Every year, a handful of NBA players make noticeable improvements to their performances that grab the attention of their peers. This year is no exception.
There are a lot of components that go into a player having a breakout year. First and foremost is the offseason work they put in leading up to the season. The intensity of the workouts has to be high enough to not only maintain the player’s current level of productivity but also break the threshold and push them to a higher level of performance.
Secondly, the player has to convince his teammates and coaches that his progress warrants a bigger role on the offensive or defensive side of the ball. Lastly, the player has to have the internal belief to execute under the bright lights and perform when the cameras are rolling and the eyes of the basketball world are watching.
With that criteria in mind, let’s take a closer look at five players who are performing at higher-than-expected levels and making a name for themselves this season.
NBA: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-OKC Thunder
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the OKC Thunder has gone from the best-kept secret in professional basketball to a bona fide superstar this season. The leap he has taken is amazing, but fans who have been paying attention are not completely thrown off; his growth year after year indicated that he was a volcano just waiting to erupt.
However, while Gilgeous-Alexander has been deservedly eating up all the headlines, there are several other young players throughout the NBA who are making their mark on the league and putting the basketball world on notice that they’re on an upward trend.
This happens every season, and each winter, several first-timers are awarded an inaugural appearance in the All-Star game. While the players we will discuss in this article may not receive an All-Star nod this season, their performances thus far indicate that being selected for the annual extravaganza is within their grasp for the future.
NBA: Devin Vassell – San Antonio Spurs
Devin Vassell is a 6’5″ shooting guard who left Florida State after his sophomore season. Over the course of his first two years with the San Antonio Spurs, he showed the ability to contribute at the professional level. His scoring increased from 5.5 points per game as a rookie to 12.3 points per game in his second season.
Although Coach Gregg Popovich had to be pleased with the improvements of the player he selected with the 11th pick in the 2020 NBA draft, it is doubtful that he anticipated the leap that Vassell has taken thus far in his third season. One of the areas in which Vassell has shown steady improvement is his ability to knock down the 3-point shot. So far this season, Vassell is shooting a career-best 42.2 percent from beyond the arc.
Gregg Popovich deserves some credit for ushering in the modern style of play in the NBA, as it was his 2014 team that dismantled the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals with a barrage of deadly shooting from behind the 3-point line. Seeing his starting shooting guard increase in accuracy has to be pleasing to the five-time champion head coach.
However, Vassell’s improvement is more than just accuracy; it’s also a result of a more aggressive mindset overall. This season, Vassell is averaging 16.6 shot attempts per game, by far the most of his career. He is also shooting a career-high 3.1 free throws per game, which means he is driving to the basket and drawing fouls on a more regular basis.
All of this has translated into an average of 20.9 points per contest, which is even more essential considering the team traded away All-Star guard Dejounte Murray in the offseason. Vassell may not make the All-Star team this year, but if he continues to improve at this rate, it will be an unavoidable part of his future.
NBA: Bennedict Mathurin – Indiana Pacers
There is normally a learning curve for rookies in the NBA that prevents them from being trusted contributors on a nightly basis. However, every season there are a few exceptions to this rule, and this year Bennedict Mathurin of the Indiana Pacers is among them.
Although the season is young, Mathurin is among the early Rookie of the Year candidates and is already being recognized for his contributions on the court. On December 1st, he was named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month due to his averages of 19.2 points and 4 rebounds during the month of November.
Putting the ball in the basket has been a consistent theme for Mathurin this season. One of his most memorable performances came against the Brooklyn Nets in October when he helped offset the 35 points scored by Nets star Kyrie Irving by scoring 32 of his own. The Pacers would escape with a nine-point victory, largely due to the contributions of their star rookie.
At 6’6″ tall and weighing 210 lbs., Mathurin is the prototypical NBA shooting guard. However, his game is not solely predicated on size and athleticism. He is already knocking down 40 percent of his 3-point attempts, which is the mark of an elite outside shooter. If he continues at this rate, Mathurin could follow in the footsteps of Pacers legend Reggie Miller and become one of the premier shooting guards in the league.
