Surprising Studs Emerging from 2014-15 NBA Preseason
Sparkling preseason performances are like mirages in the desert: They look great at first blush but vanish upon closer inspection. In the NBA's case, even the most exciting of exhibition explosions have to be tempered by the diluted caliber of competition, the haphazard and work-in-progress style of play and, of course, the fact that none of it really means anything.
There's nothing wrong with taking an interest in the exploits of training camp hotshots so long as there's a grain of salt (or two) involved. After all, this is the only semblance of pro basketball that hoops heads have to digest at the moment.
As such, why not pay some attention to what measure of the game is on display until Oct. 28, when the San Antonio Spurs begin their title defense against the Dallas Mavericks?
With that in mind, let's have a look at 10 guys who've been hanging with the best of the best so far this month, even though they may fade back into the Association's recesses right around Halloween.
Each could find himself with a larger role than expected before the regular season begins, whether thanks to his own statistical prowess or just being in the right place at the right time.
James Ennis, SG, Miami Heat
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James Ennis isn't your average rookie. He's already 24 years old with a year of overseas experience under his belt. Ennis, the 50th pick in the 2013 NBA draft, spent the 2013-14 season in Australia's NBL, where he averaged 21.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game for the Perth Wildcats.
To that end, Ennis' scoring exploits in the preseason might not come as such a surprise. Through his first three exhibition games, Ennis averaged 16 points on 60 percent shooting from the field with six free-throw attempts per game.
But the talent level of even the NBA preseason far exceeds that seen at any point in time in the NBL.
More tantalizing still, Ennis has flashed some nifty passes off the bounce. In Ennis' own estimation, though, even that shouldn't come as a shock.
"Growing up, everybody used to tell me to be more aggressive," Ennis told Heat.com's Couper Moorhead. "I was a pass-first—if I see a guy open that’s where I’m throwing it—that’s just the kind of player that I am."
Which could make him just the kind of player Erik Spoelstra wants and needs to back up Dwyane Wade in his pace-and-space offense.
Jusuf Nurkic, C, Denver Nuggets
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Jusuf Nurkic is making a name for himself among this year's star-studded incoming rookie class.
Coming into this week, the 20-year-old Bosnian behemoth was leading the NBA in rebounding at 12 caroms collected per game. That included a 15-rebound effort in the Denver Nuggets' win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. His rebounding average was dragged down by a three-board performance against the Chicago Bulls, though he still managed to bully his way to 15 points (on 7-of-9 shooting) in 14 minutes.
Chances are, even numbers as impressive as Nurkic's aren't going to net him a spot in the Nuggets' starting lineup. Denver already has Timofey Mozgov, another giant who hails from the former Eastern Bloc, at center and should have JaVale McGee and J.J. Hickson back in the frontcourt before long.
McGee and Hickson, though, are hardly reliable as far as health is concerned, and Mozgov is more filler than entrenched starter. Nurkic may not be ready to replace those three now, but if uses his burly body this well when the games actually matter, he could become the Nuggets' big man of the future.
Steven Adams, C, Oklahoma City Thunder
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Steven Adams, on the other hand, has had "future starter" written all over him for what seems like some time now, even though he's just entering his second season as a pro.
That'll happen when the guy ahead of him (Kendrick Perkins) on the Oklahoma City Thunder's depth chart is both a shell of his former self and the owner of an expiring contract. It helps too that Perkins hasn't been able to defend his starting spot this preseason on account of a quad injury.
So far, Adams has made the most of the opportunity in front of him—and then some. In the Thunder's first two preseason games, Adams averaged 17 points, six rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 2.5 steals while hitting a sizzling 17-of-19 from the field.
It certainly doesn't hurt that Adams isn't afraid to draw the ire of his own teammates, including Kevin Durant.
Anthony Morrow, SG, Oklahoma City Thunder
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The Thunder will need more out of everyone on the roster now that Durant is expected to miss significant time with a foot fracture. OKC will need the most help, though, out of players it employs to occupy KD's spot on the wing.
