NBA's biggest and best surprises so far?

— -- What teams, players and storylines have been the most exciting surprises one week into the NBA season?

Our Insiders debate and discuss.

1. What's the most surprising team in the Eastern Conference?

David Thorpe, ESPN Insider:?I'm sure a lot of us are noticing the Bulls. Let's not mitigate their three wins by pointing out who and where they played. Nor do we need to focus on the long-term challenge of Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade playing together. As long as Wade is making perimeter shots (and 3s!) they can co-exist.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Butler has to love being the focal point of an offense that features a point guard who feeds his scorers (rather than the open guy) while having Wade as a secondary option. It also looks as if? Doug McDermott might become a legit scoring and shooting threat this season.

Bradford Doolittle, ESPN Insider:?I know the schedule has been soft, but I am stunned by the numbers the Bulls are putting up as a group. Every time this fall someone asked me how they'd do this season, I said, "Aggressively mediocre." The roster makes no sense, but the proof is in the pudding, as they say. I've been busy with another Chicago team lately, but I can't wait to spend some time with the Bulls next week.

Brian Windhorst, ESPN.com:?I assume everyone is saying the Bulls here so I'm going to try to add a little to the conversation. The Cavs are actually somewhat surprising. LeBron James had never been 4-0 before. His teams, even the truly great ones, usually start a little slow. They already have a quality road win in Toronto.

Meanwhile it's worth watching to see whether? Kyrie Irving can do something no James teammate has ever done: lead the team in scoring. LeBron is willing to let this happen while he continues to put up great all-around numbers.

Kevin Pelton, ESPN Insider:?The Bulls. What concerns about outside shooting? The Bulls have made at least nine 3-pointers on 40 percent-plus shooting in each of their three games so far, and their offensive rating is the league's best.

No, that's probably not going to continue, but this is an optimistic 5-on-5: Chicago has plenty of room to regress and still be far better than anyone outside the front office expected.

2. Who's the most surprising player in the East?

Haberstroh:?Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr. I had to write out the full name because I'm not sure it's the same player. He's firing up three 3-pointers per game, which is about the same rate as? Kevin Durant,? Jamal Crawford and C.J. McCollum thus far. And Wade's making them. Small sample size? OK, but since the 2016 postseason started (including this preseason), Wade is 24-of-48 from deep. I love it.

Pelton:? DeMar DeRozan. It's not just that DeRozan has scored 30-plus points in all three games this season. It's the efficiency with which he has done it. He has shot better than 50 percent from the field in two of his first three games, something DeRozan did over just three different three-game spans all of 2015-16.

Windhorst:? Joel Embiid?looks as if he's going to be a force. He's like a baby giraffe out there at times, fumbling into mistakes because he's clearly not yet comfortable -- but he's still, you know, gigantic. That he's already so skilled and such a difference-maker is a surprise to me.

Doolittle:?Myles Turner has been amazing. It's one thing to average 18 points as a 20-year-old center, but to do it with a .623 true shooting percentage? Oh yeah, and leading the league in blocks? I don't know that Turner can sustain these numbers, especially the shooting, but he looks like a special player.

Thorpe:?I like how Avery Bradley just seems to keep getting better. In one game he hit eight 3s and snagged 11 rebounds. Brad Stevens continues to work the magic that I like to call "coaching" -- he gives his guys a quality system in which to shine while also providing them the time and temperament (from the staff) to continue to grow their games. Bradley can be this year's Isaiah Thomas.

3. What's the most surprising team in the Western Conference?

Thorpe:?Seems silly of me to be surprised by anything the Spurs are doing, but it is unexpected that they have been rolling -- notwithstanding a Tuesday home loss to a good Utah team -- despite getting next to nothing from Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. They still do Spurs things on defense (execution!), and their offense is now looking to feature two amazing bucket-getters rather than just moving the ball around and making a smart play. That's new.

Windhorst:?An easy answer here is Oklahoma City. But the Thunder have played a favorable schedule.

I've also been impressed by the Grizzlies. OK, so they got crushed Tuesday in Minny when coach David Fizdale rested? Marc Gasol?and? Mike Conley.?But Gasol looks good coming off the foot injury and he's making 3s now, Zach Randolph off the bench is working.? Vince Carter, who continues his fascinating career, is defending and hitting 3s too. And they they look to be deeper than they've been in years. Their outlook is better than I thought it was.

Pelton: The? Memphis Grizzlies. Although a 2-1 start was hardly unrealistic (before they rested Conley and Gasol and took a loss Tuesday in Minnesota), in the context of the Grizzlies playing without starting wings Tony Allen and Chandler Parsons it's impressive nonetheless. Memphis has received good minutes from fill-ins Vince Carter, James Ennis and Jarell Martin, and a 3-point barrage from Marc Gasol, which bodes well for when all the starters return.

