Written by Ryan Davis at CheatSheet.com
We’re a week into the 2016–17 NBA season, and there are already some early storylines worth watching. Some teams are off to surprising starts; some unexpected players are putting up big numbers; and other players’ performances are less than stellar. These are six early surprises — good and bad — in the 2016–17 NBA season.
1. Hassan Whiteside
Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside already has a great story in the NBA, reappearing after two seasons offwith the Heat and averaging 13.3 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks over the last two seasons. The 27–year–old quickly developed into one of the best centers in the league, earning a massive contract in free agency. With Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh no longer on the court, Whiteside took on a bigger leadership role on the team.
So far this season, things are going well for Whiteside. In three games, he’s averaging 21.7 points, 14.7 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks per game in just 31 minutes on average. He’s shooting 64.3% from the field, which is an insane percentage — even for a center. Whether or not he can keep up these kind of numbers is debatable, but Whiteside is a talented and athletic player. Don’t put it past him, even if he’s doing it on a less-than-great team.
2. Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls made wholesale changes on their roster in the offseason, ditching veterans such as Joakim Noah, Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol, and Mike Dunleavy Jr. in favor of Robin Lopez, Rajon Rondo, Dwyane Wade, and several younger players. The result: a team most thought would struggle with floor spacing, lack three-point shooting in their regular lineup, and battle for the ball between Rondo, Wade, and Jimmy Butler.
But head coach Fred Hoiberg has worked his rotations well, starting each matchup with those three players but staggering their minutes over the course of the game. The Bulls have played solid defense, they’ve scored like crazy, and they’ve started the season 3-0 with quality wins against the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers. The common prediction prior to the start of the season: The Bulls were a borderline playoff team in the Eastern Conference. Now: They look good enough to finish as high as possibly No. 3 right now.
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