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Andrew Bogut: The Splash Brothers dominate the headlines, and rightfully so, but Bogut gives the still-perfect Warriors a defensive anchor down low. His passing is also excellent for a big man.
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Kawhi Leonard: Leonard has developed into one of the NBA’s premier players, but still manages to fly under the radar with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli and now LaMarcus Aldridge in town. The 2014 Finals MVP seems perfectly fine with that as he continues to quietly impose his will.
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Anderson Varejao The fan-favourite Brazilian big man has been plagued with injuries over his career, but maintains his professionalism and accepts his role. When his number is called, he’s always ready.
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George Hill: Hill is the epitome of a steady starting point guard. The stats don’t wow you at all, but he contributes in every facet of the game. Playing alongside Paul George, steady is plenty good enough.
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Serge Ibaka: While all the attention falls on Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, it’s easy to forget about Ibaka, who remains one of the NBA’s most feared interior defenders. His numbers have taken a bit of a hit this season, but his presence is invaluable.
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Taj Gibson: Talented enough to start on a number of teams, Gibson has always put the team first and accepted his role as a bench player. Seemingly constant trade rumours have never affected his performance.
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Thabo Sefolosha: He’ll never wow you with his offensive game, but he is immensely valuable to Atlanta due to his strong perimeter defence. A healthy Sefolosha could have been the piece the Hawks were missing in last year’s playoffs.
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Bismack Biyombo: Biyombo has answered the call in a big way since replacing the injured Jonas Valanciunas in Toronto’s starting lineup. He can be painful to watch offensively, but he’s a good rim-protector and has pulled down double-digit rebounding totals in three of his four starts, including a 16-board performance against the Wizards.
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Justice Winslow: Miami’s starting lineup is loaded, but Winslow is still averaging 29 minutes per game. The rookie has already won over Erik Spoelstra with his work on the defensive end.
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J.J. Redick: At this point in his career, it’s safe to say that Redick is what he is – a three-point marksman. Anything else he contributes is just gravy for the Clippers.
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Tony Allen: Allen is that guy you hate to find out is guarding you for the night. “First-team All-Defence.”
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Dwight Powell: The Canadian is enjoying a productive season in Dallas, where he is logging over 20 minutes of action a night. During that run, he averages a very solid nine points and seven rebounds per game off Rick Carlisle’s bench.
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Jeremy Lamb: Formerly of the Thunder, Lamb has been thriving with his uptick in minutes in Charlotte. The change of scenery has paid off in a big way as Lamb has shattered his previous career-highs in minutes played, points, rebounds and field-goal percentage.
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Derrick Favors: One of the league’s least-known stars, Favors continues to be a monster in Utah. Look up his numbers, you’ll be impressed.
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Avery Bradley: Bradley ranks second on the Celtics (behind only Isaiah Thomas) in scoring and brings versatility to the Boston lineup as he is able to play at either guard spot.
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T.J. Warren: The second-year man is turning heads with his production thus far. The Suns are a sleeper team out West and Warren is their biggest threat off the bench.
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Marcin Gortat: Now in his ninth season, the reliable big man is still the double-double threat he’s expected to be. He’s pretty adept at the pick-and-roll game as well.
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Evan Fournier: Nik Vucevic, Tobias Harris or Victor Oladipo would all be safe bets if you had to pick the Magic’s leading scorer. The correct answer, however, is Fournier.
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Marcus Morris: The lesser-known Morris twin, Marcus has been everything the Pistons hoped he’d be. The 26-year-old eats up minutes, averaging the most per game on the team. He could still improve on his efficiency, though.
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Jose Calderon: His stock may be falling, but Calderon is still a serviceable starting point guard due to his low turnover rate and his terrific three-point shooting.
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Andre Miller: While everyone is caught up in the youth movement going on in Minnesota, it is easy to overlook the contributions of Miller, now in his 17th NBA season. Teamed with Kevin Garnett, the guard brings valuable veteran leadership to the table.
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Khris Middleton: Middleton established himself as a top-notch defender a year ago on a long and athletic Bucks squad. Combine that with his lethal three-point shooting and you have a coveted 24-year-old “Three-and-D” player with plenty of room for growth.
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Rajon Rondo: Who could have seen this coming? Amid all the early season dysfunction surrounding coach George Karl and the ever-volatile DeMarcus Cousins, Rondo has been an absolute beast, leading the NBA in assists.
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Patrick Beverley: Moved to the second unit upon Ty Lawson’s arrival (that’s not going so well by the way), Beverley remains a pesky on-ball defender capable of getting to the rim and knocking down triples.
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Terry Stotts: LaMarcus Aldridge, Nic Batum, Wes Matthews, and Robin Lopez are all gone. That’s 80 per cent of Stotts’ starting lineup from a year ago. The Blazers are not very good, but they aren’t a total train wreck either. The coach deserves some credit for that.
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Will Barton: 13.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists on 40 per cent three-point shooting. That’s pretty nice to have from a small forward in a reserve role.
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Ish Smith: With Tyreke Evans on the shelf and Jrue Holiday dealing with a minutes restriction, Smith has performed well on an underachieving Pelicans team. Through the first month of the season he’s averaging around 12 points and eight assists per contest.
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N/A: This is an aging squad with no significant young talent. Oh, and they are short on draft picks in the coming years. The state of the Nets franchise is a mess.
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Kobe Bryant: Kobe is probably the farthest thing from an unsung hero. However, with him announcing his retirement on the weekend, he at least has the self-awareness to realize his time is up. Now the Lakers can truly begin the rebuilding process and launch a new era.
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The fans: Kudos to the Philadelphia faithful who actually shell out money to watch this team play.
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