The Pick and Pop: Which NBA players are about to break out?
With the NBA season set to tip off, theScore's NBA editors discuss which players are set for breakouts in 2015-16, and which bigger names might be due for a regression.
There are roughly 450 players on NBA rosters right now. Which one is going to break out this season?
Joseph Casciaro: As a 19-year-old rookie, Jabari Parker averaged over 12 points, five rebounds, an assist, and a steal in less than 30 minutes per game before a knee injury prematurely ended his season. With renewed health and an improving young core around him in Milwaukee, look for Parker to re-establish himself in 2015-16.
William Lou: The Portland Trail Blazers need a secondary scorer next to Damian Lillard, and C.J. McCollum is up for the challenge. He's a crafty ball-handler with a beautiful 3-point stroke and an eye toward the basket at all times. Expect over 15 points per game from the third-year guard.
Joe Wolfond: In his rookie season, Andrew Wiggins finished second in the NBA in minutes played, averaged 20 points (with nearly eight free-throw attempts!) per game after the All-Star break, and flashed tantalizing defensive potential. He's going to be a monster, especially as he grows more confident as a decision-maker, ball-handler, and long-range shooter.
Chris Walder: Bradley Beal. He's entering his fourth season in a Wizards uniform, which is around the time players of his ilk tend to break out and become household names. Washington will look for him on offense even more after a tremendous showing during last year's playoff run. He'll have a Jimmy Butler-esque ascension, and earn his first All-Star nod.
John Chick: There's no reason to believe Wiggins won't take the next step in his development. His defense is there, and his shot and handles are works in progress. The All-Star weekend is in his hometown, and if he doesn't play in Sunday's game, don't be surprised to see him in Saturday's dunk contest.
Sam Morsy: One of the league's most dynamic players under age 25, Beal is this year’s Jimmy Butler - a gifted guard on the verge with perennial All-Star potential. Two years of playoff experience under his belt and the green light from coach Randy Wittman positions him well for a breakout season.
As younger players rise, other stars must fall. Which player is in line for a regression this season?
Casciaro: He's not yet a star, but I'll go with Hassan Whiteside. The late-blooming big man was an absolute beast in the second half of last season, but he's a 26-year-old with only 67 career games under his belt, and concerns about his maturity and focus scare me away from expecting him to average a double-double over the course of a full season in Miami.
Lou: It pains me to slight a future Hall of Famer, but age is catching up with Dirk Nowitzki, who had a down year last season. With the Mavericks poised to finish - at best - with another first-round playoff exit, expect less minutes from the big German in a transition year for Dallas.
Wolfond: Relativity is important here: LeBron James will absolutely remain one of the league's very best, but this'll be the year he loses his grip on the consensus No. 1 spot. He's on the wrong side of 30, with over 43,000 regular-season and playoff minutes on his odometer. Last season he posted his lowest PER, rebound rate, and true shooting percentage in seven years, and the highest turnover rate of his career.
Walder: Defenders are going to zone in on Damian Lillard like never before now that LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum, and Wesley Matthews are gone. He'll still score a ton of points on a team severely lacking playmakers, but his percentages will be so poor that everyone will turn a blind eye to his performance.
Morsy: Bulls fans have reason to fear a sharp decline in Joakim Noah's once-enviable productivity. While he's always hung his hat on defense, last year's dip in his offensive numbers likely signals a continuous downward trend toward "defensive specialist" territory - hence Bulls brass' goal of grooming Bobby Portis.
Chick: Dirk. The slip kind of started last season. He's 37, after all, and unlike Tim Duncan in San Antonio, he doesn't have a vast support network in Dallas.