10 Unknown NBA Players To Keep An Eye On In 2016-17

The NBA is popular because of the superstars that inhabit the league. We’re not going to look at them. We’re going to look at the unknowns.

The NBA is a player’s league. It markets itself around superstars LeBron James and Kevin Durant. But as player friendly, as it is the NBA only exposes the nation to a certain big market highlight reel type of star. This isn’t about the superstars for once. Today we’re going to look at some of the guys the league ignores. The guys you hardly ever read about, if at all.

Some are budding young talents, and others are just a sample of quality unsung role players. It is hard to narrow down the list to 10 as so many good players go overlooked in the NBA but we did.

Make a note of the names on this list as you pass through because by the end of the 2016-17 season you may be reading about one of them.

Dennis Schroder, Atlanta Hawks

Position: Point Guard
Age: 23 (09/15/1993)
Height, Weight: 6’1″ , 172 pounds
Career Slash Line: .419/.324/.795
Career Averages: 18.3 MPG, 8.9 PPG, 3.7 APG, 2.1 RPG, 0.7 SPG

Dennis Schroder will finally get his shot as the starting point guard in Atlanta after the Hawks trade of incumbent Jeff Teague. Both players will be free agents in 2017 (Schroder is restricted) and deciding which to keep was a no brainer.

The 23-year-old hasn’t averaged more than 20 minutes per game in his three seasons. Let’s look at why he should be the favorite for the 2016-17 Most Improved Player Award.

For starters, last season Atlanta was a championship contender with their backup point guard on the court and a lottery team without him. His +5.5 net rating per 100 possessions (per Basketball-Reference) was perfect evidence; the Hawks were +6.9 points when he played and just +1.4 points when he sits (per 100).

Schroder still needs to work on his shot selection and finishing at the rim. Like a lot of youngsters, he was consistently tempted into the three-point shot. Despite shooting 32.2% from long range in 2015-16, he took 3.0 shots per game from outside.

The fourth-year man from Germany makes things harder on himself by not attempting more field goals from mid-range, where he’s thrived. Per Basketball-Reference, Schroder shot 41.5% on two-point attempts longer than 16 ft.

But the biggest flaw in the point guard’s game is still his struggle finishing at the rim. Last season, Schroder converted on only 51.5% of his attempts in the restricted area (per NBA.com). For context, the league average was 60%.

Schroder is an aggressive point guard who likes to get to the basket; he averaged 6.8 drives and 4.5 points on those drives last season to make up for over 40% of his scoring average.

With some improvement in that area, Schroder could take his game to the next level. That’s what the Hawks are banking after shipping off Jeff Teague.

After three seasons of speculation, Atlanta is going with Dennis Schroder as their starter. Time to see what he’s got.

Clint Capela, Houston Rockets

Position: Center
Age: 22 (05/18/1994)
Height, Weight: 6’10” , 240 pounds
Career Slash Line: .575/.000/.359
Career Averages: 17.5 MPG, 6.4 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.1 BPG, 0.7 SPG, 0.6 APG

Clint Capela spent most of his rookie season in the D-League. A drastic improvement in the big man’s sophomore season was encouraging enough for the Rockets to believe they’d found a future franchise cornerstone.

The former first round pick in 2014 should make a seamless transition into Dwight Howard‘s starting center spot as he continues his development into one of the league’s best players around the rim.

Capela’s offense came almost exclusively from inside the restricted area, and his defense was built on his ability to protect the rim.

The 23-year-old converted on 231 field goals last season and 212 were in the restricted area (via NBA.com). He wasn’t a statue on offense, though. Capela was efficient on the pick and roll too, as evidenced by his finishing in the 83rd percentile of points per possession (according to NBA.com) while moving towards the basket.

The Rockets were a better team in the 1,471 minutes that Capela was on the court last season. With more time, his impact on the game will be even stronger.

