Each NBA Team's Most Promising Prospect
March Madness must be a strange time to be a young player in the NBA. Here they are, slogging through the dog days of an 82-game season, while their old college buddies sprint to a photo finish in the NCAA tournament.
(That is, if their old teammates didn't all make the early leap to the pros, like all of John Calipari's kids out of Kentucky. Or if they played in college at all, rather than grooming their games in professional leagues overseas, be they international prospects or American high schoolers who wanted pay for their play.)
With so much of the Association's future on full display in the Big Dance, perhaps it's time to give the teens and twenty-somethings currently playing pro their due. Not all of the NBA's 30 teams can claim a college-age player (i.e. under the age of 22), but for those who can, we've picked out the best one where there are options.
And for those with older rosters, we went with those closest to the basketball cradle.
Atlanta Hawks: Dennis Schroder, PG
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Dennis Schroder turned pro abroad long before the Atlanta Hawks drafted him in 2013. By NCAA rules, the now-22-year-old German wouldn't have been eligible to play in college even if he tried.
Not that he needed to. Schroder's established himself as one of the top backup point guards in basketball and may well have been a starter already had the Hawks moved Jeff Teague ahead of the February trade deadline.
That hasn't stopped Schroder from pushing Teague in the most important moments. The former has actually played more fourth-quarter minutes than the latter and has outshot his starting counterpart in those final frames, per NBA.com.
| 4th Quarter Minutes | 4th Quarter FG% | 4th Quarter 3P% | |
| Jeff Teague | 385 | 49.7 | 40.9 |
| Dennis Schroder | 381 | 43.4 | 23.8 |
He shined bright from start to finish during the Hawks' recent 122-101 win over the Washington Wizards, when he tallied 23 points and eight assists to Teague's nine and six.
"That was Hawks basketball tonight," Schroder said afterward, per Fox Sports South. Soon enough, that could be the case night-to-night in Atlanta with Schroder at the helm.
Boston Celtics: Marcus Smart, PG
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Marcus Smart drew more than a few second guesses when he passed up the 2011 draft to return to Oklahoma State for his sophomore season. With the way his NBA career has gone so far, perhaps he should've put off the pros until he graduated.
Smart's second go-round with the Boston Celtics has been slightly spottier than the first. The 22-year-old has missed more games, racked up more fouls and shot worse than he did as a rookie in 2014-15.
| Minutes/Game | FG% | 3P% | Fouls/Game | |
| Year 1 | 27 | 36.7 | 33.5 | 2.6 |
| Year 2 | 27 | 34.3 | 25.7 | 3.1 |
On the other hand, he's finding other ways to help the C's, as ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg pointed out:
"But dismissing his offensive production based on his shooting stats alone is simply lazy. It ignores the fact that, in that same 16-game span [since the All-Star break], the Celtics are averaging 105.1 points per 100 possessions with Smart on the floor, which is 2.6 points better than Smart's offensive rating in 34 appearances before the All-Star break.
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Smart may never be a star, as he was once pegged, but if he can upgrade his jump shot from abysmal to serviceable, he could carve out a bright future for himself in Beantown.
Brooklyn Nets: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, SF
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What better endorsement of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is there than praise from one of the game's greats?
"I think [Rondae’s] going to be a really good player for them," LeBron James said after his Cleveland Cavaliers lost to Hollis-Jefferson's Brooklyn Nets, 104-95, per ESPNNewYork.com's Mike Mazzeo.
James had reason to be impressed. During just his second game back from a lengthy ankle injury, Hollis-Jefferson scored eight of his 10 points in the fourth quarter while helping to hold the Cavs to 12 points in the same frame.
The rookie out of Arizona played well enough to earn a spot in the Nets' starting lineup before his ankle buckled during early December.
Hollis-Jefferson's jumper is still rough around the edges (16.7 percent from three), but with continued health and some instruction from new team shooting coach David Nurse, he could become an effective three-and-D weapon next to Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young.
