5 Players Poised To Breakout This Season

The NBA season is only three days away ladies and gentlemen, man it feels great to write that. I’ve been having basketball withdrawals since Kyrie’s dagger in game 7 to win the NBA finals for the Cavs. After a long offseason with new rookies entering the league and some big names changing teams (hi, Kevin Durant), this could be one of the more fun NBA seasons in recent memory. With that being said, there are five players on my watch list that could really be in for breakout seasons. I tried to steer away from some of the obvious candidates, but some are just too good to not mention.

So yeah, speaking of too good to not mention. Devin Booker might be on everyone’s list for breakout players this coming season. His rookie year got off to a slow start averaging 10.6 points and 1.8 assists in 23 minutes per game before the All-Star break. Injuries plagued Phoenix when their top two ball handlers Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe both endured season ending injuries. That may have been a blessing in disguise for the Suns because Booker really took off with the extra workload. Post All-Star break his points per game jumped up to 19.2 in 35 minutes per night. Also, his assist numbers jumped to 4 as he was one of the primary ball handlers. And in the 16 games he started in March his scoring average reached 22.4, which is pretty good for a rookie guard. Now as a starter coming into this season, Booker is still only 19 years old and averaging almost 20 points per game in 26 minutes per night this preseason. This kid has a ton of potential and I would not be surprised if he made an All-Star team in the next 2-3 years.

All discussions about the Minnesota Timberwolves begin and end with Karl Anthony-Towns. And rightfully so, he’s an amazing athlete and basketball player. Add in Andrew Wiggins and the Wolves have the last two rookies of the year on their roster, so the building blocks are in place. Zach Lavine is an interesting part of this team dynamic. He brings that edge and killer instinct to the guard position. Drafted as a high level athlete with great upside, I think this is the year when we finally start to see the on court production match up with his dunk contest displays on All-Star weekend. Last year in only 28 minutes per game Lavine averaged 14 points, shooting 45% from the field and 39% from three point range in his 6th man role. He has a little bit of Jamal Crawford to his game, with higher upside and the wingspan and athleticism to be a much better defender. The Coach Thibodeau hire is great for Lavine and this organization as a whole. He can be an effective pick and roll ball handler and play spot minutes at the point guard position. With Towns and Wiggins garnering most of the attention from defenses, and the Rubio/Dunn combination at point guard, I see a lot of potential for Zach to thrive in this situation with more playing time coming his way.

This is my pick for Rookie of the Year. Everything about Joel Embiid just screams star. From all of his social media antics and more recently changing his name to “the process” to honor former GM Sam Hinkie, Embiid has that star personality that the Philadelphia fans will love and the skill set that the franchise can build around. I don’t know if it’s because of the injury, but I think people forgot that Embiid is actually really good at basketball. Coming out of college he was being compared to the great Hakeem Olajuwon. Based on his play this preseason, the comparison isn’t far off and he looks to be in prime position to take off. In 14 minutes per game he is averaging 10 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, he’s also showing range extending out to the three point line, and maybe most importantly he’s showing his ability to protect the rim and block shots. With Ben Simmons and Nerlens Noel both hurt to start the year and Jahlil Okafor returning from injury, look for Embiid to be relied upon heavily for the Sixers this season.

Kelly Oubre Jr did not play much in his rookie season so he didn’t make much of an impact. But at 6’7 with a long wingspan and a ton of potential, he could see an uptick in production this season. In interviews this offseason he’s been speaking about being humbled by his rookie year experience and how he learned the effort it takes in order to be successful in this league. In only 10 minutes per game last season he averaged just 3 points per game. But Coach Scott Brooks comes in with a new philosophy and Oubre has already seen an increase in minutes and usage this preseason. In the 25.5 minutes per game that he’s getting in the preseason, he’s been averaging 13 points and 3.6 rebounds also shooting 35% from three point range. With no clear cut third option in Washington, he could be establish himself as a regular in the rotation as a much needed sixth man to increase their scoring off the bench.

This offseason Tyler Johnson received a 4year $50 million dollar contract offer from the Brooklyn Nets. Surprisingly, the Heat matched that offer which tells you how much Pat Riley values Johnson moving forward after the departure of Dwayne Wade. Flying mostly under the radar, his combo guard skills should contribute heavily to a Miami squad that’s searching for a new identity. One thing to keep in mind here, current Heat starting point guard Goran Dragic has thrived before in two point guard lineups when he made All NBA 3rd team as a member of the Phoenix Suns alongside Eric Bledsoe. At 38% from three point range for his career and a solid ball handler, Johnson could serve as a great sixth man option for the Heat. So far this preseason in his 20 minutes per game he’s averaging 11 points and 2 assists per game. As his minutes increase over the course of the season, look for his production on the court to increase as well.