Preseason games have begun around the NBA as we are quickly approaching regular season games getting underway. Around the league teams are finalizing their rosters and lineups, and preparing for those games.
Before things get underway, the general managers around the league are always given a survey with over 50 questions about things around the league. They make predictions about the upcoming season, picking which teams are going to succeed and guessing who may take home some hardware at the end of the season.
Not allowed to vote for anyone that is part of their franchise, this is an honest assessment of their peers around the league. One of the questions that they were asked is who will be the top breakout candidate in the 2022-23 season.
There were some great players named, but the person who received the most votes was Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Mobley was the runner-up for the Rookie of the Year award last season behind Scottie Barnes Jr. of the Toronto Raptors.
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Mobley has star potential and has been compared to Anthony Davis for his defensive potential and Chris Bosh for what he could accomplish on offense. That is the makings of an incredible player and general managers around the league believe we will see more of that potential this season.
Mobley received 21 percent of the votes, which barely edged out Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons and Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Both of those players received 17 percent of the votes. It can be argued that Edwards has already broken out, as he averaged 25.2 points per game during the postseason.
Coming in fourth on the list was Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans with 14 percent of the vote. Williamson is making his much-anticipated return to the court this season after he missed the entire 2021-22 campaign with a broken foot.
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Nine other players received votes and it was a mix of young players and veterans. The veterans that received votes were Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers, Rudy Gobert of the Timberwolves, Ben Simmons of the Brooklyn Nets and Anfernee Simons of the Portland Trail Blazers.
The youngsters were Jalen Green of the Houston Rockets, Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers, Jonathan Kuminga of the Golden State Warriors, Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers and Franz Wagner of the Orlando Magic.
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Last season the selection for breakout player was Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Memphis Grizzlies, but the race was closer as he received 17 percent. The general managers were accurate in choosing Jackson, as he led the league with 2.3 blocks per game, setting a career-high in rebounds per game as well.