Charlotte Hornets: Aaron Harrison, SG
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Aaron Harrison is the only player of college age on the Charlotte Hornets' roster, so he gets this nod by default.
The Kentucky product has played a total of 74 minutes across 18 appearances in the NBA this season. In that time, he's hit three of 15 (20 percent) field goals, two of eight (25 percent) threes and just four of 10 (40 percent) free throws. The results haven't been much better in the D-League, where Harrison has shot 30.8 percent from the floor and 22 percent from beyond the arc.
Not ideal for a 6'6" shooting guard, to say the least.
The Hornets won't know just how good (or bad) Harrison, an undrafted rookie, really is until he's had the opportunity to add some substantial seasoning to his game.
Chicago Bulls: Bobby Portis, PF
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The Ides of March haven't been kind to Bobby Portis. After putting together a strong February for the Chicago Bulls, Portis' production has slipped this month, with four scoreless outings already.
| Minutes | Points | FG% | 3P% | FT% | Rebounds | Assists | |
| February | 23.7 | 9.8 | 42.9 | 41.7 | 68.8 | 7.3 | 1 |
| March | 17.4 | 5.1 | 37.5 | 11.1 | 54.5 | 5.1 | 1.7 |
That drop-off is due, in part, to Taj Gibson's return. Gibson has had high praise for the rookie out of Arkansas.
"He just kept working in the gym, putting more into it," Gibson told the Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson. "He always comes in on days off. He guards me in practice. I try to push him as much as I can. The thing I love about this kid is he doesn't shy away from the contact or the trash talk. He keeps taking them head on. And it shows in practices and the games."
Portis' attitude should serve him well as he moves through his NBA career. With Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol both bound for free agency this summer, the Bulls may need Portis to show off his all-around skill in a more prominent role next to Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler next season.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Jordan McRae, PG
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The Cleveland Cavaliers are one of few NBA rosters that doesn't have a college-age player on its roster.
This should come as no surprise. A team as singularly focused on title contention as LeBron James' Cavs doesn't have much time or energy to teach young prospects how to play—especially with all the pseudo-drama embroiling the East's top team.
The closest to a prospect you'll find in Cleveland's locker room is Jordan McRae. The Cavs signed the 24-year-old Tennessee product for the remainder of the season in mid-March. According to Cleveland.com's Chris Haynes, McRae can thank a former All-Star for the job security:
"The Cavs showed interest in Joe Johnson following his release from the Brooklyn Nets. But Johnson quickly joined the Miami Heat, a team that gave him more playing time and a more prominent role. That led the Cavs to McRae, who broke the NBA D-League scoring record, totaling 61 points against the Canton Charge in late January.
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Then again, if a guy can top 60 points in a professional game against fringe NBA talent, he's probably got some next-level skills himself.
Dallas Mavericks: Justin Anderson, SG
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For the most part, Justin Anderson has the whole "guard" thing down. At 6'6" and a chiseled 228 pounds, the Dallas Mavericks rookie can defend multiple positions, be they quick guards or hulking wings.
When it comes to the "shooting" part of his position, Anderson will have to get that before he can reserve a spot in Rick Carlisle's regular rotation. He's converted just 37.7 percent of his field goals and 28.1 percent of his three-point tries.
Anderson figures to improve in that department, if his in-season progress is any indication. As the Dallas Morning News' Eddie Sefko recently wrote:
"Just this morning Carlisle was talking about the rookie's development and that he has improved more than anyone on the team from the beginning of the season to now. That's also a sign that Anderson had more room for growth than a lot of players did.
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Should Chandler Parsons depart Dallas this summer, Anderson could be in line for a significant uptick in his responsibilities come 2016-17.
Denver Nuggets: Emmanuel Mudiay, PG
8 of 30The Denver Nuggets have cobbled together an intriguing core of college-aged talent, led by Emmanuel Mudiay—the No. 7 pick in the 2015 draft.
