A change of environment is everything we need every now and then to make the most of our potential, starting fresh and proving our doubters wrong by thriving next to other people in other places.
More often than not, NBA players tend to hit a wall when they grow sick and tired of a given place, and just need to have a shot elsewhere to enjoy playing basketball again and bring the best out of their games.
This season, we’ve seen some old faces in new places, and for what we’ve seen out of these players, we’re definitely glad they’ve changed sides. Today, we’re going to let you know about 5 players that are looking better than ever now on their new teams.
5. Nikola Mirotic
The former Chicago Bull is entering his first full season as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans and he was able to pick up where he left last season, becoming one of the most prolific scorers in this year’s early season.
Mirotic is proving his expertise as a three-point specialist and has thrived at the power forward spot on those small ball lineups. He looks motivated, fast, and even more committed in defense, averaging 23.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.9 triples per game.
4. DeAndre Jordan
They finally got him. The Dallas Mavericks have finally signed DeAndre Jordan. Better late than ever, huh? Or at least that’s why he’s thinking right now as the team’s coaching staff has finally made him an effective free throw shooter.
Jordan was never much of an offensive factor but his defensive expertise really came handy for the Clippers. Nonetheless, those hack-a-Jordan moments really made him difficult to trust through key stretches. Those days may be over, as he’s shooting 82.4% from the line on over 4 attempts per game, averaging just under 14 points and almost 15 rebounds per game.
3. Julius Randle
Julius Randle bet on himself last season and balled his heart out to prove that he was worthy of a big deal, signing a 2-year contract with the New Orleans Pelicans even if that meant coming off the bench as the team’s 6th man.
Alvin Gentry has shown that he can get the most out of his big men, turning Randle into the stud we all hoped he’d eventually become. With his improved range and ball handling skills, he’s averaging 16.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2 assists on 53% from the floor.
2. DeMar DeRozan
DeMar DeRozan is on a mission to prove that the Toronto Raptors made a terrible mistake by mistreating him so badly, and he’s gotten off to a terrific start of the season with the Spurs, with Gregg Popovich bringing the best out of the shooting guard’s game.
DeRozan is showing that he can be way more than just a scorer, moving great without the ball on his hands, showing more defensive commitment, handling some playmaking duties and doing a little bit of everything, posting averages of 27.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game.
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1. JaVale McGee
Throughout his entire career, everybody has made fun about JaVale McGee, but now is time to give the 2 times NBA Champion a lot of praise. He worked his way back into the league, he focused, he stopped committing dumb mistakes and he’s becoming a huge factor down low.
McGee has developed almost instant chemistry with LeBron, Rondo and Ball. He’s run the floor with great criteria and has finally been able to use his length on defense as we’d expect. So far, he’s averaged 15.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.3 blocks in just over 27 minutes a night.