Andrew Nicholson, Washington Wizards

Position: Power Forward
Age: 26 (12/08/1989)
Height, Weight: 6’9″ , 250 pounds
Career Slash Line: .473/.336/.780
Career Averages: 15.1 MPG, 6.5 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.4 BPG, 0.2 SPG

2012 first round pick Andrew Nicholson had a mostly unremarkable career with the Orlando Magic. It began with a solid rookie season from the 26-year-old, but the next two featured a severe regression. Last season was a promising return to form in a contract year.

Nicholson wisely chose to move on in free agency to the Washington Wizards. Increased production from three-point range (he shot a career high 36.0% in 2015-16) led to a four-year, $26 million contract.

But the former St. Bonaventure product is more than just a shooter. He is comfortable attempting to score with his back to the basket. Post-ups accounted for 32.3% of Nicholson’s play types in 2015-16, and he finished in the 78th percentile (according to NBA.com) of points per possession on post-up plays. Pretty impressive.

A fresh start is just what Nicholson needed. In Washington, under head coach Scott Brooks he’ll have his best chance to succeed yet.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Detroit Pistons

Position: Shooting Guard
Age: 23 (02/18/1993)
Height, Weight: 6’5″ , 205 pounds
Career Slash Line: .408/.327/.765
Career Averages: 29.2 MPG, 11.0 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Any discussion about the Detroit Pistons future typically centers around Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson and rightfully so; they are the team’s two most important players.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope may not receive the same attention as his talented teammates, but his value to the Pistons as a role player shouldn’t be diminished.

The starter at shooting guard led Detroit in minutes played (36.7 MPG) and was easily their best perimeter defender, making up for Jackson’s issues in that department.

KCP defended an average of 10.3 FGAs per game (according to NBA.com) and lowered opponent’s field goal percentage by -1.7%. Adding the long ball to his game would make him another one of the NBA’s sought-after three-and-D wings.

According to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press, the Pistons have already opened up negotiations for a contract extension with their 2013 first-round pick.

Gorgui Dieng, Minnesota Timberwolves

Position: Center
Age: 26 (01/18/1990)
Height, Weight: 6’11” , 241 pounds
Career Slash Line: .516/.296/.778
Career Averages: 24.3 MPG, 8.5 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.3 BPG, 0.9 SPG

Gorgui Dieng’s production went unnoticed last season. Seeing as he’ll be a restricted free agent next summer, the big man will need to find a way to make himself stick out.

New Timberwolves boss Tom Thibodeau signed Cole Aldrich to compete with Dieng for minutes at center. Thibodeau is the defensive coach that the Twolves needed.

They were 27th in defending the restricted area (according to NBA.com) last season and unfortunately that was largely Dieng’s fault.

According to Nylon Calculus, Dieng allowed opponents to shoot 52.3% at the rim while contesting field goal attempts. For context, Greg Monroe (always maligned for his defense) allowed opponents to shoot 51.5%.

The University of Louisville product has consistently improved on offense since entering the league in 2013. It’s his many offensive skills that make him a valuable asset. During the 2015-16 season, Dieng converted 68% of his attempts in the restricted area and 42.7% of his mid-range shots (via NBA.com).

George Hill, Utah Jazz

Position: Point Guard
Age: 30 (05/05/1986)
Height, Weight: 6’3″ , 188 pounds
Career Slash Line: .450/.376/.802
Career Averages: 28.8 MPG, 11.3 PPG, 3.3 APG, 3.2 RPG, 0.9 SPG, 0.3 BPG

A player lacking flashy stats or highlight reel antics typically flies under the radar. It’s easy for that type of player to be underappreciated. Sometimes even on his team.

George Hill was that guy with the last four seasons with the Indiana Pacers. He was replaced by Atlanta Hawks’ point guard Jeff Teague in a three-team trade this summer which saw Hill wind up with the Utah Jazz.

Utah narrowly missed the playoffs last season and a lack of production from the point guard position was a significant contributor to that failure. Jazz point guards were 30th in assists and 20th in points (according to hoopsstats.com) while the team finished 28th in turnover percentage.