Mudiay's rookie campaign got off to a rough start. After spending what would've been his freshman season in China, he was a brick-laying turnover machine in the NBA. He shot 31 percent from the floor and gave the ball away four times per game until spraining the same ankle that gave him fits overseas in mid-December.
Since then, Mudiay's game has come a long way. In March, he's averaged 16.8 points per game while knocking down 41.2 percent of his threes—including an insane buzzer-beater against the Philadelphia 76ers (see above)—and logging more than twice as many assists (4.9) as turnovers (2.3).
He still has a ways to go, but in time, Mudiay has the talent to someday hear his name dropped on wax.
Detroit Pistons: Stanley Johnson, SF
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Stanley Johnson's roller-coaster rookie season seems to be on the upswing again. He's scored in double figures during two of his last three games for the Detroit Pistons after failing to crack that territory in five prior outings following his return from a shoulder sprain.
At this point, the Pistons don't need the Stanimal to be a fully formed NBA stud. Their frontcourt is well-stocked, with Tobias Harris and Marcus Morris flanking Andre Drummond. And with the franchise's first playoff berth since 2009 in sight, Detroit doesn't need a rookie, however gifted, to take control.
What Johnson can do is breathe life into a bench that's been one of the league's worst all season long.
If the Arizona product can hold his own therein—and offer another strong body to bang with the East's most imposing wing-forwards—the Pistons could make some postseason noise now and have a 19-year-old ace in the hole for later.
Golden State Warriors: Kevon Looney, PF
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The Golden State Warriors have afforded the end of their bench plenty of floor time this season, thanks to all the times their core has throttled the opposition.
Kevon Looney would be one of the chief beneficiaries of that garbage-time bounty if not for injuries. Right hip surgery delayed his NBA debut until late January. Subsequent inflammation in that same hip has forced the 20-year-old back to the sideline.
Looney's the only Warrior who could, in theory, still be in college (UCLA), but he belongs on this list for more than that fact alone. The wiry 6'9" forward showed a nose for the ball (9.2 rebounds) and an intriguing outside shot (41.5 percent from three) during his days in Westwood under Steve Alford.
Clearly, Golden State doesn't need anything from Looney at this point. Instead, it can let him take his time getting healthy...and then take more time working on his game until a spot in Steve Kerr's rotation opens up.
Houston Rockets: Clint Capela, PF/C
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The Houston Rockets need not panic if Dwight Howard takes his talents elsewhere this summer. They already have a decent replacement in Clint Capela waiting in the wings.
Capela's not likely to lead the league in rebounding or own the Defensive Player of the Year award like Howard once did. Skill-wise, though, he's comparable to the former All-Star as a pick-and-roll finisher and rim protector, per NBA.com.
| PNR Frequency | PNR PPP | PNR FG% | PNR Percentile | Opp FG% at Rim | Opp FGA at Rim | Blocks | |
| Dwight Howard | 10% | 1.09 | 62 | 68.4 | 49.3 | 7.2 | 1.5 |
| Clint Capela | 18.5% | 1.11 | 65.2 | 73.7 | 49 | 6.1 | 1.2 |
According to NBAwowy.com, the Rockets have performed better with Capela on the floor without Howard than vice versa.
| Offensive Rating | Defensive Rating | Net Rating | |
| w/ Capela, no Howard | 106.8 | 105.9 | plus-0.9 |
| w/ Howard, no Capela | 107.3 | 109.3 | minus-2 |
| Both | 113 | 104.7 | plus-8-3 |
| Neither | 110.4 | 116.4 | minus-6 |
Granted, Houston is at its best with Capela and Howard available. But if the latter leaves town, the former may have the chops to keep the Rockets competitive with James Harden at the helm.
Indiana Pacers: Myles Turner, C
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For his 20th birthday, Myles Turner gave the Indiana Pacers arguably his best game as a pro: 24 points on 11-of-17 shooting, 16 rebounds and three blocks in 33 minutes against the New Orleans Pelicans.
"He had a big-boy game," Pacers All-Star Paul George told the Indianapolis Star's Candace Buckner.
