{"id":1848033,"date":"2026-03-26T10:30:03","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T07:30:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1848033"},"modified":"2026-03-26T10:30:03","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T07:30:03","slug":"jalen-duren-nickeil-alexander-walker-and-8-others-whove-surprised-the-most-this-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1848033","title":{"rendered":"Jalen Duren, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and 8 others who\u2019ve surprised the most this season"},"content":{"rendered":"
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One of the Detroit Pistons\u2019 most glaring weaknesses hadn\u2019t just evaporated. It had transformed into a strength. The change was obvious right away.<\/p>\n

In November, the Milwaukee Bucks deployed what was once a go-to game plan against Detroit. They pulled Pistons center Jalen Duren away from the basket and into the middle of the court. Duren could leap through ceilings over his first three professional seasons, but his team defense \u2014 the communication, the timing, the fouling, the footwork, even the rim protection \u2014 looked like that of a young guy. And Duren, who was only 18 years old when he first entered the league, had a good excuse for that: He was young.<\/p>\n

He doesn\u2019t appear so unseasoned anymore.<\/p>\n

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Not long into the game, Bucks point guard Ryan Rollins called sharpshooting center Myles Turner up top for a screen. Duren trekked beyond the 3-point arc with him. Rollins drove left around a Turner pick, but Duren shuffled his feet, cutting off a lane to the hoop. The Pistons call this type of coverage \u201cgold,\u201d an offseason point of focus for Duren, who has to follow the ballhandler and then rush back to the shooter.<\/p>\n

In this moment, he nailed the execution. Rollins had no choice but to pick up his dribble and pitch the ball to Turner, who clanked a 3-pointer with Duren sprinting out to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt came down to just watching film, man. Just watching film, seeing where my weaknesses were and kinda just building on that,\u201d Duren said in a conversation with The Athletic<\/em>. \u201cOnce you understand what your weaknesses are, you\u2019re able to work on them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Duren slimmed down this summer in the hopes of helping his conditioning. He added to his low- and mid-post game. He improved his handle and now initiates possessions more than ever. But while the offensive growth is in your face, the Pistons are focusing on the other side of the court, where Duren has flipped from a negative to a positive away from the paint and also in it, where he anchors one of the league\u2019s top defenses.<\/p>\n

Because of that, Duren leads my 2025-26 NBA All-Surprise Team.<\/p>\n

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Not every leap this season is necessarily a surprise. For example, the Portland Trail Blazers\u2019 Deni Avdija is a candidate for Most Improved Player but also averaged similar numbers after last season\u2019s All-Star break. Avdija has gotten better in 2025-26, but there were signs of a jump beginning last February.<\/p>\n

The All-Surprise Teams are for players like Duren or the nine others below, the ones who made giant strides in at least one element of their game this season. We\u2019ll compile a first and second team. Duren tops the list.<\/p>\n

Here is the rest:<\/p>\n

First Team<\/h2>\n

Nickeil Alexander-Walker, guard, Atlanta Hawks<\/h3>\n

Ten games into their late-season winning streak, the Hawks faced a formidable opponent. The Orlando Magic were on a heater of their own and nearly healthy, which might as well count as full strength by today\u2019s NBA standards. And yet, the Hawks overwhelmed them \u2014 with the best signing of the 2025 offseason fueling another victory.<\/p>\n

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Alexander-Walker went for 14 points in the first quarter, when Atlanta went up double-digits and didn\u2019t look back. He finished with a career-best 41 points on a career-high nine 3-point makes.<\/p>\n

Even the Hawks, who gave the 27-year-old a four-year contract this past summer, did not anticipate this level of offense.<\/p>\n

Alexander-Walker has more than doubled his scoring average. His defense, the reason he got paid less than a year ago, has remained as pesky as ever. No player in the league lives in a constant, more exaggerated defensive stance, knees bent as if he\u2019s doing squats, ready to spring in any direction.<\/p>\n

