10 NBA Players Due for Big Role Changes in 2014-15
So much of the excitement surrounding NBA training camps stems from seeing familiar faces in new places. Tracking the summer's free agents during the preseason is like catching up with an old friend after months (or years) apart; you want to know how that person's doing and what that person is up to. This year's no different.
How comfortable will LeBron James be, not just playing alongside Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving but also with the idea of the Cleveland Cavaliers having more than one star? What can Luol Deng do to make up, in part, for James' departure from the Miami Heat? How effectively might the likes of C.J. Miles, Rodney Stuckey and Damjan Rudez fill in for the injured Paul George and the departed Lance Stephenson? Will Stephenson be a star in Charlotte?
But what about the guys who didn't change teams? The machinations of free agency can and often do have huge implications for incumbents around the Association.
These 10 returning players figure to face the biggest changes to their respective roles as a result of another busy offseason.
Tristan Thompson
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LeBron James' return to the Cleveland Cavaliers may well yield mixed results for Tristan Thompson.
On the one hand, Thompson will finally get to play on a winning team. Moreover, he's likely to garner a substantial raise in the near future. His agent, Rich Paul, also happens to be one of Bron-Bron's buddies, and with James seemingly at the controls in Cleveland, he could pull the strings needed to make sure Thompson gets paid.
Then again, it's tough for James to do so when the Cavs and Thompson's representatives have hardly discussed a new contract to this point, per the Northeast Ohio Media Group's Chris Haynes.
On the other hand, James' string-pulling also led to Kevin Love's arrival, which, in turn, portends Thompson's relegation to the bench behind his fellow power forward.
That is, unless Thompson spends more time at a different position, as posited by the Akron Beacon Journal's Jason Lloyd:
"Don’t rule out the possibility of Tristan Thompson starting at center. While it has been widely assumed Anderson Varejao would start in the middle, a theory has been floated within the organization recently that by starting Thompson, coach David Blatt could better limit Varejao’s minutes and help protect him from injury.
There is plenty of time to make that final decision, but it’s worth noting the idea has at least been discussed.
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Thompson, though, isn't convinced that the Cavs' coming renaissance will mean much for him as far as his on-court responsibilities are concerned. "Even though we've added LeBron [James], Kyrie [Irving] stepped up a lot this summer and having Kevin, I think my role will be the same," Thompson told Haynes. "Just come out and play hard, be an asset to this team."
That, in terms of his circumstances, could actually mean something entirely different from Thompson's previous double-double duties.
Chris Bosh
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As for LeBron James' last team, the Miami Heat are looking forward to a future with Chris Bosh as their offensive fulcrum. Obviously, they'd rather have James serving in that role, but it's not as though Bosh, who averaged better than 20 points and 10 rebounds three times with the Toronto Raptors, isn't capable of spreading his wings again.
"I had to play the role for the championships," Bosh said at a promotional appearance prior to the start of training camp, via the (South Florida) Sun Sentinel's Shandel Richardson. "I feel that I’m back to doing what comes naturally for me, which is being back in the post, being more aggressive. I’m really excited to show the city of Miami what I have."
Bosh, for his part, was hard at work this past summer preparing for the dual reversion—from center back to power forward, from third wheel back to central star—as detailed by Bleacher Report's Jared Zwerling. A new five-year, $118 million contract should be incentive enough for the nine-time All-Star to step up his efforts in James' absence.
The better Bosh does to blend his prior productivity with the more recent expansion of his repertoire, the less Dwyane Wade and Luol Deng will need to do to carry the club and the stronger the Heat will be as a whole.
George Hill
3 of 10
However much Chris Bosh must do to keep the Heat anywhere near the top of the East, at least he's handled a similar role before. The same can't be said for George Hill, who's due to go from a pure role player at the point to the only known commodity on the perimeter for the Indiana Pacers this season.
With Lance Stephenson off to Charlotte and Paul George out of commission on account of a gruesome leg injury, the onus will fall on Hill to take over a significantly larger share of the Pacers' on-ball duties. No longer can Indy hope to succeed with Hill acting as little more than a safety-valve shooter on the perimeter.
