NBA: Five Players Poised To Make The Jump Into Stardom This Season

Apr 5, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter (34) dribbles the ball as Houston Rockets center

(12) defends during the first quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Enes Kanter, Oklahoma City Thunder

Over the last 15 games of the 2014-15 season, Enes Kanter was on a complete tear averaging 20.9 points and gobbling up 11.6 rebounds per game.

Granted, a big part of that was due to Kevin Durant being out, but it was also during a stretch of games that saw Russell Westbrook average 24.2 field goal attempts per contest. With Durant back in the mix, Westbrook’s field goal attempts should dip a bit and Kanter should still be able to attempt at least 15 field goal attempts per game as the third option in Oklahoma City’s offense.

Plus, somebody needs to clean up all the misses from Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka, so Kanter should be able to keep his rebounding numbers up.

The only question mark is what kind of tough love the Thunder will give Kanter on the defensive end. So far in his career, he has been able to coast and be lethargic on the defensive end. But, with Oklahoma City playing for a championship, they will need Kanter to step it up on the defensive end.

If Kanter continues to coast on the defensive end, he may temporarily find himself riding pine until he gets with the program.

Next: Danilo Gallinari