That is all the more reason for the Thunder to be encouraged by what they've seen thus far from Anthony Morrow. The Georgia Tech product has nailed half of his three-point attempts in the preseason, including a 4-of-7 effort from deep during a 21-point explosion against the Dallas Mavericks on Oct. 10.
As Grantland's Zach Lowe notes, Morrow's sharpshooting could be key to OKC surviving the early part of the season without the NBA's reigning MVP:
"Brooks could also insert Anthony Morrow on the wing alongside Westbrook and Jones/Roberson. Morrow isn’t in Jackson’s league as an off-the-bounce creator, but he’s one of the world’s deadliest shooters. Defenders cheat off Jackson, but they stick to Morrow like glue. Morrow also showed a bit more off-the-dribble verve last season in New Orleans, pumping-and-driving past defenders who rushed to close out on him when the ball swung his way.
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Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SG, Detroit Pistons
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Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was billed as a Morrow-esque shooter as the No. 8 pick coming out of Georgia last year. He was anything but, shooting just 39.6 percent from the field and 31.9 percent from three as a rookie for the Detroit Pistons.
Apparently, the reign of Stan Van Gundy has served Caldwell-Pope well. Through three preseason games, KCP averaged 16.7 points with .514/.467/.778 shooting splits, with two starts as a replacement for the injured Jodie Meeks.
Unfortunately for Caldwell-Pope, he strained his left knee on Sunday and will miss the Pistons' next three preseason games as a result. However, KCP is about to find himself with a much larger role than even he could have dreamed of before the action began.
Expected starter Jodie Meeks was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his back, and he's now expected to miss at least eight weeks. Meeks' injury opens the door for Caldwell-Pope to play significantly more minutes at the front end of the season.
Once he returns, Caldwell-Pope could be in the mix to start at shooting guard for a Detroit team that's eager to spread the floor for its bigs.
Otto Porter, SF, Washington Wizards
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Speaking of disappointments from the 2013 draft, Otto Porter Jr. has spent the past few months as living proof of Al McGuire's famous credo about freshmen and sophomores.
The former No. 3 pick has parlayed his superb showing at summer league in Las Vegas into a strong start to the preseason. Porter's poured in 10.8 points per game, with three double-digit scoring efforts in his last three games.
Porter's timing couldn't be much better either. As SB Nation's Umair Kahn points out, Porter could stand to gain the most of any member of the Washington Wizards from Bradley Beal's six-to-eight-week recovery from a wrist injury:
"Porter may come out of all this the big winner. There was always a real possibility that Beal's workload as a pick and roll player would lessen with Pierce coming in, and would thus be able to do more off-ball. This is what Porter can replicate better than anyone else on the roster. He won't break the offense, and he'd instantly profit from having Wall set him up for clean looks. If the coaching staff truly believes the two wing positions are interchangeable, then Porter should get the nod to start on opening night.
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C.J. McCollum, SG, Portland Trail Blazers
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C.J. McCollum had his own issues with injuries and minutes (or lack thereof) as a rookie with the Portland Trail Blazers. Once McCollum's foot healed, though, he proved to be a fairly reliable perimeter threat, converting his three-point tries at a 37.5 percent clip.
So far, McCollum has taken advantage of the opportunity so often afforded to reserves during the preseason. He's contributed 12.7 points per game while nailing half of his threes, including a 5-of-8 exploitation of the Los Angeles Clippers' porous perimeter defense on Oct. 12.
McCollum would be hard-pressed to so much as sniff a starting spot on a Blazers team that already features Damian Lillard and Wes Matthews in the backcourt. But this squad desperately needs scoring off the bench—it sported the league's least productive reserves in 2013-14, per HoopsStats.com—and McCollum could be just the guy to provide it.
