Six Potential Breakout Players to Look Out for Next Season
The tail-end of the 2020–21 season and the playoffs that followed gave us glimpses of hope in several young players, with G-League alums posting insane stat lines and top picks from last year’s draft showing why they deserved to be the cream of the crop.
Here are six players who I believe could break out next year.
Cameron Payne
Payne stepped up big time when Chris Paul missed time with injuries and COVID protocols. He turned heads throughout his playoff run, and had a 29-point, nine-assist outburst against the Clippers in game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.
After averaging 9.3 PPG, 2.5 RPG, and 3.2 APG in the 2021 Playoffs and proving that he is NBA material, Payne looks to run it back with the Suns next year, with the possibility of being a sixth man or full-time starter if CP3 leaves Phoenix. The 26-year-old put up 8.4 PPG, 2.4 RPG, and 3.6 APG in 60 games (1 start) and 18 minutes a night, shooting 48% from the field, 44% from deep, and 89% from the free-throw line. He also had a decent plus-minus (per 100 on-court possessions) with a rating of 8.7, and his net-rating next to Devin Booker was a respectable 7.1.
With Payne earning solid minutes, producing very well under head coach Monty Williams, and the possibility of a starting spot opening up, he looks to have a solid role with the Suns for years to come.
Kenyon Martin Jr.
Rookie Kenyon “KJ” Martin Jr had a great stretch of games to end the regular season, averaging 22.2 PPG from May 5 to 12. His red-hot end to the year seems to have given fans new hope for next season, as Martin looks to thrive while being part of Houston’s young core.
Selected 52nd overall by the Kings and sent to the Rockets in a draft-night trade, Martin averaged 9.3 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 1.1 APG in 45 games (23.7 MPG) as a backup combo forward. Though his playing time was few and far between to start out, his role drastically changed following the blockbuster James Harden trade, moving up in Silas’s rotation and playing efficiently when his number was called.
Known for his ability to score the rock, it appears he will have a larger role on the rebuilding Rockets, and will continue to grow under the coaching of Stephen Silas. His exact position should be solidified if free agent wing Danuel House Jr leaves H-Town in free agency, and he could be bumped to a starter if Avery Bradley moves on from the team as well.
Kevin Porter Jr.
Kevin Porter Jr just might be the biggest potential breakout-player on this list. After a fiasco in Cleveland akin to the J.R. Smith soup-throwing incident, Porter was traded to the Rockets and assigned to the G-League for conditioning purposes. He has clearly overcome the obstacles he faced in the first half of the season and become a rising star with the Rockets, at one point erupting for 50 points and 11 assists on April 29.
In 32 minutes per game, Porter averaged 16.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 6.3 APG while shooting 42.5% from the field, 31.1% from long range, and 73.4% from the line. His position changed from a guard/wing to a point guard after John Wall went down with a season-ending hamstring injury, and he wound up logging 30% of his overall minutes at the 1. KPJ finished the year with an assist percentage of 31.2, a noticeable jump from last year’s rate of 13.2% with Cleveland.
Now likely to be playing the lead guard full-time, Porter looks to contribute in a major way alongside Martin, Wall, and Christian Wood with Silas at the helm. Add one of the top prospects in Jalen Green, Jalen Suggs, or Evan Mobley, and KPJ will be critical to facilitating Houston’s offense next season and an integral part of the team’s future.
Tyrese Haliburton
Haliburton, the 12th pick in last year’s draft, was expected to fill a role as De’Aaron Fox’s backup, and although his place in the depth chart has shifted with the acquisitions of Delon Wright and Terence Davis, he could take on more responsibilities if Buddy Hield gets traded.
In his rookie campaign, he put up 13 PPG, 3 RPG, and 5.3 APG with 47–41–86 splits. His strong play in January and February earned him consecutive Western Conference Rookie of the Month honors, and he posted a career-high 28 points against the Cavs on March 22.
Characterized by some as the “steal of the draft”, Haliburton provides Sacramento with another scoring punch off the bench, and, once he recovers from a season-ending knee injury, he could continue to help the Kings next season as they eye a spot in the play-in tournament and an end to their 17-year-long playoff drought.
Terance Mann
Mann, formerly an end-of-the-bench player for the Clippers, soon rose to fame after dropping a whopping 39 points in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals; however, fans knew his time was coming when he took advantage of the various opportunities he was given in an injury-riddled season.
Stats obviously do not tell the full story, and Mann’s line of 7 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 1.6 APG with 51–42–83 splits does not do him justice. Even though his scoring inconsistency showed in most games, he is nicknamed the “Stat Stuffer” for a reason, doing anything he can to help the Clippers win. Some of his notable regular-season highlights include a career-high 23 points in a 122–112 win over the Sixers on March 27 followed by 14-point, 6-rebound, and 6-assist outing against Bucks two days later.
Mann has undeniably deserved to stay with the Clippers beyond his current contract, and could prove to be a worthy sixth-man for Tyronn Lue going forward.
Deandre Ayton
Image via Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The number one pick in the 2018 draft shouldn’t have to be on this list, but after averages of 15.8 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 1.1 APG, and 1.1 BPG in the first postseason of his career, it’s clear that Deandre Ayton is headed for a major leap heading in his fourth NBA season.
Ayton has been able to thrive in the Suns’ offense, serving as a reliable do-it-all center who can, at times, space the floor with his perimeter shooting. His scoring in the regular season took a hit with the arrival of Chris Paul, putting up 14.4 PPG compared to 18 the year prior; however, he has still benefited from Paul’s presence, with the duo posting a net rating of 7.4 and assist percentage of 60.2%. Aside from his on-court impact, Paul said recently that Ayton will “get the bag” in the offseason, assuring the young big that his future in Phoenix is secured. He is slated to earn $12.6M next season, and will more than likely receive an extension offer from Suns GM James Jones when the time is right.
Ayton is more than capable of being a 20 and 10 guy for Monty Williams, and he and Booker will be carrying the scoring load going forward, regardless of whether or not Paul returns to the Suns next year. Furthermore, as big men become three-level scorers, Ayton will need to work on his three-point shot and improve on his four made triples on 20 attempts this past year. The Suns will continue to be shining bright, and Ayton will be a cornerstone of the Suns’ franchise for years to come.
In Summary…
There are a variety of players I did not mention who also have the chance to shock the league in a few months, but these six will definitely be on the list of names to remember in due time.
