ONE SURPRISING PLAYER FOR EVERY NBA TEAM (EASTERN CONFERENCE)

We are almost a month into the NBA season. It is still too early in mind too write off teams as more of a cooked product than Frank the Tank trying to make ribs. It's also to early to say a team has claimed the throne like Mintzy vs Brandon Walker for "King of the South". But we can start looking into players however. Instead of debating who's an MVP candidate or an All-Star, let's look into the unsung heroes for every team. It could be a player that is getting no recognition or a name most people already knew but is exceeding expectations. The caveat I'm holding myself to here is no former All-Star/All-NBA players can be used. Should be pretty simple. Today will be the Eastern Conference and tomorrow will be the Western Conference.

ATLANTA HAWKS: JALEN JOHNSON AND DYSON DANIELS

Look when a team is not one but TWO Most Improved Player candidates, I have to go with both. We saw a bit of the potential from Jalen Johnson last year when he averaged 16/9/4 but this year he's taken another step. He's averaging 19/10/5/1.5/1 this year on worse shooting than last year so that 19 points per game could jump to 21+ if he finds his shot. Now Dyson Daniels however is currently on pace for an all-time defensive season from a non-big. He is currently AVERAGING 3.6 steals per game which if the season ended today would be the 2nd most in a season ever. Factor in he is averaging career highs across the board going to 14/4/3 this year up from the 6/4/3 he averaged last year. Oh yeah by the way Johnson and Daniels are only 22 and 21 years old respectively.

BOSTON CELTICS: PAYTON PRITCHARD

Payton Pritchard has gone from young guy who barely plays to a quality backup point guard to the arguable front-runner for 6th Man of the Year. He has not started a single game for the Celtics yet and is averaging 16/3/3 off the bench while hitting 43% on his threes with NINE attempts. Also he might be the world's best HORSE player with the rate he keeps hitting these half-court shots. Keep in mind the Celtics had the 6MOY two years ago with Malcolm Brogdon and Pritchard is having a better statistical season. The rich get richer with the type of breakout season the reigning champs are getting from Payton.

BROOKLYN NETS: DENNIS SCHRODER

Dennis Schroder is putting on a show for any team that wants to trade for him. Brooklyn is frisky this season with a record of 5-7 which is already better than plenty of people expected them to be at this point. But they have a ton of veterans that could help them accumulate more young players, picks, and tank for what's going to be a very deep and talented draft this year. Brooklyn should focus more on trying to get Cooper Flagg or Dylan Harper than fighting for a play-in spot. Schroder is leading the charge amongst those expendable veterans with averages of 19/3/6. It's the most points he's averaged since the 2017-18 season. Schroder will likely be in a new uniform by the trade deadline but he deserves credit for making Brooklyn not so boring to watch.

CHICAGO BULLS: COBY WHITE

Now this isn't that surprising as in my mind Coby White was the ACTUAL Most Improved Player last year but I just want to give him his flowers. He's continued on the breakout season he had last year averaging 20/4/5 with a steal per game. In a world where Zach Lavine and Nikola Vucevic seem to be in almost every trade rumor, White should be a mainstay for the Bulls should they pull the trigger on their rebuild. At 6'5 and only 24 he's still young enough to fit next to any player and timeline that Chicago sets up.

CHARLOTTE HORNETS: TRE MANN

Baggy shorts? A headband and cornrows? The sick teal jerseys the Hornets have? Sign me the fuck up for investing in Tre Mann stock. This dude has legit not missed a free throw yet and is dropping 15/3/3 on a super fun and fast-paced Hornets team. Once a throw in piece as a trade to a true rotational bench player, Mann is awesome.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: OTHER THAN THE WHOLE TEAM? TY JEROME

As someone that grew up a UVA fan and watched Ty Jerome be a part of the 2019 UVA national championship team, I am so happy for him. Before his play this season, he seemed on his way out of the league only playing 2 games last year and being a guy who only played when everyone else was injured before that. It took until his age 27 season for him to turn into a key rotation piece for the current 13-0 Cleveland Cavaliers. 10 points and 3 assists with 61/57/83 shooting splits so far? Man shoutout to him for more than likely getting a decent sized contract this offseason.

