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5 biggest surprises of the 2018-19 NBA season

By Micah Wimmer

TORONTO, CANADA - NOVEMBER 29: Pascal Siakam #43 of the Toronto Raptors reacts to a play during the game against the Golden State Warriors on November 29, 2018 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Mark Blinch/NBAE via Getty Images)
TORONTO, CANADA - NOVEMBER 29: Pascal Siakam #43 of the Toronto Raptors reacts to a play during the game against the Golden State Warriors on November 29, 2018 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Mark Blinch/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The best part of an NBA season are the things you never saw coming. Here are the biggest surprises from 2018-19.

Every NBA season is full of surprises. Despite the best efforts of analysts and fans to predict and foresee everything that is most likely to occur, players and teams still find ways to do the unexpected. Players go from marginal bench players to near All-Stars; teams that were expected to fall apart after a heartbreaking injury to their best player hold on to their playoff positioning while other teams find success in unexpected ways. With the end of the season upon us, it’s fun to look back and see where we were wrong or caught off guard by a player’s or team’s unexpected success, to see how truly unpredictable things can be even when we have more data than ever before.

5. The blossoming of Pascal Siakam

The Toronto Raptors were certainly hoping that Pascal Siakam would improve this season, but they would have appeared delusional if they publicly hoped for what has actually taken place. Siakam was a valuable contributor for the Raptors off the bench last season, but this season he slid into the starting power forward spot and has flourished in the expanded role. He is posting career highs across the board and has shown himself to be a reliable 3-point threat as well, something that seemingly came out of nowhere considering he shot just 22 percent from deep last season.

There have even been games where Siakam has looked like the Raptors’ best player, which is pretty wild considering Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry are among his teammates. Siakam had a legitimate case to be an All-Star this year and is also a leading candidate for Most Improved Player. Now, with the Raptors hoping to make the Finals for the first time in team history, Siakam is bound to be a major part of any postseason success they enjoy this year. And moving forward, it will be intriguing to see what Siakam’s future holds in light of the promise and skill he has shown fans this past year.

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