This week's NBA mailbag takes a closer look at two of the early surprises from different ends of the spectrum. On the pessimistic side, we consider Damian Lillard's slow start, which has seen him shoot 33.7% from the field and 21.7% from 3-point range over the Portland Trail Blazers' first nine games of the season.
Are officiating changes a factor in Lillard's struggles? How about the NBA's much-discussed change from using basketballs manufactured by Spalding to ones from Wilson?
More happily, the Chicago Bulls' defense has exceeded expectations thus far. After addressing that topic briefly in this week's piece on whether early surprises are real or not, let's take a deeper look into how Chicago is succeeding defensively with multiple starters who are considered below-average defenders.