(that one hit), Devin Booker (book it), and Deandre Ayton (ditto). Last season, leading vote-getters included Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (it’s not his fault he was hurt and shelved by Oklahoma City), Michael Porter Jr. It would be unfair to give this list too much power, but it would also be unfair to discredit it entirely when past predictions have most definitely panned out. Like many, GMs portend to see a true emergence as Mann’s role increases with Kawhi Leonard sidelined. They did so likely keeping in mind his bevy of breakout performances in increased minutes last postseason - which included a 39-point explosion to close out the Utah Jazz, one that featured a 20-point third-quarter scoring barrage and helped erase a 25-point deficit. They listed Mann as a player receiving votes for being among the most likely to experience a breakout season in their annual preseason survey, alongside names like Atlanta’s DeAndre Hunter, Cleveland’s Darius Garland, and Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr. General managers seem to believe it, too. Just under a six-hour drive south, down in Los Angeles, is Terance Mann, the Clippers swingman who, at the ripe age of 24, feels primed for a breakout season. He’s been a machine, and it feels as though he’s blossoming into one of the league’s most promising young players in real-time. He was even better against the Lakers last Friday: 28 points in 25 minutes. Against LeBron James and the Lakers on Tuesday, Poole dropped 18 points in 19 minutes. And before you say “it’s only preseason,” note that while not everyone may be going 100 miles per hour, the competition is still robust. Through the NBA’s preseason so far, he’s putting up 23 points on 51.6 percent shooting - not to mention 40 percent from three - 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. Up in Oakland, Jordan Poole, the third-year Warriors guard, is experiencing a bit of a boom in prospective promise. Something seems to be in the water in California.
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