8 NBA Up-and-Comers Who Deserve Bigger Roles Next Season
Not every NBA player can make Kawhi Leonard's brisk, uninterrupted ascent to superstardom.
Some require more time to grow, while others just need better luck and the right opportunities. In most cases, flashes of potential in the present precede a larger step forward in the future—if the conditions are right.
The 2014-15 regular season provided many such flashes, and the playoffs have offered a few more. The question now is: Which promising young talents will get the chance to take the hints of potential they've shown and turn them into something more?
They'll need minutes.
They'll need the trust of their coaches and teammates.
They'll need bigger roles.
Here's hoping they get them. If they do, a batch of breakouts could be upon us as soon as next season.
Jonas Valanciunas, C, Toronto Raptors
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Jonas Valanciunas is admittedly a strange first entry.
That's because there's a second reason—one beyond the glimmers of potential he displayed this past year—to give him a much larger sampling of court time in 2015-16.
Put simply, the Toronto Raptors must figure out if Valanciunas is the franchise center they need him to be. And the only way to find that out for certain is to put him on the court and wait to see if it happens.
Genearl manager Masai Ujiri is committed to his center, as Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun tweeted: “'A huge part of our team (going forward).'” Said he’ll discuss with Casey how JV was used (or misused)."
Toronto gave the 22-year-old Valanciunas 26.2 minutes per game in 2014-15 but didn't use him much in fourth quarters of close games (he logged just 5.1 minutes per fourth period last year, his fewest of any quarter, per NBA.com). Surprisingly, the Raptors cut his overall per-game playing time by a full two minutes from the year before.
Valanciunas hasn't proved himself to be a capable interior defender yet, which is why he got so many late-game splinters.
He's laterally slow and has yet to grasp the nuances of rim protection. He is, however, effective on offense. His true shooting percentage of 62.3 percent last year was a career best, according to Basketball-Reference.com, a peak he reached while increasing his usage rate and cutting his turnover frequency.
With his restricted free agency looming next summer, the Raptors will need to give their big man a chance to prove he's worth a big deal.
He's done enough at a young age to warrant a long look, and the Raps have all the incentive in the world to give him one.
C.J. McCollum, SG, Portland Trail Blazers
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It's not a great idea to base C.J. McCollum's case for a bigger role next year on one strong postseason performance.
So how about two?
Between Games 3 and 4 of the Portland Trail Blazers' first-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies, McCollum came off the bench to score a combined 44 points on 16-of-26 shooting. His late-stage triple served as the dagger in Portland's spirited Game 4 comeback as well.
McCollum's postseason breakout tied together all the reasons he's been viewed as a major asset since Portland drafted him in 2013: He's a knockdown shooter with veteran's poise who can also handle the ball well enough to threaten defenses inside the arc.
Injuries limited him to 38 games last season, and he missed 20 contests this year with a fractured finger. It hasn't been a lack of skill that has hamstrung McCollum; it's been bad luck on the health front.
In short minutes during the regular season, he hit 39.6 percent of his threes while showing signs of a broader skill set.
With Wesley Matthews facing a comeback from a torn Achilles and the uncertainty of free agency, there could be major minutes available in Portland's backcourt.
McCollum has done enough to warrant a good chunk of them next year.
Jae Crowder, SF, Boston Celtics
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Viewed by some as a mere throw-in when the Dallas Mavericks sent him and Brandan Wright to the Boston Celtics for Rajon Rondo, Jae Crowder used a brief playoff series to solidify his credentials as a clear rotation player.
He averaged 10 points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal and 0.8 blocks while shooting 51.7 percent from the field in just 25 minutes per game. Defensively, he was the Celtics' best option against LeBron James.
More than on-court production, though, Crowder stood out for his intense demeanor. Perhaps without knowing it, Boston imported a leader when it shipped out Rondo.
Crowder's impact on his teammates was never more apparent than when he went down with a knee injury after getting clocked in the face by J.R. Smith's closed fist in Game 4 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, as forward Jared Sullinger said, via Zack Cox of NESN.com: "The heart and effort he puts in every day, his intensity, just his mindset of the grit and grind that he brings to the team, it’s tough to see him getting carried off like that."
Boston can restrict Crowder's free agency by extending a qualifying offer this summer, at which point it can match any deal he signs with another team. Given his increasingly obvious value as a versatile offensive player who can guard three positions on D, the 25-year-old small forward will be a big part of somebody's future.
Fans in Boston should be hoping it's theirs.
Dennis Schroder, PG, Atlanta Hawks
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Including Dennis Schroder here might seem rash, especially given the way he's completely imploded during the Atlanta Hawks' first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets.
Suffice it to say that the intensity of dialed-in postseason defense hasn't agreed with the 21-year-old's offensive preferences.
But that's just it: Schroder is still ridiculously young and is coming off a regular season that would have been impressive for a five-year veteran. So let's focus on that larger sample (and not the disappointing postseason one) as the basis for Schroder's expanded role next year.
