Young ballers tend to surprise their opposition, mostly because guys aren’t used to guarding them as they don’t have enough film, or because players tend to grow over the course of the season and develop new tools to thrive.
Also, players that were used to having a lesser role due to the need to coexist with other stars on their respective squads, tend to step up big time when those stars wind up leaving the team in free agency or via trade.
This upcoming season, we’re bound to see a lot of changes, with LeBron James finally joining a Western Conference team or Kawhi Leonard joining the Raptors. Naturally, that’ll leave the door wide open for other players to step up. Today, we’ll let you know about 9 young NBA players that will have great stat lines next season.
9. John Collins
Collins had a very promising rookie season amid the Atlanta Hawks mediocre campaign, even though he often struggled with foul trouble and was forced to miss several games due to nagging pains.
The big man has a lot of upsides and the potential to average a double-double throughout the campaign, and he’s one of the few assets the Hawks actually have and would love to see grow through his mistakes.
8. Julius Randle
Julius Randle showed a lot of great things throughout the second half of this prior campaign, showing that he had the potential to grab a board and run the break with his much-improved handling skills.
Also, he’s set to have a DeMarcus Cousins-like role with the New Orleans Pelicans, and Anthony Davis and Nikola Mirotic will create a lot of space for him, so expect him to average something of the likes of 20-10.
7. Kevin Knox
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qOWbqA5yWI
Kevin Knox has quickly turned boos into cheers, as the young New York Knicks forward has already drawn comparisons with superstars of the likes of Paul George due to his great displays in both ends of the hardwood.
With the Knicks pretty much tanking their way through another season and Kristaps Porzingis set to miss a lot of time, we could expect the team to run their offense through Knox, so expect him to have monster lines.
6. Trae Young
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xpVETv7FPE
Like Collins, Young is one of the few building blocks the Atlanta Hawks can count on for their future, and now that Dennis Schroder has finally been traded away to the Oklahoma City Thunder, he’s a lock to be the starter.
Young is going to struggle with turnovers and inconsistency, but he’s got the kind of upside to become one of the best shooters and playmakers of the league, so any given night he’s going to be able to light up unaware defenders.
5. Marvin Bagley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKYNcX-2OEc
Even though the Sacramento Kings have a bit of a frontcourt logjam, we expect Marvin Bagley to be the undisputed starter and handle as many minutes as he can to prove why he was taken so high in this year’s Draft.
Bagley is set to have an enormous role in the Kings offense and will definitely thrive in pick and roll situations next to De’Aaron Fox, and Sacramento is definitely going to let him grow through his mistakes.
4. Collin Sexton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWQOrOsWebY
Regardless of how many guards the Cavaliers may have on their roster, Collin Sexton is a lock to be the primary playmaker and ball handler at the Q, and he was one of the most impressive players in Summer League.
Sexton’s handles and playmaking ability are already NBA ready and he’s quite a dominant scorer as well, although he needs to significantly improve his shooting in order to be able to thrive in this league.
3. D’Angelo Russell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLE3fpT5r-8
D’Angelo Russell knows it’s now or never for him. He’s entering a contract year and he needs to earn his huge contract before being considered one of the biggest busts of the last couple of NBA Drafts.
The Nets are unlikely to compete and he’s a lock to start so he’ll have a chance to shoot the rock as many times as he wants, and even though there may be some off nights, he’s got the skills to be 25+ points per game scorer.
2. Brandon Ingram
Surprisingly, even though most people feel like LeBron James arrival is going to hurt Brandon Ingram’s already slow development, we actually believe the King will help him take his game up a notch.
Ingram has a lot of upsides but has disappeared through key stretches and hasn’t still proved why he was so praised through college, but we expect him to learn a lot from James’s mentorship and finally step up.
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1. DeAndre Ayton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddFMQJjur08
DeAndre Ayton was quite impressive during Summer League and we already know what he’s capable of on the offensive end of the floor, even though his lack of defense is still a huge question mark for him.
Still, he’s bound to be heavily involved in the team’s offense and we could expect him to have similar rookie stats than Karl-Anthony Towns did, although Ayton is looking way more physical and dominant.