Avery Bradley, SG, Boston Celtics
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The top four three-point shooters in this year's preseason (i.e. Klay Thompson, Marcus Thornton, Wesley Matthews and Jamal Crawford) all share some combination of the ability to shoot and the expectations to do so on their respective teams.
The fifth—Avery Bradley—doesn't. What Bradley's done, rather, is convert his shots efficiently: 46.5 percent from the field, 50 percent from three.
Many might not regard Bradley as a shooter or at least not based off a sample as small as four games. But the recently restricted free agent might have the makings of an above-average one. After a dip into the low 30s from three during his third season, Bradley brought his percentage therein back up to .395 last season on a career-high 3.3 attempts per game.
Keep in mind too that he spent much of the season creating shots for himself as one of the Boston Celtics' only viable options at the point without the services of Rajon Rondo. Fortunately for Bradley, Rondo will be back soon. And if he has to miss more time in his recovery from a hand injury, the C's can turn to Evan Turner and rookie Marcus Smart to run the offense to whatever effect.
It's no wonder, then, that Bradley told MassLive.com's Jay King, "It’s going to be crazy when (Rajon) Rondo gets back because with the type of team we have, everyone can shoot the ball. It’s going to be similar to New York. New York used to be like that. They used to just spread people out and just pick you apart. And that’s what kind of team we’re going to be."
Bradley's "we" presumably includes himself and, as it happens, rightfully so.
Alec Burks, SG, Utah Jazz
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Alec Burks had been on a bit of a roll prior to bruising his shoulder. He scored 32 points, got to the line 16 times and racked up six steals between two starts during the Utah Jazz's home-and-home preseason series against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Those numbers aren't all that far out of step with what Burks has shown thus far as a pro. Last season, Burks averaged nearly 18 points and better than six free-throw attempts and one steal per 36 minutes, per Basketball Reference.
The difference is Burks rarely racked up minutes like that. In fact, he garnered 30 or more minutes just 28 times in 78 games last season, including just seven games in which he played at least 36 minutes.
That still represents a significant step forward for a player whose 12 starts in 2013-14 were the first of his pro career. Burks should see many more such opportunities this season under Quin Snyder, though, as Grantland's Zach Lowe suggests, he still has much to prove before he, as an extension-eligible youngster, can comfortably command a financial windfall:
"He hasn’t shown that kind of 'starter on a good team' ability yet, and it’s unclear how much the Jazz should pay to find out if he might someday show it. Burks isn’t great at any one thing, and he’s mediocre at most things. But he’ll get minutes this season and draw interest in a league drooling over any available young wing player.
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Rudy Gobert, C, Utah Jazz
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The bigger surprise for the undefeated Jazz this preseason, though, is Rudy Gobert.
That is, for those who weren't paying attention during the summer. Simply put, Gobert was a beast in Las Vegas. The freak-sized Frenchman averaged 11.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in 23.8 minutes across four games, earning All-NBA Summer League Second Team honors.
After that, Gobert took his talents to the French national team, for whom he was an effective glass cleaner at the 2014 FIBA World Cup.
So far, Gobert's success against pseudo-NBA competition has yet to abate. He's leading the league in rebounding at 12.3 per game, thanks in no small part to a 20-board performance at the expense of the Los Angeles Clippers on Oct. 13.
From a physical standpoint, Gobert should be dominating up front. According to DraftExpress (h/t Grantland's Zach Lowe), Gobert's wingspan (7'8.5") and standing reach (9'7") both rank among the top five such measurements ever recorded at the NBA combine.
The 22-year-old remains incredibly raw, particularly on the offensive end. And with Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter coming into their own up front, there may not be a natural place for Gobert in Salt Lake City going forward.
For now, though, the Jazz are pleased to have such a promising prospect in their employ. "We have really high hopes for him," Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey told Grantland's Zach Lowe. "The tools Rudy has from a height and length standpoint are obvious, and he really likes basketball. A motivated 7-footer is a good place to start."
Who else belongs on this list? Tweet me your picks!
