7 Rising NBA Stars Living Up to Their New Contracts
Making expensive, long-term commitments to youngsters is a risky business in the NBA.
While teams have to compensate rising studs for past accomplishments, they also have to try to properly appraise how much growth potential exists on a case-by-case basis.
That brings us to the 2014 offseason.
Whether it was the Utah Jazz matching a lucrative offer sheet for Gordon Hayward or the Dallas Mavericks shelling out considerable coin to acquire Chandler Parsons' services, generous new deals were handed out in a variety of shapes and sizes.
And for the purposes of this exercise, we'll exclusively be examining contracts that were signed between July and November of 2014. As a result, unrestricted free agents, restricted free agents and fourth-year extension candidates all made the cut. We also only included players who are 26 and under.
However, established players like Kyrie Irving and Eric Bledsoe were exempt from consideration since they had the credentials necessary to be considered stars prior to inking new deals.
Honorable Mention: Ricky Rubio
1 of 8
Team: Minnesota Timberwolves
Position: PG
Age: 24
Contract: Signed a four-year, $56 million extension on Oct. 31
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 10.3 points, 8.5 assists, 4.9 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 0.0 blocks, 17.2 PER
Were it not for a severe ankle sprain that's limited Ricky Rubio to fewer than 10 appearances so far this season, the honorable mention tag would be removed in a heartbeat.
While a scan of Rubio's per-game numbers doesn't reveal significant improvement, his calm demeanor has propelled the Timberwolves to respectable heights in limited minutes.
Not only is Minnesota 4-4 with him active, according to ESPN Stats & Info, but Flip Saunders' offense produces at a rate consistent with some of the league's top units.
According to NBA.com, the Timberwolves are cranking out an offensive rating of 107.1 with their Spanish savant controlling the point, a rate that's effectively even with the Atlanta Hawks' overall tally.
Despite the small sample size, it's also been encouraging to watch Rubio knock down three-point jumpers with confidence. Shooting better than 40 percent on triples this season, Rubio has looked much more composed when bombing away.
Rubio was already scary enough romping down the court with flashy handles and an affinity for no-look passes, but consistent offerings as a shooter could vault him up the Association's point guard ranks rather quickly.
Gordon Hayward
2 of 8
Team: Utah Jazz
Position: SF
Age: 24
Contract: Signed four-year, $63 million deal on July 12
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 19.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.4 blocks, 20.4 PER
The Utah Jazz weren't paying for past production when they matched the Charlotte Hornets' max-offer sheet for Gordon Hayward, and that's quite all right. Because like most small-market franchises, Utah determined it needed to retain homegrown talent at all costs.
While Hayward regressed as a shooter during his fourth season out of Butler, the Jazz recognized a tremendous opportunity to continue cultivating his talent under rookie head coach Quin Snyder.
Thus far, the results have been overwhelmingly positive.
"Hayward is responding well to his new contract and his new coach, Quin Snyder," CBSSports.com's Zach Harper wrote in December. "He's also learned from the experience of last season and channeling it into a better understanding of what his role is, what the team is asking him to do, and what the defense is trying to take away from him."
With normalcy quickly restored to his shooting splits, Hayward has knocked down more than 46 percent of his total shots and 39 percent of his threes a year after barely topping 40 and 30 percent in those two categories, respectively.
As a result, Hayward trails only LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony in player efficiency rating at small forward, according to ESPN.com.
Looks like that gamble's paying off after all.
Markieff Morris
3 of 8
Team: Phoenix Suns
Position: PF
Age: 25
Contract: Signed a four-year, $32 million extension on Sept. 29
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 15.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.5 blocks, 15.6 PER
Extended by the Phoenix Suns with his brother, Marcus, prior to the start of the 2014-15 season, Markieff Morris has quickly developed into one of the NBA's most renowned mid-range specialists before his 26th birthday.
Drilling a career-high 49.7 percent of his shots between 10 and 16 feet, Morris has had no problem justifying an average annual salary of $8 million while throwing his hat into the Most Improved Player of the Year ring.
Morris' ascent has also been aided by his crunch-time savagery. Knocking down 52.9 percent of his shots in the clutch, per NBA.com, Morris ranks No. 6 overall in late-game efficiency ahead of LaMarcus Aldridge, Zach Randolph and Kevin Durant.
He's also converting on more than 36 percent of his crunch-time threes, which clocks in at No. 7 overall behind the wily Paul Pierce.
It's been a quiet development, but don't be surprised if Morris evolves into one of the league's most complete offensive 4s in a few years.
Chandler Parsons
4 of 8
Team: Dallas Mavericks
Position: SF
Age: 26
Contract: Signed a three-year, $46 million deal on July 13
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 15.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.3 blocks, 16.5 PER
Chandler Parsons wasn't signed to operate as the Dallas Mavericks' first option, so it would be unfair to gauge his numbers through that prism. However, he's been determined to validate Dallas' appraisal of his talent ever since October.
"Nothing was given to me, and I believe I earned this contract," Parsons said, according to ESPN Dallas' Tim MacMahon. "Now obviously, I want to prove my worth. I want to prove I’m worth that, and I want another contract. And I want to win big. I came here looking for a bigger role, I came here for more leadership, and I’m ready for that next step in my career."
Although he's being compensated like a primary scorer, Parsons' responsibilities haven't differed all that much since moving on from the Houston Rockets.
