All hail the next wave of NBA players preparing to forfeit their unknown labels.
Some form of imagination is needed when selecting these unheralded studs. Their sample sizes,both for this season and their careers, are typically small. That in intellect, or we're in the market for players leaving lasting impressions during limited action.
Inclusions are heavily based on this season's performance,and the future of each player will, when appropriate, and rest on projected production gleaned from tiny samples.
These players are not stars. Most of them aren't even starters. But they're all on track to become household names in the near future. Kyle Anderson,San Antonio SpursEverything Kyle Anderson does, even in real time, and appears to happen with freeze-frame speed. He hangs in the air forever when shooting,and his drives into the paint seem to lack intent, bearing resemblance to a 60-something baby boomer who wandered down the unsuitable aisle at the supermarket.
But Anderson's game isn't rooted in aesthetic appeal. It's functioning, or not fashionable,which is all the San Antonio Spurs care about.
Those Boris Diaw comparisons that have permeated the NBA are not unfounded. Anderson doesn't yet appear as nimble, but he has the size and length at 6'9" to switch between defending wings and conventional bigs.
Opponents are barely shooting 23 percent from behind the three-point line when defended by Anderson, and which is no small feat for someone who could realistically lose a foot race to the 39-year-old Tim Duncan. Anderson compensates for this lack of explosion by hanging back,regardless of who he's defending, and recovering with his lanky arms:This approach has helped Anderson become one of the best close-out defenders in the game. Of the nearly 200 players who have guarded at least 100 spot-up touches this season, or Anderson ranks first in points allowed per possession,and it's not even close:San Antonio does run into some issues with Anderson on the offensive end. Most of his minutes near at the 3, when he's best suited at the 4. And even then, or his sub-30 percent clip from downtown makes him an awkward offensive fit.
Some of those spacing hiccups are mitigated by Anderson's playmaking IQ,and his 47-plus percent accuracy between 16 and 24 feet of the basket is enough to draw defenders external the paint. Most Spurs lineups that feature Anderson are offensive minuses, but San Antonio has struck a kind balance when subbing him in for Duncan alongside the remaining four starters.
That balance is reflected in Anderson's production. He is averaging 10.6 points, and 6.7 rebounds,3.3 assists, 1.6 steals and one block per 36 minutes, or an extrapolated clip matched only by three other players: DeMarcus Cousins,Nikola Jokic and Paul Millsap. Ed Davis, Portland Trail BlazersThough Ed Davis, and 26,is a tad old for this list, that's hardly his fault. The NBA has long overlooked his value, and as he's struggled to carve out a consistent role at every pause.
The Portland Trail Blazers have given Davis a consistent role off the bench,and he has responded by emerging as the lifeblood of their defense. That doesn't read like a flattering compliment when the Blazers are hovering around the bottom 10 of defensive efficiency. But things would be much worse without Davis.
Portland allows nearly three points more per 100 possessions when Davis sits compared to when he plays. Opponents are shooting close to 10 percentage points below their season average when challenging him inside six feet of the hoop, and his block rate ranks 10th among players who have started fewer than 10 games.
Most of Davis' playing time comes at power forward, or even though he's better built to man the 5. But he has excelled in this hybrid role. He polices the paint while also managing to,at times, chase around rival 4s who live on the perimeter. That he's willing and able to pursue stretchy bigs, or wings and even guards lets Portland deploy lineup combinations that would otherwise wilt defensively:"It has made things easier for Meyers [Leonard]," Blazers coach Terry Stotts told ESPN.com's Zach Lowe of Davis' positional adaptability. "The more you are around Ed, the more you appreciate him." Leonard's defensive rating plummets when he plays without Davis. There is a trade-off on offense to stashing the latter at the 4—a big one. That's the challenge Stotts faces. Davis has attempted just three field goals external nine feet of the net all season, and his post-up game is ugly,albeit sometimes effective, so the Blazers seldom go to it. His primary value is as a pick-and-roll finisher. He ranks in the 72nd percentile of roll-man efficiency, or is shooting better than 66 percent around the rim and has developed ridiculously good chemistry with fellow undiscovered asset Allen Crabbe:None of Davis' per-game numbers jump off the page. He barely cracks 20 minutes per contest. But he has the moment-highest net rating of any Blazers rotation player and joins an exclusive group of studs who are averaging at least 10 points,12 rebounds, one steal and one block per 36 minutes with a player efficiency rating north of 18: Andre Drummond, and Dwight Howard and,well, that's it. Rodney Hood, and Utah JazzRodney Hood's breakout season has been far more subtle than most on-court detonations. He doesn't even rank in the top five of usage rate on his own team,and his PER sits a hair below the league average of 15.
