#2 Nikola Jokić
Who could have seen Nikola Jokić's amazing rise coming? The 7-feet-tall Serbian, who was selected just 41st overall back in 2014 and played under a minimum contract for the past three years, is now considered one of the best big men in the game and even a legitimate MVP candidate.
Coming out of the great basketball incubator of the Serbian KK Mega Basket, Jokić made First Team All-Rookie and never looked back. 'The Joker' landed a starting role in Denver and quickly showed the world how versatile a big-man can be.
This season, Jokić is averaging 18.2 points and 10 rebounds, while also distributing over seven assists a night. The only 7-footer to average at least seven assists per game in a season was Wilt Chamberlain, over 50 years ago.
If this historic stat isn’t enough for you, Jokić's Nuggets have a 21-10 record, second-best in the West by Christmas, with him leading the team in four of the five major statistical categories (points, rebounds, assists and steals). It will be a shocker if he won't be an All-Star.