Young players who could see more opportunity down the stretch
By Ben Ladner
As much as the NBA trade deadline serves as an opportunity for restructuring, it also represents an opportunity for honest self-assessment.
As the core structure of each roster crystalizes, so too does each team’s direction, at least in the near-term. Useful veterans left on bad teams get bought out and picked up by hopeful contenders. As rosters functionally settle into form over the coming days, the door swings open for certain teams to brazenly tank their way to the top of the lottery over the season’s final months.
For certain tankers, the buy-out window marks the start of a movement toward youth (an excuse to bottom out in preparation for the draft lottery) and provides a useful evaluation period for young players who may or may not have long-term promise. With more opportunity and less at stake, these four players could capitalize on amplified roles to close the season:
John Collins, Atlanta Hawks
The last-place Hawks have little to play for aside from a top-three pick and player development, and the springy, energetic Collins stands to gain from the continuation of their push to the bottom. Despite playing behind Dewayne Dedmon (and Miles Plumlee for parts of the season), Collins might already be Atlanta’s most productive big, and his ability to play either frontcourt position makes him easier to slot into different lineups. He projects as a center in the long-term, and should spend as much time playing with Taurean Prince and Dennis Schröder as possible.
Few bigs are as active in the paint on both ends of the floor and none are as young as Collins, who averages a robust 16.7 points and 11.7 rebounds per 36 minutes and dunks everything in sight. The rookie has been good enough that playing him more minutes down the stretch might actually win Atlanta more games, thereby hurting its lottery odds. But if the result is a more refined and productive big man in the long term, it might have been worth it.
Jahlil Okafor, Brooklyn Nets
While other 2015 draftees are blossoming into All-Star candidates, the jury is still out on Okafor, whose minutes and production have declined in every year of his young career. Still, Okafor can be a serviceable scoring big on second units, provided his defensive effort and instincts ever reach a point of consistent focus. He averages just over 13 minutes per game for the Nets, who have developed a knack for rehabilitating young players after shaky starts in their original NBA homes.
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They could make room for Okafor in the rotation after dealing Tyler Zeller before the trade deadline, but Okafor will have to earn his extra reps if he gets them. Quincy Acy is the better player at present, as is Jarrett Allen, who figures more prominently into Brooklyn’s long-term outlook. Both are more athletic and more active on defense. Neither rival Okafor’s ability as a pure low-post scorer. Maybe the Nets don’t see worthwhile value in that or feel that it outweighs his obvious limitations on the other end of the floor. But after two years of aimlessly wandering — literally and figuratively — Okafor could use nothing more than stability.
Buddy Hield, Sacramento Kings
He’s on the older end of the spectrum for second-year players and will likely never live up to the lofty expectations foisted upon him by the DeMarcus Cousins trade, but Hield is quietly having an impressive sophomore year in the NBA. He’s averaging 12.4 points on a healthy 43.6 percent from deep despite only playing roughly half of each game. Surely after the departure of George Hill there are more minutes available for him.
Hield is far from a perfect option on the wing and may never become more than a solid 3-point specialist. His assist and turnover numbers are nearly identical, and he posts a minuscule free throw rate. But he can provide instant offense on the perimeter and has some semblance of an off-the-dribble game. His stroke is smooth and gentle, with a quick release and no wasted movement. The Kings have made a sizeable investment in him and Hield deserves a chance to pay it off.
Wesley Iwundu, Orlando Magic
Iwundu has yet to prove himself to the degree that he can build an infallible argument for more playing time. The rookie’s modest 3.5 points and 14.2 minutes per game look even less inspiring given his 26 percent shooting from 3-point range, and he offers very little in the way of playmaking. But at 6-foot-7 with expansive arms, Iwundu needs these late-season developmental reps as much as anyone.
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Even if he never becomes a top-three player on a good team — it feels unlikely that he will — Iwundu profiles as a capable 3-and-D role player, the sort that can provide immense value to a successful team with the right dose of star power in its framework. The Magic don’t have that top-end talent yet, but they may already have one of the right supporting pieces.