Look out for these first-time NBA all-stars, what Kobe learned from MJ & Pippen, and the Bol Bol breakout season is amongst us!

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NBA ALL-STARS

Look Out for These First-Time NBA All-Stars

Making an NBA All-Star team is tough, but doing it for the first time is even harder. Last year, before injury replacement selections, only four of the 24 All-Stars were first-timers, with three more receiving the honor as injury replacements. But we could see that number rise this year as there are several young players having breakout seasons. Here are a few of those names:

Tyrese Haliburton

The Pacers were universally praised when they acquired Tyrese Haliburton from the Sacramento Kings at last season’s trade deadline, but Haliburton has been even better than advertised. Haliburton's biggest strength was supposed to be his passing, which he’s shown by leading the league with 10.9 assists per game while creating a staggering 28.9 points for his team per contest. But it’s his scoring that’s taken an even bigger leap and has him squarely in this conversation. Haliburton has become an incredible shot creator for himself and is converting those looks with an impressive 58.3% effective field goal percentage.

Desmond Bane

Desmond Bane may have fallen off the radar a bit after suffering a right-toe injury, but Bane started this year off at a blistering pace. Bane has only played twelve games, but his on-court numbers speak for themselves. Bane is averaging 24.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.8 assists this season and has become one of the top three-point shooters in the league. Bane's attempted nearly 900 career threes, and he’s made 43.6% of them. At only 24 years old, that efficiency should only increase, and if he can get healthy, he has a great shot at becoming an All-Star.

De'Aaron Fox

Sacramento may be regretting trading Tyrese Haliburton, but it's hard to deny the positive impact it's had on De'Aaron Fox. Fox came into this season averaging 20+ PPG in the last three years but has raised his scoring to a career-best 25.4 PPG while simultaneously increasing his efficiency from the field, from 3-point range, and even from the free-throw line. If Sacramento can hold onto their fifth-place spot in the West, Fox will be the reason why, and he’ll be rewarded with his first All-Star appearance.

KOBE BRYANT

What Kobe Learned From MJ & Pippen.

Kobe Bryant’s greatest strength wasn’t that he never failed but that he never gave up and never stopped improving. One of the first major failures of Kobe’s career was in the 1997 Playoffs when with a minute left in the win-or-go-home game, Kobe airballed four shots and blew it.

Kobe talked about this defining moment years later while on the Knucklehead podcast, and while some people might have thought it was nerves, after all, he was just a rookie, Bryant clarified the moment was due to fatigue. He went on to explain that after “looking at Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen” he knew he had to “get stronger.”

Change didn’t happen overnight, but Kobe’s determination was never something to question. Sometime after his rookie year, Bryant gained around 16 lbs of muscle, going from 196 lbs to a consistent playing weight of around 212 lbs. Bryant got stronger physically and mentally, and just four years into his illustrious career, he won his first of five championships.

BOL BOL

The Bol Bol Breakout Season is Amongst Us!

Bol Bol is one of the most tantalizing NBA prospects we’ve ever seen, it just took a few years to materialize. Bol Bol is the son of NBA great Manute Bol and was drafted 44th overall by the Denver Nuggets in the 2019 Draft. However, because of their win-now window, Bol wasn’t given a real chance to develop his unique and impressive skill set.

From a size and talent standpoint, the 7′ 2″ Bol isn’t far off from the generational prospect, Victor Wembanyama. It sounds crazy, given Bol was effectively traded for nothing (a protected second-round pick) last January, but he's really been that special. Currently, Bol has a 60/41/80 shooting split while also blocking the third-most shots in the league.

According to Synergy, he cuts more efficiently than Nikola Jokic, Evan Mobley, and Zion Williamson, bringing in 1.59 points per possession. He also knocks down floaters more efficiently than De’Aaron Fox, and in catch-and-shoot situations, his effective field goal percentage is just a hair behind Steph freaking Curry.

Bol Bol is still a developing player, but his talent is undeniable, and we’re seeing it manifest in a big, big way. Time will tell what kind of ceiling Bol Bol has in the league, but at only 23 years old, the future is very bright.

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