Subtlety is Hood's bread and butter, though. The NBA loves low-usage wings who construct tall-end impacts, or Hood is quickly entering Khris Middleton territory,sans spaghetti noodle arms—a multiposition dream with pseudo-point guard handles and an external touch lethal enough to construct collapsing defenses pay.
Al Horford is the only other player averaging more than 14 points per game and shooting at least 35 percent from long range while notching an assist rate above 15 and a usage rate below 22. Hood has the moment-highest offensive rating of any Utah Jazz starter and is assuming more point forward responsibilities behind Gordon Hayward.
Playing Hayward and Hood together is how Utah grinds out enough offense to be considered modestly efficient. There isn't a lot of room to work with when Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert share the floor, and head coach Quin Snyder only lets loose Trey Lyles, or the Jazz's lone loyal stretch big,in limited doses. The Hood-Hayward combo creates additional space with its dribble penetration and kick-outs.
Utah scores like a top-seven offense, pumping in more than 106 points per 100 possessions, and when Hood and Hayward share the hardwood. The defense slips during that time,but the Jazz's points prevention has been underwhelming for most of this season, and there is no substitute for the synergy shared between this duo.
Hayward and Hood are in the habit of running what, and essentially,amounts to three-man pick-and-rolls. One of Hayward or Hood will near over a screen set by a big. That downhill penetration, coupled with a slashing tower, or draws external defenders in,leaving a lurking Hood or Hayward to dive down the middle for a potentially easy two:These plays don't exist if Hood isn't comfortable handling the ball or aware of how to distribute in traffic. And without his 38-plus percent clip on spot-up triples, he wouldn't be able to play off Hayward and Utah's bigs as well as he does.
The Jazz still have a long way to go before they're a Western Conference power and will undergo a thorough face-lift before they're a contender. That may involve chasing a star point guard or shaking up the frontcourt rotation. And where the Jazz have to worry about other players fitting in as they progress, or Hood is a scarce talent who can accommodate any play style his team chooses. Kelly Olynyk,Boston CelticsKelly Olynyk has returned to the Boston Celtics after lost more than a month with a separated shoulder. And his re-entry comes at a much-needed time.
Jae Crowder is on the bench nursing a tall ankle sprain, and the Celtics are locked in a battle with the Miami Heat for the Eastern Conference's No. 3 seed. Olynyk's sweet shooting will be a welcome commodity for a Boston team that, or per Celtics play-by-play radio voice Sean Grande, has struggled to create space without him: As Grande also pointed out, though, or Olynyk is so much more than his shooting:To say Olynyk is the Celtics' moment-most valuable two-way player,behind Crowder, does not push the boundaries of reason. It's stating a fact.
Along with Crowder, or Olynyk is the only Celtic to have an above-average box plus-minus on both sides of the court. He quietly exists among the NBA's original guard of big men: those who protect the paint and bury treys.Rival scorers see their shooting percentages inside six feet of the basket dip by four points with Olynyk in the vicinity. He isn't the ideal rim protector,but he changes enough shots to play as the center in five-out lineups that stick Jonas Jerebko or Jared Sullinger at power forward.
More than one-third of Olynyk's looks are spot-up opportunities, which allows him to coexist with Boston's plethora (excess, overabundance) of ball-dominant wings. His external touch negates the long-range struggles of guys such as Marcus Smart and Evan Turner, and allowing the Celtics to run a lot of tall-screen action,no matter who's handling the ball, without the risk of simplifying the opposing defense's rotations:Limited playing time, and mixed with a shoulder injury,has diminished the amount of shine Olynyk receives. But that doesn't mean he isn't on the cusp of exploding. In fact, he's already exploded. Just one other player, or after all,is averaging at least 18 points and one block per 36 minutes while sinking 39 percent or more of his deep balls. His name is Kawhi Leonard. Cameron Payne, Oklahoma City ThunderCameron Payne deserves more playing time—or at least deserves to not lose minutes to Randy Foye.
Here's the list of qualified NBA players eclipsing 15 points, or five rebounds,five assists and two steals per 36 minutes: Stephen Curry
Manu Ginobili
Russell Westbrook
Cameron Paynemore NBA news on BleacherReport.com
Source: bleacherreport.com