Which NBA Player Makes a Leap in 2017?

The staff members of 16 Wins a Ring weigh in…

On Monday, the 16 Wins a Ring staff took a glance at the best NBA moments from 2016 as we kicked off a week of looking back and peeking ahead. Today our staff weighs in on the future, specifically which player will take a big step forward in the upcoming twelve months.

You will find a whole lot of Sixteen love for one particular upper Midwestern team below. Be sure to check out the top 2016 moments if you haven’t done so already:

Chris De Silva

I don’t know if this counts because he’s already in the process of making the leap, but my guy is the Alphabet: Giannis Antetokounmpo. This year will be his first All-Star appearance and this offseason he will finally add the one thing missing from his game: the jump shot. If he does that, the 2017–18 season may well be The Year of Giannis.

Duncan Smith

Zach LaVine is my pick for player who makes a leap. He’s been on an accelerated development track and if the Timberwolves ever get it together, he’ll be a big reason why.

Mara Averick

Jabari Parker. He’s no Giannis, but he’s come back from injury with some improvements in his game that aren’t quite “there” yet, but he’s had the chance to improve upon them on the court with Middleton out. A tighter handle, an increasingly consistent long-range shot, and passable D should continue their upward trend when Middleton is back on the court.

Spencer Davies

I’ve got to go with Nikola Jokic. He’s already shown signs of greatness with his ability to crash the glass on both ends of the floor, an innate vision to find teammates on fast breaks & backdoor cuts, and excellent footwork in the paint. All of this goes without mentioning that he can play multiple styles. Whether Michael Malone needs a go-to scoring option or a guy to give Denver multiple second chance opportunities, Jokic gets it done.

At just 21 years of age, Jokic has an extremely high ceiling and loads of potential. With the inevitable departure of Jusuf Nurkic seemingly drawing closer, it’ll only help his cause as he gets more and more playing time.

Shy

Dwyane Wade will shock everyone and opt out of his contract with the Bulls and sign a two-year deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron James is still the best GM in the NBA.

Pete Toal

Kristaps Porzingis has finally been handed the reigns as the lead star of the New York Knicks. Porzingis will spend the 2017 offseason working on his footwork in the post while adding both a turn-around hook shot and a Dirk Nowitzki-esque fade that is impossible to stop.

Kristaps’s ability to lure defenders outside and blow by them with ease will help propel the Knicks to the third best record in the Eastern Conference and a 51-win season. Porzingis puts up a huge stat line of 24 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game while showing not only the NBA but also the world just how electrifying he can be at 7'3.

Adam Joseph

Ben Simmons — the wait will be worth it. As a fellow Australian, I’ve followed Ben closely and every coach, scout and basketball person I’ve spoken to raves the same way I do. He’s already an elite passer, he can score even though his shot badly needs work and he’s only going to get better. Can we please come up with a name fitting alongside Joel Embiid’s The Process? Could Ben Simmons be the solution?

Troy Tauscher

More joy to Bucks fans but I have a first class seat on the Malcolm Brogdon train. I don’t think he’ll start over Middleton or anything but I’ll be watching him closely, especially now that he’s registered his first triple double.

Cameron Stewart

I think certain young players like Giannis, KAT, and Porzingis have already made their leaps into stardom with All-Star caliber seasons so far in 2016. Myles Turner isn’t on that level yet, but he’s a good bet to join them.

The Pacers are a team with Paul George, Myles Turner, and a ton of questions. He’s already made a jump from his rookie season and still has room for improvement. He won’t turn 21 until March and the Pacers would be wise to thrust him into the unquestionable second option next season as opposed to being just one of the guys this season.

George Kondoleon

It’ll be nice to watch D’Angelo Russell take the next step in his career in 2017. There are still a lot of question marks surrounding his potential success. He possesses a swagger that should light up this league, and if he starts to notice that, we all might have a new favorite player to watch.

Keith Smith

The big leap will be made by the Bucks trio of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker, and Khris Middleton. They’ve been putting up numbers, but by next year, they’ll learn how to win consistently and will jump into the upper half of the Eastern Conference.

Allana Tachauer

Hassan Whiteside. Jimmy Butler. Joel Embiid. DeMarcus Cousins. The list goes on and on. 2017 is the Year of the Underdog.

Whether that means a player finally gets the recognition he deserves, becomes the face of a franchise, improves on the court, changes an organization, or rewrites his story… times are changing.

While superstars will still continue to dominate (James, Wade, Durant, etc), the headlines will focus on younger talent who slowly but surely will shift the entirety of the game. After all, they are the future. 2016 was just the introduction. 2017 is when the show really begins.

serge

I honestly don’t know. Maybe Kentavious Caldwell-Pope… I kind of want it to be KCP. Odds are it’s whoever is currently splitting time between the Spurs bench and some secret lab in the basement of HEB (Tim Duncan is the new supervisor).

I think maybe Julius Randle. He’s got a set of skills tailor-made for the positionless system Coach Dude Luke Walton likes to run. I also think he’ll know all the best Kombucha spots in LA. In case you need it.

Adam Howes

Jabari and Giannis have started strong and I think with more and more games under their belt, Jabari Parker will find even more of a comfort zone in the offense. His confidence after successfully coming back from tearing his ACL is only going to increase every game. With the added benefit of youth and Giannis carrying majority of the work load, he doesn’t necessarily have the pressure of being THE man and can ease his game along also.

Look out, Eastern Conference!

Daman Rangoola

Nikola Jokic. He’s finally starting in Denver and displaying his all-around game, especially on the play-making end. With more opportunity and minutes, I expect Jokic to take that next step as an offensive pillar for the future of this Nuggets team

Brandon Anderson

The entire Minnesota team is coming, and you’re foolish to give up on that trio of 21-year-olds if you have already, but I’m especially excited for Zach LaVine. LaVine continues to improve every season by leaps and bounds (both literally and figuratively). He’s up from 10 to 14 to 21ppg while increasing both his field goal and three point percentages each season, currently at 42% from downtown. His offensive rating is up from 95 to 104 to a sparkling 116 and it really shows, a player that looks like he’s figuring it out on offense and a guy that has become the go-to player in crunch time on a loaded team.

Nine players in history have scored 20ppg with 2 threes at age 23 or younger: Iverson, Stoudamire, McGrady, Arenas, Durant, Harden, Dame, PG, and Kyrie. LaVine is on pace to do it this year and could still do it two more times before he turns 24, and he’s making more threes than anyone on the list.

Shooting guards usually take awhile to develop in the NBA, so what LaVine is doing at over two years younger than Buddy Hield is something to behold. One last comparison, LaVine and a trio of other shooting guards in their third seasons — all pretty good in their own right. Dare to dream…

David Ramil

Giannis Antetokounmpo, though it’s hard to see him making a greater leap than he already has, but I think he has to the drive to continue working on his greatest weaknesses.

Plus, so much of how an individual is perceived is based on team-wide factors. For example, has James Harden suddenly made a huge leap this season? Probably not, but the better system and roster to implement it have allowed his strengths to shine.

Similarly, this is a Bucks team that has dealt with injury and inconsistency. They’ll get it right in 2017 and people will be impressed by how Antetokounmpo has found a way to shine while carrying the team into the postseason.