6 third-year NBA players that are in desperate need of a huge 2022-23 season
Third-year NBA center James Wiseman, Golden State Warriors
Like the aforementioned Patrick Williams, the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors are going to need to start seeing a return on their investment in the former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman.
Early in his young career, Wiseman had the great misfortune of having multiple injury setbacks. In his first two seasons with the Warriors, Wiseman has competed in just 39 total games. Fortunately, for Wiseman, he’s on a very experienced team and has hopefully been soaking up all the wisdom he can from guys like Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, and Draymond Green while he’s been preparing for his comeback.
There’s a different kind of pressure on Wiseman than the rest of the players you’ll find in this list. The team’s success does not rest on the shoulders of Wiseman, but he has to show that he can be durable and provide meaningful relief minutes for the incumbent starter, Kevon Looney.
Third-year NBA big man Precious Achiuwa, Toronto Raptors
Precious Achiuwa, a native of Nigeria, has only played basketball for a short time compared to his NBA counterparts. The Kansas City Star reported back in 2019 that Achiuwa had only been playing basketball seriously since the eighth grade, roughly nine years ago.
His combination of raw talent, athleticism and work ethic enabled his rise to the No. 20 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He’s had some bumps in the road, most notably being traded from Miami to Toronto after his rookie season. He basically had to start over from scratch after his rookie season and learn how to compete for a new coach, new system and new teammates.
The Raptors are counting on Achiuwa to make a sizeable leap forward in his game this year. It’s no secret this team needs depth, but if Achiuwa can step up this season, it’ll help bring down the temperature on that a little bit. Besides, Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam shouldn’t have to play 35-38 minutes per game during the regular season.
Achiuwa making a leap will help preserve those starters a little bit more so they aren’t limping across the finish line when the regular season ends.