Last NBA season saw players like Tyrese Maxey and Coby White emerge as Stars in the league. The year before that saw Tyrese Haliburton and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander become stars as well. Every year players rise up, taking the next step and becoming better players. This next season is no different with many potential candidates to grow their game throughout the year. These are five players I’m looking at to take the biggest steps next season.

Julian Strawther

Julian Strawther comes into the next season as a second-year player out of Gonzaga. The Denver Nuggets picked Strawther with the 29th pick in the first round of the 2023 draft, where he averaged 10.9 points per game throughout his career with Gonzaga. Strawther saw limited playing time throughout his first season with the Nuggets, averaging 4.5 points per game in the 10 minutes per game he saw throughout the season. The Nuggets saw Kentavious Caldwell-Pope leave in free agency this offseason, opening up a slew of shooting guard minutes. Strawther brings versatility scoring wise. With his six foot seven frame Strawther gets to the basket along with being a solid shooter from mid-range and from the three-point-line. While Christian Braun seems to hold the starting shooting guard role, Strawther will act like a spark plug off the bench with said offensive production displayed last season and throughout Summer League. Through only two Summer League games, Strawther dropped 25 and 32 points, proving that he didn’t need to be in Summer League. I expect Strawther to majorly build on last season, and he’s got all the tools in the shed to do so.

Keon Ellis

Coming into his third season, Keon Ellis showed flashes of a potential Jrue Holiday type player mold. In other words, a good shooter from three-point-land and a great on and off-ball defender. Ellis garnered 15 starts throughout the last 15 games of last season, with Ellis showing the promise of a potential star in the league. Keon came out of Alabama where he went undrafted in 2022. The Sacramento Kings signed him as an undrafted free agent where he didn’t see much time in his first year. Last year Ellis shot 41% from three throughout his second season and had a positive 2.1 defensive box plus-minus. Ellis projects to be the starter this next season for Sacramento adding defense to the backcourt that holds all-star De’Aaron Fox. I expect Ellis to climb from 5.4 points per game to around 11 and a potential all-defensive-team upside from him this coming season. 

Andrew Nembhard

Piggybacking off a strong playoff run, where he averaged around 15 points and five assists, Andrew Nembhard secured a three-year extension worth 59 million. All signs and projections point toward Nembhard continuing on his growth next season. Coming out of Gonzaga, Nembhard garnered two all-conference awards and displayed positive playmaking along with the ability to score the ball. The Indiana Pacers drafted him with the first pick in the second round (31st overall) in 2022 where he had a decent, but not impressive rookie season. Nembhard would build on his production in his sophomore year, having a positive on-court plus-minus of 2.1 compared to when he was off the court where the Pacers were a negative 3.6 without him. Despite this, he only had a 0.1 VORP (value over replacement-level player) having him as a replacement-level player in the regular season. Nembhard still displayed some encouraging stats i.e his true shooting percentage, and his contributions on offense. The Pacers system allows for Nembhard to grow on his stats next season for a jump in numbers and from role player to great starter, seeing a jump in his counting stats along with his underlying numbers improving.

Dereck Lively II

With the Dallas Mavericks falling out of a play-in spot in the 2022 season, they obtained the 12th overall pick in the first round where they selected Dereck Lively. Lively, coming out of Duke, was ACC All-Freshman and ACC All-Defense where he manned the middle of the paint for the 27-9 Blue Devils. Lively averaged 2.5 blocks in college which was a major draw for the Mavericks, seeing as their defense rating the 24th best of the league. Lively delivered on his defensive appeal with a 0.5 DBPM (defensive box plus/minus) in his rookie season, an encouraging stat for the 20-year-old. Building off his rookie year, Lively flashed a potential three-point shot in offseason workouts. Lively knocked down consecutive shots in the shot clip, spelling danger for the rest of the league if D-Live can consistently knock down the three ball. Seeing Lively add a positive offensive output to his already positive defense will propel him and the Mavericks significantly. 

Keyonte George 

Stellar rookie season for 16th overall pick, Keyonte George, where he displayed he could score the ball at the NBA level. In his single year at Baylor, George put up 15 points a game on relatively inefficient shooting which was a worry for him coming into his rookie year, where the Utah Jazz selected him. While he wasn’t very efficient and the stats don’t favor him, the eye test showed he could score. George began starting for the Jazz mid-season, where he had the fifth-highest usage rate as a rookie. Progressing after his rookie season, George should become more efficient with a season of experience under the 20-year-old’s belt. Keyonte acts as a second option this upcoming season behind All-Star teammate Lauri Markkanen. The Jazz are still going to be bad this season, but I expect Keyonte George to produce a ton of their points with more efficient scoring this season. George’s points per game could realistically be close to or at 20 ppg in his sophomore season. He won’t add relatively anything defensively, but he’ll score that ball.