In the midst of a terrific season certain tropes have appeared, as they always do. Some stars have struggled(Sorry BoshL), some teams with multiple all-stars have struggle while some youthful teams have surged and of course the Cavs are leading the pack. But every team, good or bad, has at least one player who has been a pleasant surprise. To examine these players is a great exercise, but first let’s put down some criteria. A surprise player should be playing above what their ratings dictate, not have a long standing tradition of being a quote-unquote Glitch Guy and most of all just make you say “Wow, they’re getting that out of him!”

Listing the players would be enough, but instead of such a mundane approach you instead get to see the first NLL Surprise Player Cup. The format will be as follows:

-          Round One (Divisional Round): Each team will be evaluated and send one representative to represent their team against the other teams in their divisions. The players will be compared, and one player from each division will be selected to advance.

-          Round Two (Conference Finals): The 3 Divisional Champs from each conference are evaluated, leading to two conference champions.

-          Round Three (NLL Finals): Our two conference champs face off head to head the first NLL Surprise Player of the Year will be awarded.

o   As the round progress, a certain theme/criteria may be selected to help differentiate and rank the players.

 

Eastern Conference

Divisional Round

Atlantic

Nominees:          Boston – KJ McDaniels: On a team with as much talent as the Celtics, just finding the opportunities to play and impact the game can be tough. But in an unlikely turn the Celtics turned to the rookie out of Clemson, even having him start more than half of the team’s games. The youngster has flashed a surprisingly well rounded game, posting 10 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. In another pleasant surprise he has continued to perform equally well off the bench, with his numbers being a mirror image of when he was the starter. The efficiency hasn’t quite been there yet, but the overall contributions overshadow that. Any time you can plug the 20^th choice in the previous draft for 30 minutes a night for a contender, you’re getting the best out of a player.

                                Philladelphia – Kirk Hinrich: On a team which hasn’t had to rely on guys to step up and wow you out of nowhere, the resurgence of Capt. Kirk after a down year is nice to see. Last year was difficult for Kirk as he played for three teams, and struggled everywhere. But this year he is not only producing more, but he’s doing so more efficiently. After averaging only 3PPG last year on 31%FG and 19% from three, he has seen his scoring upped to 8.5 and his percentages bump by 8 and 11 points respectively. Add in the fact he’s up 8 minutes a night to 21 and his assist and rebounding totals have held steady, it’s been a great bounce-back for Hinrich.

                                New York – John Henson: Even more so than with the aforementioned 76ers, this is a team without any inspiring choices for a great surprise player. Henson wins by default thanks to bumping up his rebounding numbers to 7 a night in only 21 minutes. Moving on.

                                Toronto – Reggie Jackson: Any time player scores 20 more points a game than the previous season, expect to see him raise some eyebrows. Jackson has been lightning in a bottle for the Raps, and he has proceeded to generate thunderous applause in every situation. He’s started, come off the bench, ran as both PG and SG and generally been the Raptors best player this season. Even more impressive is this wasn’t the case of a second year top 5 pick figuring it out. A guy drafted late in the first round in his fourth season flipping the switch is damn impressive.

                                Brooklyn – Khris Middleton: Middleton spent his first three years as a middling player. This season however, he has stepped up to the tune of scoring 12 points a night and hitting nearly 2 3-pointers. He doesn’t give much else, but the scoring kick has been much needed for a Brooklyn team lacking offensive creators.

                Divisional Champion – Reggie Jackson: Jackson is the easy winner for the Atlantic division. None of the other players can hold a candle not only to his explosion statistically, but for his impact on the team. Runner up is Mr. McDaniels.

 

Central

Nominees           Cleveland – Jodie Meeks: Mr. Meeks surprised many by earning a 6 million dollar a year contract after a season where he averaged 11 minutes and 3.5 points. Cleveland must have seen something they liked and they were right. Playing 33 minutes a night, scoring 11 points and seeing his efficiency rise by 9 points from the field and 4 from three. Minus points for already missing more FTs than last season, when he was perfect.

                                Indiana – Brandon Knight: After a sophomore surge followed by a junior year slump, Knight has used his senior season to declare that he’s back. 19 and 6.5 with great efficiency numbers while playing out of position part of the season point to a player who is really figuring things out on the big stage. Doing it for a team in contention makes it all the more impressive.

