NBA: 10 Candidates For A Breakout Season In 2015-16

Jan 13, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) breaks with the ball as he is chased by Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas (17) at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Bucks 116-94. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /

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Feb 25, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson (6) reacts to dunking the ball during the first half against the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /

10. Jordan Clarkson

Los Angeles Lakers fans are excited about D’Angelo Russell and rightfully so. They’re also excited to see Kobe Bryant return to the court, and again, rightfully so. But in 2015-16, the Lakers’ best backcourt player might wind up being Jordan Clarkson, a second-year guard who came out of nowhere to average 11.9 points and 3.5 assists per game as a rookie.

Was his production borne of the Lakers’ lack of a better option? Sure. But Clarkson was a pleasant surprise as the 46th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, especially for a team whose first-round pick went down 14 minutes into his rookie season. Clarkson only connected on 31.4 percent of his threes, but still shot a respectable 44.8 percent from the field overall.

D’Angelo Russell displayed some excellent court vision during NBA Summer League and represents the future of the franchise, but he was also a turnover machine who will need time to adjust to the NBA game. Between Russell’s inexperience and Bryant’s age/recent injury problems, Clarkson could very easily put up impressive numbers as a more confident sophomore.

Next: No. 9