In eight seasons, Hill’s committed just 1.3 turnovers per contest compared to 3.9 dimes giving him a respectable 2.56 assist to turnover ratio. The former San Antonio Spur has always been a sharpshooter, but he put up his best numbers last season going 44.5% from downtown off the catch (via NBA.com) and 43.7% on corner threes.

Dewayne Dedmon, San Antonio Spurs

Position: Center
Age: 27 (08/12/1989)
Height, Weight: 7’0″ , 245 pounds
Career Slash Line: .540/.000/.651
Career Averages: 13.1 MPG, 3.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 0.8 BPG, 0.3 SPG, 0.2 APG

Right now you’re asking why some dude you’ve never heard of is a part of this list. That’s a fair point. The highlight of Dewayne Dedmon’s career at this point was back in 2014 when he was an All-Star…in the D-League.

So why should you care about this guy?

Well, last season the former USC standout showed flashes of the player who finished ninth in program history with 85 career blocks.

Dedmon led the Magic in block percentage, defensive rebound percentage, total rebound percentage, and defensive box plus-minus (stats via b-ball reference).

On offense, the 27-year-old big man was lethal on the pick and roll finishing in the 96th percentile of roll man efficiency. His skill in moving without the ball contributed to him finishing 64.9% of his attempts in the restricted area.

Dedmon’s move from Orlando to the perennial contender, San Antonio Spurs, will lead to good things.

Robert Covington, Philadelphia 76ers

Position: Small Forward
Age: 25 (12/14/1990)
Height, Weight: 6’9″ , 215 pounds
Career Slash Line: .391/.363/.807
Career Averages: 27.0 MPG, 12.6 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.5 BPG

If Robert Covington was on a real basketball team for the last two seasons, you might know who he was. But he’s a Sixer, so he’s anonymous.

Well the Sixers are trying to go legit now (so they say) and with that should come some well-deserved attention for Covington, a straight-up gunner who’s fun to watch.

The former Houston Rocket is tailor made for today’s NBA. He’s the stretch four that every team wants, and he can shoot the three and play some defense.

And it’s not just that he can shoot the three but also that he loves doing it. That’s right; Covington is a straight-up gunner of the Golden State Warrior variety. 67.7% of his 2015-16 FGAs were from downtown. He averaged 7.2 shots from outside per contest.

According to Nylon Calculus, Covington was more productive when playing power forward. He scored more and grabbed more rebounds. Armed with the ability to guard multiple positions, Robert Covington will be made a seriously rich man when he’s a free agent in 2018.

Omri Casspi, Sacramento Kings

Position: Small Forward
Age: 28 (06/22/1988)
Height, Weight: 6’9″ , 225 pounds
Career Slash Line: .442/.368/.677
Career Averages: 21.7 MPG, 8.5 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Omri Casspi has established himself as a legitimate threat on offense. He gives the Sacramento Kings something to be happy about, and they really don’t have much to be happy about.

Casspi made 40.9% of his three-pointers last season on an average of 4.0 per game and finished 66.5% of attempts in the restricted area. His 3.0 drives per game produced points 81.2% of the time, a team-high.

Casspi was just sixth on the team in usage percentage last season but he was able to make his presence felt anyway. That’s a sign of a truly great role player.

The Kings were a sloppy team last season (they finished 28th in turnovers) but Casspi was efficient. With new head coach Dave Joerger at the helm hopefully the former Houston Rocket can excel on defense too.

Dion Waiters, Miami Heat

Position: Shooting Guard
Age: 24 (12/10/1991)
Height, Weight: 6’4″ , 225 pounds
Career Slash Line: .411/.334/.707
Career Averages: 28.3 MPG, 12.8 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG

This is it for Dion Waiters. If he can’t make it in Miami with a great coach like Erik Spoelstra then there’s no hope.

I’m basing all of my belief in any possibility that this isn’t a train wreck in the fact that I still think the former Syracuse Univeristy superstar can be a contributor in the NBA.

But you have to watch this season because something entertaining will come of his relationship with Pat Riley. Perhaps a Gerland Green like suspension?

One thing’s for sure, if 2016-17 goes poorly for Dion we should all evacuate Waiters Island.

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