7 NBA Players Who Deserve More Playing Time in 2015
A new year means a fresh start. For a few underutilized NBA talents, a flip of the calendar should also bring more starts.
Or at least more minutes.
After the first two months of the 2014-15 campaign, we've seen enough to know which backups deserve more time on the floor and which newly minted starters have earned a permanent position in that first unit.
In most cases, we're dealing with young players with potential who've taken a step forward this season—often ones stuck behind known commodities who aren't (or shouldn't be) part of their team's long-term plans.
In a few others, we'll hit on more established talents who, for various reasons, should be in line for larger roles.
As Jan. 1 approaches, coaches around the league should resolve to give these guys a little more love in 2015.
Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
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Sacrifice is inevitable when Rudy Gobert is on the floor for the Utah Jazz.
His rail-thin frame means he can't elevate to finish in a crowd, and his range (point-blank only) suffocates offensive spacing. Utah will always give up something important in Gobert's minutes, but what it gets back is almost certainly worth it.
The 7'1" Frenchman transforms the Jazz from one of the league's very worst defensive teams to one with top-10 stopping power, per NBA.com.
Playing Gobert means either Enes Kanter or Derrick Favors has to sit, and the Gobert-Favors pairing has especially smashed Utah's spacing. But Gobert swats away shots and hoards boards at a ridiculous rate. His mere presence in the paint causes a nosedive in opponent field-goal percentage.
Per SportVU data provided to NBA.com, Gobert limits shooters to an accuracy rate of 41 percent at the rim—an elite figure bettered only by Dwight Howard, Andrew Bogut and Roy Hibbert among rotation bigs. And if you're into box-score stats, Gobert's averaging 8.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in just 22.3 minutes per game during the month of December.
At just 22 years old, his ceiling might be higher than any of Utah's other frontcourt options. Favors is fine, and Kanter can score, but what if Gobert is the next Hibbert?
Maybe that's a long shot, but with the Jazz clearly ticketed for the lottery again, they should use 2015 to find out what Rudy's really made of.
Get him in there.
Nikola Mirotic, Chicago Bulls
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There are two reasons for the Chicago Bulls to increase rookie power forward Nikola Mirotic's playing time: statistical and practical.
Mirotic has connected on 41.7 percent of his shots from long distance in December, giving Chicago a legitimate floor-stretching forward to pair with with Pau Gasol or Joakim Noah up front. Basically, he's the kind of frontcourt matchup problem every team wishes it had.
When he's out there, protecting the paint is harder, driving lanes open up for the Bulls' guards and the pick-and-roll is easier to run because helpers must stay glued to Mirotic on the weak side. He's a rookie whose defense needs work, which means he's got two Tom Thibodeau strikes against him.
Fortunately, there's another reason to bump up Mirotic's minutes: He'll help preserve Chicago's other bigs.
We can't be sure "rest" is in Thibs' vocabulary, but increasing Mirotic's playing time would lighten the load on the perpetually achy Gasol and Noah. Taj Gibson isn't getting any younger either. All three of those players are critical to Chicago's postseason fate, and spelling them for just a few more minutes per game could make a world of difference down the line.
Nick Young, Los Angeles Lakers
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Nick Young only averaged 24.2 minutes per game in December, but he shot 44.6 percent from three and remarkably had a positive plus-minus rating for the month.
The Los Angeles Lakers need to move the ball on offense, which they haven't done because of Kobe Bryant's domineering ways. Young isn't exactly a born facilitator, but you don't see the same kind of stand-and-watch behavior from teammates when he's got the rock.
Young has played well enough to warrant more minutes than just about anyone on L.A.'s roster. More importantly, he's the only thing remotely fun about the Lakers. His confidence has taken on a life of its own, and his comments to the media have grown sillier with each solid performance.
Hearing him take subtle digs at Bryant is terrific theater, and if more minutes and shots mean more instances of delightful insubordination, let's hope the Lakers max out his playing time.