The 3-point shooting is through the roof.<\/p>\n

You want to see progression? Check out Alexander-Walker\u2019s shooting release when he was at Virginia Tech. The ball edged to the side of his dome, his hand below his forehead. Now, he lets go of jumpers from above his hairline, which has allowed him to launch eight 3-point attempts a game this season. And he\u2019s nailing almost 40 percent of those.<\/p>\n

The beauty of Alexander-Walker\u2019s improvement is how organic it\u2019s been.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not like the Hawks have handed him duties the Minnesota Timberwolves wouldn\u2019t. They\u2019re just emphasizing him more.<\/p>\n

The shooting has opened up the rest of his game. Atlanta does whatever it can to involve him in its actions. He\u2019s a clever mover away from the basketball, a keen relocator in the corners. And he\u2019s gone from underrated bench piece to the top of the scouting report in a year.<\/p>\n

Jaylon Tyson, wing, Cleveland Cavaliers<\/h3>\n

Tyson has a tradition. While flying back from road games, he\u2019ll mosey to the seat of Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell and bust out the iPad. The two will review the game they just played. Tyson will ask questions. Mitchell will answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen he had 40 and hasn\u2019t asked me since,\u201d Mitchell wisecracked to The Athletic<\/em> loud enough for Tyson to hear at the adjacent locker.<\/p>\n

Tyson had no choice but to retort.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon, I\u2019m the No. 1 option,\u201d he deadpanned. \u201cYou\u2019re No. 2.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The banter was a reference to Tyson\u2019s career-high 39 points on only 17 shots, which occurred in January. He rescued the Cavs that evening, going berserk when Mitchell had an off night and then dishing the game-winning assist to Evan Mobley in the final seconds.<\/p>\n

If only for one day, yes, Tyson really did become the Cavs\u2019 first option. Add that to the list of roles he\u2019s filled.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s started games, come off the bench, roasted on catch-and-shoot 3s, set hard screens, cut through defenses, guarded wings, guarded guards and crashed the boards. After an underwhelming rookie campaign, he\u2019s hitting 53 percent of his 2-pointers and an unfathomable 46 percent of his 3s. There\u2019s a sophistication to his game that most second-year players don\u2019t show, which Tyson attributes to playing for three different colleges and thus having to learn three different systems.<\/p>\n

Earlier this season, Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson called him a $20 million player. You know the man is balling when the franchise negotiates for him. And against Mitchell\u2019s claims, the two are still studying together on the plane.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about the reps,\u201d Tyson said. \u201cThe film reps, the game reps, being able to play with these guys, understand tendencies.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n OKC\u2019s Ajay Mitchell drives to the hoop around Miami\u2019s Dru Smith. (Sam Navarro \/ Imagn Images)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Ajay Mitchell, guard, Oklahoma City Thunder<\/h3>\n

Oklahoma City\u2019s latest developmental marvel was on a two-way contract only a year ago. Now, he\u2019s bound to appear on Sixth Man of the Year ballots.<\/p>\n

Mitchell is the rare MIP candidate in his second NBA season. Usually, voters refuse to include someone so young out of principle. As the argument goes, second-year players are supposed<\/em> to get better.<\/p>\n

But what about when they rise from the second round of the draft? Or when they burst through a loaded roster to become one of the defending champs\u2019 most important pieces? Then, some voters could make an exception.<\/p>\n

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The Thunder may at times feel invincible, but they did enter training camp with one nitpick: The offense beyond Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could turn too stagnant. All-NBA wing Jalen Williams ran the bench units in 2024-25, but Williams was out to begin the season. All of a sudden, the flaw seemed a little more urgent.<\/p>\n

Oklahoma City needed another ballhandler. Mitchell hasn\u2019t let go of the role.<\/p>\n

The offense has treaded water when Mitchell leads lineups that include neither Gilgeous-Alexander nor Williams. Mitchell has progressed from just an instant scorer, too. OKC will place him next to Gilgeous-Alexander, which gives the MVP help on the second side of the court. The Thunder are outscoring opponents by 19 points per 100 possessions when those two play together, according to Cleaning the Glass.<\/p>\n

