Post All-Star Break marks the beginning of the closing stretch of the season, where playoff pushes are made and draft lotteries are played. Depending on a team's direction, players can take a step up or a step back. In this article, we will review a handful of players that are primed and in position to ramp up their production down the stretch of the season.
Beyond a couple of suspensions and injury interruptions, Jimmy Butler was relatively unimpressive with the Heat this season, averaging 17.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.1 steals across 25 games played. Nonetheless, he has already shown a better pace since joining the Warriors, averaging 21.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.3 steals over four games. He will likely continue to emerge as an offensive leader for the squad and could become the outright first option. Butler is also likely to kick his game up a notch thanks to the added motivation of playing alongside proven, veteran teammates. As a result, he can be expected to make a bigger splash the rest of the way.
Quentin Grimes got out to a slow start this season but improved his play by December and ended up averaging 10.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists through 47 games with the Mavericks. In his small sample size with the 76ers, he looks to be ready to continue in good form, especially after he dropped 30 points in his first start with the squad, which took place in their
Post All-Star Break marks the beginning of the closing stretch of the season, where playoff pushes are made and draft lotteries are played. Depending on a team's direction, players can take a step up or a step back. In this article, we will review a handful of players that are primed and in position to ramp up their production down the stretch of the season.
Beyond a couple of suspensions and injury interruptions, Jimmy Butler was relatively unimpressive with the Heat this season, averaging 17.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.1 steals across 25 games played. Nonetheless, he has already shown a better pace since joining the Warriors, averaging 21.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.3 steals over four games. He will likely continue to emerge as an offensive leader for the squad and could become the outright first option. Butler is also likely to kick his game up a notch thanks to the added motivation of playing alongside proven, veteran teammates. As a result, he can be expected to make a bigger splash the rest of the way.
Quentin Grimes got out to a slow start this season but improved his play by December and ended up averaging 10.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists through 47 games with the Mavericks. In his small sample size with the 76ers, he looks to be ready to continue in good form, especially after he dropped 30 points in his first start with the squad, which took place in their final game before the break. Grimes has a great opportunity to continue to establish himself as a key part of the rotation. With all the Sixers' injury troubles, he could find himself bumped into an even more significant role. Additionally, the 76ers are on the brink of falling out of contention for the postseason, which could be a factor in certain players shutting down for the season, thus opening up a greater opportunity for Grimes to show what he can do.
After missing the 2023-24 season, Kevin Porter returned to action by averaging 9.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.0 steals in 19.6 minutes over 45 games with the Clippers this season. He has only played two games since being traded to the Bucks, but he showed a glimpse of what he can provide, with 11 points, eight rebounds, five assists and a steal in their final outing before the break. Porter has the chance to emerge as a consistent figure for his new squad, especially as a leader of the second unit and a player that can provide instant offense off the bench. The Bucks can also utilize him to help give more versatility to their offense, for example, if they want to go small, putting Giannis Antetokounmpo at center, or giving Damian Lillard a chance to play off the ball.
Ayo Dosunmu showed some impressive play to close out last season and was off to a solid start to the 2024-25 campaign, before a three-week injury absence from late-December to mid-January. However, he is back on a roll, averaging 13.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.4 steals while starting in the Bulls' last nine games. He is likely to maintain the starting job through the rest of the campaign, especially after the Bulls opened up a major offensive void by letting go of Zach LaVine via trade. Dosunmu is a versatile player and proven stat-sheet stuffer, and he should have the chance to showcase his abilities with minimal limitations, as the squad is poised to give their younger players the reins down the stretch of the season.
As a result of injury, Ausar Thompson did not make his season debut until November 25. He then got out to a quiet start, averaging 7.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals in 18.9 minutes per game through his first 20 appearances. However, he kicked his play into a higher gear in late-January and delivered an average of 12.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.9 steals over the last 13 games, including tying his season high of 19 points in the most recent outing. As the Pistons pursue a playoff spot, Thompson should continue to shine by filling the boxscore with strong effort on both sides of the floor. He should only earn more responsibility as the season goes on and will likely continue to improve his production as he is able to find more and more of a rhythm.
Bogdan Bogdanovic was limited by injury trouble as he averaged 10.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 24.9 minutes per game through 24 appearances with the Hawks to start the season. He also came up relatively quiet with just seven points in each of his first two outings with the Clippers before the break. However, he is in position to take on a lead role for their second unit and could easily find his way back towards his career averages of 14.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.0 steals per game (not including this season). As long as he can stay healthy, he should provide a notable impact for a squad that is lined up as a potential contender in the West. At the very least, Bogdanovic is likely to show better numbers to close the season, compared to his stifled start.
Goga Bitadze began the season in a reserve role but soon picked up a starting job due to injuries in the Magic's frontcourt. Since his first start on November 4, 2024, Bitadze has started in all but one of his 42 appearances and is averaging 9.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.8 blocks over that span. Considering he has been able to maintain the starting role even after the squad has been back to full strength for a few games, it can be assumed that Bitadze will play a key part down the stretch of the season. Having had plenty of time to settle into the greater responsibility, he faces an ideal chance to step up his production the rest of the way as the Magic look to close the season on a high note. He stands to thrive while being back alongside two star players, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, which should contribute to the big man facing less defensive attention and being able to focus more on the nuances of his role.
Max Christie averaged 8.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 24.9 minutes per game through 45 games with the Lakers to open the campaign. However, the third-year guard has already shown greater promise with the Mavericks, averaging 17.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 steals over his first six appearances with the squad. He looks to be in line for a fairly significant role, even getting the start in each of the last two outings as the team navigates injury trouble. Christie provides a solid presence on both ends of the floor and is primed to make the most of the opportunity to establish himself as a valuable contributor for the Mavs. He should continue to maintain higher levels of production, while he helps pick up some of the offensive slack left after the departures of Luka Doncic and Quentin Grimes.
