NFL
Every NBA season, players make a jump with breakout years. Whether it be a veteran resurrecting their career or a young player finally realizing their potential, talent rarely remains stagnant. 2020-2021 appears to be the same scenario. Of course, we are only a couple of weeks into the season, and much basketball remains. Still, here are five of the NBA’s biggest breakout stars so far in no particular order.
C.J. McCollum
Unlike most players with breakout years, C.J. McCollum has always been a consistent offensive threat. He excels in the backcourt alongside NBA All-Star Damian Lillard. The lethal backcourt brought the Portland Trailblazers as far as the Western Conference Finals in the 2018-2019 season. (Although the Hampton Five Warriors promptly swept them.) Since then, the Blazers have not been in any talks as a contender after a disappointing loss in the first round by the Lakers. Some even speculating Portland would miss the playoffs.
In comes the 2020-2021 NBA season. In a Western Conference stacked with playoff-hopeful teams, the Blazers are sixth in the West despite vital piece Jusuf Nurkic’s struggles. Much of this excellence is from the elite play of McCollum. He averaged just 18.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists throughout his career. However, the shooting guard is putting up career highs in points, rebounds and assists, with 27.6, 4.3, and 5.3, respectively. He is also shooting the ball efficiently with a 47% field goal percentage and another career-high in 3 point percentage, averaging 43.4%. C.J. has been balling out in the Blazers’ 7-5 start and even hit a game-winner over the Tampa Bay (Toronto) Raptors.
This Is Art: CJ McCollum’s game winner! pic.twitter.com/JOjJewZ8uz
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) January 12, 2021
While McCollum has always been a solid piece next to Damian Lillard, he was never the second All-Star Dame needed. With career-high averages in multiple categories, could this be the year C.J. finally makes the jump from fringe to legitimate NBA star and give the Blazers Finals hope?
Malik Beasley
This name may be familiar to many for immature non-basketball reasons, but Malik Beasley has improved significantly as a player. He’s now a crucial piece for the young Minnesota Timberwolves. The shooting guard/small forward has shown flashes of potential stardom last year in just fourteen games after the Nuggets traded him. He appears to be continuing that trend this season. Beasley has been a bright spot with Karl-Anthony Towns injured in an otherwise bleak season for the Wolves.
With Denver, the 24-year-old was a solid role player with limited potential. In his four-season tenure with the Nuggets, Beasley averaged 8.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assist. He played few minutes (17.2) and continuously battled for playing time against Will Barton and Gary Harris. After the Nugget’s trade to the Timberwolves in a four-team deal, Beasley has averaged 20.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in the young 2021 season. Even scarier are his averages in just the last three games:
Malik Beasley’s last 3 games:
27.0 PPG
4.3 RPG
2.3 APG
50.8% FG
50% 3PT
83.3% FTSeason averages:
20.2 PPG – 4.7 RPG – 2.0 APG
45.8% FG – 38.7% 3PT – 87.9% FT pic.twitter.com/57Bqs9uedq— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 14, 2021
He has elevated his game and appears to be improving gradually. He is more than a role player and has become a corner piece for the rebuilding Timberwolves. It will be exciting to see how he improves. Don’t be surprised if Beasley manages to snag an All-Star appearance sometime down the line.
Christian Wood
Christian Wood has had a demanding career up until this point. The Houston Rockets are his sixth NBA team and the culmination of a long journey to get back to the NBA. Wood spent time in both the G-League and overseas but finally found a home in the NBA. He got the chance he needed in the 2019-2020 season with the Detroit Pistons. Wood first entered the starting lineup for Detroit after former NBA All-Star Blake Griffin’s injury and quickly showed that he belonged in the league. In the final ten games of the 2019-2020 season, Wood averaged 24.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. He left to join the Houston Rockets on what now seems to be a steal of a contract at three years, $41 million, and continued his dominance.
In nine games, Wood averaged 23.1 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game as the starting power forward/center for the Rockets. His versatility as an athletic stretch big makes him the ideal modern-day big man. He’s a perfect fit for Houston’s fast-paced, three-point shooting offense before James Harden wiggled his way out of H-Town. Without the former MVP handling the ball anymore, fans should expect Christian Wood’s already excellent season to skyrocket as he becomes debatably the top option on a team with playoff aspirations.
With a chip on his shoulder, this season is evidence that Wood’s performance with the Pistons was not a fluke. This man is the real deal and a potential star in the making.
Darius Garland
He’s one half of Cleveland’s infamous “Sexland” backcourt tandem. Garland proved he’s got a lot of room to grow and the potential to do so. Experts didn’t tout the former fifth pick highly in the 2019 draft. Then, he had a subpar rookie outing, averaging 12.3 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists on inefficient shooting. Additionally, the Cavaliers were once again one of the worst teams in the league. Combine both factors, and you have a player that many glossed over. He barely received consideration for a slot on either All-Rookie team.
Fast forward to the 2020-2021 season. Despite only playing six games thus far, Garland has been a massive piece to the Cavs. With Garland in the lineup, the Cavaliers started the season 4-2 and resembled a basketball team for once. The point guard is averaging 17.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 6.3 assists on 45.5% from the field and 46.9% from three. Alongside fellow breakout stud Collin Sexton, the Cavaliers could have a scary backcourt. Garland is just 20 and Sexton 22! Garland will keep improving and potentially help the Cavs reach the playoffs for the first time since the LeBron era.
Malcolm Brogdon
Malcolm Brogdon is a pleasant surprise for Indiana Pacers fans with his drastic improvement from last season. He took on a much larger role within the team, going from 30.9 to 36.9 minutes per game. Brogdon’s role may increase further because Indiana traded former All-Star Victor Oladipo for Caris Levert from the Brooklyn Nets. Brogdon averaged 16.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game last season as the starting point guard.
The guard primarily acted as the third-string to All-Star Domantas Sabonis and T.J. Warren. Warren carried a majority of the offensive load while Oladipo was out. However, upon Oladipo’s return this season, Brogdon increased his production and quickly became one of the best players on a competitive Pacers team. He is averaging 22.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 7.4 assists on career highs in field goal percentage (48.1%) and three-point percentage (45.7%).
Back-to-back threes for Malcolm Brogdon
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Brogdon has been a critical part of the Pacers’ 8-4 start and 4th seed in the East. The former Rookie of the Year is finally performing excellently, and the only question remaining is if he can continue to do so the entire season.
