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NBA: 15 Candidates For Breakout Seasons In 2016-17

By Gerald Bourguet

Apr 1, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives for the basket as Orlando Magic guard Victor Oladipo (5) defends during the first quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 1, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives for the basket as Orlando Magic guard Victor Oladipo (5) defends during the first quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /
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Heading into the 2016-17 NBA season, here are 15 tantalizing young players poised for major breakout years.

NBA
Apr 1, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives for the basket as Orlando Magic guard Victor Oladipo (5) defends during the first quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /

In the NBA, you can usually tell which teams are actually in the running for the championship before the season even starts. Unlike the NFL or NCAA March Madness, getting hot at the right time is usually not enough to knock off the overwhelming favorites from the regular season.

Dating back to 1950, only two teams have entered the playoff with a seed lower than No. 3 and went on to win the title: The 1968 Boston Celtics (No. 4) and the 1995 Houston Rockets (No. 6). The NBA can be thoroughly predictable at times, since the league’s brightest stars and most complete teams are revealed over the course of an 82-game season. Cinderella stories rarely happen here.

However, that doesn’t mean professional basketball is unentertaining. Despite only five or six teams having a legitimate shot at winning it all on a season-to-season basis, the other 24 fan bases still tune in religiously. Why? Because every franchise is part of a never-ending wheel that jettisons some teams into the spotlight as contenders and dumps others into the rebuilding process.

Related Story: NBA: 10 Candidates For A Bounce-Back Season In 2016-17

No matter where your favorite team lands in that eternal cycle, there’s always a reason to watch. Whether they’re competing for a championship or trying to develop younger players into superstars who will one day do the same, NBA teams can be as much about the future as they are about the present or past.

Bearing all this in mind, even the bottom-feeder and middle-tier teams have something to look forward to: Breakout seasons from the promising youngsters on their roster. We all know LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant own the league right now, but we’re always looking for the next big thing, even as we admire the current generation’s greatness.

Heading into the 2016-17 NBA season, it’s time to take a look at 15 tantalizing young players (and a few quick honorable mentions) who could be ready for major breakout seasons that put their names on the map.