Three Western Conference Players To Watch This Upcoming NBA Season

The NBA season is fast approaching and many predictions will take place from analysts and fans across the game. One of the most underrated differences for teams can be the development of younger players and the production they unexpectedly post.

The most recent edition focused on players that could take a major step forward in the Eastern Conference. This article will focus on a litany of players that can do the same in the Western Conference.

Keldon Johnson

The steps that each of these players take will look different, because Johnson is already considered a very valuable player by many in the game. The Spurs thought as much when they agreed to a four-year, $74 million extension with the 22-year-old in July. That contract is representative of a good player, but not an elite one. Johnson has a chance to showcase this season that he is more of the latter.

Johnson initially got looks his way during the NBA bubble in 2020. He averaged 14.1 points per game and 5 rebounds while shooting nearly 64 percent from the field. That bump in minutes showed a faith in Johnson that he was able to capitalize on during the short eight game stint.

This past season was a major plus for Johnson as he was able to demonstrate an effective 3-point stroke. He raised his percentage to 40% and did so on more than five attempts per game. An area in which he can make massive improvements is on his attempts to the basket. He drives the ball at a high rate (eight times per game), but he only drained 44.1% of those looks. That falls in line with his numbers overall at the basket as he only hit 62% of those shots, putting him in the 35th percentile for forwards in the league.

He should get a chance to play a bit more with the ball in his hands with the departure of Dejounte Murray. Rookie guard Malaki Branham might take on more looks as the year progresses, but it should be an area that the Spurs explore with Johnson as the best player on the team.

Brandon Clarke

Clarke will be entering his 4th year in the NBA after being drafted 21st overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2019 draft. He got off to a hot start his rookie season– averaging over 12 points and six rebounds while shooting nearly 62% from the field. The Grizzlies found a gem at a spot in the draft in which you are lucky to find immediate contributors, and so it seemed that he was primed for a larger role during his sophomore season.

Things have changed, though. His second season got off to a rocky start after he battled a groin injury during training camp and the preseason. That led to a rough start during the first handful of games where he missed free throws and struggled making the same impact that he had the year before. He regained his footing by posting similar stats to the previous year, but injuries continued to mount as a hamstring issue may have been the cause of poor production during the last couple of months of the season. That level of play forced head coach Taylor Jenkins to sit Clarke during the Grizzlies 1st round series against the Utah Jazz in a few games.

Clarke bounced back in his 3rd season with scaled back minutes and turned up efficiency. He posted a .241 win shares per 48 minutes, which placed him 6th in the NBA in the stat. He dominated in the mid range game and finished at the rim with aplomb. He even got after it on the boards with a 10.7 offensive rebounding percentage.

The test this year is taking advantage of the beginning of the season. Jaren Jackson Jr. may be out for the first 2-3 months, which gives Clarke a possible opportunity to start. Jenkins has preferred utilizing his scoring off the bench, but he may be tempted to insert the 25-year-old as a starter after he improved his block rate last season with a 2.7% mark. Steven Adams, the team’s starting center, operates in a similar space on the floor as Clarke does, so it may come down to him going back to shooting 3-pointers, which he didn’t do much of last season.

It’s on his list though and it could be the key to him being viewed as a completely different player if he adds some range to his game.

“It’s pretty high up on the list,” Clarke said. “There’s a bunch of stuff on the court that I know I can do, but I just want to get better at it. I kind of proved this year. I’m not somebody who needs to be doing that or needs to be shooting the ball to be playing well, but that’s definitely something very high up on the list that I want to work on more.”

Via Damichael Cole of the Commercial Appeal

Nassir Little

Little’s best path to success might be through the Mikal Bridges model – a supremely athletic and valuable complementary piece that enhances the team around him. Little showed spurts of being that type of player with a jacked up usage last year before being forced out with a labrum injury that ruined the majority of his 3rd season in the NBA.

Last year, Little started to show signs of moving in that direction in his 42 games of action. He started 23 times and averaged 25 minutes per game, more than double what he had in his previous two seasons. He took advantage of his starts by averaging 11.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game on efficient shooting. His rebounding is elite for a forward and his 1.7 block percentage can hold its own against the best in the game.

The only problem for Little may be competition for playing time. The Trail Blazers brought in Josh Hart last season and just added Jerami Grant and Gary Payton II to the forward rotation. He is likely to still have an important role, but the leash for playing time may be a bit shorter if he gets off to a cold start.