Added Turner himself, "I wanted to come out and play my hardest. I had a renewed sense of energy not being a teenager anymore."
The rookie out of Texas had hardly played like a teen before leaving those years behind. Since barging into Frank Vogel's rotation in mid-January, Turner has averaged 13.1 points on 50.1 percent shooting with 6.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks.
In truth, he would've been a prominent part of the Pacers' picture much sooner had he not missed a month-and-a-half with a finger injury. That delay did little to diminish the impact Turner's had in year one, let alone what he could do to lift Indiana toward title contention again in the coming years.
Los Angeles Clippers: Austin Rivers, PG
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On a veteran-laden Los Angeles Clippers squad, Austin Rivers is the closest thing to a college-age prospect. He left Duke after his freshman year in 2012, which means he would've exhausted his eligibility by 2015.
In any case, Rivers has been better for the Clippers than all the gaffes and jabs about nepotism would suggest. He's scored in double figures 18 times off L.A.'s bench while spelling Chris Paul and playing with spark on the defensive end.
Rivers' overall numbers (8.3 points on 43.3 percent shooting, 28.9 percent from three in 21.6 minutes) are hardly the stuff of legend, though he's plenty adept at getting to and finishing around the rim (61.5 percent, per NBA.com).
For the Clippers, whose feet are firmly entrenched in the now, he's the closest thing they have to a long-range future.
Los Angeles Lakers: D'Angelo Russell, PG
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In some respects, the choice between Julius Randle and D'Angelo Russell as the guy for the future of the Los Angeles Lakers is a tossup. Randle, for his part, has been productive on the interior, racking up 31 point-rebound double-doubles—the most on his team and the 11th-most in the league.
But L.A. doesn't revere hard-nosed glass-crashers like it does silky-smooth scorers. To that end, Russell is the clear front-runner.
The No. 2 pick in the 2015 draft scored a Lakers rookie-record 39 points against the Brooklyn Nets on March 1 and has had a strong month since then. He poured in 24 points and six assists the very next night in Denver, outscored Stephen Curry (21-18) during the Lakers' shocking upset of the Warriors and followed that up with a team-high 27 to beat the Orlando Magic.
All told, the Ohio State product has averaged 16.5 points and four assists while draining 41.5 percent of his threes since head coach Byron Scott put him back in the starting lineup for good during late February.
As much as Russell's game has matured, it's imperative for the Purple and Gold to remember that all his talent comes from the body and mind of a 20-year-old.
“He still just has the mentality of having fun, whether it is at practice or in a game or in the locker room," teammate Larry Nance Jr. told the New York Times' Andrew Keh. "He’s always picking at people, joking, nonstop. That’s his personality: a kid."
Memphis Grizzlies: Jarell Martin, PF
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The rash of injuries that's befallen the Memphis Grizzlies has been a blessing for Jarell Martin's budding career.
The rookie out of LSU played just over 12 minutes total before a string of 15 straight appearances that began in late February. Since then, he's scored in double figures four times, albeit all during defeats for the Grizzlies.
Martin still has a long way to go as a pro. He's hit just 42.3 percent of his shots as a member of Dave Joerger's regular rotation, and will have to fight for opportunities in a front court that figures to feature Zach Randolph and a healthy Marc Gasol next season.
But as the only college-aged player still standing on the Grizzlies' roster, Martin gets the nod as the team's brightest young light.
Miami Heat: Justise Winslow, SF
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Justise Winslow is the only player on a veteran Miami Heat team who'd still have college eligibility, if he hadn't left school already. He's also a tremendous young talent in his own right—one who could keep the Heat rolling in the right direction for years to come.
Winslow's been a defensive stopper and all-around energy guy since he set foot in South Beach. You wouldn't know that just by looking at the 6.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists he's averaged in 28.8 minutes per game.
Dig deeper, though, and you'll see what an impact Winslow can have without stuffing the stat sheet. According to NBA.com, he's been part-and-parcel to four of Miami's seven best lineups that have seen at least 50 minutes of court time. His net rating (plus-4.2 points per 100 possessions) is the third-best among current Heat regulars, behind Joe Johnson (plus-9.5) and Goran Dragic (plus-5).
