From the first day that players gathered at the PNY Center, Nets coaches and players were hinting that C.J. Watson was a big surprise. It wasn't that people thought he was a marginal player before he was signed. It was just that he was showing unexpected skills. As Mike Mazzeo writes, "He's fast, excels in transition and can make tough shots."

"He's been better than we expected," Avery Johnson said. "He's good at what he does. He knows what he's doing on the floor." In fact, say Nets insiders, he'll be getting a lot of minutes in the Nets small ball line-up of him, Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace and Brook Lopez.

• Surprise player? That's elementary, Watson - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York