[BSPN] [Rox Edition] Predicting 11 NBA Break Out Candidates

daywalker02 · Oct 8, 2024

Tier 2: Not quite All-Stars, but they're on the brink
Here are three players on the cusp of stardom who happen to share the same name. (Apologies to other notable Jalens, including Suggs and Duren.)

Jalen Green,
Houston Rockets
There's some common thought around the league that the Rockets are primed to take a step forward this season. Houston has collected an enviable amount of talent over the past handful of drafts. The funny thing about these newfound expectations is that there is also a level of uncertainty around which of Houston's young players will make the leap next.

Alperen Sengun's production is already there. Amen Thompson is one of the league's most exciting prospects. Jabari Smith, Cam Whitmore and Tari Eason haven't played their best basketball yet, and Reed Sheppard is coming up in early NBA Rookie of the Year talk. It's unclear how coach Ime Udoka will rotate these guys. Some of them will pop, but inevitably, someone will have to take a back seat.

After Green's scorching close to the 2023-24 season, he's the Rockets player I'm personally most curious about. At surface level, his first three seasons haven't shown much statistical progression, underscored by streaky offensive play.

Green averaged 27 points per game on 49% shooting in March, playing the best basketball of his career, some of that occurring with Sengun missing time, but impressive nonetheless. Although Green hasn't been a banner of efficiency to this point in his three-year pro career, with shot selection and consistency two things that have challenged him, it did feel like things are clicking.

He has always been an electric driver who can make difficult things look easy, but learning to pick his spots and finding consistency has been a slow roll. Perimeter players in Green's mold -- hyper-athletic scorers who have to learn to slow things down at the NBA level (think Zach LaVine) -- tend to take time. Houston has a lot of mouths to feed, but if Green can build on last season's progress, he should be in for his best season yet.

Green, 22, will be entering a contract year if he and the Rockets don't agree to an extension before Oct. 21. The Rockets have a lot to sort out, but if Green, who has the shot-creation chops and scoring talent, can put together his most complete season yet, he could be the one who carries them most often.
Click to expand...

Tier 1
Mobley
Franz

Tier 2
Jalen Green
Jalen Johnson
Jalen Williams aka JayDub

Tier 3
Giddey
Podziemski
Cam Thomas

Tier 4
Keon Ellis
Tyus Jones
Terance Mann

https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/st...1-nba-breakout-players-tiers-2024-2025-season

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[BSPN] [Rox Edition] Predicting 11 NBA Break Out Candidates

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