After Russell Westbrook carried the Oklahoma City Thunder to the playoffs with one of the most dominant seasons in NBA history a year ago, the franchise decided to provide him with some help. Oklahoma City added Paul George, Raymond Felton and Patrick Patterson with the hope that they would help them contend for a championship this season. First, the Thunder will have to get out of its own division with the Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers eyeing the top spot. While the focus remains on the star talent in the division heading in to the season, there are a handful of players that could make bigger impacts than expected. Here is a look at five potential breakout players from the NBA’s Northwest division this season.
SG: Alex Abrines, Oklahoma City Thunder
While George and Patterson in particular have been talked about a lot after they were added to Oklahoma City’s starting lineup, it’s Abrines that could surprise as a potential breakout star this season. Abrines shot 38.1-percent from beyond the arc as a rookie last season and the Thunder are convinced that he is ready to play a bigger role in their offense. With George and Westbrook attacking the rim, Abrines and Patterson should get plenty of open looks from beyond the arc. Abrines in particular could be in line for a breakout season if he can consistently knock down his open three-point shots this season.
PG: Rodney Hood, Utah Jazz
The Jazz still have playoff ambitions even after losing Gordon Hayward with the hope that a number of their key players can step up and help fill the void he left. Hood is one of those players who is primed for a much bigger role. He couldn’t stay healthy last season but he is back in peak shape and entering his prime at 24 years old. In the 2015-16 season, Hood averaged 14.5 points with 3.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.0 threes. He’s mostly a one-dimensional player but the Jazz will be looking for points and threes from him.
After averaging 12.7 points and 3.4 rebounds in 27.0 minutes per game last season, Hood is ready to perform at an even higher level in 2017-18.
C: Jusuf Nurkic, Portland Trail Blazers
This pick was an obvious one after watching the way that Nurkic reinvented himself following a trade to Portland last season. Nurkic averaged 15.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.9 blocks in 20 games for the Trail Blazers. Remember, he ended the year injured and that really hampered the team.
Portland turned out to be the perfect fit for the talented young big man. Some people forget but he’s still young. He’s going to be just 24 in August. After a full offseason to develop chemistry with his new teammates, Nurkic is primed to pick up from where he left off late last year and deliver a breakout season.
PG: Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets
Murray passes all of the eye tests with his athleticism, creativity and ability to get to the rim. After flashing his immense potential a year ago, Murray is primed for a breakout season in Denver. Murray suffered through a sports hernia for most of last season and still averaged 9.9 points in 21.5 minutes per game. Now that he is fully healthy again and has another year of experience under his belt, Murray should be primed for a breakout year in 2017-18. And remember that the team added Paul Millsap to their front court. With him and Nikola Jokic, there is a lot of defensive attention that will be paid to the big men. That should allow Murray to thrive in the back court.
C: Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
Towns delivered from the outset as a Rookie of the Year winner in 2015-16. After showing marked improvement in his second year, Towns is primed for a monster third season. Minnesota added Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson to solidify a core that will feature KAT and Andrew Wiggins. With another year of experience and more help around him, Towns will produce the best numbers of his young career 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.
