#10 Michael Porter Jr. – Denver Nuggets
2020-21 Stats: 19.0 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.9 BLK, 54.2 FG%, 44.5 3P%
Out of all the players 23-years-old or young in this league, Michael Porter Jr. may be the one that is getting ready to take the biggest leap. Once projected as a potential No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft, Porter Jr. slipped to the Denver Nuggets at 14th overall in 2018, a blessing from the basketball gods for Denver.
Jamal Murray being out to begin the year, as he continues to recover from ACL surgery, definitely hurts the Nuggets’ chances at being a top-tier team, but this also opens the door wide open for Michael Porter Jr. to emerge as one of the best scoring small-forwards in the league.
The jump the 6’10” wing has made through just two years in the league is quite remarkable and given his elite-level shooting abilities from anywhere on the floor offensively, there is really no way to guard Michael Porter Jr. Guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, and Kevin Durant can contest/block his shot, but those are the best of the best in the league.
No “normal” player is able to contest Porter Jr.’s shot and if he can put things together on defense, there is no reason why he cannot transcend into being one of the best two-way players in the NBA. Entering the year as Nikola Jokic’s “sidekick,” expect to see big things on offense from Michae; Porter Jr.
#9 Brandon Ingram – New Orleans Pelicans
2020-21 Stats: 23.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 4.9 APG, 0.7 STL, 46.6 FG%, 38.1 3P%
The New Orleans Pelicans have not been to the playoffs since 2018, but they may finally be able to breakthrough in the Western Conference this upcoming season not just because of Zion Williamson, but because of Brandon Ingram.
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The 24-year-old forward is entering his sixth season in the NBA, third with the Pelicans, and has been the pinnacle of consistency the last couple of seasons, as he has averaged 23.8 points per game each of the last two years.
Since arriving in New Orleans, Brandon Ingram has continued to improve as a one-on-one scorer and as a result, was the recipient of the 2019-20 Most Improved Player Award, as well as making his first All-Star appearance in the same year. Defensively, he still has things to fix, but Ingram is not far off from being a real two-way threat at the small-forward position in this league.
Already proven to be an All-Star-level talent and already being a high-level scorer, Brandon Ingram enters the 2021-22 season as one of the best small forwards in the league. It is just a matter of time before this Pelicans team cracks the code to the playoffs and Ingram will be at the forefront of their success.
