Mitnick: Top 16 Summer League Breakout Players

Draymond Green – Golden State Warriors

Playing on one of the league’s most exciting up-and-coming squads, Green showed his all-around game this year as he stepped up in the stretch run of the season.

While Green may not have the “upside” to improve so drastically because of his athletic ceiling, he is poised to have a much stronger season with a year of experience under his belt.

Donald Sloan – Indiana Pacers

After stints at the end of the bench in the league, playing in the D-League and playing in China, Sloan appears ready to take the leap to being a serious rotation player. One of the most improved players in the world over the last two years, he has drastically improved his decision making, ability to finish and his overall confidence running an offense. With D.J. Augustin failing to come through in the playoffs and no nolger a Pacer, there will be plenty of opportunity for Sloan to compete with C.J. Watson for ownership of the backup point guard slot in Indy.

Andrew Goudelock – Chicago Bulls

An undersized scoring combo guard, Goudelock rarely got the chances he needed to show his value with the Lakers. With his knack for scoring, and his ability to get hot in a hurry, he should prove valuable to a contending team looking for some production out of their second unit.

Right now, he is on the fringe of even being in the league, but his Las Vegas Summer League-leading 26 points per game is showing that not only does he need to be in the league, he needs the rock in his hands.

Cory Joseph – San Antonio Spurs

A very talented all-around guard, Joseph has yet to earn enough trust from Coach Popovich to get some playoff burn.

He has been putting his leadership and decision making on display in the summer league, averaging 17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game in Vegas. Although he has Patty Mills and Nando De Colo pushing him for minutes, there is a chance he should see far more burn next season as he continues his development.

Jeffery Taylor – Charlotte Bobcats

After a so-so year with the Bobcats, Taylor showed up to Vegas with a much stronger body than he had last season. A jack of all trades with a very team-first attitude, Taylor will benefit from the overall improvement of Charlotte’s roster, as he is the type of player who produces more when surrounded by better teammates. While he is averaging 21.5 points per game in Las Vegas, he is more likely to be a Jared Dudley type in an expanded role with the Bobcats and their new centerpiece, Al Jefferson.

Jeremy Lamb – Oklahoma City Thunder

With the departure of Kevin Martin, one of the main pieces of the infamous James Harden trade showed up to Orlando on a mission to prove he can step in and replace some of the offensive production. The game seems to come easy for Lamb, as he has a wealth of natural talent, which he displayed to the tune of 19 points per game. He needs to work on his shot selection, but he has the chutzpa to take and make the difficult shots that can swing a game in his teams favor. He may not be in the same caliber as James Harden, but this season he can be a nice distraction for Thunder fans as the spotlight shines on Houston.

Evan Fournier – Denver Nuggets

Had Fournier kept his name out of last year’s draft, he would have been a sure-fire lottery pick in 2013. Fournier may not have the potential to be a star, but he will be a starter in the NBA for quite some time, and this year should be a big step in the right direction for the French guard.

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AJ Mitnick is an American currently living in Israel and working for Maccabi Rishon Lezion of the Israeli Basketball Super League. A recent graduate of IDC Herzliya, Mitnick also maintains a  basketball blog, http://mindlessdribble.net, and is pursuing a professional basketball coaching license from the Wingate Institute in Israel. Follow him on Twitter.