Breakout NBA Sophomores for 2013/14

These players made strides their second year of Summer League.

Evan Fournier – SG – Denver Nuggets
2012/13 Stats: 11.3 MPG – 5.3 PPG – 0.9 RPG – 1.2 APG – 0.493 FG% – 0.407 3PT%

Fournier was likened to Manu Ginobli before last years draft.  In his rookie season, he showed flashes of talent similar to that of Ginobli’s.  Fournier was one of many players stuck behind several other players on Denver’s depth chart, however towards the end of the year, he did begin to get some more playing time.  On April 14^th, Fournier broke out, scoring 24 points, grabbing 4 rebounds, dishing 4 assists, and nabbing 3 steals in 36 minutes against Portland.  Fournier was also one of the few rookies whose playing time went up in the playoffs (up to 13.3 MPG).  Andre Miller said during summer league that Fournier was very patient last year and was a very quick learner.  This, mixed with Fournier’s versatile skill set, makes him a prospect that is ready to have a breakout season.  Fournier finds himself in competition against Wilson Chandler for the starting two spot in Denver, and with the direction of their franchise being a little lost right now, it is difficult to figure out if they want to play their veterans or their young guys.  Either way, Fournier should see 18-25 MPG this year as an offensive spark plug.  In limited minutes last year, Fournier shot 0.407% from three and had an overall FG% of 0.493%.  With efficient scoring like that, he is bound to see more playing time in the 2013 season.

2013/14 Season Prediction: 21 MPG – 11.5 PPG – 2.5 RPG – 3.5 APG – 0.493 FG%

Jared Sullinger – PF – Boston Celtics
2012/13 Stats: 19.8 MPG – 6.0 PPG – 5.9 RPG

Sullinger was just beginning to really pick up steam in 2012/13 when a back injury ended his season.  This justified his draft day slide to the Boston Celtics at 21.  In the month of January, he averaged 7.5 PPG and 7.6 RPG while also trying to manage his back injury which ruled him out the rest of the season.  Sullinger is in line to get plenty of playing time in Boston next year after Danny Ainge triggered the Boston rebuild with the Celtics-Nets trade.  The starting PF spot is still up for grabs, but if Sullinger is healthy, he may have an outside chance of grabbing it.  For any rebuilding team, it is important to develop your younger players such as Sullinger.  The likes of Brandon Bass, Chris Wilcox and Kris Humphries may be more polished players right now, but none figure to be in their long-term plans.  Sullinger’s success may somewhat rely on Rondo’s ability to come back healthy and distribute the ball as without him, Boston is relying on Avery Bradley being the primary ball handler.  Even if Rondo does come back healthy, there appears to be a chance that he will be traded before the deadline for more assets.  As long as Sullinger does not get stranded on an island from poor guard play, then he is in the right situation to have a good statistical year.

2013/14 Season Prediction: 30 MPG  – 12 PPG – 9 RPG

Jeffrey Taylor – SG/SF – Charlotte Bobcats
2012/13 Stats: 19.6 MPG – 6.1 PPG – 1.9 RPG  – 0.431 FG% – 0.344 3PT%

Jeff Taylor is the first second-rounder in this article, but not by much (he was selected 31^st in the 2012 Draft).  Taylor was given more playing time in his rookie year than most second-round picks receive with almost 20 minutes per game.  During his time on the floor, Taylor carved out a niche as the best perimeter defender on the Bobcats team ahead of Gerald Henderson and, perhaps more impressively, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.  Coach Dunlap would often insert Taylor down the stretch in games and put him on the other team’s best player.  Taylor obviously has the advantage of experience over MKG as he stayed all four years at Vanderbilt University and is 24 years old.  Despite his impressive rookie season, Taylor was held back by his well-documented confidence issues and struggled to find his offense at times.  However, judging by this year’s NBA Summer League, Taylor seems to have gone some way to move past this.  In Las Vegas, he averaged 31 MPG, 20.3 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 1.8 SPG while shooting 0.475% from the field and 0.368% from three.  Taylor has a nice shooting stroke, a good head on his shoulders and some freakish athleticism, as shown here.  Taylor was ultra-aggressive in Summer League, and Charlotte fans hope this carries over to the regular season, as his passiveness is one of the only things holding him back.

2013/14 Predictions: 24 MPG 12.5 PPG 3 RPG 1.5 SPG

Terrance Jones – PF – Houston Rockets
2012/13 Statistics (NBA D-League): 30.9 MPG – 19 PPG – 9 RPG – 2.5 APG  – 1.5 SPG  – 1.3 BPG

I used Jones’s D-League stats above as he only logged 276 minutes in the NBA season, with most of his playing time coming in games where the outcome was already decided.  The Houston Rockets PF position is up for grabs between Motiejunas, Greg Smith, and Jones, and there is the possibility that Jones could go from a D-League player last year to an NBA starter this year.  However, I imagine Motiejunas would be the best fit next to Howard as he would provide more spacing for Harden’s drives and Howard’s post-ups.  Jones excelled in mediocre competition last year, but he affects the game in multiple areas by creating for himself and for others while being a strong defender.  One area in need of improvement is his three-point shooting which, even in the D-League, was just 0.297%.  If he is going to co-exist with Howard for long periods of time, this will have to improve.  However, if Jones comes into training camp firing on all cylinders, expect him to make some noise this upcoming season by being featured on a very competitive Rockets team.

2013/14 Predictions: 16 MPG – 7.5 PPG – 5 RPG – 1.5 APG – 1 BPG

By James Plowright
Follow @jamesplowright