Like Bosh, Hill, too, was hard at work preparing for his new part in the Pacers game plan. "I’ve been kicked out of the gym a couple of times because I’ve been in there too much," Hill told Vigilant Sports' Scott Agness. "Just staying in the gym, getting my body right to put on a little pounds, just getting my shot back right, working on ball handling, pick-and-rolls and things like that. Just trying to become a better player."
Hill noted, too, that elevating guys on account of injury is nothing new for Indy. "Just have to have a ‘Next man up,’ mentality. I think Paul became Paul when Danny [Granger] unfortunately went down, and Lance [Stephenson] became Lance when Danny went down again. Whoever (gets) that next opportunity has to take advantage and help this team win games."
The Pacers have at least five wings on guaranteed contracts (i.e. Solomon Hill, C.J. Miles, Rodney Stuckey, Chris Copeland, Damjan Rudez) who could have that opportunity. Hill, though, will have no such competition at the point and, with his extensive experience as a starter in Indiana, he will probably be the first one on whom head coach Frank Vogel leans to pick up the slack on the outside.
Jordan Hill
4 of 10
Speaking of guys named Hill...Jordan Hill's in line for quite a promotion, and it's not just because his salary will nearly triple, to $9 million in 2014-15.
The Los Angeles Lakers' shortage of suitable centers has left Hill as the de facto starter for the Purple and Gold this season. Hill racked up a career-high 32 starts in 2013-14, but then-head coach Mike D'Antoni hesitated to give him such heavy minutes regularly—not because he was short on talent, but rather because he was so often short of breath.
The problem? According to Hill, too much alcohol. "I stopped drinking a lot," Hill told the Los Angeles Times' Mike Bresnahan. "I don't drink anymore, to tell you the truth. I got my body refreshed, and I'm more energized. I'm recovering faster after practice. It feels real good."
Hill's physicality and energy should come in handy under head coach Byron Scott—even more so if he can stay on the floor for extended periods of time without tiring out entirely.
Andrei Kirilenko
5 of 10
Stamina has never been an issue for Andrei Kirilenko, and it certainly wasn't during his first season with the Brooklyn Nets. Rather, it was a combination of poor health and Paul Pierce that kept the Russian forward tethered to Jason Kidd's bench.
Pierce is gone now, as is Kidd. That's left Kirilenko, now 33, as one of Lionel Hollins' top options to soak up minutes on the wing.
Trouble is, Kirilenko's problematic back is already acting up again. "Well, [it’s] not a big concern, but I guess it’s unavoidable," Kirilenko told the New York Post's Tim Bontemps. "Like once, twice a year it kind of [flares] up a little bit. It’s a little bit tight, but no major soreness like I had last year, so I don’t know."
Alan Anderson and rookie Bojan Bogdanovic would seem the more natural replacements for Pierce at small forward, but if Kirilenko can ever stay healthy, he just might be able to steal some starts for himself.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
6 of 10
As for Jason Kidd's new team, the Milwaukee Bucks are approaching what could be a pivotal campaign in their eventual transformation from Eastern Conference also-ran to league power. Giannis Antetokounmpo's own shift toward playing point guard will have everything to do with whether that happens and, if so, how quickly.
Kidd hinted at such a transition for the Greek Freak during summer league this past August. Antetokounmpo, to his credit, isn't at all daunted by it, despite being all of 19 and entering his second season in the NBA.
Antetokounmpo told Basketball Insiders' Alex Kennedy he's up for the challenge:
"I’m not going to say I was shocked by it. It’s something that I feel comfortable with, and I’ll play wherever Coach wants me to play, especially when it’s Coach Kidd who thinks that I can play point guard. That makes me feel like, ‘I can play it. I can play point guard.’ I’m going to try my best and just listen to Coach. I’ll do whatever Coach says to do, and I’ll get more comfortable.