                                Milwaukee – Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: Seeing more minutes this season has led to great results for the second year scorer.  15 points a night is terrific, although his shooting numbers have taken a peculiar turn. His FG% has jumped 6 points, while his percentage from 3 has dropped 7. More than anything this points to a player who has even more room to grow through the season.

                                Chicago – Boris Diaw: Last year seemed like it could be the end of Diaw’s relevance. 1 point and 3 rebounds are not ideal. But this season he has taken a leap forward to 7.5 points and 8.5 rebounds, along with a steal, an assist and a rebound. Efficiency is up, and so is Diaw’s relevance.

                                Detroit – Tyler Ennis: With the core of the team recently altered, and not a lot of surprise production, Ennis steps in as the Detroit representative. Many were unsure if he would be ready for the big league rigors. Instead he’s stepped up to be a serviceable point. Decent efficiency on 10 point and 3 dimes are solid rookie numbers.

                Divisional Champion – Boris Diaw: While Knight has been more productive this season, he had a very similar season 2 years ago and as a young player the bump was less surprising. For a player to go from a complete non-factor to a player backing up and getting spot starts at center is a far more surprising jump.

 

Southeast Division

Nominees           Miami – Zach Randolph: Well here we have a team with no real player jumping to a surprise performance. Randolph has gotten an extra rebound I suppose. 2 % more efficient. Sure, why not?

                                Atlanta – Patrick Beveley: A weak showing so far for the southeast.  He has upped half a steal and 3 points to last year’s totals, as well as his FG% going up 10 point and his percentage from the land beyond up 12. A nice jump for the point guard who has doubled his minutes from last year.

                                Charlotte – Kendall Marshall: The third year point guard has always been seen as a capable distributor, but this year he has taken a big step forward as a well-rounded player. His 12 points a night represent not only his first season in double digits, but a 9 point jump and a nearly quadrupling of his scoring from last year. Add in 5 assists, and the fact his efficiency has reached acceptable levels and you have a point guard who can really run your offence on a bargain. Has stepped up defensively as well, averaging 1.6 steals.

                                Washington – Isaiah Thomas: The diminutive point with big talents has really exploded this year. The score first guard has struggled to find a NLL role, struggling with efficiency. Only his 28 game run with the Raptors last year (Doesn’t it seem like the Raptors know how to unlock a guard!) in which he averaged 11.2 and 12.6 pointed to him being a capable player. Strangely it was his playmaking that seemed to be his NBA calling in that sample. This year he has decided to get buckets. Scoring 25 a night, doing it at what has been by far his most efficient scoring season, has been tremendous for the Wiz. He has also hassled opposing points with 1.8 steals a night.

                                Orlando – Marcus Smart: Smart has exploded since arriving in Orlando. Efficiency be damned, he has scored 23 points a night(on 22 shots). Needs to ease up on the threes, which he shoots 11 times a night at a rate of 27 percent. But his game has been a revelation all the same. Playing big minutes, averaging 2.3 steals, 5.5 assists and even chipping in 35 boards and half a block. A breakout contender for ROY.

                Divisional Champ – Isaiah Thomas: As much as Smart has been a revelation, rookies producing big with efficiency concerns isn’t quite as surprising as a small guard stepping up as an elite scorer out of nowhere.  Throw in the fact he has been able to lead his team to more wins while doing so, and you see our final division winner in the East.

 

Eastern Conference Finals

Criteria – Playoff Picture Impact

Contenders – Isaiah Thomas, Boris Diaw, Reggie Jackson

                Here we see a pair of young guys scoring the ball, and an old guy finding relevance once again. The question for the conference final round is who has had the biggest impact on the playoff picture to date. All three teams are on the outside looking in and all four are in fourth place in their division. Diaw has been great filling in for the Bulls, but it’s fair to wonder if another player could have filled in just as capably. Also as more of a four than a true five, you wonder if his production would be even more impactful if the Bulls would have ran Gibson at center and let Diaw play the four. Washington has run an exciting two point guard lineup and Thomas has been at the heart of this trend. But one can concluded that this is also the reason that the Wizards are in last place in points allowed a night. This leaves Jackson. His team is the closest to grabbing an 8^th seed, and he has been the clear MVP in doing so. His On/Off court ratings have also been great, and you see a player who may push his team into the playoffs.