We need more Young gems like the one Young offered after the Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors (without Kobe) on Tuesday, via ESPN Los Angeles' Baxter Holmes: "Some guys just played like Django Unchained—they were free tonight. Pretty much going to have to tell Kobe to pass me the ball, pass us the ball. Tell him to take the backseat for a little bit. He can be Driving Miss Daisy and I can be Miss Daisy and drive.”
George Hill, Indiana Pacers
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Remember him?
A left knee injury pushed back the start date on George Hill's season to Dec. 24, but with him back on the court, the Indiana Pacers regained a key piece of their identity.
This is cheating a bit because Hill's lack of minutes to this point has been injury-related. And I'll freely admit I've always had a soft spot for the quiet, rangy guard who specializes in defense and dirty work. But Hill makes the list because he's going to play plenty more in the new year (it would be hard for him to play any less) and because he'll solidify Indy's status as a playoff team.
Hill's numbers dipped last season, but with Lance Stephenson playing in Charlotte and Paul George still laid up recovering from his broken leg, expect a serious statistical resurgence from the 28-year-old guard.
Kyle O'Quinn, Orlando Magic
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In one of the bigger surprises of the 2014-15 season, Channing Frye hasn't been a huge success story for the Orlando Magic. Though he's hitting threes at a great clip, Orlando has played far better with him on the bench, per NBA.com.
Part of the reason for that may be Kyle O'Quinn's emergence at the power forward spot.
A second-rounder in 2012, O'Quinn's mixture of bulk, shooting range and sneakily effective passing has earned him a spot in the first unit ahead of Frye.
In his second start of the season, the 6'10" big man put up 18 points and 13 rebounds in a five-point win over the Boston Celtics—a promising sign going forward.
There's always a chance that O'Quinn's efficiency dips as his playing time climbs; often, role players have limited minutes for a reason. But head coach Jacque Vaughn believes in him—as a person as much as a player, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
"My theory is with Kyle, if I had a daughter I would let him date my daughter," Vaughn said.
With an endorsement like that, it sounds like O'Quinn will get the increased minutes he deserves.
Alex Len, Phoenix Suns
6 of 7Maybe you're perfectly happy with Miles Plumlee. Maybe you think we haven't seen Alex Len do anything besides score off putbacks and spoon-fed assists from the Phoenix Suns' playmaking guards.
Valid stances.
But have you heard Suns play-by-play man Steve Albert refer to Len highlights as moments of "Len-sanity?"
I think we can all agree that's reason enough to endorse an increased role for Len.
If you're still not sold, consider Len's emergence lately. He had eight points, eight rebounds and four blocks in a win over the Washington Wizards on Sunday then followed it up with 17 points and seven rebounds in a 124-115 triumph over the Dallas Mavericks two days later.
It's an oversimplification to say Len's growing role is the reason for the Suns' recent four-game winning streak, but his mid-December insertion into the starting lineup has definitely been a factor.
If he can avoid getting into foul trouble, Len could take his quiet breakout to a whole new level in 2015.
Dante Exum, Utah Jazz
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At this point in his (very) young career, Dante Exum is still more about potential than production.
The Jazz point guard is just 19, so his sometimes frustrating hesitance and perimeter-heavy scoring bent are understandable. It's a cliche, but you get the sense he doesn't yet trust his talent when you watch him.
Still, unformed as he is, Exum routinely shows signs of being a real player. He's as fast as advertised and shows an advanced understanding of how to run a pick-and-roll. He makes mistakes, as any player his age would, but the promise is there.
The Jazz should be willing to live with more of those mistakes if it means giving Exum increased opportunities to unlock his potential.
More than anything, the guy playing ahead of Exum, Trey Burke, simply doesn't profile as a starting-caliber player.
B/R's Jonathan Wasserman put it simply: "If Burke continues to underwhelm, it would only make sense for Quin to extend Exum's minutes and playmaking leash. Between his athleticism, basketball IQ and defensive potential, his ceiling sits about three stories higher than Utah's current starter."
