Every basketball player has gone through their ups and downs throughout their career. In this article, I will be telling you which players are on the rise this upcoming season and ready to bounce back.
Lauri Markkanen
The first player I wanted to talk about is Lauri Markkanen of the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls had a rather disappointing season, as the team finished the season 22-43. A part of the blame should be on Lauri, due to his poor play throughout the season. Lauri’s averaged 14.7ppg, 6.3TRB, 42.5% from the feild, and 34.4% from three. All of these were career lows and It’s hard to see him play any worse. He is expected to be Chicagos secound best player again and have a chance with redemption with new coach Billy Donavan. It was no secrete that Lauri wasn’t a fan of Jim Boylen and firing wasn’t only necessary to the team, but crucial to keeping Lauri. Billy has been known to get the most out of his players (as we all saw in OKC) and Markkanen will bennifit the most from his arrival. Now, it’s his contract year and many know he’s capable of a lot and I believe he will put it all on the line this upcoming season.
2019-20: 14.7pts, 5.1rb, 1.5ast, FG%= 42.5%, 3pt%=34.4%
2020-21 Predictions: 19.5pts, 8rb, 1.7ast, FG%= 44.1%, 3pt%=36.9%
Paul George
One of the most talked about performances in the bubble was Paul George, as he struggled shooting 33.3% from 3. Paul was bricking many of his shots, and ultimately not living up to expectations. Paul averaged 28.5ppg his last season in OKC. However, this season George went down to 21.5ppg. The Clippers have many guys that need shots to go around with Kawhi, Lou williams, Montrezl, and George. At the end of the day, George shouldn’t be the player taking less shots. The Clippers invested deaply in trading for george and it was for a reason. He has been known as a great two way player and has spent portions of his career in that “superstar” category. That being said, this will be a bounce back season for Paul George, as he will be determined to rebuild his reputation. Unfornately the Clippers haven’t gotten a playmaker yet this offseason, which does hurt his stock, as he may be relied to facilate a little more. Although, the Clippers did fire Doc Rivers (who has an awkard relationship with paul george), and promoted Tye Lue. Lue is known for keeping his stars happy and this move will help George make a stride to his old self. George should bring what this organization has been begging for after a dispointing season, losing to the denver nuggets in the Western Confrence semi-finals.
2019-20: 21.5pts, 5.7rb, 3.9ast, FG%= 43.9%, 3pt%=41.2%
2020-21 Predictions: 24.8pts, 3.8ast, FG%= 44.6%, 3pt%= 41.1
Tobias Harris
Since coming to Philadelphia, Tobias Harris has been solid, but not considered an all star like he was in Los Angeles. In his last season with the clippers before being traded, he put up his best career numbers scoring 20.9ppg, being 49.6% from the court and 43.4% from three. Now, Tobias has been playing solid with the 76ers averaging 19.6ppg this past season. That being said, his percentages have taken a hit being 47.1% form the court and 36.7 from three. Also, if that three point % sounds concerning to you, he shot 32.6% in the 27 games he played in 2018-2019 for the 76ers. Tobias has been used poorly, such have many of the 76ers over the past couple seasons and with Doc Rivers coming to Phily, expect Tobias to make a jump. Tobias being reunited with Doc will be beyond benificial for him, as Tobias played his best basketball under Doc. Tobias was used in a variety of different ways with the clippers and the 76ers limited him to more of a catch and shoot guy. In his time with the clippers, Tobias showed his ability to score in a variety of ways such as pick and roll, in the post, and off the dribble. Tobias may not take a huge jump in his ppg, but expect his efficientcy to go up, along with him being used in a variety of ways.
2019-20: 19.6pts, 5.9rb, 3.2ast, FG%= 47.1%, 3pt%=36.7%
2020-21 Predictions: 20.7pts, 6.5rb, 3.4ast, FG%= 50.3%, 3pt%=39.8%
Article written by Sean Patten
Bubble stats and playoff stats for Paul Grorge from Statmuse https://www.statmuse.com/nba/player/paul-george-1273/career-stats
All other stats from Basketball Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/georgpa01.html
Photo found on Basketball Forever https://basketballforever.com/2020/10/22/paul-george-promises-major-gains-after-hearing-his-new-2k-rating
BS SCOUTING 