The NBA is a league where stars can emerge from out of nowhere. You never know when a player is going to go from being unknown to an NBA superstar. Nikola Jokic was drafted as the 11th pick in the second round of the 2015 NBA Draft and is now a three-time MVP with an NBA championship. As crazy as it might sound, this is not unheard of, as many players take sudden jumps in their game to shock the NBA world.
Breakout Players: 5 NBA Players Who Are Going to Surprise Fans This Season
Cam Thomas
With the Brooklyn Nets entering full rebuild mode, it appears that the franchise is shifting its focus on Cam Thomas. The absence of Mikal Bridges opens up a lot of opportunities for Thomas. In the 2023-24 season, Thomas averaged 22.5 points per game and finished seventh in Most Improved Player voting. Due to playing in Kyrie Irving’s shadow during the majority of the 2022-23 season, Thomas didn’t have much of a chance to shine in his early stages.
When Kyrie was sent to the Dallas Mavericks in a trade, Thomas got right to work, showing the league what they had been missing out on. Recently, after the trade, Thomas became the youngest player in NBA history to record three consecutive 40-point games. While being in a similar situation last season, taking the backseat to Bridges, it appears that Thomas is going to have the green light this year, and with his incredible shot-making ability, he is looking to make a huge leap for himself and for Brooklyn.
Josh Giddey
Josh Giddey had a roller-coaster 2023-24 NBA season. Averaging the lowest amount of points in his career at 12.3 on limited playing time along with off-the-court issues. With a trade that sent Giddey to the Chicago Bulls and Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Giddey is looking to take on a bigger role for his team. Giddey has already proved that he can be a valuable asset to a team, as in his 2022-23 season, he averaged 16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists.
While he took a backseat on the thriving Thunder team, he is now going to be a perfect fit on the Bulls, With the hopeful return of point guard Lonzo Ball along with scoring sensation Zach LaVine, and breakout star Coby White Giddey can be the perfect fit at the small forward position with point forward responsibilities. Giddey won’t have to face the pressure of the primary defenders guarding LaVine and White; he will still be a core piece in the offense and be able to push the tempo with this fast-paced scoring team. In a new situation, Giddey can rejuvenate his career and be a key to unlocking this Bulls team’s full potential.
Cam Whitmore
The Houston Rockets got a steal with Cam Whitmore. Whitmore was projected to be a lottery pick but then dropped to the 20th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Whitmore had a great rookie year, averaging 12.3 points per game on 35.9% shooting from beyond the arc. While Whitmore’s game is not perfect, the 20-year-old has plenty of time to develop.
Whitmore is an athletic wing who makes a two-way impact. On offense, Whitmore does a great job of attacking the rim with high-flying dunks but also shoots the three at an efficient level. He also has a good handle on the ball, and he does an effective job of creating his own shot. On defense, he poses a major threat to opposing teams, standing at 6-foot-7 with very quick hands and a high vertical. Notably, he averaged 0.6 steals per game and 0.4 blocks per game in his rookie season. When given more minutes, don’t be surprised to see those numbers increase drastically.
What held Whitmore back was a very common problem amongst young NBA players. Considering that Whitmore likes to attack the basket, his free-throw shooting was very poor, as he shot just 67.9%. Additionally, he averages 1.0 turnovers a game with just 0.7 assists per game. As a result, free throws and limiting turnovers are key to earning more playing time. Whitmore has a lot of potential. If he cleans up these rookie mistakes, Whitmore can truly show the NBA why he should have been a lottery pick.
Jordan Poole
Jordan Poole had a rough year in his first season playing with the Washington Wizards. The former NBA champion had trouble adjusting from going to a successful team to a struggling team. Poole’s statistics dropped dramatically from 20.4 points per game to 17.4 points per game and dropped in both three-point percentage and field goal percentage. NBA fans have deemed Poole to be an unserious basketball player due to his theatrics on the court. However, this previous season must have humbled Poole, as his struggles led to him coming off the bench for part of the season.
It seems as if the NBA has forgotten what Poole is capable of. While Poole isn’t a championship number one option, he has proven that he can positively impact a championship team. In the 2021-22 NBA playoffs, Poole was a massive factor that resulted in the Warriors winning the championship. He is a great shot creator with a craft handle that can score on all three levels. In the first round of the 2022 NBA playoffs, Poole averaged 21.0 points per game in a 4-1 series win over the Denver Nuggets. Poole continued being a huge contributor to the team and even averaged 13.2 points per game in the finals on very limited minutes. Poole showed his ability to play efficient and smart basketball; he just needs to be in the right environment.
While Poole doesn’t have veteran leaders on the Wizards like Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, the Wizards are looking to bounce back from their poor season. With the addition of talented seven-footer Alex Sarr, Poole will have an elite pick-and-roll threat to complement his crafty offensive abilities. This should open up his game, and help him score more points on fewer shots.
Ja Morant
Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies have fallen under the radar with the recent absence of their star point guard. He has been dealing with both on and off-the-court issues that have kept him from playing. People forgot about what Morant is capable of. In his rookie season, he averaged 17.8 points along with 7.3 assists which won him the Rookie of the Year Award. In the 2021-22 season, he averaged 27.4 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game which won him the Most Improved Player award along with finishing seventh in MVP voting. It is safe to say that Morant is a problem when on the court. Furthermore, the core of Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr, and Desmond Bane resulted in back-to-back 50-plus win seasons.
The Grizzlies have a new addition to their lineup with 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey. Edey dominated when playing for Purdue, averaging 25.2 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. Edey is going to take the Grizzlies to the next level with his incredible paint defense and shot-blocking ability. The ninth overall pick plays both sides of the ball, with a very good post-game and a threat in the pick-and-roll. The pick and roll between Edey and Morant is going to be difficult for teams to guard. It is going to open up Morant’s game more as the pressure will be taken off of him. This will allow him to both score the ball more and get easy dump-off assists.
The addition of Edey helps complete the Grizzlies’ roster. Morant has many players to pass if the pick and roll aren’t there, with young players like GG Jackson II and Luke Kennard. Morant and the Grizzlies are looking dangerous heading into the 2024-25 season.
The Last Word
Those are five players that are going to surprise the NBA next season. There are talented young players across the entire league, but it takes the right situation to have that player put their skills on display. Those are five players who have an ideal situation to blossom and take their game to the next level.