A dominant team that entered the season as the title favorites is now even scarier.<\/p>\n

Neemias Queta, center, Boston Celtics<\/h3>\n

Queta read the tea leaves.<\/p>\n

The Celtics had traded Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is and lost both Al Horford and Luke Kornet in free agency. For the first time in his five-year career, he was about to receive serious playing time on a team with playoff expectations \u2014 which Boston has since exceeded, in part because of its starting center\u2019s progression.<\/p>\n

Queta says his improvement started with that offseason realization. If his minutes were about to increase, then he would need to work on his stamina. He locked in on cardio over the summer, when he also adjusted his on-court routine, incorporating more live reps into his training.<\/p>\n

He called up game film with a renewed verve. When he studies defensive coverages, he will pause the video, then try to anticipate all the possible reads from there.<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand the multiple possibilities on one possession,\u201d Queta said. \u201cOne frame can show you a lot of different nuances. You can have five or six options in just one frame.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Now, his team defense is better than ever. He\u2019s fighting down low against brute, first-string centers, the types he mostly avoided before. Atop Boston\u2019s long list of surprises is its rebounding, which is a product of its strategy and personnel.<\/p>\n

The Celtics crash the glass harder than any other team and have ranked high on the offensive boards, but the true surprise has been in finishing off possessions. They are seventh in defensive rebound rate, second in the NBA since Dec. 1.<\/p>\n

Queta leads the charge there.<\/p>\n

When the Celtics traded for former All-Star center Nikola Vu\u010devi\u0107 in February, there wasn\u2019t even a discussion about who would start. Queta, who entered the season as a supposed weak point, was the clear choice.<\/p>\n

Second Team<\/h2>\n

Ryan Rollins, guard, Milwaukee Bucks<\/h3>\n

It would be easy to pooh-pooh Rollins\u2019 numbers. The per-minute production isn\u2019t much different from it was over the first few years of his career. He\u2019s running a chaotic team that has aggressively underperformed its own expectations. And it would be convenient to chalk up a scoring average that\u2019s nearly tripled to circumstances, to argue he\u2019s merely receiving an opportunity on a squad desperate for dribbling and passing.<\/p>\n

But that would be wrong. This is not the same Rollins whom the Washington Wizards once released, not even the same one who finally became a fixture in the Bucks\u2019 rotation by the end of last season.<\/p>\n

Just look at how the baskets are coming: rarely easily, often off the bounce, regularly because he, not someone else, created them.<\/p>\n

Rollins is shooting 40 percent, the same accuracy as Kevin Durant, on off-the-dribble 3-pointers, which places him inside the league\u2019s top 10, according to Second Spectrum. This comes after he took only 20 pull-up 3s over the first three seasons of his career.<\/p>\n

Twenty. Total.<\/p>\n

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Now, it\u2019s a weapon. Especially his stepback, which saves the Bucks\u2019 possessions after they give him the ball with the clock winding down, hoping Rollins will deke his way free for a jumper.<\/p>\n

Collin Gillespie, guard, Phoenix Suns<\/h3>\n

The Suns live in a perpetual state of too many point guards or not enough point guards. Either they have Goran Dragi\u0107, Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas, or they are wedging Bradley Beal into running the offense.<\/p>\n

Coming into this season, they were closer to the latter.<\/p>\n

Jalen Green, who\u2019s not a distributor but will dance with the basketball, was out. Beyond Devin Booker, there wasn\u2019t much creation. So, the burden fell on three guys: Grayson Allen, who has handled the rock more than ever; Dillon Brooks, who was a contender to make one of these two teams; and Gillespie, the most surprising player on one of the league\u2019s most surprising squads.<\/p>\n

Coming into 2025-26, Gillespie had played as many minutes in the G League as he had in the NBA. Now, he\u2019s fourth in the league in 3-point makes.<\/p>\n

His spot-up shooting is an intuitive fit alongside Booker. Confidence has been built in the process. If Gillespie notices a sliver of daylight, he\u2019ll hoist a long ball. He\u2019s gone from riding benches to running first units. And the Suns are better off for it.<\/p>\n

