5 second-year NBA players ready for a breakout season
By John Buhler
Look for these five second-year NBA players to have breakout campaigns in 2021-22 season.
When an NBA team drafts a player, especially in the lottery portion, they are hoping he “pops” by year two in the league.
While there are only a handful of All-Star-level players taken every summer, many more will develop into being high-quality rotational pieces in this league. Though some players emerge as studs right away, some need that second season to really get their wings under them. By the time the second season rolls around, you typically know or not if a top draft prospect has it or not.
Here are five second-year players poised to have breakout campaigns in the NBA this season.
NBA: 5 players ready to break out in their second year in the league in 2021-22
SG. Cleveland Cavaliers. Isaac Okoro. 156. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 5. player
The Cleveland Cavaliers drafted Isaac Okoro top-five to become an All-Star
While the Cleveland Cavaliers are not expected to do much this season, they do have a ton of young and emerging talent, including former No. 5 overall pick Isaac Okoro out of Auburn. Okoro played in 67 games as a rookie last season for the Cavaliers, averaging 9.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game in 32.4 minutes per contest. All 67 games were starts for Okoro, too.
Though Cleveland still has not figured out its long-term plans in the backcourt, Okoro does have a decent supporting cast to pop in his second season out of Auburn. Should either Collin Sexton or Darius Garland get dealt at some point before the deadline, this could open up even more opportunities for him to get points. His ability to play both wing positions is a huge plus for him.
By playing him at small forward, this could make for quite the front court lineup with the likes of Kevin Love and this year’s No. 3 overall pick Evan Mobley out of USC. The Cavaliers also have Jarrett Allen and Cedi Osman with the addition of Lauri Markkanen. The reason to be bullish on Okoro is inherent upside and rotational versatility. He is a piece worth building around in Cleveland.
Keep in mind that Okoro made the All-Rookie Second Team only a season ago for the Cavaliers.