Oklahoma City Thunder
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
You could argue Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has already broken out in his first two years in the league, but I’m banking on a big Year Three leap from him. Coming out of the 2018 draft, Gilgeous-Alexander was a lottery pick who was projected to make his bones as a multi-positional wing defender, but his raw skill-set and size had people unsure what he could be on the offensive end. Gilgeous-Alexander sure did silence those draft doubters rather quickly, not only showing his defensive prowess but also his ability to use that size length and athleticism to get buckets.
Last year, Gilgeous-Alexander average 19 points, six rebounds, and four assists per game, all this while shooting a modest 35 percent from 3. Now that Chris Paul on another team, GM Sam Presti has given Gilgeous-Alexander the keys as the star player for the franchise. Obviously, there will be some growing pains to this new role, but with a decent supporting cast (George Hill and Al Horford) and a steep increase in his usage rate, expect Gilgeous-Alexander to be a 22 point-a-night scorer.
The upside is sky high with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, especially if he can improve those playmaking skills at the point guard position and increase his shooting efficiency. OKC may not win many games this year, but the biggest win for OKC will be getting Gilgeous-Alexander 72 games to adjust as their star player. Although, the way he’s played his first two seasons, that might not be much of an adjustment at all.