Last season, he was the third option behind James Harden and Dwight Howard. Now, Parsons is playing the part of sidekick next to Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis.
But in the role he's been asked to fill, Parsons has acquitted himself quite nicely. He continues to shoot better than 46 percent from the field and nearly 38 percent from three while helping prop up a Mavericks offense that ranks third in efficiency, per NBA.com.
The beauty of Parson's arrival is that he's willingly done most of his damage off the ball. More than 61 percent of his buckets have been assisted, indicating that he's not dependent upon extended bouts of on-ball dominance to make a profound impact.
Isaiah Thomas
5 of 8
Team: Phoenix Suns
Position: PG
Age: 26
Contract: Signed a four-year, $28 million deal on July 12
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 15.3 points, 3.7 assists, 2.4 rebounds, 1.0 steals, 0.1 blocks, 19.6 PER
It wouldn't be a stretch to call Phoenix Suns point guard Isaiah Thomas the steal of the summer. Acquired for an average annual salary of $7 million in a sign-and-trade with the Sacramento Kings, Thomas has quickly helped Phoenix field the league's highest-scoring bench, according to HoopsStats.com.
"It puts a lot of pressure on other teams," Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek said, according to azcentral.com's Paul Coro. "We feel like our bench has been a strength. That's big to give our starters enough rest where they come back in, they're nice and fresh and play hard at all times. Isaiah and Gerald play off each other with Brandan (Wright) rolling to the basket and Marcus (Morris) out there to shoot. There are some good weapons."
Shooting a career-high 39.1 percent on threes, Thomas ranks second behind reigning Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford (min. 20 appearances) in individual bench production. He has also cracked the league's top 10 in terms of PER at the point, posting a better total (19.6) than teammates Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic.
Consider Thomas, Avery Bradley and Jose Calderon are making almost identical salaries this season, and Thomas must be looked at as one of the league's top values.
Here's the kicker, though: Thomas' salary actually decreases each of the next four years, with his annual earnings dipping from $7.2 million this year to $6.2 million for the 2017-18 season.
Klay Thompson
6 of 8
Team: Golden State Warriors
Position: SG
Age: 25
Contract: Signed a four-year, $70 million extension on Oct. 31
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 22.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.9 blocks, 21.6 PER
With a 52-point outing, record-setting 37-point third quarter and All-Star selection all under his belt, it's safe to say Klay Thompson was well worth maximum dollars.
Crushing his previous career high in the scoring column while knocking down better than 44 percent of his threes, Thompson is on pace to join teammate Stephen Curry as the only players to meet those qualifications for a single season since 2005-06, according to Basketball-Reference.com.
However, pigeonholing Thompson as simply a knockdown shooter is no longer kosher.
"What delights the Warriors is that Thompson is doing so much more, maturing from prolific shooter to all-around offensive force," Daniel Brown wrote for the San Jose Mercury News.
Thompson's average shot distance has decreased by nearly a foot as he's used the constant threat of quick pull-up and spot-up threes to blow by defenders and create using a few quick dribbles. He's knocking down jumpers between 10 and 16 feet at a career-best rate.
To put Thompson's impact in perspective, the Warriors produce an offensive rating that would rank outside the top 10 with him off the floor compared to a league-best mark with him on it.
Nikola Vucevic
7 of 8
Team: Orlando Magic
Position: C
Age: 24
Contract: Signed a four-year, $53 million extension on Oct. 21
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 19.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.8 blocks, 0.6 steals, 22.3 PER
Put simply, Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic is a one-man wrecking crew.
He has topped 30 points four times this season, ranks No. 3 overall in double-doubles and is the only player averaging more than 19 points and 11 boards while shooting at least 50 percent from the field, per Basketball-Reference.com.
In fact, the last player to meet those statistical benchmarks at 24 years old was Shaquille O'Neal with the Magic during the 1996-97 season.
That's terrifying, namely because a meager 33 percent of Vucevic's shots are coming inside of three feet. So despite relying on mid-range jumpers 36 percent of the time, he's still knocking down more than 53 percent of his total shots.
Again, he's only 24. At just over $13 million annually, that sort of compensation will soon look like peanuts when he's an Eastern Conference All-Star staple.
Kemba Walker
8 of 8
Team: Charlotte Hornets
Position: PG
Age: 24
Contract: Signed four-year, $48 million extension on Oct. 30
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 18.8 points, 5.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 0.6 blocks, 18.6 PER
Kemba Walker may not be an efficient scorer, but his assertive, volume-scoring approach is essential to keeping the Charlotte Hornets offense afloat.
Far and away his team's best ball-handler, Walker does what few else on the Hornets can—create off the dribble. Although he's shooting under 40 percent from the field and 32 percent from distance, Walker is still operating as a steady pull-up weapon from mid-range and scoring 63.7 percent of his buckets unassisted.
Hitting on 42 percent of his looks between 16 feet and the three-point line, Walker consistently finds ways to keep an offense that ranks 26th in half-court scoring efficiency grooving, according to SportVU player-tracking data.
Factor in his penchant for making game-winning shots (he's hit three this season), and it's hard to knock the $12 million annual valuation Walker garnered with a salary-cap increase looming in 2016.
All statistics courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com unless noted otherwise. All salary information retrieved from BasketballInsiders.com.
