Every now and then, players need to step up and finally prove they’re worthy of all the praise and money they’re getting, especially if they’ve failed to do so through the first couple of years of their career.
More often than not, when a superstar leaves the team, he leaves the door wide open for other players to try and fill the scoring void he’s leaving and wind up having breakout years and proving they also have what it takes to lead a team to success.
And considering how the league has moved over the last couple of weeks and for what we’ve already seen out of some guys, we can go ahead and predict the 5 players that are set to have a tremendous season next year.
5. D’Angelo Russell
Barring injury, D’Angelo Russell is finally bound to prove that he’s got what it takes to become one of the best point guards in the Eastern Conference, especially considering he’s not going to have much pressure on his shoulders on a mediocre Nets team.
Russell is a scoring machine and has really improved with time, but a serious knee injury kept him in the shelf for most of the prior campaign, so we can expect a huge bounce-back season from him for sure.
4. Kevin Love
Now that LeBron James has decided to leave the Cavs again and join the Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland is Kevin Love’s now to take, and he’s in for some huge stat lines throughout the entire campaign.
Love already knows what it is to be a team’s go-to-guy and he’s proven that he can handle as many touches as he can, so now that he doesn’t have to embrace a lesser role, he’s going to go back to his former self.
3. Deandre Ayton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9buVeSonbdQ
Considering what we’ve seen so far in Summer League, we can already say that Deandre Ayton, in fact, IS THE REAL DEAL and that he’s more than ready to make an instant impact against professional competition already.
Ayton’s offensive skill set is already off the charts and he’s even shown some upside in the defensive end of the floor as well, and with this new look Phoenix Suns, he’s likely to have the team’s offense flow through him.
2. Zach LaVine
Zach LaVine has shown glimpses of greatness throughout his young NBA career, but a season-ending injury made the Bulls slow him back into game shape during his first season playing at the Windy City.
Even though LaVine is never going to be much of a good defender, he’s vastly improved as a shooter and is an extremely versatile scorer, and with the young Bulls not ready to compete right away, he’s going to have the chance to hog as many shots as he wants.
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1. Julius Randle
Julius Randle had an outstanding second half of the season and proved that he can outhustle pretty much every single big man in the league. He’s already got a well round up physique and is a dominant rebounder and post player, and Anthony Davis will definitely make up for his defensive flaws.
The New Orleans Pelicans have quite a dynamic frontcourt with him, Davis and Mirotic, and with his enhanced ball handling abilities and improved shooting, he’s set to have a huge role in the team’s offense as DeMarcus Cousins had under Alvin Gentry’s tutelage.