Conference Champ – Reggie Jackson

 

Western Conference

Divisional Round

Southwest Division

Nominees           Dallas – DJ Augustin: The Mavs have had a pair guards step their games up this year, but DJ has taken a larger step than Norris Cole. He has stepped up and started most the season for the Mavs, and done so to great results. In a season filled with turmoil for the squad Augustine has been a steadying force. He has scored 15 a night, which if you look at his efficiency stats seems to be pushing his scoring talents to the edge of their acceptable limit, and has also dropped 6.5 dimes. This production has been key in filling in for George Hill. Another player who last year looked like he was nearing the end of is rope, with averages of 2 and 2.5 along with shooting 26%... from the field.

                                San Antonio – Troy Daniels: The guiltless gunner has played only 11 minutes a night in his first season but has managed to score 8 points a night. He hasn’t been terribly efficient but he has managed to put up 7 shots every night. The surprise as much as his production has been the green light given to him by the Spurs, but when you need shooting/scoring sometimes you just have to let him shoot and hope to catch fire.

                                New Orleans – Eric Bledsoe: Bledsoe was beginning to look like an NLL bust. Blessed with natural physical gifts he never really unlocked his talents, with his best season to date being 8 points and 5 assists. This season he has stepped up, scoring 19 points a night and being the only player in the league to average 10 dimes. His efficiency hasn’t been great but you take the good with the bad. A steal and a half outlines his defensive impact as well.

                                Memphis – Evan Fournier: The French wing has shown he belongs this season as he has started to not only score, but produce a well-rounded game for the Grizz. He spent two years on the Nuggets bench, doing virtually nothing. This season he has stepped up to the tune of 14 points, 5.5 boards and even 2.5 assists. His efficiency has been surprisingly steady for a player who would seem to be playing to the very edge of his ability.

                                Houston – Samuel Dalembert: I know his scoring has dropped by two points but here me out. The team hasn’t has anyone really take a huge leap, so Dalembert’s  extra 3 rebounds a night which push him up to 12 are the most impressive revelation of the season for the Rockets. That’s all I got.

                Divisional Champ – Evan Fournier: While Augustine’s resurgence has been great, he has done it before. Fournier’s emergence as a capable wing in the league has been a bigger surprise. The fact he has been far more well-rounded and efficient has been nice to see.

 

Northwest Division

Nominees           Utah – Derrick Rose: Ok. I know. Rose is great. Rose play well shouldn’t be a surprise. I hear you. But… Rose has been great. He has been better in every way than he has been at any point in his NLL career.  Who expected to see him take a jump after not playing an NLL game in 2 seasons.  Dude is scoring 10 points a night more than he was in his best previous season. He is hitting the occasional three at a better rate than ever before. He’s leading a winning team. His defensive number are higher than ever. I know Bogdan was a shock, but let’s take a moment to realize that Rose’s NLL career was teetering on the edge of a knife before this great comeback.

                                Denver – DeMarre Carrol: In this episode of small sample size theater… Carrol has been great since joining the Nugs. A journeyman bench guy has stepped into a bigger role and scored often and efficiently. He has impacted other areas, proven to be a far more capable defender than many expected and just generally been good. Not sure anyone expected good from Carrol at the start of the year.

                                Portland – Ramon Sessions: Ignore the fact that Sessions hasn’t been able to hit back to back threes since forever; he has been quietly productive for the Trailblazers this year. 12 and 7 is nothing to sneeze at and his efficiency from the field has been good too. For a guy who has been in the league a long time, he has been having arguably his best season.

                                Minnesota – Nerlens Noel: Nerlens has surprised many by being far more complete and NLL ready than many assumed after missing a season, but he has emerged as a player ready to start at PF. He has averaged a double-double as a rookie, been tremendously efficient, and impacted the game on D.

