5 NBA players primed for a breakout season in 2023
By Lior Lampert
It truly is an exciting time in the NBA. The next generation of basketball is in good hands with the amount of young talent dispersed throughout the league, ready to break out as soon as 2023.
LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook, among other players who have dominated the NBA for over a decade, are going to be at least 34 years old when the 2023 season begins. While these players haven’t shown signs of slowing down any time soon, we must not take their time for granted. While Curry says he is in the prime of his career at 35 years old, James admitted Father Time is undefeated.
Regardless, time is of the essence for the players who were drafted over a decade ago, as the new wave of talent is catching up to them. Players entering the league today are coming in ready to compete from day one — but they also just scratching the surface of what they’re capable of. When they enter their second and/or third seasons, they begin to hit a stride and make a leap toward becoming an All-Star.
These five players have a chance to do just that this year and break in a big way.
NBA players primed for a breakout season No. 5: Trey Murphy III, Pelicans
Trey Murphy has proven to be of the NBA’s most exciting young talents. The 6-foot-9 forward has a great blend of size, athleticism, and shooting that makes him a premier and prototypical wing.
Murphy has hit 40 percent of his threes through two seasons and nearly joined the historic 50-40-90 club in 2023 while averaging 14.5 points per game. Per NBA University, he was one the most efficient scorers of his draft class in their second seasons, recording a 65 true shooting percentage.
Not only is Murphy a highly-efficient shooter, but he is also a great athlete as illustrated by his performance in the 2023 dunk contest.
His size and strength enabled him to average 1.1 steals per game last season while quickly developing into the ideal 3-and-D wing that the NBA covets and is a perfect complimentary piece to Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
Unfortunately, for the Pelicans, Williamson and Ingram’s health continues to remain a question mark as the former has suited up for 114 of a possible 328 games in his career and the latter hasn’t played more than 62 games in a season since his rookie season in 2016. Their inability to be available on a nightly basis will continue to create a large void that the Pelicans need to fill, and Murphy will continue to be one of the biggest beneficiaries.
After spending time with the USA Select Team this Summer the No. 17 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft is only 23 years old and primed to break out in 2023 as the Pelicans continue to put more on his plate.