Under-the-Radar NBA Players Likeliest to Break out in 2015
The Foo Fighters kicked off their latest North American tour here in L.A. this past weekend. Naturally, that news got yours truly started on another Dave Grohl-centric music binge. As solid as the Foo Fighters' new album, Sonic Highways, turned out, I'm still partial to 1999's There is Nothing Left to Lose—specifically to the hard-driving, psychotic classic (and Me, Myself and Irene theme) "Breakout."
Which, after the umpteenth consecutive loop of that song, got me thinking about NBA breakouts. We've already seen the likes of Anthony Davis, Jimmy Butler and Jeff Teague break out in some form or fashion during the 2014 portion of the current campaign. But those guys have all been comfortably entrenched in starting spots for some time. Davis, in particular, was already an All-Star who's been pegged for the league's elite since he jumped from Kentucky to the pros in 2012.
Of greater intrigue now are those lesser-known types who could make names for themselves in 2015. Some have shown promise as key contributors on playoff hopefuls. Others are poised to take advantage of new opportunities opened up by the league's robust pre-deadline trade market.
All five belong on this list.
Justin Holiday, SG, Golden State Warriors
1 of 5
Age: 25
Years Experience: 1
2013-14 Per-Game Stats: 4.9 points, 1.1 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.5 steals, 46.7 percent shooting, 41.7 percent from three in 10.5 minutes
The Golden State Warriors are as deep and talented a team as there is in the NBA today, but even the West's best can't claim complete infallibility. The Dubs, though, are pretty darn close to it, and they have Justin Holiday to thank for helping them approach such lofty status.
No, Holiday, the older brother of New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday, isn't about to take the league by storm. The Dubs already have Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson occupying their backcourt to serve that purpose.
That doesn't mean that Holiday can't or won't be instrumental to Golden State's second-half success. The Warriors, long in search of someone who could competently spell Thompson at shooting guard, may have found their man in Holiday.
The University of Washington product first saw major playing time this season during a 20-point pounding of the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 22. Since then, he's averaged 9.6 points on 52.5 percent shooting, including a white-hot 44.8 percent from deep, with five double-digit scoring efforts therein.
Where Holiday's really been of service, though, is on the defensive end, as Grantland's Zach Lowe explained: "Holiday is 6-foot-6, so he allows Golden State to retain its long-limbed, position-less funk on bench units featuring any of the Holiday–Klay Thompson–Shaun Livingston–Andre Iguodala group along the perimeter."
Holiday's uptick in playing time and productivity has coincided with Golden State's recent success sans Thompson. According to NBAwowy.com, the Warriors were outscored by 8.6 points per 100 possessions when Thompson sat prior to Dec. 22.
Since then, that number has flipped in a big way—to nearly 16 points per 100 possessions in favor of Golden State. Over that same span, the Warriors have been almost 15 points better per 100 possessions than the opposition when Holiday's played and Thompson's sat.
"I love having [Leandro Barbosa] on the team; he's the first guy off the bench to cheer for his teammates," Warriors coach Steve Kerr told CSNBayArea.com's Monte Poole. "Right now, it's just Justin's time. I've given him the chance, and he's made the most of it."
Hassan Whiteside, C, Miami Heat
2 of 5
Age: 25
Years Experience: 1
2013-14 Per-Game Stats: 6.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 0.1 assists, 1.8 blocks, 69.2 percent shooting in 14.4 minutes
The Miami Heat are desperate for big, healthy bodies since the opening tip of the 2014-15 season. Chris Bosh had been in and out of the lineup due to injury. Josh McRoberts might miss the remainder of the campaign. Chris Andersen, Justin Hamilton and Udonis Haslem have been effective, at best, in fits and spurts.
Pat Riley, then, must be thanking his lucky stars that he plucked Hassan Whiteside off the waiver wire in late November. In turn, Erik Spoelstra must be thanking Riles for recalling the 7-footer from the NBA D-League's Sioux Falls Skyforce in mid-December.
Whiteside, the 33rd overall pick out of Marshall in 2010, has been a force of late. Over his last four games, he's averaged 14.5 points, 10 rebounds and 3.3 blocks while converting an eye-popping 76.5 percent of his field goals in 23.6 minutes.
That run was capped by a 23-point, 16-rebound, two-block, two-steal outburst against the fabulous front line of the Los Angeles Clippers. Whiteside, who had a double-double by halftime, was Spo's choice, over Birdman, to start the third quarter next to Bosh.
