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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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Apr 22, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy talks with guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (5) during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game three of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /

13. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

The Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics are in a class of their own in the East, but the Detroit Pistons could be one of the conference’s most improved teams coming off their first playoff appearance since 2009.

Andre Drummond, Reggie Jackson and even Tobias Harris are the faces of the franchise right now, and Stanley Johnson adds even more excitement to the core as a young wing on the rise. But one of the more fundamentally sound players that hardly anyone ever talks about is Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who might already be Detroit’s best two-way player.

Last season, KCP only put up 14.5 points and 1.4 steals per game, shooting just 42 percent from the field and 30.9 percent from three-point range. But he was one of the few players in the league last season to experience mild success guarding Stephen Curry last year and his playoff debut was very encouraging.

It was only a four-game sample size, but Caldwell-Pope was one of Detroit’s best performers in that series, averaging 15.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting 44 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from three-point range.

Those are numbers the Pistons could certainly live with in 2016-17, and as KCP enters his fourth year in the league, this 23-year-old could be ready for a breakout season establishing himself as one of the league’s up-and-coming two-way shooting guards.