Pleasant surprises and unpleasant demises.(Straight Shooting)

This has been a season chock-full of surprises. Some have been positive, such as the strong showings of the Jazz, Heat and Grizzlies, and some have been downright ugly, like the collapse of the Mavericks and the impotence of the Magic. Likewise, the drastic evolutions and devolutions of several players were unexpected.

Going up

Richard Jefferson, Nets. In a recent game against the Bulls, Jefferson led the Nets in points, rebounds and (in the absence of Jason Kidd) assists. What a difference an offseason makes!

R.J. always has been a high-flier who could finish at full speed and occasionally drop in a midrange jumper. But once the Nets' running game was stuffed and they were forced to play station-to-station, most of Jefferson's offense before this season was incidental--either created by Kidd's drives and dishes or by an opponent's two-timing of Kenyon Martin. During the offseason, Jefferson worked hard to hone his one-on-one skills, and since the exit of Byron Scott, R.J. has become a major force in New Jersey's half-court strategies. In addition to his own work ethic, the credit for Jefferson's development goes to new coach Lawrence Frank's willingness to give his players all the responsibility they can handle.

Don't be surprised if Jefferson soon emerges as one of the NBA's premier wing men.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cavaliers. Iggy always has had plenty of tools in his box: turnaround jumpers, duck-under moves, nice shooting range and gangly power blasts to the middle. Throw in his quick feet, good hands and soft touch, and he was commonly regarded as the most dangerous low-post scorer among Eastern Conference centers. The problem was that Ilgauskas' offensive prowess in the pivot was mitigated only by his slow lateral movement, his passive defense and the fragility of his oft-injured feet. This season, however, every aspect of Ilgauskas' game has blossomed.

With the addition of LeBron James, the maturation of Carlos Boozer and the judicious subtraction of Ricky Davis, Ilgauskas has been fully integrated into the Cavaliers' halfcourt offense and is getting more touches than ever. (That's why he's also more willing to pass the ball.) Although he's scoring less (15.4 points per game, down from last season's 17.2), he's getting better shots, so his shooting percentage is up (.480, from .441 last season). But the biggest surprise is the aggressiveness of Ilgauskas' defense--he is averaging a career-best 2.5 blocks.