Breakout Predictions
With preseason just around the corner and the season a couple weeks away, I know we're all excited for our star studded starting 5, but I'm curious as to who y'all think might be a breakout player from our bench/reserves. You can even say someone from the starting lineup too, if you think there's a genuine leap to be made by a certain player (but I've mostly not mentioned them due how much the ball will be shared between them)
In this case I'm referring to being better than previously expected or what they were before. So someone like Anfernee Simons being a SMOY candidate or Jabari Walker going from a fringe player 10th or 11th in the rotation to a quality role player hanging around 7th or 8th.
Me personally, I'm pretty high on Hukporti, feels like he's got the tools and touch to be a genuine quality backup big, maybe even starting caliber (for those games Embiid is rested or is out for any reason) if he really meshes well with the team.
I'm also really high on LaBaron and I think he's gonna establish himself as the first PG off the bench for us.
What do y'all think?
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u/illwill004 7h ago
Outside of the starting 5, I think Wade will solid. Ideally, Wade can be 38% 3pt shooter and not a negative on offense. For Simons, we want him to return to being a 40%+ shooter on good volume and not a zero on defense. For KCP, we just want him to be a solid 3 & D option. For Barlow, we just need him to be a capable floor space, viable small ball 5, and dirty work guy.
As far as breakout, the obvious choice would be Simons. He has Sixth Man of the year potential with this team. Playing alongside with at least 2 starters, should lead to a ton of open shots. My darkhorse would be Philon though. If he can get enough minutes, he can be a breakout. He's the best ball handler, top 3 passer, and willing to compete on defense. If his shot is falling, he can make an immediate impact. I can already see him getting a wide open shot, attacking the closeout, using his top tier ball handle to either get a good 15-18' pull up shot or a good drive and kick
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u/DrAsom 7h ago
Dude, LaBaron's ball handling is so elite, even as a rookie, dude be moving the ball around like it's on a thread fr!
Ngl I kinda think Barlow can make a bigger leap than most ppl expect, I've heard talk that his 3pt jumper looks a lot better than last year, so if that's true, I can see him getting some quality minutes
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u/illwill004 7h ago
If Maxey had Philon's handles, it would be a wrap for the league. Maxey has stated that his father didn't let him focus on his handles until later in his development. Maxey is a solid handler, but not on the level of Philon. Maxey's game revolves around going 100 mph and using the stepback and side steps as the counter. I wanted a center at 22, but I wasn't upset with the pick. If Philon looks legit, then I wouldn't be surprised if Simons is traded as a part of a package to get an upgrade at backup Center
I like that Barlow bulked up and worked on his shot. We do have to consider the elbow laceration probably affected his shot. With him bulking up, I definitely see him playing a lot of small ball 5. Ideally, he can be at least league average from 3. But, ideally, I either want him as primary small ball 5 or backup 4 next to Embiid
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u/DrAsom 7h ago
True true, tbf tho I do think Maxeys handle has gotten a lot better and smoother over the past two years. Bro definitely has been working on it.
Even if LaBaron is really good, I'd still prefer we keep Simons as a backup 2. LaBaron is still a rookie and will hit the wall at some point, whereas Simons is a proven commodity and a much better shooter at this point in their careers.
I could see Barlow being a starting caliber 4 if that jumpshot comes thru. You make a really good point about his elbow laceration, no doubt made his shot wonky
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u/illwill004 6h ago
Maxey has always gotten 1% better each day lol. But seriously, Maxey is going to really benefit from less on ball responsibilities. He's at his best off ball. He's going to feast on Pindowns, DHOs, Back door cuts, Give and Gos, and spot up shooting. For all the starters, the 2-3 starter stagger minutes is where they can get into their bag.
I agree about Simons. I mention him as a trade candidate because if we want to upgrade a spot, either him or Wade is the only realistic candidates. I rather keep Wade over Simons. Simons plus either of Walker, Edwards, or current backup Center should allow them to trade for a solid $8-10M trade target
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u/PHLWeaponX20 7h ago
I was debating with a buddy VJ's viability as Most Improved at +7000. He was 16.0, 5.6, and 4.2 last year, and I could easily see a 25+% improvement across all 3 categories, despite concerns about usage. He's going to keep getting a ton of minutes as our best wing defender and youngest starter bringing a ton of energy and likely being the last guy other teams worry about.
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u/DrAsom 7h ago
Hundred percent, I know LeBron mentioned it on his podcast, I do genuinely think he could make a push for an all defensive team this season. Idk if there'll be a huge jump offensively just cuz there's so many mouths to feed, but I definitely could see him averaging 2.4-2.8 steals a game and upping both his assists and rebounding.
If he's really upping his game outside of scoring, I could see him starting to average close to a triple double. Iirc, he'd already been rebounding way more near the end of last season
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u/WeCantBothBeMe 8h ago
I’m going say Huk too for the reasons you’ve already stated and then some. I’m always impressed by how mobile and fast he is for his size he doesn’t move like a 7 footer at all and he’s switchable on defense. He’s a skilled passer and he’s got a nice touch on his floaters and whether he passes, hits a floater or dunks it’s looking like he can make quick and correct decisions with the ball which is good because role players need to do that.