5 Sneaky Big Signings That Will Have Big Impacts this Season

Alexander Weitzel
Nov 4 · 3 min read

The free agency period over the summer saw a lot of monumental signings that shifted the landscape of the NBA. But there are some signings that went largely unnoticed that will have big impacts on their new teams. Below are 5 sneaky big signings that will be real difference-makers this season.

1. Wesley Matthews — Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks were the best team in the Eastern Conference last year during the regular season. They won 60 games largely in part to their MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. But a major contributor to their production was shooting guard Malcom Brogdon because of his shooting ability and defensive effort. In the free agency period, Brogdon signed with the Indiana Pacers, leaving a big hole in the Bucks backcourt that many people believed would result in a worse record this year. But then the Bucks signed Wesley Matthews, a 10th year guard who will adequately fill in the void left by Malcom Brodgon. He can shoot the three point shot with the best of them and is a smart defender. I watched the Bucks / Rockets game last weekend and saw Matthews play great defense on James Harden and take a few charges along the way. He fits really nicely into that starting role alongside Eric Bledsoe in the backcourt. With Matthews in instead of Brodgan, I think the Bucks will see the same production from their backcourt as they did last year (maybe even more due to Matthew’s years of playoff experience), resulting in the Bucks topping the East this year again.

2. Jerami Grant — Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets roster is deeper than a Jimmer Freddette three at BYU, but it’s made up of many of the same kind of players. But when they added 6'9" Jerami Grant in the offseason, they added a player with length and athleticism that wasn’t already found on their roster. Jerami Grant is a pogo stick of a player — by that I mean a tall, thin player who is very explosive. His unique attributes make his a versatile defender and a threat on offense around the basket. Once or twice per game he catches the other team off guard with his hustle. He fortifies the Nuggets’ bench by giving Coach Mike Malone another piece to create mismatches with.

3. Thabo Sefolosha / Ben McLemore — Houston Rockets

These guys may be familiar names that you haven’t heard in a while. They’ve both had some moments on previous teams, showing their athleticism and defensive effectivness, but haven’t been on contending teams in the past few years. But now that the Rockets have signed them, they’re on a winning team that isn’t asking them to fill an all-star type of role. Both of these guys will come off the bench, which I think was a weak spot of the Rockets in years past. They’ve both been starters before so they should flourish in their diminished roles on this team. When you think Thabo Sefolosia you think defense and experience. And Ben McLemore is a three and D guy who will provide the occasional spark in momentum with his athleticism and shooting. The addition of these two will take some of the load off the Rockets’ two stars in the regular season and will give Houston some strong minutes in the playoffs.

4. Mo Harkless — Los Angeles Clippers

I talked about Mo Harkless a bit in my last post about the Clippers. He started for a Portland Trailblazers team that made an impressive run to the Western Conference Finals last year. In high leverage moments, he was the player on the blazers that was getting offensive rebounds, hitting clutch free throws, and coming up with big defensive plays. I think he is a perfect fit on the Clippers and makes their bench even more robust. One other thing about Harkless is that he doesn’t get phased by anything on the court. You can tell when he plays that he’s very focused and doesn’t get too high or too low. He will take some pressure off Kawhi and Paul George in the regular season and have some crucial plays in the playoffs.

While everyone else is focused on the big fish that shook up the balance of power in the NBA, watch out for these 5 guys to have game-changing contributions to their teams this season.

Alexander Weitzel

Written by

San Diego based content-marketing specialist, basketball fanatic, music producer, design enthusiast, world traveler, older brother, and more.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade