Four NBA Players Who Will Elevate Their Games This Season

Published in

The Unprofessionals

3 min readOct 14, 2017

Last season, the headlines may have been dominated by the many storylines surrounding the superstars in the NBA, but there were quite a few players who took their games to the next level- Isaiah Thomas became one of the league’s very best scorers, Dion Waiters resurrected his career in Miami, and Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo all showed consistent flashes of superstardom. But this year, who will the breakout stars be? Many young players will improve, but which ones will be able to elevate their game to really elevate their game to a higher level?

Bench Warmer to Role Player: Delon Wright, PG, Toronto Raptors

With Cory Joseph being traded to Indiana, the backup Point Guard spot has been given to Wright, a ball-handler with great size and good athleticism. His production regressed from his rookie season last year, but he is still a player with the tools to be a great backup. Given that opportunity, he has a great chance to shine.

Role Player to Quality Starter: Joe Ingles, SF, Utah Jazz

Ingles was one of the more surprising breakout players last season, seemingly coming out of nowhere and becoming a quality ball-handler who helped Utah exceed expectations with his passing and shooting on the wing. But with Gordon Hayward gone, he is one of a few players on the Jazz who will need to handle a bigger role. This includes more playmaking, more shooting, and better defense- and as Ingles proved last season, he’s very capable of making vast improvements. He may be 30 years old, but there is still untapped potential.

Quality Starter to All-Star: Myles Turner, C, Indiana Pacers

Now that Paul George is gone, the Pacers now turn to a bright young up-and-comer for hope in Myles Turner- and he’s going to deliver. He doesn't have any real downsides to his game: he’s a solid rim protecter, good rebounder and great scorer with touch around the rim and range on his jumper. Now the number one option, he is going to get a lot of touches, and he will make the most of them.

All-Star to Superstar: Joel Embiid, C, Philadelphia 76ers

Per Basketball-Reference, since at least the 1983–84 season, the NBA regular season record for most free throw attempts by a player who player 18 minutes or less is 14, by Ralph Sampson in 1984. In his first organized basketball game in nearly nine months on Wednesday, Joel Embiid shot 18 free throws in 15 minutes. On Friday, he drew 3 fouls on Hassan Whiteside 2 minutes and 21 seconds into the game, and proceeded to tell the Miami Heat bench to take out Whiteside and put in someone who can guard him. Drawing fouls may be his biggest strength that will help him become an MVP-caliber player in the next few years, if its not his elite rim protection, or his fantastic post moves, or his downright unfair three-point stroke. He hits threes, makes Dirk Nowitzki-like fadeaways, blocks shots, and grabs boards. This is a man of many strengths and no weaknesses, now all he needs to do is avoid any major injuries at all costs.