Young players having the best seasons in their careers right before they’re due a new contract is hardly a new phenomenon, but it takes on new significance due to the NBA’s current economic situation. A likely escalation in the salary cap this summer will allow free agents to obtain more expensive contracts from a larger pool of teams with newfound cap space. A quartet of these young, emerging stars— Milwaukee’s Brandon Knight, Chicago’s Jimmy Butler, Orlando’s Tobias Harris and Golden State’s Draymond Green— will be highlighted in this story.
Brandon Knight, Point Guard, Milwaukee Bucks
Despite being just 21 years old, the Detroit Pistons ran out of patience with Brandon Knight. They traded him to Milwaukee in a multi-player deal that sent Brandon Jennings to the Motor City and the Bucks reaped the benefits right away. The team may have finished with the league’s worst record last season, but Knight averaged nearly 18 points and five assists per game while significantly boosting his PER and offensive efficiency.
That improvement continued for Knight as he turned 23 on Dec. 2. In addition to getting better offensively, he’s 18th in total points and 7th in free throw percentage leaguewide, Knight’s defensive rating improved 10 points per 100 possessions since last year and the team attributes his success to a willingness to learn and work hard.
“I would say extremely hard work and being a high-character person,” Bucks General Manager John Hammond told SheridanHoops. “You usually put those two things together and good things come out. Brandon, with high character, is open to coaching, he wants to improve, it’s important for him to get better and he’s worked very hard at doing that.”
Knight’s work has paid off, leading to career bests across the board.
| Brandon Knight Career Highs | Number |
| Field Goal % | 44.6 |
| 3-point Field Goal % | 40 |
| Points | 18 |
| Assists | 5.1 |
| Rebounds | 4.4 |
| Free Throw Percentage | 89.8 |
| Offensive Rating | 105 |
| Defensive Rating | 104 |
| PER | 18.4 |
| True Shooting Percentage | 57 |
| Win Shares | 2.8 |
| Win Shares Per 48 | 0.121 |
Bucks head coach Jason Kidd attributes Knight’s rise to trust in himself and his teammates.
“Understanding where his teammates are going to be on the floor and also his teammates knowing where he’s going to be on the floor,” Kidd said. “That’s a big thing that they trust him and you see he’s playing at a very high level for us.”
Knight’s improvement will likely extend into next season and beyond. Where he will play next season after he gets a large contract is yet to be determined.
Jimmy Butler, Shooting Guard, Chicago Bulls
Butler’s emergence has been well-documented on his website, from looking at his evolution on film to this writer speaking to him and his teammates about how he made such a large leap to become the NBA’s most improved player.
Butler reportedly passed on a contract over the summer that would have paid him $12 million a year, betting on himself that his play during his contract year would warrant a max deal. It worked.
Butler has even launched himself into the MVP conversation for the East contending Bulls and is among the league leaders in numerous statistical categories.
| Jimmy Butler League Leaders | Number | League Rank |
| Minutes Per Game | 40 | 1 |
| Minutes | 1240 | 2 |
| Made Free Throws | 210 | 2 |
| Free Throw Attempts | 252 | 2 |
| Offensive Win Shares | 4.6 | 4 |
| Win Shares | 6.1 | 4 |
| Offensive Rating | 125.9 | 7 |
| Win Shares Per 48 Minutes | 0.236 | 7 |
| Points Per Game | 21.9 | 10 |
| Total Points | 678 | 12 |
| PER | 22.4 | 12 |
As long as Butler is playing at an MVP level and is rapidly becoming a superstar similar to what Paul George was showing before his unfortunate and untimely injury, Butler will get a max contract from someone. We’ll see whether Chicago is willing to pony up, because a slew of hungry teams would love a player of Butler’s caliber as he enters the prime of his career.
Tobias Harris, Forward, Orlando Magic
Like Knight, Harris was traded away way too early at the age of 20. Unlike Knight, Harris was traded from Milwaukee to Orlando in a deal that brought J.J. Redick to the Bucks in a last-ditch effort to reach the 2012-2013 playoffs.
After starting just 36 games a season ago, Harris has started all 35 Orlando games this season and improved his long-distance shooting to become a very good player in this league at just 22 years of age.
| Tobias Harris Career Highs | Number |
| Minutes | 35.4 |
| FG % | 47.6 |
| 3 FG % | 40 |
| Points | 18.3 |
| Rebounds | 7 |
| Assists | 1.9 |
| Steals | 1.1 |
| Defensive Rating | 106 |
| PER | 17.9 |
| True Shooting % | 56 |
| Win Shares Per 48 | 0.114 |
Harris is now averaging over 18 points a game and has improved nearly 15 percentage points from three to a really good 40 percent from beyond the arc. The Long Island native will be on the Knicks’ radar this offseason, according to a source, and will attract many teams this summer. For Harris, an uncertain future changed into one that will bring a major payday this July.
Draymond Green, Forward, Golden State Warriors
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson deserve the Lion’s share of credit for the Warriors’ league best 26-5 start, but Draymond Green has been a huge contributor to the team’s incredible success.
With David Lee hurt, Green has started all 31 games and has helped Golden State lead the league in defensive rating while also being second in scoring offense and fourth in offensive rating. By every measure, Green has been a revelation for new head coach Steve Kerr.
Green averages over 12 points and eight rebounds per game along with nearly four assists and 1.5 blocks and steals per game. He’s also continued to be one of the league leaders defensively.
| Draymond Green League Leaders | Number | League Rank |
| Defensive Rating | 96.1 | 1 |
| Defensive Win Shares | 2.3 | 1 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 213 | 12 |
| Blocks Per Game | 1.5 | 16 |
| Blocks | 45 | 18 |
| Rebounds Per Game | 8.1 | 19 |
Based on Green’s league leading defensive rating and defensive win shares, he has a very good case to be in discussion for Defensive Player of the Year. That should allow Green to command a contract that approaches Lance Stephenson’s three-year, $27 million contract he signed over the summer. He could even eclipse that, given he doesn’t have Stephenson’s character issues.
Either way, a whole lot of teams would jump at the chance to sign Green or any of the other players in this story this coming summer.
Shlomo Sprung is a national columnist for SheridanHoops who focuses on analytics, profiles and features. He is also the web editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. A 2011 graduate of Columbia University’s Journalism School, he has previously worked for the New York Knicks, The Sporting News, Business Insider and other publications. You should follow him on Twitter.