Paul George
So far I'm thrilled at the Paul George experience. He's guarded positions 1-5, not just on switches, but as an assignment. He's been the best defender I've seen in green since Garnett (Smart's DPOY was a big exaggerated in my opinion).
Just in comparison to watching Brown, the offense moves much smoother. The ball is popping. It doesn't get stuck in one place. And George is making much more advanced reads in the offense to get teammates open. Brown had gotten much better at distributing these last few years, but still mostly made basic reads.
4 games in. The question mark has always been how many games can he perform like this, not just regular season, but post-season. But the on-court fit, defensive ability, unselfishness, etc. is not a question mark.
Mitch Robinson
It's clear that Robinson had a great feel for his Knicks teammates last year. He knew where to be, where the ball would come off for offensive rebounds, etc. So far this year I haven't seen that same confidence/rhythm/feel with teammates. I think it will develop.
Jayson Tatum
Tatum at 8 assists per game is crazy. It looks to me like he's taking that last leap as a superstar.
Queta
One of the surprises of the season so far is Queta's developing perimeter game. I did not expect to get to enjoy watching him develop that, and I see what the coaching staff is trying to encourage. They do not view him as just a rim-running big, and I'm a bit curious what his ceiling is as a scorer in the league.
White, Pritchard, Baylor, Hauser, Garza, Walsh
As advertised. Love watching what these guys bring to the table. It's such a joy that when subs come in the game, there is real anticipation that we may be able to go on a little run.
Hugo
My biggest disappointment of the year so far. I still own all my stock and won't be selling for a while. I really thought he may earn the 5th starter minutes, but instead he's lost his minutes to Walsh and Baylor.