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\n Utah\u2019s Keyonte George elevates for an easy bucket against the Brooklyn Nets. (Rob Gray \/ Imagn Images)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Keyonte George, guard, Utah Jazz<\/h3>\n

George\u2019s efficiency has exploded. And yet, there\u2019s an argument to be made that shooting isn\u2019t the main reason for it.<\/p>\n

Instead, this is about handle and pace.<\/p>\n

The 22-year-old\u2019s 2-point shooting has leapt from 45 percent over his first two seasons to 52 percent in 2025-26. His long-range accuracy is up. But his shots, thanks to his own doing, are easier.<\/p>\n

George\u2019s first step has never been so effective. He\u2019s developed second and third gears. Check any of his outbursts from this season \u2014 the 43-point breakout against the Timberwolves or his 32 points on 16 shots during an upset of the Cavs \u2014 and a theme emerges. Once George gets a half-step advantage on his defender, he\u2019s increasingly comfortable keeping that guy on his hip.<\/p>\n

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He goes to the rim from there. Or inspires a helper to scramble over from the corner, which opens up a pass. He\u2019s creating space, then proceeding with physicality and smarts.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s why the scoring average has jumped from 16.8 to 23.6, why he\u2019s making more shots, and why he gets to the free-throw line so much more.<\/p>\n

George\u2019s game hasn\u2019t just improved. It\u2019s matured.<\/p>\n

Anthony Black, guard, Orlando Magic<\/h3>\n

Black, another third-year guard, has a similar case to George. Beyond the shooting, he\u2019s learned to play with speeds.<\/p>\n

He\u2019ll race to the hoop, then stop on a dime, only for his defender to slide past him, which opens up a layup that looks more casual than it should. He bolts the other way in transition, when he will attempt to dunk on whoever meets him down low. He\u2019s made a career-best 72 percent of his shots in the restricted area this season.<\/p>\n

The breakout \u2014 which, no coincidence, arrived in conjunction with a better 3-point shot \u2014 began around mid-December. Surrounded by injuries, Black reeled off a series of high-voltage games, which included a 38-point barrage of the Denver Nuggets. From then until he got hurt at the end of February, a 32-game span, Black averaged an efficient 17.8 points.<\/p>\n

Black is no longer just a physical, defensive-minded guard. He\u2019s someone who should be a part of Orlando\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

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Peyton Watson, forward, Denver Nuggets<\/h3>\n

The Nuggets made a bet back in autumn, when two fourth-year players, Christian Braun and Watson, were eligible for extensions. Given their expensive roster, paying both would require a massive, compensatory transaction.<\/p>\n

Realistically, Denver would have to choose either Watson or Braun. Braun won out, inking a new, four-year contract, a logical decision after his breakout 2024-25, when he emerged as a full-time starter and key cog alongside three-time MVP Nikola Joki\u0107. Watson\u2019s minutes, meanwhile, dissipated come the playoffs. He scored only 63 points during 14 postseason games last spring.<\/p>\n

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Now, Watson will become a free agent this summer. And someone, whether it\u2019s Denver or another fortunate franchise, will make him a wealthy man.<\/p>\n

The greatest change from a season ago is Watson\u2019s importance to the Nuggets. He\u2019s now the superior 3-point shooter to Braun. His weakside shot blocking is one of the most valuable traits on the team. Denver\u2019s defense has sunk into the NBA\u2019s bottom 10. The Nuggets need their versatile wing duo of Aaron Gordon and Watson to win the Western Conference.<\/p>\n

A year ago, they turned away from Watson in their most important moments. Today, his presence is required.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the Detroit Pistons\u2019 most glaring weaknesses hadn\u2019t just evaporated. It had transformed into a strength. The change was obvious right away. In November, the Milwaukee Bucks deployed what was once a go-to game plan against Detroit. They pulled Pistons center Jalen Duren away from the basket and into the middle of the court. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-1848033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1848033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1848033"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1848033\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1848033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1848033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1848033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}