10 young NBA players in need of a breakout season in 2017-18

Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images /
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Photos by Mark Sobhani/NBAE via Getty Images /

10. T.J. Warren

Entering the 2016-17 season, T.J. Warren felt like a Most Improved Player of the Year dark horse. When he started off his third year averaging 20 points and five rebounds through the first 11 games of the season, it felt like it was all coming together for Tony Buckets.

Unfortunately, a mysterious head injury completely derailed his potential breakout campaign, and he wasn’t the same after he returned 13 games later. Luckily, he found his groove again to close the season, averaging 17.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per game on 56 percent shooting after the All-Star break.

However, the writing is on the wall for a player who had an inconsistent season, still can’t shoot from 3-point range and already has his replacement waiting in the wings with rookie Josh Jackson. If Warren is unable to reach a contract extension with the Phoenix Suns before the upcoming season, 2017-18 will be spent proving his value before restricted free agency next summer.