Developing prospects requires so many ingredients, from the player willing to put in the work to the opportunity presenting itself. Sometimes, it might take a stroke of luck for everything to fall in line. But in the end, the most critical ingredient is minutes.
Jaden Ivey
The Pistons are wasting a valuable top-five pick by neither starting Ivey nor playing him much. It doesn't make sense. The starting backcourt shoots 32.6 percent from three combined. Add in that Ausar Thompson is shooting 16.7 percent from three, and that is three positions that are non-shooting threats. Detroit is making a mistake by not playing Ivey.
-
Marcus Sasser
Hayes is a good passer, averaging 4.8 assists, but it is hard to justify playing him over Sasser and Ivey with his offensive limitations. There has not been a significant defensive difference with Hayes, Sasser or Ivey on the court. Giving Ivey and Sasser more minutes at the cost of Hayes is the right move for the Pistons; they need to develop and learn what they have in their younger players.
-
Moses Moody
At the current moment, Moody is splitting minutes with Gary Payton II, and their numbers are eerily similar. It is the Spiderman pointing meme at this point. The big difference is age, with Moody being 10 years younger. It might be time to invest more time into Moody, with Payton as the break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option.
-
AJ Griffin
Last season, Griffin looked like a young rotational piece for the Hawks, but thus far in 2023-24, his minutes have dropped from 19.5 to 9.2. The minutes are hard to come by as the Atlanta Hawks are rolling to start the season with Griffin out of the rotation.
-
Toumani Camara
It makes sense for Portland to continue raising Camara's minutes. In the long view, the Blazers are unlikely to be more than a lottery team this season, so development should be the more significant priority. That would mean giving Camara more time on the court in actual games.
Link to Original Article (https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10096931-5-young-nba-players-who-need-more-minutes)