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That's not the best of news for Brandon Knight, who's eligible for an extension but has yet to demonstrate a consistently competent grasp of his presumed position. The Bucks, though, could create all manner of matchup problems for the opposition if they can turn the 6'11" Antetokounmpo into a bona fide floor general.
Victor Oladipo
7 of 10
Fellow 2013 draftee Victor Oladipo would seem to have the opposite task ahead of him this season. For whatever reason, the Orlando Magic attempted to turn Oladipo, a more natural fit at the 2, into a point guard.
The fact that the Magic picked up Elfrid Payton in this year's draft should give you a hint as to how the 'Dipo Project turned out. The Indiana product turned the ball over 3.2 times per game as a rookie—the ninth most overall and the sixth most among guards.
Now, it's one thing to be Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry or James Harden and give the ball up on that many occasions. But those guys, aside from being great players, all handled the ball more frequently than Oladipo did.
Oladipo could still get some run at the point going forward, but with Payton in tow, his future would seem better suited to the wing.
Reggie Jackson
8 of 10
Truth be told, Victor Oladipo might be more of a combo guard rather than one or the other, not unlike Reggie Jackson. The 24-year-old, like James Harden before him, wants not only a raise by way of extension, but also an opportunity to start regularly for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"I want to be a starter," Jackson told Basketball Insiders' Susan Bible. "I’ve always wanted to be a starter. I’ve always wanted to be great. All the greats I’ve seen started, so that’s kind of the mold."
Jackson is no stranger to starting, either. He got the nod 36 times last season while Russell Westbrook recovered from his knee surgeries, and he found himself back in Scott Brooks' Fave Five during the last four games of the Western Conference Finals, once Thabo Sefolosha's disappearing act had worn thin.
Sefolosha's gone now, leaving an obvious spot for Jackson to fill. For what it's worth, the Thunder have fared well when Jackson's been slotted alongside the fearsome threesome of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka. According to NBA.com, OKC outscored the opposition by 18.2 points per 100 possessions last season when Jackson joined that trio on the court.
Kemba Walker
9 of 10
Kemba Walker would probably appreciate an extension of his own, even more so now that his role is likely to diminish somewhat with Lance Stephenson joining the Charlotte Hornets. As Grantland's Zach Lowe recently wrote:
"Stephenson should knock Walker down to third-option scoring status, and while that’s healthy for Walker’s game and his assist numbers, it might not be healthy for the counting stats that still drive contract talks.
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Lowe went on to note, though, that a more refined role next to Stephenson could do Walker plenty of good on the whole:
"Splitting the ballhandling duties with Stephenson should give Walker more clean spot-up looks. Walker has hit just 32 percent of his career 3s, a below-average mark, but a lot of those shots have been no-chance heaves late in the shot clock — the kind of awful shots belched up by a bad offense with a limited number of off-the-bounce creators.
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Walker figures to hit his ceiling as a player long before he can so much as sniff All-Star status, but the Hornets won't need him to be that degree of difference-maker so long as he plays more efficiently alongside his fellow New York native.
Markieff Morris
10 of 10
Markieff Morris won't have to sweat out restricted free agency next summer. He and his twin brother, Marcus Morris, scored a combined $52 million of extension money from the Phoenix Suns, with Markieff accounting for $32 million of that, per AZCentral's Paul Coro.
As Uncle Ben might say, with greater buying power comes greater responsibility for Markieff. He worked wonderfully off the bench last season—so much so that he finished fourth in Sixth Man of the Year voting.
But with Channing Frye off to Orlando, the better-paid Morris should be ticketed for a starting role. He's not nearly the outside shooter or post defender Frye is, but Morris could make up for much of that with his ability to handle and pass the ball.
And when the Suns want to run—which they'll be doing plenty with their trio of point guards—it's Morris who'll be asked to man the middle. "Coach told me I'll play the five a lot when we need to speed it up," Markieff Morris said, according to the Suns' official Twitter feed.
To what extent Markieff is able to handle those duties may well dictate how much Phoenix will be able to build on last season's surprising success.
Who else belongs on this list? Tweet me your picks!