According to Brad Rowland of Peachtree Hoops:
"Dennis Schroder has been a key cog for the 2014-2015 Atlanta Hawks, appearing in a team-high 77 regular season games and playing more minutes (19.7 per game) than any other reserve. He was so impressive this season that Schroder actually received legitimate consideration for sixth man of the year, and his year-long numbers (18.2 points, 7.5 assists per 36 minutes; 15.7 PER) were stellar for a bench option.
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Encouraging, right?
There's also the Tony Parker parallel to consider. Though it's not perfect, it isn't difficult to see Schroder maturing into the kind of half-court havoc-wreaker in Atlanta that Parker became for the San Antonio Spurs.
Both came to the NBA from overseas at a young age, both are blindingly quick but (and this only applies to young Parker) spin out of control a little too often, and both have an innate confidence that belies their size.
Nobody's saying Schroder is a Finals MVP in waiting, but there's enough in his game to justify more responsibility in 2015-16.
Otto Porter, SF, Washington Wizards
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In many ways, Otto Porter's rise to prominence has taken the opposite path to that of Schroder.
The No. 3 overall pick two years ago lost time to injury and was generally underwhelming during the regular season, but an improved shot and some surprising defensive versatility has made him a key part of the Washington Wizards' playoff push.
Porter's growth is a big deal.
As Grantland's Zach Lowe wrote, "Porter’s emergence as a quality two-way player could realign the entire long-term trajectory of the franchise. They would have a real core, not just a duo in need of reinforcements everywhere."
Based on how things went this season, Paul Pierce won't be heavily featured during the 2015-16 regular season. It seems he's more of a "break glass in case of emergency" stretch 4 best saved for when the Wizards need him.
With that in mind, there's a case to be made for Porter taking over as the full-time starter at the 3 next year. Failing that, we should definitely expect his 19.4 minutes per game to spike as he assumes a major rotation role.
Festus Ezeli, C, Golden State Warriors
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Festus Ezeli lost all of 2013-14 to injury, and there have been roughly 10,000 more historically significant topics to focus on during the Golden State Warriors' title chase this season than the clear growth of a backup center.
But Ezeli's strides warrant watching.
Extremely limited as a rookie in 2012-13, Ezeli's offensive game has improved dramatically. His post arsenal now features fluid hooks and turnarounds, and he's generally much more patient in determining what the defender is giving him before trying to take it.
His true shooting percentage hit 58 percent this season after topping out at 46.7 percent two years ago, and his rebound, block and assist rates have all climbed, according to Basketball-Reference.com. In addition, Ezeli chopped down his turnovers and posted an above-average player efficiency rating of 16.2.
We're only dealing with a 46-game sample here, which means typical caveats apply.
But Ezeli is huge, cut out of granite and as strong as big men come. Given his newly polished post skills and obvious defensive tenacity, he's going to demand more time next season.
With Andrew Bogut hitting his 30s and his long-term health always a concern, the Warriors will turn to Ezeli more and more often.
From the looks of it, he'll be ready.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, SF, Milwaukee Bucks
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The only possible argument against Giannis Antetokounmpo's presence here is that he's risen so far so fast that he's not even technically an up-and-comer anymore.
The flaw there, of course, is the failure to recognize that his climb has only just begun.
Impossibly rangy, still allegedly growing and in possession of skills that should belong to a guard, the 6'11" Antetokounmpo is a terror in the open floor, a developing passer and a defender with basically limitless potential.
We've seen him excel in all those areas this year, but there have been rough patches as well.
Milwaukee Bucks coach Jason Kidd scrapped plans to use Antetokounmpo as a point guard after early trials went badly, and the Greek Freak's inaccurate perimeter shooting makes him easier to guard than he should be.
But man, the potential!
Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau told Steve Aschburner of NBA.com:
"To me, Jason's done a great job of taking advantage of what his strengths are. The fact that he has that type of size and he can handle the ball it gives him great vision (sic), he can see over the defense. It's a different thing to prepare for. When you watch the way he's played from the start of the season to now you can see how much he's improved. There's not much he can't do.
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After averaging 12.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 31.4 minutes as a 20-year-old, expect Antetokounmpo to obliterate those numbers next season.
Terrence Jones, PF, Houston Rockets
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Terrence Jones' full-on breakout would have happened this season if not for a nerve issue in his right leg that cost him more than half the year.
As a sophomore in 2013-14, Jones posted averages of 12.1 points and 6.9 rebounds on 54.2 percent shooting while hitting just enough (30.7 percent) from long range to tantalize as a potential floor-stretching power forward.
In the 33 regular-season contests Jones logged this year, he was no less intriguing.
In fact, he upped his long-distance accuracy rate to 35.1 percent while swatting away an eye-opening 1.8 shots per game in just 26.9 minutes. If anything, Jones' play only reinforced the idea that he's going to be an absolute stud as long as he can stay on the floor.
Josh Smith's future with the Houston Rockets is uncertain beyond this year, and Donatas Motiejunas has developed into more of an interior force of late, which means Jones could pretty easily crack the 30-minutes-per-game barrier next year.
When he does, he'll finally give us the breakthrough we've been waiting for.
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