasant surprise on a cheap contract.

He is also apparently not a fan of Charles Barkley, who said on Inside the NBA that he would not eat until the Lakers won.

Al Jefferson

22.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, 50.1% TS%, 22.3 PER

Al Jefferson has surely been limited in the rebounding category by the addition of Lance Stephenson, who is a top-20 rebounding percentage player, but Big Al is still scoring at a prolific level.

He has the elite inside ability to dominate a game and drag his team to a win, like he did against the Heat, which surrendered 28 points and 10 rebounds to Jefferson in their November 5 meeting.

Jefferson is holding down the brunt of the Hornets offense, sporting a usage rating of 30.9 percent of possessions—eighth-highest in the league. He's also maintaining a true shooting percentage over 50 percent and a low turnover percentage in the top 15 in the NBA.

He has also made the most field goals in the league and stands at 17th in offensive rebounding percentage.

But the real surprise? Defense.

Big Al is averaging a career-tying mark for blocks per game and is continuing his strong defensive play since joining the Charlotte franchise last season. Over the last two seasons, he has averaged career-low defensive ratings at nearly two fewer points allowed per 100 possessions. 

Trevor Ariza

14.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.9 steals, 62.1% TS%, 17.1 PER

Most pundits were worried about the Rockets without Chandler Parsons, who departed for Dallas this offseason. But the Rockets acquired Ariza, who is doing his part to make Rockets fans forget Parsons.

As pointed out by Hardwood Paroxysm's Evans Clinchy, Ariza just may be a better fit.

"

This is a crazy, way-outside-the-box theory, but I reckon the move to Ariza may actually be one of the Rockets’ biggest improvements this season, and it’s not because Chandler Parsons is a "bad" player, or even an inferior one to Ariza per se. It’s a question of team dynamics, and Ariza has had all the right answers so far this season.

"

Ariza is averaging a career percentage from three—47.8 percent—while continuing to play the defense that he has always been known for.

Ariza's 95.8 defensive rating is good for 11th in the league, clearly showing that his newfound offensive rhythm has not come at the expense of his trademark defense.

The contributions of Ariza have meant a hot 6-1 start for the Rockets, and Ariza is 16th in the league in win shares per 48 minutes.

Isaiah Thomas

16.9 points, 4.4 assists, 60.3% TS%, 26.2 PER 

With all of the talented guards in Phoenix, Thomas can sometimes be overlooked by the national media. Thomas doesn't appear to care, as he is averaging the league's seventh-highest player efficiency rating while also having a top-20 usage rating.

Thomas propelled the Suns past one of the hottest teams in the league—the Warriors—two nights ago, scoring 22 points.

These statistics would lead one to believe that Thomas is calling his own number frequently, but, surprisingly, he is also in the top 20 in assist percentage, setting his teammates up on 33.7 percent of his possessions on the court.

The third man in the backcourt for the Suns is actually seventh in the league in win shares per 48, showing that his impact is resulting in wins for a team that narrowly missed the playoffs last season.

Kyle Lowry

17.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.1 steals, 60.2% TS%, 23.9 PER

Kyle Lowry is once again having a quietly spectacular season, with a career-high PER of 23.9, good for 12th-highest in the league. The Raptors are 6-1 thanks to these contributions and look poised for another high-seeded playoff berth.

A top-10 offensive rating of 127.4 has shown that he makes the Raptors offense go. Teammate DeMar DeRozan, 11th in points, is surely a happy recipient of the looks afforded by Lowry.

The diminutive guard has been a triple-double threat all season and even cashed one in against the Wizards. 

Lowry is irreplaceable, with the league's fourth-highest value over replacement player.

Courtney Lee

15.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 72.1% TS%, 22.3 PER

The Memphis Grizzlies are one of the surprise teams in the NBA this season—not because they are good, but because they are really good.

Lee has had a huge hand in that, possessing the best offensive rating in the league with 137.6 points, likely the product of his league-leading true shooting percentage of 72 percent.

A team that needs scoring must love having a player like Lee off to such a hot start.

The guard has been spreading the floor and allowing the big-man duo of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph to operate, a critical factor in preventing double-teams.

Lee is playing the noteworthy defense the Grizz are known for, putting in a top-20 defensive rating as well. These contributions on both ends add up to a fourth-highest win shares-per-48 number.

If Lee can continue to play at this level, it will surely mean more wins for Memphis.

Greg Monroe

17.2 points, 11.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 55.2% TS%, 23.5 PER

Greg Monroe is in a contract year after signing a one-year qualifying offer from the Pistons. He is responding well to this pressure, posting a 23.5 PER, good for 17th in the NBA.

His 55.2 percent true shooting percentage is the highest personal mark in three seasons, and Monroe seems determined not to be overshadowed by teammate Andre Drummond.

Monroe is also in the top five in rebounds per game and top 15 in total rebounding rate at 18.8 percent.

He turned in 18 rebounds in a game against the Knicks last week, showing his ability to dominate the boards.

Rudy Gay

22.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.1 steals, 57.4% TS%, 21.93 PER

The NBA assumed Gay's superstar years were behind him, but he has had something to say about that thus far this season, averaging a career high in points and rebounds thus far.

Gay looks fresh and is using a variety of moves to get to the basket and score, like the spin shown in the video above.

Gay is playing the 14th-most minutes in the league and also going to the free-throw line at a prolific rate. He has attempted 50 free throws through seven games.

Gay's career-leading true shooting percentage of 57.4 percent is helping to take some of the pressure off of DeMarcus Cousins, who is also having a career year in Sacramento.

John Wall

19 points, 3.9 rebounds, 8.7 assists, 2.6 steals, 53.2% TS%, 21.6 PER

Wall is playing the 16th-most minutes in the league so far this season and is averaging a top-five assist percentage of 43.4 percent.

His true shooting percentage is a career high, and if he improved his 23.5 percent mark from three, that number would rise even higher, as his two-point percentage sits at nearly 50 percent.

All of the hot chocolate must be working because, as reported by The Washington Post's Dan Steinberg, Wall consumes two daily:

"

I’ve been doing this since I was little. Even in the summer time when it be hot as hell, I’ll be still drinking it. ... I just like hot chocolate that much. It’s a habit. I have one before the game and one in the morning. If I don’t get one in the morning [on off days], I’ll at least get two after practice to go home.

"

Wall has been doing a little bit of everything for the Wizards, putting up a defensive win-shares number in the top 15 while recording a steal on nearly 4 percent of the possessions he's defended—ask Donald Sloan about it.

With wing players like Bradley Beal and Martell Webster sidelined, Wall has had to step up for the Wizards, leading them to a 5-2 start.

Statistics courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.

Follow @2NamezJames.