NBA: 4 Season-altering surprises of the season thus far

Outlining the biggest surprises of the 2023-24 NBA season thus far.

With every season comes expectations for teams and players alike as fans try to project and predict how the season will play out. After five weeks, much of what people expected to happen has not been the case. There are plenty of surprises, for better or for worse, so far this season.

Let's take a look at four of the biggest surprises of the season through the first few weeks.

Orlando Magic taking the Leap

Heading into the season, there was still a belief that the Orlando Magic would be in the mix for the Play-In Tournament, but would still be some time before breaking out into a top team in the Eastern Conference standings.

You would have thought that a major leap would come with their two young stars, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, taking the next steps, but that has yet to be the case, which just shows the upside of this group. They have already defeated the defending champion Denver Nuggets and the top-seeded Boston Celtics so far this season, resulting from their elite team defense.

Even with two starters currently out in Markell Fultz and Wendell Carter Jr., they have had different guys step up and have big games for them. They are a deep team with no signs of slowing down anytime soon.