Breakout Players from Each Team: Northwest Division
The NBA season is just hours away. The reigning champion Boston Celtics host the New York Knicks to open things up, bringing on another anticipated year. Before tip-off, it’s time to predict what faces will take the next leap in their NBA career and step into a larger role. Here are the breakout candidates in the Northwest Division.
Utah Jazz: Keyonte George
Keyonte George stepped into a big role on a struggling team during his rookie year. This explains the struggles shooting-wise, being one of the main threats that teams would gameplan for. George showed flashes of promise though, and has a lot of room to gel with young talent around him. George should be one of the key building blocks for a rebuild going forward and will command an even greater responsibility in year two.
Denver Nuggets: Christian Braun
This pick just makes the most sense. Christian Braun is going to be asked to step up into a much bigger role, replacing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the starting lineup. Braun will have ample opportunity to take more looks and will have a much greater responsibility on the defensive end. He has shown he can perform in some crucial games down the stretch last season and now will have to elevate his game even more if the Nuggets want to stay on top of the West.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Chet Holmgren
Picking Chet Holmgren for the Thunder is an easy pick, as year two should be a massive upgrade. Holmgren ran with Victor Wembanyama in contention for Rookie of the Year for the majority of last season and proved to be a huge piece for the Thunder’s climb to the one seed. Holmgren should be in for a monster year after a sensational rookie campaign where he averaged 16.5 points per game, 7.8 rebounds per game, and 2.3 blocks per game. What will help him even more this year is the addition of Isaiah Hartenstein, although he is already slated to miss some time. When healthy, Hartenstein will give an added boost of defense and big man help that can allow Holmgren to work more on the offensive side and not have to be worn down by bruising down low so often.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Naz Reid
Naz Reid has shown flashes of star capabilities, especially when filling in the starting lineup last season. With Karl-Anthony Towns gone, Reid should have a much larger responsibility scoring-wise. He will need to be used to stretch the floor, as one of the only bigs who can shoot at an efficient clip from deep range. Reid already drew major attention by winning Sixth Man of the Year, but it’s time for him to step up even more.
Portland Trail Blazers: Scoot Henderson
The Trail Blazers were not a great team last season, and it was reflected upon the up-and-down season that Scoot Henderson went through as a result. His athletic profile was what got him drafted, and although it took him a while to get accustomed to the NBA, he hit his stride down the stretch. In the short month of April, Henderson averaged 19.4 points per game and 9.7 assists per game, while shooting 41.7% from three-point land. Henderson looks to lead this backcourt alongside Anfernee Simons in what should be another year of developing young talent and taking the next step for the rebuild in Portland.
