The season has only just begun, but some players have already defied the odds and put on a great show during the opening week. Of course, every team has only played a couple of games so far, so nothing is set, but it’s never to early to be excited!

Nikola Jokic

It seems like Jokic is finally going to reach his potential with the Nuggets this year. The last few seasons, Jokic was already an offensive force, but his defense was just a bit lacking. Now that the Nuggets have changed their way of defending screens, Jokic looks a lot more confident.

As of the first four games, Jokic is averaging 23.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and 7 assists. On top of that, Jokic joined Wilt Chamberlain on the lsit of the only player who got a triple double with 30+ points without missing a single shot. He did all of that without even getting a single turnover, and in only the second game of the season. If he continues this way, Jokic might even be on his way to the first All-Star selection of his career.

Nik Stauskas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDgzWLY8z3E

The Portland Trailblazers are Stauskas’ fourth team in his five years in the NBA, and it seems to be a good fit so far. It definitely didn’t take long for him to make himself known to the public in Portland, as he managed to set a new career high in his first game there.

This will be a new opportunity for Stauskas to fight for consistent minutes, something he has failed to achieve before. After three games, he’s averaging 52% on his threes, and if he keeps it up, he’ll be a great addition of the Blazers’ bench. He could even become the 1st scorer of the bench, instead of Seth Curry.

Nikola Mirotic

One thing that Anthony Davis’ New Orleans Pelicans missed last season was a strong second option, especially after Cousins got injured. But Mirotic has already shown that he would love to take on those duties this year. Where Mirotic had some trouble fitting in with the team last year after he was traded from the Bulls to the Pelicans, it now seems as he has been with the team for years.

In the first two games, he scored a combined 66 points, and if he continues this upward trend, the Pelicans will have an unstoppable frontcourt. Furthermore, he might be able to continue to average a double double throughout the season, as he currently got 28 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.

Trae Young

Jokic wasn’t the only player that managed to play himself on an exclusive list this week, as Young managed to join Steph Curry and LeBron James as the only three rookies to score 35+ points and 10+ assists in a game. Over the Summer, Young became somewhat of a laughing stock, as the critics were convinced it was a terrible choice for the Hawks to trade Luka Doncic to the Mavericks, and it probably was, but so far Trae Young fits in great with the Hawks. He might be exactly what they need for some extra sparks in the game.