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Each year the NBA sees many new players. Not just rookies entering the league but also players with a completely new identity, nearly unrecognizable if you compare them to their past years' performance. It has become vital for NBA teams, therefore, to nurture these young players from an early age. They do not expect immediate results but do hope, as time goes by and the players continue to get better, they could add the right pieces to make the team championship contenders.
Ja Morant for the Grizzlies, Devonte' Graham and Terry Rozier for the Hornets, Buddy Hield and De'Aaron Fox for the Kings, Donovan Mitchell for the Jazz are a few examples. It has also been seen as in the case of Giannis for Milwaukee the impact these players can have on the team singlehandedly.
While this year might have seen disappointment from a few teams, the rankings have seen some new faces at the top spots. Here are three such cases where players have improved their teams' performance by quite a bit this year.
#3 Pascal Siakam
There was a lot of talk as to how the Toronto Raptors would cope this season after losing not only Kawhi Leonard but also Danny Green. It is a shock to many therefore that the Raptors are in second position on the Eastern Conference standings. One big reason for that is the form of Pascal Siakam.
He sits ninth on the top scorers' list this season shooting nearly 48% from the field and 39% from behind the arc, averaging 25.1 points. That's quite an improvement, even for the Most Improved Player. Other factors that work in his favor are his great chemistry with the team (which only increases after winning a championship) and also his underrated performance which allows him to stay away from the spotlight and continuously better his game.
The Raptors gameplay is also being made by Nick Nurse to revolve around Siakam. It's hard to think of what this could have been with Kawhi still in the team but of course, Siakam, in that case, might not have had the time to become the player he is today. To top it all up, Siakam is only 3 seasons into the league and already has a ring under his belt. It will be interesting to see if he stays with the Raptors in the long run or decides to take his talents elsewhere.
#2 Devin Booker
There is a lot of talk regarding Devin Booker finally becoming an all-star this season and a lot of it is due to the vastly improved performance of Phoenix this year. After having an excellent start to the season, the team has understandably struggled in the last few games due to the absence of both DeAndre Ayton and Aron Baynes who returned for the last game against the Mavericks. There isn't much to be disappointed over that loss however as the Mavs have proven to be a tad tough themselves.
Devin Booker has been nothing short of a marvel this season shooting 51% from the field and a staggering 42.2% from the three-point line. He seems to bee getting along quite well with Kelly Oubre Jr. who has done his fair share for the Suns this season. The Suns will continue to bank on the 23 year old as they try to get into the playoffs for the first time since 2010.
Also read: NBA News: Jamal Crawford is confident that he will make a return to the NBA
#1 Luka Doncic
At the start of the 2019-20 NBA season, Dallas Mavericks was expected to have a good run in the West after adding pieces like Kristaps Porzingis and Seth Curry. There was, however, always a calculated risk involved in matters like Porzingis' return. Luka this season has just proven that he's more than enough.
Showing MVP caliber, he is averaging close to a 30 point triple-double (30.5 pts, 9.5 ast, 10 reb) this season. The Mavericks are currently seeded fifth in the West which is by no means a small feat. After finishing 14th on the points table last year, the Mavs would be hoping to secure a playoff berth this time around.
Meanwhile, Luka is all set to be probably the only Maverick at the all-star game this year. Owner Mark Cuban would also be happy having found someone to step into Dirk Nowitzki's shoes. Doncic is still 20 and if he steers clear of any major injuries, he is undoubtedly on track to be remembered as one of the greats playing the game.
Also read: 9 Best sophomore seasons in pro/NBA history
Guess the Lakers players!
