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15. Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics

Smart has a chance to be more than the Boston Celtics' resident defensive bloodhound.

Oh, without question, he's still that. Small-ball will have to be a part of the Celtics' DNA after swapping out Al Horford with Enes Kanter, and Smart's defensive range will be paramount to those combinations standing ground at the less glamorous end. He matched up with bigger wings—Luka Doncic, Paul George, Khris Middleton, etc.— to varying volume last year, and Boston hasn't shied from using him to guard in the post.

Smart's offense has always prevented him from shedding the "specialist" label—or from completely avoiding the "liability" designation. He at least began to overturn the non-shooting knock last year. He buried 36.4 percent of his three-pointers and was even more effective off the catch (38.7 percent).

That doesn't make Smart a proven shooter. He does not wield a jumper off the dribble, and defenses will live with the six to 12 points he steals from beyond the arc if it allows them to wall off the lanes for others. But he'll garner more attention, however minimal, if he keeps swishing threes with league-average touch. That alone diversifies his offensive portfolio.

Boston may even have the bandwidth to explore more of Smart's half-court initiation. Carsen Edwards or Brad Wanamaker will be the only option at backup point guard if Gordon Hayward rejoins the starting lineup. Smart is the safer choice to spell Kemba Walker, even if his turnover rate is much too high relative to his usage.

14. Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics

Ranker's remorse is in full effect following Jaylen Brown's preseason. Even last year, he quietly salvaged what was considered a dispiriting third season. He started slow, battled back issues and earned a demotion to the bench, but he averaged 13.9 points over his final 45 games while banging in 54.5 percent of his twos and 39.4 percent of his threes. After regaining his starting spot, he was one of the Boston Celtics' more valuable shooters during their ill-fated playoff run.

The concern is that Brown, 22, may have peaked—on offense, anyway. He has untapped levels of defense. Team USA rolled him out up a position or two, and the returns, at times, looked pretty good. Boston will be able to scrape by with Kemba Walker-plus-all-wing lineups if Brown and Marcus Smart effectively defend up.

Views of Brown's offense are less hopeful. Someone with his athleticism should get to the rim and, in turn, the charity stripe more often. But Brown has seen the percentage of his attempts inside three feet and his free-throw-attempt rate decline each season.

Limited opportunity is at least partially responsible. Brown's freedom within the offense and playing time suffered from Year 2 to Year 3 as the Celtics tried, and failed, to accommodate him, Gordon Hayward, Kyrie Irving and Jayson Tatum all at once. Steadier volume may culminate in a more balanced game.

"I definitely will have more opportunities this year than I did last year, obviously with the loaded roster that we had last year," Brown said, per Celtics.com's Marc D'Amico. "This year, I think I have some responsibility—I have to be accountable; I have some responsibility to make sure that I come out and perform for my teammates."

Predicting more prominent production from Brown requires a leap of faith. Boston has Hayward, Tatum and Walker, and he hasn't yet ditched the drives to nowhere that directly stunt his value as a playmaker. He may just be more three-and-D specialist than All-Star. That's still a darn good basketball player but pales in comparison to what it seemed he might be following his sophomore boom.

13. Josh Richardson, Miami Heat

Josh Richardson's stock dropped slightly last season amid the Miami Heat's need for more. Out of necessity, they needed him to work off the dribble. Situationally, that can work. But Richardson's pick-and-roll frequency skyrocketed from 2017-18 to 2018-19.

Philly does not need to overextend him. It may want to lean on him more in crunch time, when face-up options are king, but the majority of his damage should come off the catch or on quick-fire possessions. And while he can't replace JJ Redick's pinball motions, he does have the chops to be Joel Embiid's dribble-hand-off outlet.

That the Sixers now have Richardson to pester point guards is patently unfair. He spares Ben Simmons from that wear and tear but can also blanket opponents up to the 3 spot—and sometimes the 4. Finding the right defensive matchup for Tobias Harris will be effortless.

Jimmy Butler's exit will not be painless. Philly will feel it, most notably on offense. But snagging Richardson was huge. The Sixers didn't just land on their feet; they acquired a seamless star complement who can flirt with an All-Defensive selection while hitting 37-plus percent of his threes.

12. Caris LeVert, Brooklyn Nets

Heading into mid-November, Caris LeVert was the Brooklyn Net generating the most buzz. Not until a dislocated right ankle derailed the heart of his season did D'Angelo Russell begin his climb.

LeVert regained much of his flair by year's end. He averaged 16.0 points and 4.3 assists while draining 45.2 percent of his threes over Brooklyn's final eight games. Small samples are the enemy of meaningful conclusions, but that momentum leaked into the postseason. He carried the Nets offense in five games against the Sixers, averaging 21.0 points and 3.0 assists with a 49.3/46.2/72.4 shooting slash.

Kevin Durant's recovery from a torn Achilles leaves the door wide open for LeVert's rise into fringe or flat-out stardom to continue.

He will be the No. 2 option on most nights and has shown a flair for making more complicated passing reads and shots. The trick for him is embracing volume. Having a Sixth Man of the Year candidate in Spencer Dinwiddie to take on No. 2 duties for spurts is a luxury, but LeVert plays more reserved at times than someone with his first step and improved feel for the game should.

11. Gary Harris, Denver Nuggets

Gary Harris did not invite much faith in the first season of his four-year, $84 million extension. Hip and hamstring injuries dogged him almost end-to-end, and his 33.9 percent clip from three was the second-lowest of his career.

Rejoining the starting five after a seven-game absence and brief stint on the bench appeared to do him some good. He shot 40.3 percent from deep over his final 21 appearances. But that efficiency came on modest volume and didn't actually hold. He converted just 16 percent of his treys through Denver's final seven games.

Transitioning into the postseason didn't make him any more predictable. His outside shooting normalized early on, but he went 4-of-22 (18.2 percent) from deep in Games 2 thru 7 against the Portland Trail Blazers. Harris' darts to the basket and subsequent finishes rarely seemed the same.

Betting on redemption is still the call. Better health will serve Harris well, and his 2018-19 campaign was not a complete downer. He assumed the assignments the Nuggets' wing rotation wasn't fit to handle. Their preferred starting five—Harris, Will Barton, Jamal Murray, Paul Millsap, Nikola Jokic—doesn't survive on defense without him. His life will get noticeably easier with the arrival of Jerami Grant.