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The Portland Trail Blazers stand at 12-7 after 19 games, right around the quarter pole of the 2018-19 NBA Regular Season. Their start has been full of amazing offensive performances and individual heroics, coupled with a few letdowns.
As we reach the quarter point of the season, we’re examining the best (and a tad bit of worst) so far. We’ll have articles through the day, each covering a single category. We’ll list our vote for the player who most exemplifies the category at hand. You add, augment, or disagree in the comment section.
This post covers the most surprising Trail Blazers player so far. Several candidates are worth off the bench, but the award goes to Evan Turner. For the first two seasons of his Blazers career, Turner was maligned for a huge contract and low production. Turner’s production remains relatively steady at 8.2 ppg. His rebounds have soared to 4.9 from 3.1. His three-point shooting percentage has fallen off a cliff; he’s firing a paltry 17.4% from range. But that doesn’t matter quite as much because his assists have doubled from last year (4.4 per game so far) and Portland’s second unit has prospered (comparatively) with him in the middle of the action. Turner is the straw stirring the bench cocktail, helping the three-point shooting of his teammates tell. That turn-around makes him the most surprising Trail Blazers player so far in 2018-19.
Agree? Disagree? Have at it in the comments below!