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Even though most of us enjoy watching our known and beloved superstars perform at the highest levels year in and year out, there is still something exciting about seeing a new, young star bursting onto the scene.
Every kid who joins the league waits for the opportunity or the moment in which he will start realizing his potential. Some have to be patient and wait for the right place and time, while others have the luxury of catching everyone's eyes from the moment they step on the court.
Victor Oladipo got his chance in his fifth year in the league, while playing for his third team in that stretch. The former second overall pick went from the starting lineup to the bench for Orlando, switched to OKC, signed a big extension, and finally found his best platform in Indiana.
C. J. McCollum went from a bench player to an average 20-point scorer and starter in just three years, all with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Unique individuals, like Donovan Mitchell and Ben Simmons, became stars in their first year already.
After looking at the ones who did it in recent years, who will be the young players to rise to the occasion this year? Here are five players who crave that in this upcoming season.
#1 Ian Clark - New Orleans Pelicans
Ian Clark had many ups and downs in his five-year career in the NBA. The first-ever Belmont University alumnus to reach the NBA was undrafted in 2013, and spent his first two years in Utah and Denver. After that, he found a comfortable spot with the Golden State Warriors, playing a respectable role in their 2017 title-winning season. Capitalizing on that achievement, he joined an aspiring New Orleans Pelicans that summer.
Clark was New Orleans' main provider from the bench during most of the season, averaging 7.4 points per game. Following the departure of several guards, especially Rajon Rondo, Clark's decision to stay with New Orleans will mean he could find himself a bigger role in the rotation.
The Pelicans struggled with guard-scoring last year, averaging 49.9 points per game, 10th lowest in the league. With a more extended role this year, Clark could be the one to change that, he proved he could be a valuable scorer.
#2 Langston Galloway - Detroit Pistons
Langston Galloway had the best rookie season he could hope for after going undrafted in 2014. After an impressive run in the D-League, he joined the Knicks on a starting role and earned a selection to the All-Rookie Second Team.
However, since then, he saw his role in the league diminish year after year.
In the next three years, Galloway played for four different teams, starting just 11 out of 214 games. In the past year, he averaged a career-low 14.9 minutes per game in Detroit. Nevertheless, he is in a very good situation coming into this year.
The Pistons' guards this year are either prone to injury, inexperienced, or edging closer to the end of their careers. Galloway is the exception to all of these; any injury he suffered in his career was minor, he has some track record in the league and will turn just 27 in December. He just might be Detroit's only safe bet at the guard position.
Galloway isn’t a very glamorous name, but he could be critical for the Pistons' playoff hopes.
#3 Caris LeVert - Brooklyn Nets
Caris LeVert is one of the biggest works in progress for the Brooklyn Nets. They traded for him after he was selected 20th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft, despite an alarming foot injury that eventually caused him to miss the first month of his rookie year. Since then, they have been treating him with kid gloves, letting him slowly rehabilitate and integrate himself.
In his sophomore season, he was much healthier, and found a consistent role in the Nets' rotation. Alongside his 12 points per game off Brooklyn's bench, he improved his three-point shooting percentage, showed impressive on-ball skills, assisting on 26% of the team's field goals while on the court, and proved he is a capable wing defender.
LeVert's stock saw a rise during the previous season, and his name was even starting to pop up in trade conversations. But Brooklyn has its hopes hanging on him and considers him untouchable at this moment. He will look to seize the opportunity and take a big leap.
#4 David Nwaba - Cleveland Cavaliers
David Nwaba came to the NBA seemingly out of nowhere. He went undrafted in 2016, after graduating from Cal Poly, a college that never sent a player to the NBA before. He had to try out for a spot in the D-League and got a roster spot the night before the 2016-17 season started. Nevertheless, this hard work and commitment paid off.
After a good season with the Lakers D-League affiliate, the Los Angeles D-Fenders, during which he earned All-Defensive honors, he got his first contract in the NBA from the Lakers. He managed to play 20 games before he was waived in the summer of 2017.
However, Chicago claimed him off his waivers and added him to their roster. With the Bulls, Nwaba was an integral part of the rotation, averaging 7.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, playing 23.5 minutes a night.
Nwaba, although limited offensively, has shown great athleticism and successfully defended some of the Eastern Conference's best wing players. He will fill Cleveland's most problematic spot in their roster and will look to see them through this post-LeBron season.
#5 Myles Turner - Indiana Pacers
Myles Turner came out of a draft that included two of the most intriguing and versatile big-men in recent years. Karl-Anthony Towns and Kristaps Porzingis, selected first and fourth, respectively, became a topic for conversation in their first three years in the league.
They both averaged over 20 points per game last year, while shooting very well from three-point range. They also earned their first All-Star appearance, even though Porzingis missed the game due to injury.
While those two rapidly earned their spot amongst the league's best big-men, potentially signing a max or near-max extension, Turner stayed behind. He had a good sophomore season, averaging 14.5 points and 2.1 blocks, but his numbers went down across the board this past year.
Turner has an impressive skill set that can put him alongside the league's best centers. He has been one of the best rim protectors in the NBA for the past two years and has a very good jump shot as well. He is approaching the end of his rookie contract, and if he wants a big pay raise, he must up his game.
