10 NBA Players with the Most to Prove in 2014 Training Camp
For young players and veterans alike, NBA training camps are often proving grounds.
The hours on the practice court and the minutes logged in preseason games don't go in the record books, but they're important for coaches formulating rotations and players looking to establish themselves.
This piece focuses on the latter, the guys who are actually inside the lines (with the exception of the obvious training camp invitees on non-guaranteed, make-good deals).
They essentially fall into three groups: one former lottery pick hanging onto NBA relevance for dear life, four young players on their rookie deals whose agents will be negotiating extensions prior to the league's October 31 deadline and five veterans who are looking to bounce back from either an injury or a down season.
Michael Beasley, Memphis Grizzlies
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What He Has to Prove: He's grown up
After a season on the bench for the Miami Heat, Michael Beasley is on to his next last chance, this time with the Memphis Grizzlies.
It will be Beasley's fourth team. And even though trouble's followed the talented forward at each of the previous NBA stops, CBS Sports' Matt Moore thinks he might have a chance to fit in with Memphis:
"Memphis needs wing help, even with adding Vince Carter, Courtney Lee, and Jordan Adams in the last year. They could also use a small-ball four to fill in behind Zach Randolph and Jarnell Stokes. He makes sense.
If he wasn't, you know, Michael Beasley, this would be a pretty great pickup. It costs them nothing, and with a locker room as sound as theirs, there's a chance... a small, dim, fading, desperate chance... that this could actually work.
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Based on talent alone, Beasley would be a massive upgrade over last season's starting 3, Tayshaun Prince, in terms of both basic numbers and advanced metrics.
He'll battle for minutes there with Vince Carter, and at the 4 with Jon Leuer and rookie Jarnell Stokes.
| Michael Beasley | 25 | 15.1 | .499 | .389 | .772 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 7.9 |
| Vince Carter | 37 | 24.4 | .407 | .394 | .821 | 3.5 | 2.6 | 11.9 |
| Jon Leuer | 25 | 13.1 | .492 | .469 | .787 | 3.2 | 0.4 | 6.2 |
| Tayshaun Prince | 34 | 25.6 | .407 | .290 | .567 | 3.1 | 1.6 | 6.0 |
| Michael Beasley | 16.8 | .559 | .528 | .223 | 13.0 | 8.8 | 103 | 105 |
| Vince Carter | 15.9 | .539 | .497 | .242 | 8.3 | 16.5 | 109 | 110 |
| Jon Leuer | 17.6 | .566 | .539 | .191 | 14.6 | 5.2 | 112 | 103 |
| Tayshaun Prince | 8.2 | .438 | .427 | .122 | 7.1 | 8.9 | 97 | 108 |
Beasley needs to show from Day 1 of training camp that the maturity issues are behind him. He needs to convince coach Dave Joerger that he's focused on basketball, particularly defense.
For a team that's lacked punch offensively for years, Beasley could be exactly what it needs, if he holds himself together off the floor.
Ricky Rubio, Minnesota Timberwolves
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What He Has to Prove: He can shoot
In a basketball world filled with point guards who'd rather score than facilitate, Ricky Rubio is a throwback.
His primary offensive purpose is undoubtedly to provide scoring opportunities for his teammates. Last season, he averaged more assists (8.6) than field-goal attempts (8.2). Pablo Prigioni and Kendall Marshall were the only other players in the league who averaged more dimes than shots.
And to hammer the point home even further, Rubio averaged 17.2 assist opportunities, defined by NBA.com as "Passes by a player to a teammate in which the teammate attempts a shot, and if made, would be an assist." That means he set up his teammates more than twice as often as he set up himself.
That selflessness made the offense run much smoother, as the Minnesota Timberwolves averaged 11.7 more points per 100 possessions when he was on the floor.
The same quality would've helped him fit in much better in another era. Last season, he was the only player to average at least nine points and eight assists while shooting less than 40 percent from the field. But in league history, Hall of Famers Bob Cousy and Guy Rodgers did it a combined seven times. Future Hall of Famer Jason Kidd did it five times. Scoring wasn't always critical for point guards.
But in today's NBA, Rubio's terrible shooting percentages have torpedoed his value heading into negotiations for a contract extension with the Wolves. He went 38.1 percent from the field last season, making him a non-threat as a scorer.
SB Nation's Kevin Zimmerman explored the subject, saying, "Rubio was third in the entire NBA in total touches during the 2013-14 season, but he scored just 0.11 points per touch. Of the top 100 players in total touches, only Kendall Marshall did worse."