The next step for Winslow is to sharpen his clunky jumper (25.5 percent from three) into a piercing weapon.
"It’s gonna take time and be a process," he told the Palm Beach Post's Jason Lieser. "Look at Josh (Richardson). Josh didn’t come in shooting like that. He put in the work and he’s shooting a great percentage now. Same with me. I’m putting in work behind the scenes and struggling sometimes, but other games the jumper’s going. It’s about staying the course and keeping working hard and believing in yourself."
Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo, G/F
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What kind of havoc could Giannis Antetokounmpo have wreaked on college basketball if he hadn't played pro in Greece before leaping to the NBA? We may find out soon, assuming his younger brother Kostas takes his talents to school.
In the interim, the Milwaukee Bucks' Greek Freak will be busy razzling and dazzling the Association with burgeoning point-guard skills.
Since Michael Carter-Williams, Milwaukee's starting point guard, went down with a season-ending hip injury at the end of February, Antetokounmpo has stuffed the stat sheet to the tune of 19.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, eight assists, 7.1 free-throw attempts and 3.7 combined blocks and steals in more than 37 minutes per game.
Those numbers led Sporting News' Ian Levy to wonder what ceiling, if any, the 21-year-old might have:
"Antetokounmpo's potential and athletic tools have allowed our imaginations to run wild. There seems to be no limits to what he could do or what he could be as a finished product. Watching him these past few weeks, it's hard not to wonder if something like a 6-11 Russell Westbrook might be the ideal template for him.
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If Antetokounmpo is going to be a taller Westbrook, Jabari Parker had better get on his Kevin Durant impersonation ASAP.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Karl-Anthony Towns, C
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If you think the Minnesota Timberwolves are a mess now, just imagine what they'd look like if prospects had to spend four years in college.
Andrew Wiggins would be a junior at Kansas, Zach LaVine and Shabazz Muhammad would be balling at UCLA and Tyus Jones would be polishing his Final Four Most Outstanding Player trophy on Duke's campus in Durham, North Carolina.
The biggest loss of all for the NBA, though, would be Karl-Anthony Towns. He leads all rookies in points (18.3 per game), rebounds (10.3 per game) and double-doubles (43), ranks second in blocks (1.7 per game) and, as a seven-footer, he has flashed a guard-like ability to handle the ball and run the fastbreak.
"It’s something I’ve been doing since high school," he told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune's Kent Youngblood. "Didn’t do much of it in college. But it’s something I have in my game, the ability to dribble the ball, go coast-to-coast, make things happen."
Youngsters of Towns' size, skill and poise rarely (if ever) come around. He'll almost certainly be the second Timberpup in as many seasons to be named the league's Rookie of the Year and could be a bona fide MVP candidate before long.
New Orleans Pelicans: Anthony Davis, PF
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Believe it or not, Anthony Davis is (or was) the closest thing to a college-eligible player on the New Orleans Pelicans' roster.
In the bigger picture, that's bad news for the Pelicans. The roster New Orleans built around Davis proved to be thin on talent and upside, injuries and all. On the bright side, the Pelicans will add a young prospect to their team by way of the draft lottery in June.
The Brow is still about as good as it gets at the cross-section between youth and production. He and DeMarcus Cousins were the only players to average at least 24 points and 10 rebounds this season. Davis did his work with a torn labrum in his shoulder and a bum knee.
For Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding, those revelations point to how much better Davis could be:
"Davis played through some degree of discomfort for nearly his entire career without anyone knowing—and was not just impressive, but historically exceptional last season. So everyone should be geeked about what rare-bird heights he might now reach.
He just turned 23, and after discovering Thursday the shoulder injury is minor enough that surgery isn't necessary, imagine what Davis might do next season when he lets it fly freely after he did get his left kneecap fixed.
