Hoops Habit
Fansided

NBA: 15 Young Players In Need Of A Breakout Season In 2016-17

By Gerald Bourguet

Oct 20, 2015; Madison, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Carter-Williams (5) drives to he basket against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio (9) in the first quarter at Kohl Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 20, 2015; Madison, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Carter-Williams (5) drives to he basket against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio (9) in the first quarter at Kohl Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
9 of 16
Next
NBA
Apr 10, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Shabazz Napier (13) enters the game during the second half against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won 118-96. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

8. Shabazz Napier

It seems like only yesterday that LeBron James was tweeting about how Shabazz Napier was the best point guard in the 2014 NBA Draft. A little more than two years later, Napier is already 25 years old and possibly fighting for his place in this league.

Entering his third season, the former four-year star from UCONN will be suiting up for his third NBA team. The Blazers traded for him over the summer, removing him from an Orlando Magic squad where he averaged a grand total of 3.7 points and 1.8 assists in only 10.9 minutes per game.

In his rookie season with the Miami Heat, Napier averaged 5.1 points and 2.5 assists in 19.8 minutes per game while shooting a respectable 36.4 percent from three-point range. Unfortunately, his shooting splits plummeted to .338/.327/.733 last year in Orlando.

In Portland, Napier will have to return to the more efficient three-point shooting he displayed — albeit in a small sample size — in Miami as a rookie.

Thanks to the hype that LeBron James exacerbated and a Blazers backcourt that usually just alternates between Lillard and McCollum running the show at the point, Napier will have his work cut out for him to create a niche for himself in Rip City.

Next: No. 7