12. Nikola Mirotic, New Orleans Pelicans
Mirotic put together a strong second half of the season with New Orleans, adding to their up-tempo attack after DeMarcus Cousins went down with injury. His three-point shooting added another dynamic next to Anthony Davis, and his postseason explosion should only reassure his spot in the starting five.
11. Dario Saric, Philadelphia 76ers
Saric will be looking to build on a monumental second season, during which he shot 39.3 percent from deep and averaged 14.6 points per game. He remains one of the most underrated talents in the NBA, despite playing on a big-market team with plenty of national exposure.
Alongside his shooting, Saric has some tantalizing playmaking upside that the Sixers haven’t been able to tap into. Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid control the offense, which often limits Saric to spotting up and off-ball cutting.
Nonetheless, he’s an impressive passer, above-average shooter and high-energy rebounder. If Saric could defend, he would be a few spots higher on this list.
Athleticism and defense (or a lack thereof) limit Saric’s ceiling for now. The effort is there, but he simply doesn’t have the quickness or explosiveness needed to make a positive impact on that end.
10. Harrison Barnes, Dallas Mavericks
Barnes has evolved quite a bit since his days in Golden State. Rather than spot-up shooting, he’s the Mavs’ leading scorer, working off the dribble and scoring at all three levels. He can get a bit iso-heavy at times, but he remains an impactful go-to weapon with solid defensive chops.