BY DAVID THORPE
Saying I’m obsessed with potential is like saying the sky is blue: pure fact.
Recently, we’ve tackled the world’s best player today and who will be the best in five years. But which players are trending toward Most Improved, the All-Defensive Team, or even an All-Star berth as early as next season? And what reference points can they take into their offseason curriculum?
Henry Abbott is working on a story about how the best players in the NBA don’t always start out that way—they tend to be the best at improving year after year. This is a story about five players who are in the middle of that, and trending up.
I focused on five guys under 25 who’ve shown notable progress over the past two seasons—and not just former lottery picks. Jonathan Kuminga, turning heads for a couple months now, might be the most popular inclusion. But what about future All-Defensive Team candidates Jalen Suggs and Andrew Nembhard—or Jabari Smith Jr., the Rockets’ budding two-way star? And now that the Wolves have a Towns-sized hole on both ends, versatile big Naz Reid is on the rise.
Let’s take a look at how they’re doing, how far they’ve come, and how they can turn this year’s progress into next year’s success.
Naz Reid – Big, Timberwolves
I loved Naz Reid coming out of LSU; after watching him on tape, I could see why people thought he’d be a first-round pick. However, no team called his name; NBA front offices reportedly had concerns about his fitness, lateral movement, and willingness to grind. The Wolves, after watching him tackle those concerns head on in the G League and seeing him with the team, signed the 6-9 Reid to a four-year deal in 2019—then extended him for three years and $41 million last summer.
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