5. DeMar DeRozan, San Antonio Spurs
On the one hand, DeMar DeRozan is coming off a special season where he grew as a playmaker and 3-point shooter, averaging 23.0 points, 5.2 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game as the best player on the No. 1 seed in the East. He’s an upgrade over nine games of banged-up Kawhi Leonard, which means the San Antonio Spurs could realistically improve on their 47-win season from last year.
However, his “growth” as a 3-point shooter was limited to a 31 percent conversion rate, he just turned 29 years old, and this master of the mid-range is joining a Spurs team that ranked in the bottom five in 3-point attempts, makes and percentage last year. Gregg Popovich is still one of the NBA’s best coaches, but will he be able to figure out how to space the floor on offense?
Playing alongside another mid-range throwback like LaMarcus Aldridge won’t help matters, and mainstay veterans Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are gone. DeRozan’s defense shouldn’t be as much of an issue playing in San Antonio, but the flaws in his game don’t make this the cleanest of fits, and it’s the reason he’s “only” No. 5 in these rankings.