5 Young NBA Studs Who Are Set to Have a Breakout 2013-14 Season

There are always talented young players entering the league year after year, and only a handful develop into legitimate NBA stars. Sometimes the environment and team they get drafted to has a huge impact on the way those young players develop.

A good example would be DeMarcus Cousins, a big man with incredible potential who got drafted onto a mediocre Sacramento Kings' squad with no clear direction of where the franchise is headed. As a result, his development in the past three years has been hindered drastically, and it would probably take a change of scenery to get him back on his feet.

Judging from this year's playoffs and regular season, these players have all the opportunity in the world to catapult themselves into the elite ranks in the NBA next year.

5. John Wall

John Wall was the first pick of the 2010 NBA draft, but everyone seemed to forget about him.

That's not surprising, considering that the Washington Wizards haven't even sniffed the playoffs in the three seasons Wall has been there.

He didn't begin 2012-13 that well, either, as he struggled to recover from a stress fracture in his knee and missed 33 games in the regular season. However, he finally started to show some promise when he returned and led the team to a 24-25 record (per Basketball Reference). In the Eastern Conference, that would mean the Wizards could've probably made the playoffs had Wall been in the lineup at the beginning of the season.

In the 49 games he appeared in, he averaged 18.5 PPG and 7.6 APG in just 32.7 minutes per game. Additionally, he registered his highest field-goal percentage (44.1 percent) and PER (20.8) of his career.

If Wall remains healthy, he's in for a great 2013-14 campaign.

4. Chandler Parsons

Unlike Wall, Chandler Parsons was a late second-round draft pick who wasn't expected to do much of anything in the NBA. He came in as a versatile player capable of playing multiple positions, but he was raw on both ends of the floor and wasn't great in any specific area.

Two years later and Parsons increased his averages greatly from his first season to his second season. In the 2012-13 season, he averaged 15.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 3.5 APG on 48.6 percent shooting from the field.

Right now, Parsons is the second-best player on the Houston Rockets behind James Harden, and he's only 24 years old with a lot of room to improve. He's quickly becoming one of the best two-way players in the league.

The do-it-all-forward is expected to have a much bigger role on a Rockets team that's looking to contend for a championship in the next couple of years.

3. Tobias Harris

Getting traded from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Orlando Magic was probably the best thing that has ever happened to the 20-year-old Tobias Harris.

His time with the Bucks was going nowhere fast, and it took a trade deadline deal to propel his career toward a more promising future.

After getting traded to the Magic, Harris had a stat line of 17.3 PPG, 8.5 RPG and 1.4 BPG in 36.1 minutes per game. Additionally, he posted some monster stat lines in his half-season with the Magic. On April 10 against his old team, Harris scored 30 points on 13-of-20 shooting and grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds.

In a game against the Charlotte Bobcats on March 27, Harris showed his versatility and recorded a stellar stat line of 29 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

Out of all of the players on this list, Harris is the closest player who could have a LeBron James-like impact in a game because of his versatility, ball-handling skills and sheer strength.

2. Harrison Barnes

Harrison Barnes was decent throughout the regular season, but his exceptional play during the Golden State Warriors' postseason run was fantastic.

At just 20 years old, Barnes increased his regular-season averages across the board, and he showed exceptional poise down the stretch during the playoffs.

His most remarkable performances came in Game 2 of the first-round series against the Denver Nuggets, where he scored 24 points and helped the Warriors win. Next, it was Game 4 against the San Antonio Spurs, where he played 51 minutes and scored 26 points to help even the series at 2-2.

Next season, Barnes will unquestionably see a bigger role on offense, and he could become the second option after Stephen Curry if he continues to develop.

1. Kawhi Leonard

After the Spurs lost in Game 7 to the Miami Heat, there were still some bright spots for the Spurs organization. Gregg Popovich said after the game that Kawhi Leonard is going to be a very special player in the future and that he's already a "star in the making," via USA Today.

Leonard proved during the postseason and especially during the Finals that he definitely has a lot of potential.

During the Finals, Leonard averaged 13.8 PPG and 10.3 RPG on 52.4 percent shooting from the field, all whilst playing remarkable defense on LeBron James. He has shown flashes of offensive excellence, but he hasn't been able to consistently produce on that end of the court.

Perhaps he just needs a bigger role in the offense.

Maybe time is the only thing stopping Leonard from blossoming into a superstar. Once Tim Duncan retires and Tony Parker enters his twilight years, Leonard will be the future face of the franchise.