Nine players taking a leap this season
One of the most exciting parts of being an NBA fan every year is seeing which players take what is known as The Leap – going from being good to great or great to elite.
In some cases, we’re talking about role players becoming stars. In others, we mean when All-Stars turn into All-NBA players – or even MVP candidates.
You’ll see different examples below when we break down the nine players taking huge leaps in the 2022-23 NBA season.
Lauri Markkanen (Utah)
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Lauri Markkanen first raised some eyebrows this year during the 2022 Eurobasket tournament, where he led Finland to a surprising seventh-place finish by averaging 27.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 61.5 percent from the floor and 40.5 percent from three.
Be it confidence carried over from that showing or simply linear development, Markkanen has proven this season – his first with the Utah Jazz – that his Eurobasket performance was no fluke. Markkanen has been so good for Utah, in fact, that it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get All-Star consideration over the next couple of months.
Markkanen is currently putting up 21.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists on 52.3/34.7/82.8 shooting splits, helping guide Utah to a 10-6 record thus far in 2022-23.
Maybe he’ll cool off, but there’s no doubt Markkanen has taken a leap this campaign, looking like a real building block for Utah with his floor-spacing, bucket-getting play out of the frontcourt for the Jazz.
For the latest news and salary info on Lauri Markkanen, click here.
Luka Doncic (Dallas)
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It’s almost difficult to discuss a player with three 1st Team All NBAs under their belt as breakout, leap-taking candidates, but Luka Doncic is the exception, as his play has gone from elite to exceptionally so thus far in 2022-23.
Looking like a prime, Houston Rockets-era version of James Harden – a do-everything guard putting up monstrous scoring numbers – Doncic has been ridiculous this campaign, leading the league in scoring at 34.4 points per game to go with 8.8 rebounds and 7.8 assists while shooting a career-high 49.7 percent from the floor.
The advanced analytics agree that this has been the best version of Doncic we have seen in the NBA thus far, as he’s setting career-best marks in BPM (12.2, the best mark in the league) and Win Shares per 48 minutes (0.297, the best mark in the league). Doncic also leads the NBA in our own Global Rating metric at a 31.65 clip, with second-place Jayson Tatum two full points behind him.
Of course, this season will come down to what Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks can do in the playoffs, as that is how we judge the modern superstar in the NBA, but even if this league year doesn’t in a championship for the Texan franchise, we’re sure that will be no fault of Doncic’s.
For the latest news and salary info on Luka Doncic, click here.
Jayson Tatum (Boston)
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Speaking of Tatum, the No. 2 player this season in our Global Rating metric also sits Top 10 in Win Shares per 48 minutes, BPM and VORP, per Basketball-Reference, as the former Duke standout has the Boston Celtics looking like the favorites to win the Eastern Conference, if not the outright championship, with his play.
Boston currently sits with a 12-3 record, first in the East, with the best net rating in the NBA at plus-7.7. That is in no small part thanks to Tatum, who has been spectacular on the year, averaging 31.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.4 blocks on a career-best 48.1 percent field-goal percentage.
It might be cliche to say, but Tatum’s 2022-23 has all of the classic makings of a superstar coming out on fire due to having a chip on their shoulder after falling just short of a championship the year prior. The fact Tatum’s play was lackluster (by his standards) in the Finals defeat to Golden State has probably only further fueled his outstanding start to the year.
One of the biggest factors to Tatum’s success has been his tougher approach to the game, attacking aggressively more often and getting to the foul stripe more than ever. Tatum is shooting a career-high 9.1 free throws this year, nearly 3.0 more than his previous career-best rate. He’s also shattering his previous career-high mark in free-throw rate, now at 0.433; his previous best mark, back in 2017-18, was 0.309.
All in all, that final step Tatum took to get to the foul line more has changed his game and made him an even bigger superstar in today’s NBA.
For the latest news and salary info on Jayson Tatum, click here.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City)
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is almost magician-like in his scoring ability, rarely using the same move twice in a game – let alone in consecutive possessions – to rack up his buckets.
He has also managed to get considerably better year after year, taking his game to new heights thus far in 2022-23, ranking fourth in scoring league-wide at 32.3 points on preposterous 54.6/40.0/90.6 shooting splits to go with 4.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.4 blocks nightly, 2K-esque numbers from the 24-year-old Canadian.
For Gilgeous-Alexander to be putting up those types of numbers while constantly surrounded by tanking talk and trade noise this year makes his play all the more impressive.
If he keeps this up, there’s no doubt he’ll be named an All-Star for the first time in his career this year and probably make an All-NBA Team too.
In Gilgeous-Alexander, the Oklahoma City Thunder have one of the league’s brightest young stars, and his presence was a big reason why we recently named the Thunder No. 1 in our team asset rankings list.
For the latest news and salary info on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, click here.
Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana)
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A dynamic playmaker and a pristine outside shooter despite a somewhat awkward release on his jumper, Tyrese Haliburton was a massive pickup by the Indiana Pacers at least year’s trade deadline, an acquisition that will benefit the franchise for years to come, as the Pacers now have their point guard of the future locked up.
Haliburton has been fantastic in his first full season with Indiana, putting up 20.6 points, a league-leading 10.4 assists per game along with 4.5 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 49.2/42.4/86.0 shooting splits.