"I think he's gonna be good for us," Bosh recently told The Palm Beach Post's Jason Lieser (h/t Bleacher Report's Stephen Babb). "He gives us an extra dynamic as far as rim protection and rebounding. We're gonna challenge him to be better defensively other than just blocking shots as far as being aggressive and stopping the ball. He has to read those situations better, but so far he's doing very well for us."
The better Whiteside does, the bigger his role in South Beach will be and the more he can look back on his stints in China, Lebanon and the D-League as stepping stones rather than possible return destinations.
Jusuf Nurkic, C, Denver Nuggets
3 of 5
Age: 20
Years Experience: Rookie
2013-14 Per-Game Stats: 6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.3 blocks, 48.6 percent shooting in 14.1 minutes
Jusuf Nurkic isn't just the latest in a long line of NBA big men who could double as Liam Neeson's nemeses—though he certainly is that. Like his Eastern European brethren (i.e. Timofey Mozgov, Nikola Pekovic, Pero Antic, to name a few), Nurkis is also a physical beast with, perhaps, an even nastier streak on the interior than any of his aforementioned peers.
The Bosnian behemoth has been on a particularly vicious tear since the waning days of 2014. He's played more than 20 minutes in each of his last six games and delivered on head coach Brian Shaw's faith in him with 12.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.2 blocks and 1.2 steals during that stretch.
More impressive, still, is the sheer absence of fear that this rookie, the 16th pick in 2014, has shown in going toe-to-toe with some of the league's best bigs.
"To be just 20 years old and have the audacity to mix it up with guys like Marc Gasol and Boogie Cousins is one thing, but to produce good play in the process makes it just plain fun to watch," wrote FanSided's Jeff Mullaney. "Nurkic is talking junk to the best bigs in the league, and his play is backing up his mouth."
With Mozgov gone and JaVale McGee still fighting off injuries, the Denver Nuggets should see plenty more of Nurkic's mean, productive side as he looks to lock down this squad's starting-center gig.
Gary Harris, SG, Denver Nuggets
4 of 5
Age: 20
Years Experience: Rookie
2013-14 Per-Game Stats: 3.6 points, 1.4 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.2 steals, 26 percent shooting, 23.7 percent from three in 13.9 minutes
The NBA's trade winds could soon sweep the Nuggets' other rookie, Gary Harris, into more substantial action in the Mile High City. According to NBA.com's David Aldridge, Denver is eager to offload Wilson Chandler. A day prior, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported that the Nuggets were fielding calls on both Chandler and Arron Afflalo.
Should those two move soon, and Randy Foye and Danilo Gallinari continue to sit with their respective injuries, the seas would practically part for Harris to garner some serious playing time on the wing in Denver. The rookie out of Michigan State has hardly been heard from since piling up 13 points in his debut against his home-state Indiana Pacers.
"I'm taking it one game at a time, just trying to improve each game," Harris told The Denver Post's Christopher Dempsey. "Just trying to go out and help the team, impact the game in any way possible and try to just keep getting better. Things are starting to slow down a little bit. Still kind of fast at times, but definitely starting to slow down."
They should slow down even further for Harris, the 19th pick in last June's draft, as he tacks more minutes, meaningful and otherwise, onto his relatively fresh odometer.
Jae Crowder, SF, Boston Celtics
5 of 5
Age: 24
Years Experience: 2
2013-14 Per-Game Stats: 5.1 points, 1.8 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.8 steals, 46.2 percent shooting, 30.8 percent from three in 13.4 minutes
The deluge of minutes that could soon inundate Harris has already arrived at Jae Crowder's doorstep.
Or, rather, he arrived at its doorstep by way of the trade that sent Rajon Rondo to the Dallas Mavericks. Crowder's role expanded considerably as soon as he joined the Boston Celtics and has only ballooned further since Jeff Green, the team's incumbent starter at small forward, was dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Crowder looked particularly comfortable in Green's stead during the Celtics' surprising 108-100 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday. Crowder, a former second-round pick out of Marquette, poured in a career-high 22 points to go along with three rebounds, three assists, four steals and two blocks in 36 minutes.
That's the sort of all-around ability that the bulky Crowder had flashed during his two-and-a-half seasons in Big D. Now that he's in Boston, Crowder will get all the room he needs to let his game breathe, albeit on a tank-tastic team.
*Stats used courtesy Basketball-Reference and NBA.com unless otherwise attributed.
Josh Martin covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.
