NBA is watching young players shine before our eyes. In their careers, players differentiate themselves through different jumps. Of course, there is a leap from college to professional players, and the players prove that they are indeed suitable for playing in the greatest basketball league in the world. Then there is the All-Star, young rookies become the core of the team's success, or at least enough data and highlights to attract the attention and votes of fans, the media and other players. However, the hardest jump is to enter the best team. Except for MVP , this is the highest honor a player can get, because players over 450 can only get 15 places. It refers to a player who transcends, dominates, and contributes to winning basketball. The following are three players who are likely to make the last leap in the upcoming season.
Zion Williamson
Williamson just turned 21 this summer, but he is already a superstar. Last year, he was selected to the All-Star team for the first time, and that was his second season. He ranked eighth in the best forward voting. He is a young Shaq, dominating the defender on the inside, just like the Elders against the Giants. He has also developed into a pseudo-point guard and assumed a larger ball-handling role. When the defense falls on him, he can find his teammates well.
The problem is that the Pelicans only won 31 of 72 games last season. Historically, members of the media who voted for the best player in the NBA tended to favor the player of the winning team, and this is a matter of course. If a star player can't lead his team to a minimum, many people will say that they just provided blank data. Of course, the actual situation is much more complicated; last season, Williamson was surrounded by a group of players who were not good at shooting, and Stan Van Gundy quickly left New Orleans after one season as the head coach. This is obviously not a The right person. Even so, Williamson should pay some responsibility for the team's poor defense. If he wants to get a spot in the best team, he needs to improve on the offensive end and dominate to a greater degree on the offensive end. Perhaps improved three-pointers and more rim protection (possibly as a small ball center) can allow Williamson to surpass.
Devin Booker
Booker was an out-and-out hunk in the playoffs last season, proving that his game can play a role on the biggest stage of the game. Led by the injured Chris Paul, Booker led the Phoenix Suns to the NBA Finals, where they played against the winning Milwaukee Bucks. It was a tough contest.
Maybe Booker will replace Paul in the 2021-22 All-Star voting. After Paul came to the Suns, the team's winning percentage jumped from 0.466 in the 2019-20 season to 0.708 in the 2020-21 season. Paul is considered the savior of the Suns, but Booker should also be greatly praised. Who would have thought: if there is enough talent, good players will play well.
The Suns will not make any progress in the Western Conference rankings. Paul is getting old, and Booker, DeAndre Ayton and Mikal Bridges will only improve in their next season, and the Suns may therefore dominate the Western Conference regular season. If their record is reliable and Booker takes the torch from Paul and becomes the team's best player, he should be nominated as the best guard. Who knows? If the gates of the Suns open and win more than 55 games, he and Paul may both get seats.
Donovan Mitchell
Like the Suns, the Utah Jazz also have a chance to dominate the regular season like last year. Mitchell ranked ninth in the NBA's best guard voting and is the Jazz's best offensive player. Rudy Gobert is of course their defensive pillar. The Jazz’s success deserves our high praise, but Mitchell’s potential for no-dribble threats raised their upper limit. In last year's playoffs, he was a threat, averaging 34.8 points per game. In the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Clippers, his 13.3 three-point shooting percentage was as high as 45%. If he can replicate that kind of superstar performance in the regular season, he should lock the best team.
Who will be replaced?
We can easily list those players with development potential, but the best team is only 15 places. So who will these players replace?
In the forward position, Williamson can grab the position of Julius Randall. Randall made a breakthrough in New York, but the Knicks' success last year was largely due to the opponent's three-point luck. If his team retreats to the average level to some extent, his position may be won. It is also worth noting that Kevin Durant will get a spot if he is healthy, but he is likely to replace the injured Kawhi Leonard .
In the guard position, Booker may replace Paul's position. For Mitchell, he can only hope that the Wizards are bad enough to make Bradley Beal lose his position, or Kyrie Irving, who is suffering from injuries, misses enough games to fail. Promotion.
Injuries always play an important role in these awards, because one's misfortune may mean another's first best team.
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