As I did last year, I made a list of the players I thought would show significant improvement in the 2018-19 season. And just like last year, I'm going to take a look back at the nine players I wrote about back August of 2018. Who made noticeable improvements? Who stayed the same? Did Caleb Swanigan make me look smart after a full year of trying to hype him up? Let's find out. These are the nine players I thought would improve in the 2018-19 season, and how they really did.
Dejounte Murray
What I Said:
"With Tony Parker out of the equation now and Patty Mills seemingly taking the backseat to Murray towards the end of the season, I'm predicting another season where Murray sees a solid increase in his stat line."
What Actually Happened:
I'm just going to get this one out of the way. Dejounte Murray obviously did not improve this past season, mostly because Murray didn't play this past season. Nine days before the season started and less than two months after I made my original post, Murray tore his right ACL in a preseason game and was ruled out for the entire season. It was a huge shame, as Murray was coming off a solid sophomore season, during which he was named to the All-Defensive 2nd Team. Hopefully, Murray can bounce back from this bump in the road and continue to build off his sophomore season.
Noah Vonleh
What I Said:
"He probably won't play as much when Porzingis returns, but while he's out, I can see Vonleh putting some solid numbers if he gets a starting job."
What Actually Happened:
For starters, we never had to find out what would happen to Noah Vonleh when Kristaps Porzingis returned from injury because:
- Porzingis didn't end up playing this season anyway.
- Porzingis got traded to the Dallas Mavericks, so even if he had returned he wouldn't have taken minutes from Vonleh.
Because of that, Vonleh was able to hold down the starting job for the majority of the season for the New York Knicks. While the Knicks were terrible this past year (not that they tried to be good) Vonleh would have the best season of his career, with increases across his stat line. For the year, Vonleh averaged 8.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting 47% from the field and 34% from three-point range. Vonleh signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves this summer, and while he might not be a starter, he could still be a valuable role player on the team.
Luke Kennard
What I Said:
"Kennard should be given the starting shooting guard for the Pistons this season, and I think he can put up some strong numbers in that spot."
What Actually Happened:
Luke Kennard wasn't able to earn a consistent starting job with the Detroit Pistons this season, only starting 10 games and only averaging 2.8 more minutes than he did last season. He did, however, improve his stat line, averaging 9.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game while shooting 44% from the field and 39% from three-point range. His shooting numbers did go down a bit (0.5 lower in field goal percentage and 2.1 lower in three-point shooting) but that's probably due to the increase in shot attempts. While it looks like Bruce Brown is set to be the Pistons' starting shooting guard this season, Kennard can still be a valuable role player and a strong shooter for a team that's trying to get to the playoffs.
Jarrett Allen
What I Said:
"With no other real centers on the Nets roster, Allen is almost a lock to get the starting spot on opening day and, if he gets more playing time than he did last season (20 minutes per game), then I expect big things from him."
What Actually Happened:
The Brooklyn Nets clearly had a lot of faith in Jarrett Allen, as they had him start almost the entire season. They obviously see him as someone they can build around their future around, and this season he showed solid improvement to prove them right. This season, Allen averaged 10.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 59% from the field. Even with the increase in field goal attempts, Allen was able to maintain his shooting percentage and actually improved slightly. With the addition of DeAndre Jordan this summer, he's likely going to be coming off the bench this upcoming season. Still, playing behind Jordan could help Allen develop and one day, I could see him becoming a strong contributor to a team with a great future.
Willy Hernangomez
What I Said:
"But I do think that if he gets the starting job (which he should) then I think he could be a huge asset to a team trying to get into the playoffs."
What Actually Happened:
I really don't understand why Willy Hernangomez doesn't play more. Hernangomez only averaged 14 minutes per game this year, which is more than he did last year, but it still puts him below both Cody Zeller and Bismack Biyombo in terms of playing time. Still, Hernangomez would put up solid numbers compared to how much he actually gets to play. For the season, Hernangomez averaged 7.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting 52% from the field and 39% from three-point range, though. he attempted less than one three a game. His shooting did go down, but he did see a solid increase in his scoring and rebounding. Unfortunately, Hernangomez is still firmly behind Zeller and Biyombo in the rotation, and this upcoming season doesn't look to be any different.
Cedi Osman
What I Said:
"There's no way he'll be able to replace LeBron James, not by a long shot, but with that starting small forward spot open, I think Osman deserves the nod and I think he'll do great on a rebuilding Cavs team"
What Actually Happened:
Out of all the players on this list, Cedi Osman was the one who made the biggest jump in terms of playing time. Following the departure of LeBron James, Osman went from a bench player to a regular starter, averaging 32.2 minutes per game and starting all but one of the 76 games he played in. With that huge increase in playing time, Osman's stats jumped up. For the season, Osman averaged 13 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 43% from the field and 35% from three-point range. While his shooting percentages did fall from the previous season, that's to be expected when he's taking almost four times as many shots as he did the previous year. The Cleveland Cavaliers might have had an awful season, but Osman was one of the few bright spots and he looks set to continue being the Cavs' starting small forward next season.
Caleb Swanigan
What I Said:
"While there is competition for the starting power forward spot in Al-Farouq Aminu and Zach Collins, I think if he's given a significant amount of playing time, I think Caleb Swanigan can make the most of it."
What Actually Happened:
You know...I think it's time to hop off the Caleb Swanigan bandwagon. Going back to 2017, I've been writing about why I think Swanigan has serious potential in the league. I still think that, but it's not looking like he's going to be getting any playing time in the near future. This past season, Swanigan only played in 21 games and averaged 2 points and 3 rebounds per game while shooting 34% from the field. If you want to know how little Swanigan played, he got traded from the Portland Trail Blazers to the Sacramento Kings midway through the season, and I can't find a single good picture of him on the Kings. With the Kings already loaded up on big men, I wouldn't expect Swanigan's like of playing time to change.
Shaquille Harrison
What I Said:
"He likely won't get the starting job on opening day, but I do think he's got talent and can be a more than reliable as a starter."
What Actually Happened:
I may have jinxed this one a bit. Shaquille Harrison started out the season as a free agent, being cut by the Phoenix Suns a day before the season started. He wouldn't have to wait long to find a new team, however, as he was signed by the Chicago Bulls and would end up playing in 73 games for them, mostly as a role player but did get 11 starts. For the season, Harrison put up a stat line that was relatively similar to his small sample size last season, averaging 6.5 points, 3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 43% from the field and 27% from three-point range. While offensively he saw little improvement and saw a decrease in points and assists per game, along with field goal percentage, he was still a solid defender for the team. Harrison was cut by the Bulls this offseason, only to be brought back a few weeks later. However, with Kris Dunn, Ryan Arcidiacano, Tomas Satoransky, and Coby White all on the roster, the odds of Harrison being a starter aren't very high.
Torrey Craig
What I Said:
"Craig obviously wouldn't be the starter if Michael Porter Jr. ends up playing, but if he isn't, I think Craig has the potential to be a reliable player."
What Actually Happened:
Michael Porter Jr. never ended up playing this past season, leaving the spot wide open for Torrey Craig. Craig started about half of the games he played this season, averaging 20 minutes per game and averaging 5.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting 44% from the field and 32% from three-point range. Outside of field goal percentage, Craig improved across the board, but only slightly. Compared to Will Barton, who only started one more game than Craig, it's hard to argue that Barton wasn't the better choice to at small forward. With Barton still on the team and Porter Jr likely making his debut this upcoming season, I don't think we'll be seeing Craig as a regular starter anytime soon.
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