The Golden State Warriors have established that they are the clear class of the NBA with three straight NBA Finals appearances including two championships. In fact, the disparity between the Warriors and the rest of the division could continue to grow this season. While the spotlight remains on Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and company heading in to the year, we decided to take a closer look at the division and identify a handful of players that could be on the verge of breaking through this season. Here is a look at five potential breakout players from the NBA’s Pacific division this season.
SF: Omri Casspi, Golden State Warriors
The Warriors are absolutely loaded headed in to this season. Curry, Durant and Klay Thompson will start. Andre Iguodola and Shaun Livingston can come off the bench. Nick Young was added in the offseason and Patrick McCaw is an intriguing young talent. So where does Casspi fit in? The veteran forward struggled while playing for three different teams a year ago but he has the talent to succeed with Golden State. Casspi is two years removed from the best year of his career, when he averaged 12.0 poitns in 27.2 minutes per game for the Sacramento Kings. A quality scorer that hit 40-percent of his three-point shots that year with the Kings, Casspi could be an underrated depth player for the Warriors this season.
PG: Milos Teodosic, Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers took a major hit when they lost Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets in the offseason. While Teodosic won’t be expected to replace Paul’s production, he will benefit from the opportunity to take over as the starting point guard in LA. The 30-year-old Serbian dazzled in Europe over the past couple of years and now he gets his opportunity to show what he can do in the NBA. The Clippers still have a considerable amount of talent. Teodosic could be a breakout players to watch out for this season.
PF: Skal Labissiere, Sacramento Kings
There are plenty of breakout options in Sacramento with Buddy Hield, Willie Cauley-Stein, Bogdan Bogdanovic and De’Aaron Fox in the mix. One option that shouldn’t be overlooked is Labissiere. The 6’11’’ big man can dominate on the boards as well as stretch the floor with his shooting from the outside. After he averaged 13.3 points and 5.3 rebounds over the final six games of his rookie season, Labissiere is worth keeping an eye on as a potential breakout player this season.
PG: Lonzo Ball, Los Angeles Lakers
In addition to the media circus that will follow Ball and his father to Los Angeles, the potential is there for some pretty strong production. The Lakers have cleared the way for Ball to make an immediate impact in his rookie season. Ball will run an offense that will feature plenty of athleticism and players that can finish at the rim including Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle and Brook Lopez. Ball will have every opportunity to succeed in his debut NBA season. We will be watching for a breakout season from the rookie point guard in Los Angeles.
SF: Josh Jackson, Phoenix Suns
Speaking of rookies with the potential to deliver breakout seasons in their debuts, Jackson is right there among the top options to produce right away. The fourth-overall pick from the 2017 NBA Draft has the potential to play big minutes right away with Phoenix expecting him to use his size, athleticism and quick step right away. Jackson is also a quality defender that would be welcomed in the Suns starting five. As is the case with Ball in Los Angeles, Jackson will be given every opportunity to produce a breakout season as a rookie in 2017-18. It says a lot about him that the Suns didn’t want to include him in any package going to the Cleveland Cavaliers in return for Kyrie Irving. They like Jackson and expect him to be a star. We saw good things from him in Summer League and expect more in the regular season.
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.
