NBA: Ranking the Top 5 Breakout Players

No.2 – Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo, aka The Greek Freak, was drafted 15th in the 2013 draft after playing in the Greek second division. Standing at 6’11” with a 7’3″ wingspan, he of the freakish athleticism and unlimited potential, starts from the lowest base of anyone on this list but he has the highest upside. Antetokounmpo is playing increased minutes, he is more involved in the offense with a significantly higher Usage Rate (number of possessions a player uses per 40 minutes), he is turning the ball over considerably less and his True Shooting percentage has climbed from 51.8% to 58.8%. Which all equates to a massive jump in PER from 10.82 to 18.00 (15.0 is league average) as Antetokounmpo starts to match production with his unlimited potential.

After playing predominately at small forward during his rookie year (67%) The Greek Freak is now playing approximately half his time at power forward and he is creating havoc, getting better shots, more often and converting them at a higher rate. According to 82games.com 63% of Antetokounmpo’s shots are now coming from inside the paint compared to 43% last year and he is also converting them at a significantly better rate with an Effective Field Goal percentage (eFG%) of 67.2% up from 52.5%, his Offensive Rating (points per 100 posessions) jumping from 99 to 112.

To put Antetokounmpo’s sophomore performance into some perspective his Win Shares Per 48 Minutes (WS/48) currently sits at .150, this would rank behind only Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Andre Drummond and equal to or better than Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard and Kevin Durant during their second seasons. The Greek Freak is only just getting a handle on how to exploit his immense physical gifts but when he does the rest of the NBA better look out!

Next: No.1