Houston Rockets
Unexpected gift: The cohesiveness of the young core
If there's been one huge surprise this season, it's been the play of the Houston Rockets. After taking a big step in their progression as a team last year, it seems as if Houston has taken another leap as a franchise. Through the one-third mark of the regular season, the Rockets are currently a top-3 team in the Western Conference standings. Who knows whether they'll be able to keep winning at this pace but it's hard to not be impressed with the team's young core and how they continue to gel this season.
Even after taking a step forward last season, I'm not sure there are many who expected the Rockets to be this good this year. At the very least, this is a team that should feel strong about where they are at this point in their rebuild. The way this young core has begun to click has to be viewed as a huge unexpected gift for the Rockets. Just when it seemed as if they were ready to make a big move for a veteran star, everything began to click for the team and their outlook has certainly changed.
Indiana Pacers
Unexpected gift: The luxury of Bennedict Mathurin
Stretching back toward the end of last season, the last calendar year for the Indiana Pacers has been quite rewarding. Despite their inconsistent start to this season, there has been one unexpected bright spot for the team - and it's the luxury of Bennedict Mathurin. After missing the latter portion of last season, there were concerns about how Mathurin would end up fitting with the new core. At least thus far, the results have been inconsistent. But no matter what happens over the course of the rest of the season, there is one move the Pacers could pivot to - and it's the trade of Mathurin.
At this point, with as talented as their roster is, Mathurin is pretty much a luxury for the team. If they needed to, the Pacers could always trade Mathurin to find a veteran player that fits this roster better. I'm not sure if I'm ready to declare that Mathurin isn't a great fit for the roster but there are natural questions that could be asked with how much the team has struggled so far this season.