RADIO
A fresh start. Sometimes, that's all a talented player needs in order to take his game to the next level.
We're just a month away from the start of the new NBA season, and plenty of players have found themselves on new teams, and are ready to contribute to their new squads. These guys are all young guns ready to take the leap to stardom and could have a big season with their new teams.
In this article, we'll look at four players who look set to succeed with their new squad heading into the 2023-24 campaign. This list is in no particular order.
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#4. Max Strus (Cleveland Cavaliers)
The former DePaul product went undrafted in 2019, and after just playing six minutes with his hometown Bulls in 2019-20, he tore his ACL and was released. He then got a chance to prove his worth with the Heat, and slowly but surely he began to show what he was made of. His stats didn't jump out at you, but Pat Riley certainly saw Strus' effort. Max proved he can be very productive for us,” said Riley.
“He stepped up when needed last season and produced." He then signed a two-year, minimum contract to stay in Miami. Strus got more and more playing time as the 2021-22 season progressed, which culminated in him becoming a starter for a short stretch late in 2021, as he averaged 22.6 points a night on 52% shooting from the field and 44.4% from three in his final five games before New Year's Eve.
Now Max Strus says good-bye to Miami:
“Thank you for taking a chance on me when nobody else would.” pic.twitter.com/j75On6n79i
— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) July 6, 2023
His big moment would come in the postseason, as he started in all of the Heat's 18 playoff games. He then followed that up with a hot start to the 2022-23 season, averaging 14 PPG as a starter. He was once again productive in the postseason, as he had a stretch from Game 2 against New York to Game 1 against Boston where he put up at least 14 points in every game.
While it's true that he had efficiency problems last season, Strus will have more space to shoot without Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo being inside the arc. He shoots 42.9 percent on wide-open threes, which is the same as his new teammate, Donovan Mitchell. Strus' three-point shooting next year will likely fall somewhere in the middle of his two previous seasons, which would be around 38%.
That would give him 8 PPG off of threes alone. Add in a few field goals and one or two free throws (He's almost automatic at the line), and we can see that he can easily improve upon his previous campaign.
#3. Grant Williams (Dallas Mavericks)
It somehow feels like Williams has been in the league forever, but he's still only 24. He was the youngest Celtic who played more than 10 total minutes in the playoffs (he played 265 minutes). He was picked 22nd overall in the 2019 draft after three very solid seasons with the Tennessee Volunteers, showing off his skills as a scorer and playmaker.
After two seasons of limited playing time with the Celtics, he blossomed in year three. He shot 41.1% from three and was lethal when it came to corner threes. He also showed his defensive prowess, locking down other forwards. He played a big role in the team's Finals run and kept up his production in year four before going to Dallas.
Grant Williams on sign & trade to Dallas: “I was excited. Playing with another talent in Luka and Kyrie. Both great personalities, both great guys… and being able to play for a great organization like Dallas. I remember growing up watching Dirk…
— Landon Thomas (@sixfivelando) July 11, 2023
Williams has steadily gotten better at shooting non-corner threes, which could continue in Dallas. Dorian Finney-Smith, the man whom Williams is going to replace, went through a similar evolution in 2021-22, shooting more non-corner threes while keeping his efficiency from the corner.
Also, Williams is a way better shooter than Finney-Smith, as Finney-Smith got a lot of open looks in Dallas due to the defense constantly focusing on Luka Doncic. If Williams can get the same open looks that Finney-Smith got, then his three-point percentage will go through the roof.
Someone needs to score other than Luka, Kyrie Irving, and Tim Hardaway Jr., and while Jaden Hardy and Josh Green looked solid after the Kyrie trade, there's a chance that Williams will be the difference-maker for this Dallas squad and has the best season of his career. He only averaged 8.1 points on 25.9 minutes per game last season and wasn't even a top-six option on the team, so improvement should be easy.
#2. Donte DiVincenzo (New York Knicks)
Donte DiVincenzo knows how to be a winner. He won two national championships at Villanova, playing with his future Knicks teammates Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson. He then gradually worked his way up the rotation after being drafted 17th overall by the Bucks and was a full-time starter by his third season in 2020-21.
He'd go on to become an NBA champion that season but missed out on most of his team's title run due to a severe ankle injury that forced him to get surgery. He returned on Christmas, but looked rusty and was traded by the Bucks just 17 games later. After a short tenure with Sacramento, he went to Golden State, where he took some time before showing what he was capable of.
Donte DiVincenzo is in the getting ready for the Knicks season! pic.twitter.com/unC4QXzxuu
— Big Knick Energy (@BigKnickEnergy_) August 31, 2023
After a slow start to the season, DiVincenzo went back to his pre-injury form from February to the end of the regular season, averaging 10.8 points on 46.4% shooting from the floor and 40.2% shooting from three. The Knicks badly need a shooter, as they were embarrassed from deep against Miami in the playoffs. Julius Randle, Quentin Grimes, Obi Toppin, Josh Hart, and Immanuel Quickley combined to go 32 for 123 from three in that series (26% from three).
Even though DiVincenzo didn't have the best postseason, his 34% shooting is marginally better than these players. Other teams will struggle with the energy that he, Hart, and Quickley will bring to the Knicks, as they all affect multiple facets of the game such as scoring, playmaking, defense, and rebounding.
Last season, Hart and Quickley combined to average 13.6 rebounds and 8.6 assists per 36 minutes, and with DiVincenzo averaging 6.2 boards and 4.8 assists per 36 minutes last season, you can easily see how well he fits into this squad.
#1. Bruce Brown (Indiana Pacers)
We're ending things with an absolute no-brainer. If you look at his stats you might not see anything special, but if you look at the way he plays and impacts the game you'll understand that Bruce Brown is one of the most underrated basketball players in the world. How many second-round picks get to start on a playoff team as a rookie?
After that rookie campaign, the former Miami Hurricanes player continued to get better season by season, which culminated with an awesome season with Denver last season, as he proved to be one of the best role players in the league and won an NBA championship. Brown had a career year, averaging 11.5 points on 48.3% shooting while also stuffing the stat sheet with his passing, rebounding, and defensive ability.
Can't wait to see Tyrese Haliburton and Bruce Brown share the floor together. Gonna be instant chemistry.
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) June 30, 2023
Yes, Brown will no longer get those backdoor cuts and easy looks that he got with Nikola Jokic. But let's not forget how good Tyrese Haliburton is. Haliburton and Jokic were the only players to record 39+ points and 15+ assists in a game last season. Haliburton is also on pace to match or even surpass Jokic's statistical output as he gets older.
He had 18 games where he put up at least 20 points and 10 assists last season, which was his third year in the NBA. Jokic achieved such a feat just eight times in his third season. Want more stats to prove how close these two are? Jokic put up 20+ points and 10+ assists in a game in 36% of his games last season, while Haliburton did this in 32% of his games.
This means that Brown can continue to get good looks while also playing with one of the fastest teams in the league (fourth in pace last season), which is good for him since he is a tempo-pusher. He can easily take Buddy Hield's 15-18 PPG scorer role, as Hield is rumored to get traded from Indiana soon.
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