Surprising Stars Emerging from the 2013 NBA Preseason
The 2013-14 NBA season will bring a host of new stars to the forefront of public consciousness. The preseason is giving us a foreshadow of who they might be.
Though preseason gets the same competition knock as mid-major conferences or the summer league, for the most part these are the guys who will be making up the NBA season we are so looking forward to. So, playing well in these games does hold some water.
Obviously some of the league's bigger names are going to put up good numbers, but it is far more interesting to see some of the mid-level names or young up-and-comers who are hinting at breakout seasons.
These players are taking the preseason seriously, and it should pay dividends when exhibition becomes reality.
Victor Oladipo
1 of 9
Four Games: 12.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists
Last year's most surprising college basketball player is continuing to turn heads at the professional level.
Coming out of the 2013 NBA draft, Victor Oladipo was thought of as a definite defensive stopper with minor offensive potential. The No. 2 overall pick by the Orlando Magic has had a solid preseason thus far, showcasing a very impressive all-around game.
Oladipo is showing that some of those college numbers are not as fluky as some may have imagined. The nose for the ball has been illustrated in his 6.8 rebounds per game. He is shooting a respectable 43.9 percent, with a 3-of-13 dud in there dropping that number.
Also of note, Oladipo's attempt to play some point guard, not his job at Indiana, has gone reasonably well. Against the New Orleans Pelicans, the Magic rookie dropped nine assists and is averaging 4.8 per game in just 25.3 minutes.
Oladipo is putting up solid numbers while experiencing a whole different level of competition, role and lifestyle. Extrapolating these numbers to 28-32 minutes per game would be one heck of a rookie season.
Anthony Davis
2 of 9
Four Games: 24.5 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1.8 steals
A rookie year that was clogged up with minor injuries, along with Damian Lillard, stopped Anthony Davis from winning Rookie of the Year. As far as his sophomore season goes, Davis appears primed to blow up.
The 20-year-old power forward is having an amazing preseason and could be ready to make a young Kevin Garnett leap in Year 2 of his career. In four games, Davis has yet to score less than 21 points while seeing just 27.8 minutes a night.
His rebounding average is slightly affected by a three-board night in the preseason opener, but given his 8.2 per game last season, it is safe to say that will rise. His blocks per game are also looking good at this stage.
Most impressively, Davis is shooting 55.1 percent in the preseason. Last year's 51.6 percent was respectable, but if he can get up into the 55 percent range, we are talking a whole other level of stardom.
Anthony Davis is showing 20-10 potential once those minutes creep up in the regular season.
Chris Kaman
3 of 9
Four Games: 12 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3 assists
Chris Kaman is doing his very best Dwight Howard impersonation as the Los Angeles Lakers' new starting center. The big man was picked up for a minimal $3.18 million, one-year contract this past offseason.
The Lakers are giving Kaman a chance to prove he still has it, while not sacrificing their cap flexibility for next summer. However, Kaman has outplayed this opportunity in the preseason, throwing up a pair of double-doubles and scoring in double figures each night.
He is shooting 51.2 percent from the field and has been respectable on defense. The most impressive part of his four games has been the ability to mesh with Pau Gasol. The two have benefited greatly from playing opposite one another, and a chunk of those 12 assists Kaman has were on Gasol baskets.
Having spent the last year on a Dallas Mavericks team, playing a portion of games with Dirk Nowitzki may have aided Kaman in adjusting to Gasol's style.
Tacking on 8-10 minutes per game to these preseason numbers could potentially have Kaman being a 15-10 player, something he hasn't been since prior to 2010.
Andre Drummond
4 of 9
Four Games: 14.5 points, 9 rebounds, 57.5 percent shooting
Andre Drummond may be making the leap even sooner than imagined for the Detroit Pistons.
If his preseason is any indication, Drummond can still put up some sizable numbers with limited minutes. The addition of Josh Smith is going to suck up some of his power forward time, but those numbers listed above were done in just 24.8 minutes per game.
Prior to his most recent dud, 1-of-7 for five points, Drummond was shooting 66.7 percent from the field. He has also done a decent job getting to the line, where he is 66.7 percent, a major improvement over last year.
If Drummond has shored up that free-throw shooting, there is a good chance for him to have a breakout season, even if he is the third big in Detroit.
Serge Ibaka
5 of 9
Three Games: 15.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3 blocks
Perhaps not all that surprising, as Serge Ibaka is paid like a star and should be one.
