The second half of the NBA season is starting to gear up, with most teams looking to make the playoff push while others may be looking forward to the NBA draft. After a wild NBA trade deadline, we are still waiting to see how many of the players moved will impact their new teams.
Not only that, but how some players that remained with their current team will fare with new teammatess. Next up, we will take a look at seven players who could play a starring role during the second half of the season.
7) Stephon Castle
San Antonio Spurs rookie Stephon Castle has started to turn heads, including with his prominence during the NBA's All-Star weekend. He won the Rising Stars MVP and had an impressive showing during the Dunk Contest, followed by helping lead the Rising Stars to a near victory against a veteran-laden All-Star team that included Steph Curry, James Harden, and Kevin Durant.
With the second half of the season set to kick off soon, all eyes should be on Castle, with him being the front-runner to win Rookie of the Year. Over the last 16 games, he's averaging an impressive 17.3 points in 30.6 minutes per game.
That is an impressive stat for a rookie, especially one who initially looked as though he was going to have a good but perhaps not great rookie season. However, his three-point shooting has spurred his emergence, with him drilling 40.4% of his 3.9 attempts per game over their last 12 contests.
Going forward, the Spurs should be starting Castle over Chris Paul, pairing him with De'Aaron Fox. That would give them a significant upgrade to their frontcourt, pairing an all-star in Fox with the rising star in Castle.
6) Austin Reaves
After the surprise Luka Doncic trade, the Los Angeles Lakers will have increased expectations heading into the second half of the season, and that trade could dramatically impact Austin Reeves' role.
Reaves was thriving playing point guard for the Lakers this season, including averaging a career-high 19.1 points and 6.2 assists per game, showing his versatility as both a scorer and a playmaker, and making himself indispensable to Los Angeles. However, after adding Doncic to their roster, they won't need Reaves to play point guard nearly as much.
Still, after changes to their perimeter rotation, including getting rid of guard D'Angelo Russell and Max Christie, they will need Reaves to sop up minutes at guard. With him in the midst of a career year, no matter what role he plays, he is likely in for what could be a big second half of the season.