Haberstroh: The ? San Antonio Spurs. OKC is 3-0 against maybe the three worst teams in the NBA, so I'm going with the team that blasted Golden State in the Warriors' ?building. They have one of the best net ratings in the NBA while resting their key players during a Tuesday-to-Tuesday stretch with five games. That's impressive.

Doolittle:?I don't think the Thunder are a great team, and their schedule hasn't been too tough, but they are fascinating in their post- Kevin Durant version. Billy Donovan's formula is to give the ball to Russell Westbrook, surround him with athletes and play lightning-fast, messy basketball. The way they've played so far stylistically makes you wonder if Westbrook really could average a triple-double.

4. Who's the most surprising player in the West?

Thorpe:? Kawhi Leonard edges out Marc Gasol's 3-point shooting onslaught. Leonard now is at the top of his game and he has the Kobe Bryant-like mentality of every opponent looking like a target when he has the ball. Getting 27 free throws in two road games (and making 25) tips us off to his mindset. Just over two years ago he proved to be the MVP of the Finals. He has ascended into a very serious league MVP candidate.

Haberstroh:? Rudy Gay. I did not foresee this fully energized start out of Gay, who made it clear this summer he wanted out of Sacramento. He's been more active defensively (six blocks) than usual and getting to the line twice as often as he did last season. His all-around game is far more surprising than his 23.8 scoring average. He's doing nothing but helping his trade stock.

Doolittle:?I guess nothing that happens in San Antonio should ever truly qualify as a surprise, but how about Kawhi Leonard? His transition to superstardom looks complete.

Gregg Popovich has turned the keys of the offense over to him. He might lead the league in free throws made and looks as if he'll make his biggest scoring leap yet in his sixth season -- and he's a guy who has improved his average ever single year. Most impressive of all: We've said the missing piece for Leonard is setting up others. He's doing that now, too.

Pelton:?Rudy Gay. Despite trade rumors, DeRozan's former teammate is averaging 23.8 points with a 54.3 percent effective field goal percentage. Gay is getting to the basket on a regular basis, taking 30 of his 82 shot attempts (36.6 percent) in the restricted area, per NBA.com/Stats.

Windhorst:?Again, I'm not sure surprise is the word for me, but Rudy Gay is off to an excellent start. He's disgruntled, as we all know, but he's pretty clearly playing for that next contract. He's shooting better than 50 percent early on and has the team's best plus-minus.?Small sample, but if he puts together a career year he's going to be a major focus in both February (at the trade deadline) and July (as a potential free agent).

5.?What's the most pleasantly surprising storyline in the league?

Haberstroh:?The NBA is absolutely stacked with young talent. There are 12 players scoring at least 24 points per game and none of them is in his 30s. Or even 29. Joel Embiid,? Karl-Anthony Towns,? Andre Drummond,? Anthony Davis,? Kristaps Porzingis,? Giannis Antetokounmpo,?Zach LaVine, Miles Turner,? Andrew Wiggins?-- all 23 or younger. Whew, we're lucky.

Doolittle:? Blake Griffin looks like an MVP contender. He's so much more aggressive on the boards and going to the rim in general, and the Clippers look terrific so far as a team. I thought his play was the one thing that could boost an L.A. team that had plateaued and that might be what is happening. But ... it's still early.

Thorpe:?For the moment, at least a few teams look as if they can take on Golden State in the Western Conference, which spares us the boring talk of how only two teams can make the Finals. We will get to see the Warriors jell, as they most certainly will, like the first Heatles team did. We will watch the Spurs continue to evolve into a Patty Mills/Kawhi Leonard/ LaMarcus Aldridge team. The Clippers might be a trade away from being scary in May (they need bench help).

There's no foregone conclusion in the West that the Warriors have to be the team to beat, as of today.

Windhorst:?I'm enjoying the success of all the big men. The NBA is always changing. Just when people think "the game has changed," the status quo shifts again. This is what keeps us coming back year after year.

So just when the conventional wisdom shifted to the center position being dead, we have a sudden influx of promising centers and lots of excellent big man play. We're even seeing teams such as Denver and Oklahoma City rolling out two centers at a time. And they're getting paid, too.

Pelton:?The championship being far more open than expected. If the Warriors had come out and waxed the floor with the Spurs on opening night, it could have been a long season. San Antonio's upset win in Golden State, followed by the Warriors struggling on the road at New Orleans and Phoenix, have given fans elsewhere more hope.