The NBA’s Southwest division received another makeover in the offseason with the biggest news being the addition of Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets. Houston has the talent to contend for a championship this season but before that they will need to battle with the San Antonio Spurs for division supremacy. With the focus on the star players in the Southeast division, we dug deeper to find a handful of potential breakout players that are primed for breakthrough performances this coming year. Here is a look at five potential breakout players from the Southwest division this NBA season.
PG: Dejounte Murray, San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs will be relying heavily on one of their youngest pieces as they attempt to repeat as division champions in 2017-18. Tony Parker is recovering from quad surgery that could keep him out a good chunk of the season and head coach Gregg Popovich won’t want to wear down Patty Mills by playing him too hard. That means Murray should be thrust in to the spotlight with the expectation that he can take a substantial step forward in his second season.
Murray has had a productive offseason as he has worked out with Kahwi Leonard in San Diego and Isaiah Thomas. However, he needs to get better – specifically his shot. He’ll give you steals and assists, though, and if his shot improves, he could be a quality asset. After averaging just 3.4 points and 1.3 assists in 38 games last year, we can expect better numbers from Murray this coming season.
C: Clint Capela, Houston Rockets
All eyes will be on Paul and James Harden to see how they co-exist in the Rockets new-look backcourt this season. That will allow Capela to fly under the radar for a little bit but it likely won’t last long. Capela averaged 12.6 points and 8.1 rebounds a year ago. Now he has another All-Star playmaker to help set him up. Houston will continue to be a high-octane offense that relies heavily on the three-ball to win. However, they will still need to go inside at times in order to keep defenses honest and it will be Capela that benefits at the rim. Look for his numbers to go up with Paul lobbing him some easy alley-oops.
SF: James Ennis, Memphis Grizzlies
Ben McLemore is already hurt, Tyreke Evans and Chandler Parsons have serious injury histories and Vince Carter still hasn’t signed. That leaves Ennis as a player that could benefit substantially from more playing time in Memphis this coming season. Ennis averaged just 6.7 points and 4.0 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per game for the Grizzlies a year ago. However, when you take a look at what he did as a starting forward, he provided 9.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.1 steals, 1.5 free throws and 1.2 threes. That’s some decent stat-stuffing across the board. With a bigger role, Ennis could easily put up substantially better numbers in Memphis this coming season.
PF: Cheick Diallo, New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans will need the tandem of Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins to lead the way for them if they are going to contend for a playoff spot this season. However, for as talented as that tandem is there could still be room for Diallo to breakout as a complimentary option off the bench. Diallo is a talented athlete that has the athleticism to score off the dribble while also delivering quality defensive play off the bench. If he can capitalize on his opportunities early in the year, Diallo could be in for a breakout season in 2017-18.
Dennis Smith Jr., Dallas Mavericks
Smith was one of the most ferocious dunkers in college basketball a year ago. Now basketball fans can’t wait to see what he does at the NBA level. The ninth-overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft put on a show in the Summer League with the type of athleticism that made him stand out big time among his peers. The Mavericks are banking on Smith contributing at a high level right away this season. He could be in for a breakout year as a rookie in 2017-18.
The 2017 NBA futures are out. It’s been a wild offseason already, but keep an eye on the betting lines as they move around at Diamond Sportsbook! Get the latest NBA betting lines right here.