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In the meantime, the work he put in during his 61-game season—including a 59-point, 20-rebound masterpiece in Detroit—could be enough to earn Davis another All-NBA nod and the $23 million tack-on to his contract that would come with it.
New York Knicks: Kristaps Porzingis, PF/C
20 of 30Earlier this week, folks in the Big Apple were fretting about the future of Kristaps Porzingis' future with the New York Knicks. The New York Daily News' Stefan Bondy waxed melancholic about the rapport between the team's star rookie and interim head coach Kurt Rambis:
"The relationship between young phenom and old-school coach has equated to a marked regression, lacking the “connectedness,” to steal one of Rambis’ buzz words, that you’d like to see with the future of the franchise.
Since Rambis took over in mid-February, Porzingis has failed to log a single double-double (after collecting 18 under Derek Fisher). His shooting percentage, while never outstanding, dipped to 33.7 percent through eight games in March. Rambis has tried to push Porzingis closer to the basket, hoping to develop a post player more attune to the principles of the triangles.
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Immediately thereafter, Porzingis posted back-to-back double-doubles as the Knicks swept a home-and-home set against the Bulls for their first set of consecutive wins since mid-January.
Any concerns about Porzingis' basketball ability are muted, at most. He's uncommonly comfortable from beyond the three-point line for someone who's 7'3", even if his shooting percentage (33.3 percent from deep) is slightly below league average. His body could use more bulk, but that hasn't stopped him from flying up the floor, crashing the glass and competing against more mature competitors in the middle.
"He’s just scratching the surface of where he’s going to be," Rambis said on Wednesday, per the New York Post's Marc Berman.
Knicks fans can only hope the rest of the organization will help him discover the true depths of his talent.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Steven Adams, C
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How much longer might the Pittsburgh Panthers have survived in the NCAA tournament had Steven Adams stuck around for his senior season (not to mention his sophomore and junior ones)?
The Oklahoma City Thunder wouldn't care to find out. The 22-year-old Kiwi has become an integral part of an operation built around Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
His work in the pick-and-roll has been especially stellar. He's Westbrook's second-favorite passing target, behind only Durant, and has finished off those dimes at a 66.3 percent clip. According to NBA.com, Adams ranks among the league's best as both the screener and the one defending the screen in the pick-and-roll.
| Frequency | PPP | FG% | Percentile | |
| Offense | 25.5% | 1.13 | 62.6 | 77.2 |
| Defense | 9.7% | 0.73 | 31.5 | 80 |
Even as Adams continues to refine and expand his game, he and the Thunder can count on his well-developed sense of humor to keep the team humming off the court.
Orlando Magic: Aaron Gordon, PF
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Aaron Gordon's awe-inspiring dunks are just the tip of what could be a franchise-altering iceberg for the Orlando Magic.
Since wowing the world with his inventive slams during All-Star weekend, the Arizona product has upped the ante across the board.
| Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | FG% | 3P% | FTA | |
| Pre-All-Star | 21.8 | 7.7 | 6.1 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 46.5 | 29.9 | 2.2 |
| Post-All-Star | 28.1 | 11.7 | 7.8 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 47.8 | 31.1 | 3.2 |
Gordon's growth is no accident. The Magic traded Tobias Harris to the Pistons in February in part to open up more playing time for their 20-year-old forward. Gordon, though, gained plenty from the time he spent as Harris' understudy.
"I just said how much I appreciated him during my rookie year," Gordon told Magic reporter John Denton after Orlando's latest trip to Detroit, "because he made it difficult on me, and that really progressed me along in terms of my mentality and the way I think."
Whatever Harris taught him has clearly affected the way the Magic feel about Gordon, too.
Philadelphia 76ers: Jahlil Okafor, C
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In some respects, Jahlil Okafor's rookie season with the Philadelphia 76ers was a disaster.
On the court, he struggled to guard his own shadow, posted one of the worst rebounding rates (12.9 percent) for a player his size and never found a comfortable equilibrium with Nerlens Noel before going down with a torn meniscus in late February.