However, with no Russell Westbrook he needs to step up even more, and has done so through three preseason games.
He is shooting 52.9 percent in those games, making his 15.3 points per game more impressive. He is also 10-of-12 from the free-throw line. His rebounding is up, and it doesn't appear as though he has lost a step in his shot-blocking game.
With Westbrook out for a month or two of the season, Ibaka's role as a third scorer becomes enlarged. He probably still won't be their No. 2 scorer, but if he can up his scoring to 15-17 points per game, it will help the Oklahoma City Thunder survive until their star point guard returns.
How Ibaka starts the season could have a lot to do with how the Thunder end it. He is using the preseason to quell most fears Thunder fans have.
Evan Turner
6 of 9
Four Games: 19.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists
Given the complete dearth of talent on the Philadelphia 76ers roster, a big season is expected out of Evan Turner.
However, respect still must be given when a player puts up big numbers, which is what Turner has done this preseason. He is averaging 19.8 points on 46.6 percent shooting, to go with 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He is adding some scoring punch to an already solid all-around game.
While he still hasn't appeared to develop a three-point shot, Turner's game has been on a slight rise in each of his three seasons. This could be the year he puts a lot of it together and breaks out.
Unfortunately, it will be on a very poor team and go largely unnoticed for much of the regular season. So, we pay respect here, to one of the best players in the preseason.
Goran Dragic
7 of 9
Four Games: 13.8 points, 3.5 assists, 67.7 percent
The above numbers are slightly skewed for Goran Dragic.
He has technically played in four games, but only saw eight minutes in one of them.
Through the other three games, Dragic is averaging 18.3 points on 75 percent shooting. He is putting together quite an impressive preseason.
Dragic has even hit on 7-of-11 threes overall. This is all happening at a great time for the player, as competition in the Phoenix Suns backcourt just got a whole lot steeper with the addition of Eric Bledsoe.
The two represent very different styles of point guard, but so far Dragic has outplayed the newcomer, at least offensively. Bledsoe has brought his typical defense to the table, but has struggled to score in most of the games.
If Dragic continues his hot offensive play, he'll earn the lion's share of minutes to start the season.
Isaiah Thomas
8 of 9
Three Games: 13.7 points, 6.7 assists, 53.8 percent shooting
Another point guard feeling the pressure of new position-mates is Isaiah Thomas of the Sacramento Kings.
Like Goran Dragic with the Phoenix Suns, Thomas is now dealing with Greivis Vasquez in Sacramento, along with Jimmer Fredette.
Luckily for Thomas, neither Vasquez nor Fredette have been fully healthy or available this preseason. The two have played in just one game each. Thomas has played in all three, and he has played well consistently.
While seeing 27.7 minutes a night, Thomas has averaged 13.7 points and 6.7 assists. He has done the scoring with 53.8 percent shooting, while he finished at 44 percent last season. The team knows he can score, though. The question is whether he can be a quality distributor at this level. That is the question that will decide who can start for the Kings.
Thomas' 6.7 assists are a good number at this stage of the preseason. They are an improvement over the four he averaged last year, but there is still room for improvement with starter's minutes.
Thomas could wrap up the point guard job before Vasquez or Fredette ever have a chance.
Kelly Olynyk
9 of 9
Six Games: 9.8 points, 4 rebounds, 53.2 percent shooting
Until League Pass starts up with the regular season, the only team a Massachusetts-resident writer can watch with any regularity is the Boston Celtics.
While Kelly Olynyk may not have been starring in the preseason, he has done enough to warrant some notice.
After his stellar college and summer league performances, there were plenty of detractors and critics laughing at the praise he received. He played in a mid-level conference and the summer league isn't real NBA basketball, but somewhat of a college extension. So, when the preseason rolls around and Olynyk is still putting up good numbers, the detractors get less and less.
If he continues this into the regular season, he is a sure bet to be one of the league's top rookies. He'll have the playing time to do so on a poor Celtics team, and he has repeatedly put up good numbers despite increasingly talented competition.
The above numbers are skewed a bit by his first two games in which he barely saw the floor. In the last four games, Brad Stevens has used him more and more and he is averaging 12.8 points, 5.3 rebounds on 59.5 percent shooting in 24 minutes a night.
Olynyk passed the summer league test and now the preseason test. His offense looks ready for the regular season.