NBA: Desmond Bane – Memphis Grizzlies
After spending four seasons at TCU, shooting guard Desmond Bane entered the NBA ready to contribute at the pro level. After his rookie season, his 9.2 points per game average and 43.2 percent 3-point shooting earned him a spot on the NBA’s All-Rookie Second Team.
Bane took a big step forward last season, upping his production to 18.2 points per game during the regular season.
Even more impressive was his consistency during the Memphis Grizzlies’ twelve playoff contests, where he averaged 18.8 points per game while shooting 48.9 percent from 3-point range. This led his teammate Ja Morant, who was given last season’s Most Improved Player Award, to say that Desmond Bane was the one who was truly deserving of the acknowledgment.
If Bane had maintained last season’s level of productivity, that would be enough to maintain the respect that he has garnered across the league. However, instead of being complacent, Bane has become even more lethal this year. So far, he is averaging 24.7 points per game while shooting a blistering 45.1 percent from beyond the arc. The Grizzlies are on pace to enjoy a home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, and Bane’s improved play is a big part of the reason why.
Throughout NBA history, championship teams have normally consisted of a superstar who has a trusted All-Star caliber player by his side whom he fully trusts. The Grizzlies found their superstar when they drafted Ja Morant in 2019. It turns out, they may have found that all-important second piece to the puzzle when they obtained Bane the very next year.
NBA: Paolo Banchero – Orlando Magic
On November 5th, the Orlando Magic Power Forward Paolo Banchero became the second teenager to amass 30 points and 15 rebounds in an NBA game when he scored 33 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in a loss to the Sacramento Kings. The other player to do it was LeBron James.
To say that Banchero is in rare company is an understatement. Standing 6’10” tall and weighing 250 lbs. Banchero is one of the few players in NBA history to join the league strong enough to bang bodies with the grown men who make up his opponents and not be knocked around. In fact, when witnessing displays of sheer strength and physicality during a Magic game, it is Banchero who is playing “bully ball,” not the other way around.
After one season at Duke, where he was named the ACC Rookie of the Year, Banchero was taken with the first pick in the draft by the Orlando Magic. So far this season, it looks like the team made the right choice. Banchero is currently averaging 21.8 points per game, pulling down 6.5 rebounds per contest, and looking like a man amongst boys. He is among the favorites to win the Rookie of the Year award, even though the team is not seeing success in the win column.
Although Banchero is a physically gifted player, he does not rely solely on his size and strength to get an advantage on his opponents. He is an exceptional ball handler for a player of his size, and he is capable of getting to his desired spot on the floor in just a few dribbles. His agility and skill set are part of what make him difficult to guard. The Magic are a young ball club, but when the trio of Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, and Banchero begins to gel, they could be a team to look out for in the not-so-distant future.
NBA: Keldon Johnson – San Antonio Spurs
After his second season in the NBA, San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson gained invaluable experience when he won a gold medal as a member of the USA Olympic Basketball team, competing in Tokyo. Having a chance to compete against premier forwards like Kevin Durant and Bam Adebayo every day in practice can only make a young player better, and Johnson showed immediate improvement the following season.
Last season, Johnson put up highly respectable numbers of 17.0 points and 6.1 rebounds per game while starting all 75 games he appeared in. Those numbers were impressive enough for the team to offer him a four-year, $74 million extension in the offseason, which he gladly accepted.
This year, Johnson is once again one of San Antonio’s most reliable performers, as he is averaging 20.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per contest. The Spurs are in search of an identity, but Johnson is helping them maintain respectability while they look for a winning formula.
Gregg Popovich is one of the greatest basketball minds the NBA has ever seen. The Spurs may not be very good right now, but fans in San Antonio should not expect things to stay that way for long. In Johnson, Devin Vassell, and Zach Collins, the team has three very promising young players that they could potentially build around. Expect Coach Popovich to do some additional maneuvering this offseason to help the team return to relevancy.
Every year, several NBA players take a giant leap forward and put the league on notice that the improvements in their games warrant serious attention. So far this season, Devin Vassell, Bennedict Mathurin, Desmond Bane, Paolo Banchero, and Keldon Johnson are putting the league on notice that they are here to stay.
Emerging talent is always one of the most intriguing subplots of an NBA season, and thanks to these five standouts, this year is no exception.