If Rubio shows up to camp with an improved jumper, one that at least forces perimeter defenders to think about challenging him, he'll be more likely to get the kind of extension he's looking for prior to the deadline.
Enes Kanter, Utah Jazz
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What He Has to Prove: He can defend
In football, the vast majority of the players do all their work on one side of the ball—11 guys on offense and 11 guys on defense.
If basketball was set up that way, Enes Kanter would have nothing to prove during training camp or this season. Offensively, he's already a wrecking ball around the rim and a deft mid-range shooter away from it.
On the other end, though, he's a nightmare. And I don't mean for his opponents. The Utah Jazz gave up 6.5 more points per 100 possessions while Kanter was on the floor last season.
When defending 4s, he had a hard time staying in front of his matchup. Against 5s, the strength that served him so well on offense seemed to disappear, as he was often backed all the way under the basket. On top of all that, he was almost always late when rotating to help.
Now, with the rise of Rudy Gobert, Kanter's value to the Jazz may be waning as the deadline for an extension nears.
Spacing issues notwithstanding, the defensive potential of a Gobert-Derrick Favors frontcourt is enticing. As training camp opens, Kanter needs to show he's improved enough at that end to still be a part of the equation inside.
Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls
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What He Has to Prove: He can shoot
Jimmy Butler's value may be largely dependent on his defensive ability, but that doesn't make him an automatic extension immune to criticism.
As one of the focal points of the Chicago Bulls' busted, Derrick Rose-less offense last season, Butler averaged 13.1 points while shooting 39.7 percent from the field and 28.3 percent from three-point range.
Eighty-four players took at least as many threes as Butler's 240 last season. In that group, only Josh Smith's 26.4 percent conversion rate was worse.
That doesn't mean Butler can't shoot, though. In 2012-13, he shot 38.1 percent from downtown. Whether he can bounce back to somewhere near that level depends on how well he fits alongside Rose and Pau Gasol.
Chicago figures to have great ball movement with those two and Joakim Noah in the same lineup. Grantland's Zach Lowe thinks Butler could be a beneficiary:
"Stick Butler in a whirring offense that would get him the ball against scrambled defenses and he could become the Bulls’ version of Kawhi Leonard — a so-so off-the-bounce guy who can create just fine given a small head start.
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He'll get his first chance to play that kind of role in training camp. And if it looks like his offensive efficiency will get a big boost, Chicago might have to be more aggressive in getting an extension done.
Lowe speculated that Butler could field a max-offer sheet next summer. For evidence of how restricted free agency can inflate a player's value, revisit the deals signed by Chandler Parsons and Gordon Hayward.
Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets
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What He Has to Prove: He's a franchise player
Thanks to a huge second half to the season and an international coming-out party at the 2014 FIBA World Cup, Kenneth Faried's value has skyrocketed since February.
Let's start with his late-season explosion for the Denver Nuggets. After the All-Star break, Faried averaged 18.8 points and 10.1 rebounds. There were only six players in the league who produced at that level for the whole season.
Then in the World Cup, Faried showed off the energy and hustle that made him a fan favorite in Denver from day one and a member of the tournament's "All-Star Five."
Does all that translate to a huge extension before the end of training camp?
Well, that depends on plenty of factors, but you have to think showing up with the attitude and demeanor of the team's leader and franchise centerpiece could only help Faried's chances.
Roy Hibbert, Indiana Pacers
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What He Has to Prove: He can lead a team
It would be tough to argue that any team had a tougher summer than the Indiana Pacers, who lost Paul George to a gruesome injury and Lance Stephenson to the Charlotte Hornets. George led the Pacers with 10.8 win shares. Stephenson was fourth with 7.4.
That leaves a ton of responsibility for David West, George Hill and 7'2" center Roy Hibbert to keep the Pacers afloat. All three will have to play better, particularly Hibbert.
Last season ended like a train wreck for the big man, as almost every conceivable number plummeted toward the regular-season finish line. Before the All-Star break, Hibbert had an offensive rating (points per 100 possessions) of 104, a defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) of 95 and an average plus-minus of plus-12.7. After the break, he went for 88, 106 and minus-3.1.
The Pacers' fortunes turned right with their center's. They went 12-13 in March and April and were pushed all the way to seven games in the first round of the playoffs against the eighth-seeded Atlanta Hawks.
Any shot at returning to the playoffs without George and Stephenson will likely mean Hibbert returns to All-Star form. Unless of course, he's traded.
