Trey Lyles
If the conclusion of last season and an impressive Summer League tell us anything about Trey Lyles, it’s that the second-year forward out of Kentucky is ready to make an impact. While he has a long ways to go before he surpasses Favors as the starter, Lyles may have the edge in versatility.
Lyles showed an ability to create his own shot and was effective attacking the rim and letting loose from deep, particularly for a player of his size. The hope with Lyles will largely be that he can become a reliable backup to Favors, erasing all holes in the second unit (something there was a lot of last year).
With Exum, Burks and Johnson as his cohorts at the guard and small forward positions, Lyles has quite a bit of pressure to show that he can compete at the same level as his reserve teammates and keep opponents reeling even with the starters catching a break.
But all signs indicate that he will be able to do so. It’s still very early in Lyles’ young career, but up to this point it looks like his future is bright.
Best Case Scenario: Matches the skill of his fellow reserve teammates and helps boost them to elite status among NBA benches, uses his versatility to challenge Favors for the starting spot
Worst Case Scenario: Struggles to improve in his second season, has a drop-off in efficiency, gets left out of the 10-man rotation with Boris Diaw or even Joel Bolomboy rising up the depth chart
Next: Boris Diaw