Off the court, the 20-year-old was involved in a slew of embarrassing incidents, from speeding tickets to late-night altercations.
Blemishes, blunders and injuries aside, Okafor's future in Philly should be bright if the Sixers can surround him with some actual NBA talent. He averaged 17.5 points per game on 50.8 percent shooting, thanks to a cache of offensive moves that hearkens back to the salad days of centers in the Association.
The league, as a whole, doesn't play through the post much anymore. Then again, few (if any) have a back-to-the-basket fulcrum like Okafor through whom to run their sets.
If nothing else, he was good enough in year one to inspire some Sixers fans to immortalize him in rhyme and verse.
Phoenix Suns: Devin Booker, SG
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In a recent piece on Devin Booker, ESPN's Zach Lowe effectively tempered expectations for the Phoenix Suns rookie:
"Recent stats aside, it's too early to project stardom for Booker. The Suns cannot proceed in their haphazard rebuild confident they have a future top-20 player on their roster. They can perhaps project Booker as a younger Bradley Beal: an ace shooter who can catch the ball on the weak side for a nice secondary pick-and-roll, and morph in a pinch into a lead ball-handler -- including on bench-heavy units.
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It's easy to see, though, why folks in Arizona are so giddy about the team's newest Kentucky Wildcat. In March, he's stepped up as a productive combo guard, averaging 22.2 points, 5.1 assists and 5.8 free-throw attempts.
His three-point percentage has plummeted (27 percent), but that may be a function of his on-ball responsibilities more than anything else. According to NBA.com, Booker has drained 42.2 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes this season.
The Suns will have to sort out how to proceed with their pricy backcourt of Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe. Either way, the 19-year-old should have a future in Phoenix's starting five, assuming he gets the hang of NBA defense.
Portland Trail Blazers: Noah Vonleh, PF
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Of all the upside bets the Portland Trail Blazers put down last summer, the one they placed on Noah Vonleh may have paid off the least so far.
The Blazers acquired Vonleh and Gerald Henderson in a predraft trade that sent Nicolas Batum to the Charlotte Hornets. Batum has been a boon to the Hornets' fortunes, and Henderson's had his moments in Rip City, but Vonleh has yet to find his niche. The 6'10" forward from Indiana has shot 41.3 percent from the field and recently lost his starting spot to Maurice Harkless.
Still, it's way too early for anyone to panic about Vonleh's long-term outlook. He came into the NBA as a raw teenager with tremendous length and athleticism. And at the tender age of 20 now, he has plenty of time yet to realize his potential in Portland.
Sacramento Kings: Willie Cauley-Stein
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There are only so many feels to go around for 20-somethings getting paid millions to play a game. That said, Willie Cauley-Stein is in as unenviable a spot as any young NBA player NBA today.
The Sacramento Kings already had an All-Star center (DeMarcus Cousins) in place when they plucked the big man out of Kentucky with the No. 6 pick. The addition of Kosta Koufos in free agency only figured to push Cauley-Stein further down George Karl's depth chart.
Karl's preference for a smaller, faster style of play—with Omri Casspi soaking up minutes at power forward—only compounded the problem. So have the coach's tiffs with Cousins, not to mention all the other discord that's disrupted this organization for a decade.
To his credit, Cauley-Stein hasn't let the dysfunction in Sacramento disrupt his rookie season entirely. He's averaged nearly a double-double (11.7 points, 9.2 rebounds) per 36 minutes and knocked down 58.6 percent of his shots, including 47.9 percent between three and 10 feet.
"I haven’t got the chance thus far in my career, but I’ve got it in me," he told the Sacramento Bee's Jason Jones. "I’ve got a lot of different things. Just waiting on the time to do them or having the green light to just hoop. But that comes; I’m a rookie. I kind of have to just wait and perfect it in practice."
San Antonio Spurs: Kyle Anderson, SF
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It took Kyle Anderson to find his footing in college before he hit his stride at UCLA. The same has held true for him with the San Antonio Spurs—and not just because Gregg Popovich is loath to entrust rookies with major minutes.