We've already learned this summer that Indiana's been shopping the defensive specialist, as Sean Deveney of Sporting News reports. Rumors of offers to the Phoenix Suns and Detroit Pistons surfaced, as outlined by Kevin Zimmerman of SB Nation, but nothing materialized.
Hibbert can eliminate that speculation by showing he's worth the $30.4 million left on his contract, and that starts in training camp. If he shows up in shape and plays with the fire he displayed in the first half of the 2013-14 season, Pacers fans may finally have something from this offseason to be happy about.
Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
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What He Has to Prove: He can carry a heavier load
When your best player is LeBron James, you have the luxury of putting your second-best player on a maintenance program that includes sitting him for a third of your team's games.
Now that James is back with the Cleveland Cavaliers, all that rest may no longer be available for 32-year-old Dwyane Wade.
Miami lost 27.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game. A lot of the responsibility for replacing that will fall to Wade, who carried a substantial load for the Heat prior to James' arrival.
From his rookie year through the 2009-10 campaign, Wade averaged 25.4 points and 6.6 assists. Considering his age and injury history, it's unlikely he'd return to that form.
However, a strong showing in training camp, an inkling that he could return to anywhere near that level of production, would go a long way toward helping Erik Spoelstra define Wade's role and the team's overall strategy for this season.
According to Bleacher Report's Ethan Skolnick, Wade simply said, "I need it. I need it," when asked about whether or not he could handle the heavier load.
Andrea Bargnani, New York Knicks
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What He Has to Prove: He can produce anything
Andrea Bargnani's "epic dunk fail" in January cost him nearly half the 2013-14 season. Since he last suited up for the New York Knicks, an awful lot has changed.
Mike Woodson, who started Bargnani in the frontcourt next to Tyson Chandler, is gone. Glen Grunwald, who traded for the big man in 2013, is out as well.
Those two have been replaced by Derek Fisher and Phil Jackson, whose triangle offense is predicated on ball movement and efficiency. Bargnani isn't exactly an ace on either of those traits.
Of the 226 players who logged as many minutes as Bargnani in 2013-14 (1,257), his assist percentage of 6.1 ranked 199th. And of the 175 players who put up as many shots (502), Bargnani's true shooting percentage of .510 was 145th.
The No. 1 pick of the 2006 draft will have an uphill climb during training camp to find minutes in the regular season. He'll battle with Amar'e Stoudemire, Samuel Dalembert, Jason Smith and possibly even Carmelo Anthony for time at power forward or center.
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
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What He Has to Prove: Age is just a number
In basketball years, 36-year-old Kobe Bryant, who's played 54,208 regular-season and playoff minutes, is ancient.
And even worse, he's beaten up. Two seasons ago, he ruptured an Achilles tendon. In 2013-14, he broke his lateral tibial plateau, essentially the knee. Therefore, those doubting Bryant's ability to come all the way back have some pretty strong points on which to lean their argument.
Does any of that matter to Kobe? Probably not.
His personal drive to be the best has already reached legendary status, and the reputation was recently reinforced by comments from Phil Jackson in a Q&A with Steve Serby of the New York Post:
"Q: Is Kobe Bryant the model for Carmelo Anthony?
A: No. No one can approach that. I don’t expect anybody to be able to model their behavior after that, although Kobe modeled his behavior a lot about Michael Jordan, but he went beyond Michael in his attitude towards training, and I know Mike would probably question me saying that, but he did.
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During training camp, we'll see just how effective those training habits have been in turning back the clock on one of the most prolific careers in NBA history.
Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
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What He Has to Prove: He has functioning knees
Yes, Derrick Rose survived the 2014 FIBA World Cup with his surgically repaired knees intact, but that doesn't mean he's in the clear yet.
After a few scrimmages stateside, Rose averaged just 17.1 minutes over nine games in Spain. He'll be called on to play much more and against stiffer competition during the NBA season.
He sounds like he's ready for the next step, though. According to ESPNChicago.com's Scoop Jackson, the former league MVP shared his thoughts following Team USA's win in the gold-medal game:
"I'm going to transfer this on to next season with the Bulls. It's really helped me with my recovery. Being off the floor, taking care of my body, eating right. I was feeling good every time I stepped on the floor, stretching every time; I think it's going to help me with the Bulls season.
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The first look at whether he can handle the increased intensity and bigger role will come during training camp.
Showing continued progress there will help Tom Thibodeau determine how heavily he can lean on his star early in the season.
Unless otherwise noted, all stats and salary figures are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.
Andy Bailey covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him @AndrewDBailey.
