Players Ready To Breakout This Season
Each year, we have some players who disappoint and we have some players who have breakout years and blossom into solid players. It’s easier to predict some player’s breakout seasons, but there is always one player that surprises us. Today I will be listing some of the players that I expect to have breakout seasons this year.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Alexander was very good as a rookie in 2018 for the Clippers, and then he was traded to OKC as part of the Paul George trade. And he was very good last season on a playoff OKC team. Alexander averaged 19.0 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 47% from the field and 35% from 3. Shai was a great player last season, and I expect him to get even better this season.
The Thunder cleaned house and now Shai is the best player on the team. Everybody else is young and unproven, and the Thunder are going to be near the bottom of the Western Conference this season. This puts Gilgeous-Alexander in a position to get the ball a lot, and produce a lot.
I expect Alexander to average like 23 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists on 46% shooting from the field and 37% from 3. Alexander will likely be an All-Star caliber guard, but the team around him will be poor.
Alexander isn’t the best facilitator in the world, but I expect that to get better this season with the ball in his hands so much. This will be another productive season for Shai.
Jaylen Brown
Brown was one of my front-runners for Most Improved this season, and there’s a big reason for that. Brown is an excellent all-around player, but often overlooked by All-Star Jayson Tatum. But Brown is very talented in his own right. Brown is excellent going down hill on offense, and is a solid shooter as well. But with the departure of Gordon Hayward this summer, I expect big things from Brown this season.
Last season Brown averaged 20 points, 6 rebounds and 1 steal per game while shooting 48% from the field and 37% from 3. And without Gordon Hayward, and with Kemba Walker not playing to start the season, I expect big things from Brown.
Brown will average somewhere between 22-24 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 steals per game. 50% shooting from the field and 42% from 3.
I really Brown and his game, and he fits perfectly with this Celtics team. The Celtics will again be in contention, and Brown will be their 2nd best player. He might be a dark horse candidate for the Most Improved Player Award, and I expect a very good season from Brown this season.
Zion Williamson
Zion Williamson was the best prospect coming into the league, after being drafted by New Orleans with the #1 overall pick. Zion is very explosive, and for his size, it’s quite amazing. He is inhumanely strong and quick, and is a very smart player as well. Zion was being painted as the next Lebron James. But his rookie season was very up and down.
He missed almost the entire year with a knee injury, and the Pelicans were mediocre without him. Zion played in 19 games during the regular season (before the March postponement of the season), and he was great and made the Pelicans playoff contenders. But then the season got suspended and the league went to Orlando for a bubble format. And Zion and the Pelicans crashed and burned. Zion was out of shape and unhealthy, and the Pelicans went back to being mediocre.
But I think if that Zion can just lose some weight, and stay healthy, he can be one of the best players in the league. Zion is a great player, very explosive as well as very smart. He is a guy that the Pelicans need to keep for the future of their franchise. That’s why I think losing weight is a big piece to the puzzle for Zion. Take Charles Barkley for example. A solid player for Philadelphia during the late ’80s, and early ’90s. But after losing weight and going to Phoenix, Barley won the league MVP in 1993 and led the Suns to the Finals. All because of some lost weight.
We all see the potential in Zion, and I would love to see him play for a full season. He is one of the brightest stars in the league, and it is a delight to see him play. All Zion needs to do is stay healthy, and this Pelicans team will be good, and Zion will be at the forefront of their attack.
Ja Morant
With Zion Williamson being injured for most of the season, Ja Morant stole the thunder as being the best rookie in the league. Ja is very quick and athletic, and a solid all-around scorer, at his best when getting downhill. Morant is also a great facilitator and led the Grizzlies to being just short of a playoff appearance. Morant was very impressive and very clearly the future of this franchise. And I think he’s going to have a very good year.
Last season as a rookie, Morant averaged 17.8 points and 7.3 assists while shooting 48% from the field and 34% from 3.
Morant was a stud, and I expect him to be better this season. Morant will have used what he learned last season, and apply that to this season. Morant will be without his 2nd player in Jaren Jackson Jr. to start this season, and Morant will have to do a lot more for this Grizzlies team to remain competitive.
I expect Morant to average 22 points, 4 rebounds, and 8 assists while shooting 51% from the field and 36% from 3. Morant will be a border-line All-Star this season in the stacked Western Conference.
I didn’t predict the Grizzlies to make the playoffs this season, but they could again surprise me and the rest of the league. Memphis has a future superstar in Morant, and I’m expecting him to jump to that elite tier of guards in the NBA this season.
Are There Any Other Players That Will Breakout This Season? Leave A Comment Down Below!
Follow My Instagram To Never Miss A Post: @hoopnotions
