The Informer’s 2014 NBA Playoff Preview Part IV: Predicting A Breakout Star

by

PART I PART II PART III

Welcome back to The Informer’s 2014 NBA Playoff Preview. Today in our journey to 10,000 words The Informer is going to look at three NBA players who are poised to breakout in this year’s playoffs.

Now in order to be a candidate for “breakout star” the guy has to be relatively unknown or new to the playoffs, preferably in his first or second season and most of all he has to have the ability to alter the course of a playoff series.

Following this criteria, The Informer thinks these three guys are the perfect choices to breakout in this year’s playoffs.

3. Jonas Valanciunas

No, The Informer is not predicting the Jonas Brothers are going to be “Burnin’ Up” with a breakout playoff performance. I assure you all that Jonas Valanciunas is actually a full-time NBA basketball player, not a former teen heartthrob.

In fact, Valanciunas is the Toronto Raptors promising second year center, a former #5 overall pick, and a guy who averaged 11 points and 8.8 rebounds this past season. Now on the surface those numbers don’t really translate to becoming a breakout star, but if you dig a little deeper you will see why The Informer is expecting big things from the young Lithuanian.

Over the course of the last month Jonas has been averaging 17-12 while playing 30 minutes a night for the surging Raptors. This is important because The Informer can list on one hand the number of players who averaged at least 17-12 this season; Dwight Howard, Kevin Love, DeMarcus Cousins and LaMarcus Aldridge.

If you are scoring at home the list contains three all-stars and a guy named “Boogie”. That is pretty solid company to be in.

Of course, The Informer realizes a month worth of 17-12’s is a small sample size, but the thing we all have to remember is in the NBA once a big man gets his feet wet and understands how to play the game the numbers usually show up.

So if Jonas had one or two 17-12 games, a person could call it an anomaly. But the fact that he has consistently done this over a stretch of time tells me the numbers are for real and so is Jonas Valanciunas.

The Informer is predicting that before it is said and done, Valanciunas will have the Brooklyn Nets thinking twice about their decision to duck the Chicago Bulls in favor of the Raptors.

2. Harrison Barnes

This one is kind of cheating since Harrison Barnes was one of the breakout stars from the 2013 NBA Playoffs. The thing is, Barnes has been so sporadic with his play during the regular season (only averaging 26 minutes nine points and four rebounds) that many people have forgotten just how good he was last postseason (when he averaged 38 minutes 16 points and six rebounds).

Since Barnes is now considered by some to be just another guy, The Informer is thinking the second year former North Carolina Tar Heel is going to break “back-out” in this year’s playoffs and cement his role as Robert Horry 2.0.

You know, a guy who treats the regular season like a summer pickup game, but once the bright lights of the playoffs are turned on they step their game up to an all-star level.

In other words, The Informer is thinking Harrison Barnes has some serious “Horry-Blood” in him which he is going to showcase against the Los Angeles Clippers.

1. Damian Lillard

Last year Stephen Curry and Mike Conley Jr. showed us that nobody can control the outcome of a playoff series like a great point guard. Curry did this by leading the Warriors to an upset over the Denver Nuggets before giving a scare to Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs. Meanwhile Conley led the Memphis Grizzlies to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in team history.

Since Conley and Curry gave the blue print for being a breakout playoff star last year, it only stands to reason The Informer would have at least one point guard on his breakout list this year.

And since Tony Parker, Curry, Chris Paul, Conley Jr. and Russell Westbrook are all too well known to be considered for the position of breakout star, that leaves The Informer with three options: Kemba Walker, Damian Lillard or John Wall.

Honestly, The Informer would like to jump on the Kemba Walker bandwagon, unfortunately it is going to be kind of hard to break out if you only play five games and lose four of them (Sorry Charlotte Bobcat fans, but the Miami Heat are winning in five).

As for Wall, The Informer actually thinks the Chicago Bulls-Washington Wizards series could be a good one, but it is probably going to be a low scoring slug-fest which means Wall’s numbers could suffer.

Therefore, The Informer is jumping on the Damian Lillard bandwagon for two reasons.

1. There is a very good possibility the Portland Trailblazers will beat the Houston Rockets. Now in order for this to happen, Lillard is going to have to be the man. Again, there is a very good possibility of this happening.

2. Lillard is coming off a season where he averaged 20 points 5.6 assist and 4 rebounds while shooting 40 percent from the three point line. Those are borderline All-Star numbers and if he can add a few more points and assist all of the sudden you are looking at a 25-7 guy. In other words, you would be looking at James Harden.

Call The Informer crazy, but if Damian Lillard turns into a right handed beardless James Harden and leads the Blazers to an upset victory over the Rockets he will no doubt be the biggest breakout star of the 2014 NBA Playoffs.