NBA: 15 Players Living Up To 2015 Summer Contracts

6. Enes Kanter

Speaking of players no one ever thought would live up to their gaudy summer extensions, we have to eat a bit of extra crow in honor of Enes Kanter, who, oddly enough, was another player included in the three-team trade that moved Reggie Jackson to Detroit. Kanter was the Oklahoma City Thunder‘s prized acquisition in that deal, and coming off the bench under Billy Donovan, he’s been superb.

To be fair, Kanter’s four-year, $70 million extension may still be a hefty price to pay a reserve in some people’s minds. But with the fifth year big man averaging 11.4 points and 7.5 rebounds in only 20.6 minutes per game — while also shooting 55.1 percent from the floor — he’s more than fulfilled his important, albeit limited, role.

Kanter is still a defensive sieve, which is why Donovan prefers to roll with Steven Adams in the starting lineup and limits Kanter’s playing time so severely. After all, OKC’s defense is 9.0 points stingier per 100 possessions with Kanter off the floor. But in small doses, his knack for racking up double-doubles has outweighed his defensive flaws, with the big man actually holding opponents to 2.6 percent worse shooting than they’d normally shoot on attempts from less than six feet, per NBA.com.

Next: No. 5