DETROIT PISTONS: CADE CUNNINGHAM

This is a loophole since Cade more than likely WILL be an All-Star this year. But he hasn't been one yet so I want to give him his props. People forget he was the no. 1 pick in 2021 for a reason and has been plagued both with injuries and an awful team in Detroit until this year. Through 13 games they already have as much wins as they did through almost 50 games last year. Cade is leading the charge with 24/7/9 averages and career highs from the field (46%) and three-point land (36%). If he can finally stay healthy and at the rate he's playing expect the first All-Star nod for Cade this year.

INDIANA PACERS: BENNEDICT MATHURIN

This dude is a straight up bucket. That's all. He's never averaged under 15 ppg in his three seasons in the NBA and benefits playing with Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton. Mathurin is averaging 20/7/2 in only his age-22 season. With the Pacers looking to build off their ECF appearance last year, Mathurin is a key piece to how far they can go.

MIAMI HEAT: NIKOLA JOVIC

This is the lesser of the Nikola Jo_ic's in the NBA but still a bright spot for Miami. He's either going to be a massively underrated trade piece for a team if Miami tries to get a superstar or a breakout player once they let the young guys play and give this guy minutes. His Per-36 numbers indicate flashes: 16/8/3 with 2 steals and 46/34/75 shooting splits. He's only playing 18 minutes per game right now but if he gets more the Heat could have a great young player.

MILWAUKEE BUCKS: A.J. GREEN

A.J. Green has attempted ONE non-three this season. Just one! He's hitting his threes at an absurd 50% rate right now. Since November 4th, where the Bucks changed up their rotation and started playing their young guys, Green has averaged 12/3/1. Playing next to a player the level of Giannis, especially in the paint, means the Bucks need shooters around him. Green is that and helps the Bucks offense look much less stagnant with his shooting ability. Put this man in the 3-pt contest!

NEW YORK KNICKS: MILES MCBRIDE

Thibs barely plays young guys and keeps a short bench but McBride earned his keep after the Knicks traded Immanuel Quickley last year. The first and honestly ONLY (playing more than double the minutes of the next highest bench player) bench piece for the Knicks is averaging 11/2/3 while providing insanely energetic defense.

ORLANDO MAGIC: ANTHONY BLACK

Although this dude he is an abysmal 3-point shooter (27% on 2.3 attempts), he's showing flashes of why the Magic drafted him 6th overall in 2023. He's 6'6"with a 6'8" wingspan and has Per-36 numbers of 12/6/1 with a little over a steal and a block. The Magic have a ton of young and versatile talent on their roster and if it starts clicking offensively for Black they could take another leap.

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS: GUERSCHON YABUSELE

The last time this dude was in the NBA was in the 2018-19 season. But after an extremely stellar Olympics showing and oh yeah this:

He got signed to the 76ers. And he hasn't wasted his opportunity helping the injury-riddled 76ers with averages of 10/5/2. To put in perspective through 11 games this year alone he has his most points in a season in his career. Respect to Guerschon by fighting hard to get back into the league and not squandering the chance.

TORONTO RAPTORS: DAVION MITCHELL

After getting lost in the shuffle in the Kings' rotation, Davion Mitchell has been doing what he always has in the NBA: LOCKING PEOPLE THE FUCK UP. He is just a truly absurd defender and has already had a 5 steal game this year. Averaging 8 points and 6 assists too he's exactly what GM Masai Ujiri looks for in his players: gritty and long defenders.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS: BILAL COULIBALY

Bilal was considered a reach of a pick in 2023 going 7th overall but at only recently (in July) 20 years old, it seems to be coming together for Bilal. He's 6'7", 195 lbs, and has a 7'2" wingspan. That size is showing with him averaging about a steal and a block per game but look at his rookie averages versus so far this year:

ROOKIE YEAR (2023-24): 8.4 PPG/4.1 RPG/1.7 APG (44/35/70 shooting splits)

THIS YEAR (2024-25): 15.3 PPG/5.6 RPG/2.7 APG (56/38/77 shooting splits)

I have a bunch of Bilal stock and it's already starting to pay off. If he's doing this through only 10 games in his age-20 season, it gets a little interesting to think where he could be in the next 3-4 years. Hell even next year at this rate.