In year two, Anderson has upped his shooting percentages across the board while getting to the line and dishing dimes more frequently per 36 minutes.
| Points/36 | FG% | 3P% | FTA/36 | FT% | Assists/36 | |
| Year 1 | 7.4 | 34.8 | 27.3 | 1.4 | 64.3 | 2.8 |
| Year 2 | 10.1 | 46.5 | 26.7 | 2.4 | 74.6 | 3.3 |
Part of Anderson's progression, at both the college and pro levels, is the byproduct of his peculiar playing style. Unlike most youngsters who fly around the floor with reckless abandon, Anderson, long known as "Slow-Mo," plays at a deliberate and (sometimes) awkward pace.
His unusual tempo and wide-ranging skill set had SB Nation's Bruno Passos comparing Anderson to a slew of winning veterans:
"For now, we're left with glimpses of what a higher-usage Kyle Anderson would look like. We can try and project that he'll become some amalgamation of [Boris] Diaw, Nicolas Batum or Paul Pierce, but with a little patience we could be seeing the real thing soon enough.
"
Toronto Raptors: Bruno Caboclo, SF
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When the Toronto Raptors took Bruno Caboclo with the No. 20 pick in the 2014 NBA draft, ESPN international basketball guru Fran Fraschilla famously proclaimed the Brazilian teenager to be "two years away from being two years away."
Well, it's almost been two years...and Fraschilla might be right. After racking up a mere 23 minutes in eight games as a rookie, Caboclo has garnered just six minutes during four appearances this season.
This, despite Toronto's clear need for support at small forward during DeMarre Carroll's recovery from knee surgery.
The 20-year-old hasn't exactly lit up the D-League either (13.8 points on 38.8 percent shooting, 34.1 percent from three), though those numbers with the Raptors 905 are marked improvements over what he put up during limited minutes in Fort Wayne last season.
With Carroll and Terrence Ross both signed through 2018-19, Caboclo could have a tough time finding opportunity on the big club in Toronto going forward, especially if DeMar DeRozan re-ups this summer. Considering how raw Caboclo still is, that might be just as well for the Raptors, who could have an intriguing player on their hands in another two years.
Utah Jazz: Trey Lyles, PF
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Trey Lyles left one talent logjam at Kentucky and wound up in another in Salt Lake City. The Utah Jazz spent the No. 12 pick during the 2015 draft on 6'10" Canadian, despite already sporting Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert up front, with Trevor Booker on the bench.
Those obstacles haven't stopped Lyles from giving the Jazz a much-needed jolt, from time to time.
When Favors was sidelined by injury in December and January, Lyles not only held his own as a starter, but he also knocked down 47.4 percent of his threes and averaged 13.3 points over a six-game span. He's once again proven potent during Utah's late postseason push, with four double-digit scoring efforts in his last six games.
That includes Lyles' 12 points in a home win over the Cavaliers, where he went head-to-head (literally) with Channing Frye.
If the Jazz can carve out a consistent role for Lyles, they just might have another budding star to work into their frontcourt rotation.
Washington Wizards: Kelly Oubre Jr., SF
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The minutes have been fewer and farther between for Kelly Oubre Jr. of late. Amid the Washington Wizards' desperate playoff push, the rookie out of Kansas has averaged a paltry 4.8 minutes per game since the All-Star break, with eight DNPs to boot.
Not that Oubre Jr. can't contribute. He made a brief splash in mid-December, scoring in double figures three times and notching five starts in a six-game span.
But that was when Washington's locker room doubled as an infirmary. Nowadays, the Wizards are healthy and have little time for Oubre's youthful mistakes, particularly on the defensive end.
With time and good coaching, though, he could eventually put his length and hops to good use as a key cog in the Wizards' rotation.
Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com unless noted otherwise and accurate as of games played on March 25, 2016.
Josh Martin covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@JoshMartinNBA), Instagram and Facebook.
