A Look At 6 Under-The-Radar NBA Players Who Could Make A Leap

Every year, a group of players – some expected, some not – take a leap from the previous season to the next and insert themselves into the daily discourse around the NBA.

They needn’t become stars, although some do, but rather mainstay contributors who level up from one role to the next. A benchwarmer can break into a rotation and solidify himself as a sixth man. A rotation player can put in enough effort and be rewarded with a starter’s spot. It’s all about climbing the ladder.

This season will be no exception. In fact, given the quality of recent draft classes, it should as no surprise if a few sophomores come out and hit the ground running.

The following list will include players under the age of 25 with five years of service or less.

Kira Lewis, New Orleans Pelicans

It’s fair to wonder if Lewis will hit as a New Orleans Pelican, given the competition level there is for the ball. Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram will both take up a large amount of shots, as will Jonas Valanciunas and Devonte’ Graham.

However, Lewis is a speedy and penetrating lead-guard who can break down defenses off the dribble and get to the basket. Despite being just 170 lbs, his shake-and-bake game is quick and determined, which should help secure him stable playing time behind Graham.

Working to Lewis’ benefit is the fact that he should get extra burn during injuries to teammates, and with Williamson once again being nicked up, there might be a place for additional playing time should that theme reappear later in the season.

Even without injuries, it would behoove the Pelicans to use Lewis as the first guard off the bench, even in front of recently acquired Tomas Satoransky, to maximize an offensive bench flow. If they don’t, teams in need of shot-creation will likely sniff around looking to set him free on their team.

R.J. Hampton, Orlando Magic

There’s no question that Hampton has his work cut out for him. With Jalen Suggs, Cole Anthony and Markelle Fultz, when fully healthy after ACL rehab, all angling for minutes at the two available guard spots, competition will be fierce for the second-year off-guard.

However, there is reason for optimism.

Not only will Hampton get a chance to establish himself while Fultz is out, but he’s also 6’4 with a 6’7 wingspan that could allow him to swing up a position when Orlando goes small. That would optimize ball-handling for the young squad, and it would give Hampton the possibility of playing off of numerous elite athletes at the guard spots, who all put a lot of pressure on the defense.

For Hampton, it comes down to shooting and being able to position himself accurately from behind the three-point line. Those chances will come and his 50% accuracy from the corners, albeit on small volume, could become a significant piece to the puzzle.

De’Anthony Melton, Memphis Grizzlies

According to FanDuel’s Most Improved Player odds, Melton isn’t on the list of players who are projected to be candidates for the award by the end of the regular season, and that might end up looking like an oversigt in about three months.

Melton is already one of the better young two-way guards in the NBA, and has had a steady but unspectacular climb during his first three seasons in the league. Now entering his fourth year, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if Melton positions himself as a borderline starter and makes this past season of him playing just 20 minutes per game a distant memory.

With Grayson Allen, who started 38 of his 50 games, now in Milwaukee that means there is now competition to be found for the off-guard spot. While Dillon Brooks likely has the inside track, Melton’s three-point shooting (41.2%) and more polished all-around game might convince head coach Taylor Jenkins it’s time for more stability in the primary unit.

Even if Melton doesn’t crack the starting lineup, nothing in his career so far indicates that he’s slowing down. If anything, the every year points to the exact opposite.

Devin Vassell, San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs aren’t always keen on giving their rookies a large initial role. In fact, that even includes veterans sometimes.

But for the 2021/2022 NBA season, the Spurs are finally out of excuses. Gone are LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan and that means more minutes, more shots and more opportunities are coming around for the youngsters on the team.

No one stands to benefit more from than Vassell, who was picked 11th overall in 2020 and was projected as being “NBA ready” coming into the league. Instead, Vassell averaged just 17 minutes on the year, barely cracking 1,000 minutes on the year.

Vassell won’t ever be a top-tier superstar, but his on-ball defense and shooting capabilities does project him to have a long career ahead of him, especially when playing off of players with star-like qualities, of which the Spurs are still a bit short.

Vassell should get a solid 25 minutes per game right off the bat, and put to good use his three-point shooting, which was an element DeRozan offered very little of.

He should work well alongside Dejounte Murray and Keldon Johnson, both of whom are physical players who like to take the ball to the rim.

This is the year Vassell can carve out a long-term role for himself.

Furkan Korkmaz, Philadelphia 76ers

This isn’t Korkmaz’ first rodeo, so many will likely wonder why he makes this list.

The 24-year-old has reached that point in his career, where he’s played just enough playoff games (21) and just enough career minutes (3,380) with the same team to feel a sense of ownership of the future.

Korkmaz is, not surprisingly, a shooter who isn’t going to give the Sixers a whole lot else. But that needn’t be a concern, as shooting is going to play an increasingly larger role for these Sixers after they move Ben Simmons.

With Seth Curry becoming more assertive in last season’s playoffs, and with Joel Embiid dominating the paint, the Sixers can use every ounce of what Korkmaz offers, especially at 6’7 which allows him to flow in-between positions and partake in both small and big line-ups.

Korkmaz has hit 39% of his nightly 4.9 three-point attempts over the past two seasons, often having to be overburdened when the Sixers went to line-ups that weren’t exactly spacing-friendly.

With Simmons now in the past, the Sixers will lean into spacing and spread the court out more which stands to benefit Korkmaz who could make a run for starter if properly unleashed offensively.

Here’s hoping the Sixers do not acquire someone at his spot in any Ben Simmons trade, as to prevent him from shining.

R.J. Barrett, New York Knicks

Is it cheating to include a high-profile player who already seems to be on track to making a few All-Star games in his near future? Possibly, but rest assured Barrett deserves a mention here.

At 17.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, Barrett is the most accomplished player on the list, but there’s still a lot of potential left in the 21-year-old.

Now entering his third season, Barrett is is going to have more responsibility while also enjoying the luxury of the spacing provided by Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker. Barrett will now be able to switch seamlessly between being a self-creator who benefits from the new-found spacing, and the guy setting up his two new teammates for shots.

While he may not end up leading the team in scoring (that seems pretty much locked-in for Julius Randle), Barrett could see a role that has him thrive in an all-around setting where he’s asked to do a bit of everything, without feeling pressured into taking too much of the offensive responsibility on his shoulders.

This year’s Knicks roster and diverse skill-set might be the best thing that could have ever happened for his career.