And although the Sacramento Kings have been playing great basketball of late, in no small part thanks to former Pacer Domantas Sabonis, it’s hard not to wonder what a Haliburton/De’Aaron Fox backcourt might have looked like.
The move might have benefited Haliburton, though, as it’s doubtful he’d have the usage rate he has now (23.3 percent) while having to share the ball with Fox.
For now, we’ll call the trade a win-win, but there’s no question which player has the bigger upside between Haliburton and Sabonis, as the former Iowa State Cyclone appears to have All-Star potential already for Indiana.
For the latest news and salary info on Tyrese Haliburton, click here.
Desmond Bane (Memphis)
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No NBA franchise has done a better job of drafting gems with the later picks than the Memphis Grizzlies lately, with the prime example being Desmond Bane.
Bane, the 30th pick in the 2020 draft out of TCU, has improved every year since joining the Grizzlies, with his play peaking thus far in 2022-23 at 24.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, hitting 45.1 percent of his threes, the fourth-best mark among players shooting at least six threes nightly in 2022-23.
We always knew Bane was an elite sharpshooter from beyond the arc, though. What’s truly impressive is how multi-faceted his game has become, with Bane scoring off the dribble more than ever before, creating for teammates better than ever and looking like an all-around player, not just an above-the-break three-point specialist.
Last season, 17.9 percent of Bane’s field-goal attempts came after three to six dribbles. This year, that mark is up to 22.1 percent, with over one-fifth of the 24-year-old’s attempts coming after three to six dribbles, proving that Bane can create for himself at a high level.
In Bane and Ja Morant, Memphis has arguably the league’s strongest backcourt right now – and certainly the one with the most upside. These are certainly exciting times to be a Grizzlies fan.
For the latest news and salary info on Desmond Bane, click here.
Bol Bol (Orlando)
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One of the most tantalizing prospects in recent memory slid down boards on his draft night due to an injury-shortened lone season of college as well as rumors regarding a lack of seriousness about the sport.
Bol Bol has looked this season every bit of the thrilling prospect he once was, beginning to live up to his potential as a 7-foot-2 ball-handling wing who can space the floor, score, rebound and protect the paint at a high level.
The son of the legendary Manute Bol has put up 12.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.0 blocks, the No. 4 mark among players with at least 10 appearances, while shooting an excellent 41.4 percent from three-point range. His numbers are far from empty, too, as with him on the floor, the Magic are a noteworthy 8.8 points per 100 possessions better than when he’s on the bench.
He’s still not a finished product, as he gets tunnel vision with the ball too often and doesn’t give it up much when he receives it, but he’s still just 23, and with Orlando still in the early stages of its rebuild, Bol will be awarded the time needed to develop even further.
Don’t look now, but the Magic have a pretty exciting young core on their hands.
For the latest news and salary info on Bol Bol, click here.
Devin Vassell (San Antonio)
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Devin Vassell is a prime example of why, even in this era of impatience with everything, once-highly-thought-of prospects should be given time to develop and a chance to shine.
Vassell had an unremarkable rookie year and a just so-so sophomore season, but in 2022-23, he has come out on fire, proving why the San Antonio Spurs thought highly enough of him to draft him 11th overall back in 2022 out of Florida State.
Thus far this year, Vassell, a smooth, bucket-getting swingman with a great wingspan and urgency on the defensive end, has been great, averaging 19.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists, shooting 42.0 percent from three and 45.7 percent from the floor overall.
Vassell is a bit of a throwback player in that he’s not afraid to pull up and use his high release point to drop in scores from the midrange, but he’s also modern enough with his accurate outside shooting touch to be an excellent three-level scorer for the Spurs.
Still just 22, there’s even more room for Vassell to grow but even as is, 2022-23 is proving why the former Seminole was the darling of NBA Draft Twitter and why he was taken in the lottery.
For the latest news and salary info on Devin Vassell, click here.
Dennis Smith (Charlotte)
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Those who questioned Vassell’s draft selection before even his third season were too impatient.
However, we must admit, those who wrote off Dennis Smith’s staying power in the NBA after the tumultuous start to his career were well within their right, as Smith, after playing for four teams in his first five seasons, simply didn’t look like he belonged among his NBA peers.
Smith couldn’t have proven that notion more incorrect thus far this year, helping keep the Charlotte Hornets afloat with LaMelo Ball earlier in the campaign by putting up 10.2 points, 6.2 assists and 1.9 steals while shooting a healthy-enough 35.7 percent from three.
Smith talked to our own Michael Scotto about fans writing him off after the up-and-down start to his career:
“People were just trying to write me off,” Smith told HoopsHype. “I was like, you’ve got all these guys way older than me with whatever their situations are, and they’re getting an opportunity of this, that, and the third. I know I’m young. I’ve got time. I’m confident in myself.”
An interesting tidbit from that article: Smith was so against going overseas to continue his basketball career that he told his agent to line up NFL tryouts for him if the NBA didn’t come calling, a fascinating possibility for the uber-athletic point guard.
Either way, the Hornets are probably glad Smith didn’t take the pigskin route, as the former NC State star has looked like a legit NBA point guard this year, ranking in the Top 100 in both VORP and BPM, not a bad place to be for a player of his usage rate.
For the latest news and salary info on Dennis Smith, click here.
