Most surprising NBA players in the 2017-2018 season

NBA players are given expectations and goals, whether they are fair or not, before the each season starts. These expectations can come from fans, the media or even the players themselves. This season, there have been a couple players who have surprised everybody with their great play and improvement from previous years in the NBA. Here is a list of 3 players who have taken major strides in their games this season.

For the purposes of this list, rookies will be disqualified because the sample size of their play is too small and there is nothing to base their current play on. Instead, we are going to look at players who have taken dramatic leaps in their game and have changed their reputation among fans, the media and their peers.

***All stats taken from Basketball-Reference.com

Victor Oladipo (Guard, Indiana Pacers)

23.1 Ppg        5.2 Reb        4.3 Ast        47.7% FG        37.1% FG3        79.9% FT

"Victor Oladipo" by Keith Allison is licensed under C.C by 2.0

When Victor Oladipo was acquired by the Pacers in the Paul George trade, everyone was criticizing GM Kevin Pritchard for not getting enough for a perennial all-star. After all, only getting two young players in Oladipo and Sabonis (both who had not flashed the potential to be any where near the player Paul George is) for a superstar was seen as one of the worst trades in NBA history, let alone last summer. Sabonis had just finished his first regular season and had played relatively well for a rookie. Oladipo had another inconsistent year, sometimes being a legit 2nd option on the Thunder, while other times disappearing. Although he was the #2 pick in the 2013 NBA draft, Oladipo had never reached his potential as a two way star in the league. On the Thunder last year, he had to share the rock with the ball dominant Westbrook, and could not really space the floor effectively to mesh well with the reining MVP. Add his gigantic $21 million a year contract, Oladipo was poised to become one of the most overpaid players in the NBA. However, he has completely changed the narrative of being another young guy being paid solely for his potential. Oladipo has blossomed into a star for the Pacers. Over the summer, Oladipo worked intensely on improving on his jumpshot and boy has it payed dividends. He's shooting a career high 37.1% from 3 while averaging 23.1 points per game, another career high. Oladipo's athleticism along with his new-found shooting has made him one of the toughest players to guard in the league. If you sag off of him, he will torch you all night from deep. If you play too tight, Oladipo has the quickness to blow by you for easy looks at the tim. And while he has had to carry the Pacers offense for the length of the season, Oladipo has not given up on the defensive end. Oladipo led the league in steals per game, at a whopping 2.36 a game (which is another career high)! And all of these stats have not been a case of a player putting up great stats on a bad team. Oladipo has led the Pacers to the 5th seed in the East and are currently entering a pivotal game 7 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. As the lock to win Most Improved Player this year, there is no question that Oladipo has been one the NBA's biggest surprises this year and his rise to stardom is just only getting started.

Terry Rozier (Guard, Boston Celtics)
11.3 Ppg        4.7 Reb        2.9 Ast        41.0% FG        38.1% 3FG        77.2% FT       

"Terry Rozier"  by Keith Allison is licensed under C.C by 2.0

Coming into this season, expectations for Rozier were fairly low. After contributing nicely off the bench for the Celtics last season, Celtics fans hoped to see Rozier continue his development and become an overall better basketball player. But even the most optimistic of Rozier fans could not have seen the breakout year he has had. Rozier has significantly improved in every major statistical category this year (except for a .1% decrease in free throw shooting). Some of this statistical leap may be due to his increase in playing time from 17.1 minutes per game to 25.9 but nonetheless "Scary Terry" is producing whenever he is playing on the court. When all-star guard Kyrie Irving went down late in the season and underwent a season-ending knee procedure, all hope for the Celtics seemed lost. They could have folded and prepared for next year when they were at full strength and all of their young guys had another year of experience in the NBA. Instead, the Celtics have surprised everyone and are currently up 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals against Lebron and the Cavs thanks to the strong play from their whole roster, but especially Terry Rozier. Regardless of how the Celtics finish this year, Rozier has put the league on notice with his toughness and stellar play. 

Fred Vanvleet (Guard, Toronto Raptors) 
8.6 Ppg        2.4 Reb        3.2 Ast        43.7% FG        41.4% 3FG        83.2% FT 

"Bradley Beal, Fred Vanvleet" by Keith Allison is licensed under C.C by 2.0

Who? That's a question that all NBA fans, even die hard Raptors fans, would have asked if you brought up Vanvleet's name last year. But this year, he is finalist for the Sixth Man of the Year award! Talk about coming out of nowhere. Like Rozier, Vanvleet has taken significant strides in his game and has improved in every major statistical category (albeit with more playing time). The undrafted point guard has been the leader of the Raptor's dynamic Bench Mob and played in crunch time for the Raptors. "Steady Freddy" was also one of the league's most consistent 3 pt shooters, ranking 31st. An impending restricted free agent, Vanvleet picked the right time to surprise the whole league and because of his strong play this year, he is going to get paid.