Jabari Walker's season-ending explosion
Jabari Walker showed some promise as a rookie in 2022-23. He flashed a high-energy game with a pinch of playmaking and a penchant for carving out space on the offensive glass. Then he added some muscle during the offseason, took advantage of the injury plague that swept through Portland's locker room this year and now finds himself on this list as one of the Blazers' biggest surprises.
The Colorado product doubled his minutes and upped his stats across the board. He finished the season averaging 8.9 points and 7.1 rebounds while shooting 46 percent from the field despite taking twice as many shots as he did as a rookie.
In his final 15 games, eight of which were starts, Walker nearly averaged a double-double and added a new wrinkle that will be critical to his development - a 3-point shot. The 21-year-old hit 39.4 percent of his 2.2 attempts per game. He also pulled down 14 rebounds per game in the Blazers' final six, including 22 in a win over the Charlotte Hornets.