                                Oklahoma City – CJ Wilcox: If only Ricky Ledo played more. Instead we have Mr. Wilcox, who has surprised as a rookie. Playing far more minutes than he had any right to expect, and has decided that while he’s out there he might as well score 11 points every night. Efficiency has been there, but he hasn’t impacted the game in many other aspects.

                Divisional Champ – DeMarre Carrol: Carrol’s emergence from journeyman bench player to capable starter is exactly what this list is about. He has done so while not needing to be exceedingly one-dimensional, always impressive when an older vet emerges into a role.

 

Pacific Division

Nominees           LA Lakers – Tyson Chandler: When a team doesn’t have one player who is a big surprise it’s nice to find an area where one player shocks us. Example: Tyson Chandler’s rebounding. Tyson averaged a respectable 9 last year… before taking a massive jump of 5 rebounds to 14! 14 Boards every night! Windex better sponsor this man, because he cleans the glass.

                                Sacramento – Mike Conley: We all see Conley as a great point guard. Unfortunately the last few years the stats haven’t backed this up. His best recent season was 10 and 8, fine numbers, but not All-Star… Enter this season; Averages of 20.5 points and 7.5 rebounds and a massive jump to 48% FG percentage. It hasn’t all been sunshine and rainbows as rebounding is down and turnovers are wayyyy up to 4.1, but still a great season for Conley. Who would have thought he would be the best NBA player on that Ohio State team with Greg Oden?

                                Phoenix – Kyle O’Quinn: Sure! He’s averaging 6 and 8 while sweeping up Larry Sanders weed crumbs… I meant minutes. Not a lot of surprises in Phoenix, but someone needs to get picked. More minutes, slightly more production. Yeah.

                                Golden State – Justin Hamilton: Who? The 57^th pick in last year’s draft has been a capable backup for the Warriors. He has averaged 4 and 5 in a surprising 17 minutes a night. He hasn’t yet shown the 3pt range he occasionally flashes in practice, but it just shows he has more room to grow.

                                LA Clippers – Shelvin Mack: Mack has had a great season to go along with his tremendously pun-worthy name. He has run over opposing point guards like a Mack truck, to the tune of 14.5 and 6. He has certainly taken advantage of the opportunities given to him, providing more value than a Big Mac. Alright I swear I’ll stop. Getting big minutes for the first time in his career, Mack has certainly stepped up to the plate.

                Divisional Champ – Shelvin Mack: While Conley had the biggest leap, it was certainly expected if not overdue. Mack on the other hand has simply seized his opportunity to play big minutes, and has stepped up and stole a few games for a team in a tough spot.

 

Western Conference Finals

Criteria – Playoff Picture Impact

Contenders – Shelvin Mack, DaMarre Carrol, Evan Fournier

                All three players here have a bit more of a common theme. All spent some time languishing on the bench before their opportunity to step up. Mack was a second round pick which makes his run more important, but he played well in a different role last season. Fournier Had the biggest jump of all three players, but is also a third year player drafted in the first round, in other words the jump may have been the most likely of the three. Carrol had the most surprising turn, but has also only thrived since arriving to Denver, a small sample size at best. The criteria is who will have the largest impact on the playoff race… which eliminates Mack. While Memphis is ahead of Denver in the race, I think that Carrol is a more important cog in Denver’s machine than Fournier is in Memphis’.  In the end, our winner is… Mr. Carrol. Overlooking the small sample size, Carrol has been one of the true surprise jumps of the season so far.

Conference Champ – DeMarre Carrol

 

NLL Championship

Western Representative: DeMarre Carrol

Eastern Representative: Reggie Jackson

                The debate in our final round seems to be an argument of which circumstance is more surprise more so than which player. Carrol came out of nowhere and longtime mediocrity to become a legitimate starter. Jackson on the other hand went from serviceable young backup to League Pass worthy out of nowhere. Carrol’s jump seems less likely, but the size of Jackson’s jump is also very difficult to fathom. In the end we lean to Reggie Jackson as the league’s most surprising player. He has been a borderline MVP candidate thus far, a development no-one saw coming. If someone told you at the start of the season Reggie would be in running for MVP, you wouldn’t have believed them. It was a spectacular turn, and has earned Jackson at least one award… NLL’s Most Surprising Player!

Champion: Reggie Jackson.