Phoenix Suns: 3 candidates for a breakout season in 2018-19

2. Josh Jackson

Josh Jackson could take a big step forward or a big step backward, and it’ll take hard work for him to make sure it’s the former. Some of the things that seem to help him might actually hurt him.

Adding a low-post threat like Deandre Ayton might seem to only help Jackson, because it’ll take pressure off of him, but it could also cramp the paint and take the ball out of Jackson’s hands. Last year, the rookie posted a huge 26.0 percent usage rate, and that figures to go down this year.

Still, the lower burden could benefit him. Jackson was billed primarily as a defender, and he can focus more on that end if he doesn’t have to shoulder so much of the scoring load on offense. He wasn’t a particularly efficient scorer anyway.

Don’t discount coach Igor Kokoskov’s influence though. He’s known as a bit of a shooting whisperer, and if he improves Jackson’s percentages from deep, Jackson will only be that much more effective as an off-ball player.

If Josh Jackson can turn up the intensity on defense and become a lockdown defender, then that will already be an encouraging season, no matter what happens with his offense. However, if he can improve incrementally at other facets of his game like shooting, attacking close-outs, and passing, then this will be a true breakout year for him.