The 20 most unexpected breakout seasons in NBA history

In 2012, Lin was concerned that he was on his way out of the NBA after failing to make an impact in the league. Then, in February 2012, the Knicks were dealing with injuries, which led to more playing time for Lin. He capitalized, delivering clutch moments and high-scoring games, making "Linsanity" one of the year's biggest sports stories.

Before arriving in Boston, Thomas was a good scorer, but it seemed his ceiling was ultimately limited by his 5'9" frame. In his second season with the Celtics, though, Isaiah had a special campaign, averaging nearly 30 points a game, regularly delivering as one of the league's most clutch players, and even earning some fringe MVP conversation.

Randolph was decent but unremarkable during his first two seasons with the Blazers, averaging about 8 points and 4 rebounds per night in Year 2. Then, he saw increased opportunity in his third season and capitalized in a huge way, raising his averages to 20 points and 10 rebounds. He was a clear Most Improved Player winner, and he went on to put up similar numbers for much of the rest of his career.

McCollum has been a 20-a-game scorer for the past decade now, so it's easy to forget where he started in the NBA. In his first two seasons, he had limited opportunities and had scoring averages in the single digits. His third season, though, he broke out, putting up over 20 points a night and winning the Most Improved Player award.

Through his first four seasons in Portland, O'Neal had career averages of 4 points and 3 rebounds in 12 minutes per game. Then he was traded to Indiana and improved, but it was in his second year with his new team that he started fulfilling his potential. In the 2002 season, he averaged about 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game, earning not just the Most Improved Player award, but his first All-Star selection.

Barros was decent for his 14-year career, but for one season, in 1995, he was an All-Star. While he was usually a backup or otherwise more of an ancillary piece, Barros took the reins in '95 and averaged about 20 points and 8 assists per game. He was a sniper from beyond the arc, too, shooting over 46 percent from three-point range.

With increased opportunity, VanVleet gradually improved and became a bigger contributor over his first three seasons in Toronto. He started to show some star potential in the 2020 campaign, when he became a full-time starter for the Raptors. He averaged just under 18 points and 7 assists per game that year, which was a long way from going undrafted just a few years prior.

There must have been something in the water in Toronto, as at the same time as VanVleet's breakout, Siakam was having one of his own. In 2019, Pascal more than doubled his scoring average, going from 7 points the season prior to just under 17. He upped his performance even more that postseason as a key contributor to the Raptors' championship run.

Arenas was an early second-round pick in the 2001 draft, and in his rookie year, he showed some offensive potential by averaging 10 points a game. He then upgraded the next season, becoming a full-time starter and averaging about 18 points and six assists per game. This wasn't the only major between-seasons leap of his career: From 2004 to 2006, his per-game scoring rose from 19 to 25 to 29.

Oladipo experienced a nice statistical bump between his rookie and sophomore years, but after that, his scoring numbers fell into a slight decline. Once he was traded to the Pacers for his fifth season, though, he took off, both as a scorer and defender. He averaged 23 points and a league-leading 2.4 steals per game, making an All-Defense team, an All-NBA team, earning an All-Star selection, and being named the Most Improved Player.

Butler established himself as a top-tier defender early in his career, making an All-Defense team in his third season. In his fourth year, 2015, though, he became a more pronounced offensive threat, upping his scoring average from 13 to 20 points per game while maintaining his lockdown defense. It was a big enough glow-up to net Butler the Most Improved Player award.

Over his first five years in the league, Markkanen showed, and sometimes capitalized on, potential, but he seemed to have peaked early during his second season. Once he relocated to Utah, though, he was handed the keys to the offense, and he increased his scoring output from 15 to 26 points per game. He was a clear Most Improved Player selection and has been an All-Star-caliber player ever since.

Poole started his career as a productive supporting piece, but in his third season, he moved into more of a featured role. He bumped his scoring average from the low to the high teens as a starting guard alongside Stephen Curry. He was clutch in the postseason, too, delivering some big scoring nights en route to a championship.

Murray's reputation early on was built on defense, making an All-Defense team in his second year. Seasons later, though, he started to flourish as an offensive star, too, putting up over 20 a game for the first time in 2022. That was along with 9 assists and a league-best two steals per game, establishing Murray as a significant all-around threat.

SGA's development after being dealt by the Clippers as part of the Paul George trade caused many retrospective re-evaluations of the deal. He blossomed into a star in OKC, especially starting in 2023, when he reached the point where he was a regular in MVP conversations, averaging 31 points per game. He did end up actually winning the award for the first time in 2025.

Wallace carved out a role for himself as an elite defensive specialist, leading the league in rebounds and blocks per game in the 2022 campaign, his sixth year in the league. He was named the Defensive Player Of The Year, too, kicking off a stretch where he'd win the award four times in five seasons. The Pistons were one of the better teams of the 2000s, and Wallace had a lot to do with that.

Considering Draymond was a second-round pick, his first two years in the league were pretty good. Then, his third season was great regardless of his origins: He just barely missed out on being named Defensive Player Of The Year. His defense and his playmaking ultimately helped the Warriors win their first title in 2015 and launch the NBA's most prosperous modern franchise.

After five seasons, it seems Billups was fizzling out, or perhaps running in place. In his first season in Detroit, though, he shouldered more responsibility and scored 16 points per game to go along with 4 assists. He helped elevate the team to playoff contention, later helping win a title and earning Finals MVP honors the next season.

Peja was a valuable sixth man for two years with the Sacramento Kings. In his third season, he got the starting nod and immediately broke out as one of the league's most potent offensive threats, scoring 20 points per game as one of the NBA's most accurate three-point shooters. The year put him on the map, and he had his first All-Star selection the next season.

Nash was a decent but unremarkable option at point guard over his first four seasons. That started to change in 2001, when he was given more responsibility in Dallas and delivered with averages of 15 points and 7 assists per game. It was the start of his journey to winning back-to-back MVP awards just a few years later.