5 bench players who flourished as starters in the 2020-21 NBA season
The 2020-21 NBA season saw almost all the teams making a plethora of changes to their starting lineups due to poor form or injuries of their regular starters.
Several players who started off the bench relished the opportunity to start and posted better numbers. While some of them were only able to improve their individual performances, others managed to positively impact their teams' performances to a great extent.
On that note, let's take a look at five such players who thrived as starters in the 2020-21 NBA season.
#5 Miles Bridges (47 games off the bench, 19 games as a starter in 2020-21 NBA)
Miles Bridges was recently promoted to the Charlotte Hornets' starting lineup. He replaced the injured Gordon Hayward, who was the first-choice starting power forward for Hornets head coach James Borrego.
Bridges played 47 games off the bench, averaging 10.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per outing.
Since becoming a starter in April, Miles Bridges has been terrific for the Hornets, as he produced most of his 20 and 30-point games during this stretch. He started 19 games, averaging 18.6 points and 6.7 rebounds while playing 36 minutes per outing.
Even though the Hornets won just six times when Bridges started, they have a very reliable option in him for the future. The team could continue to start Bridges as a three when Hayward returns.
#4 Joe Ingles (37 games off the bench, 30 games as a starter in 2020-21 NBA)
Joe Ingles has been a key player in the Utah Jazz' successful 2020-21 NBA campaign so far. Whether playing off the bench or as a starter, Ingles has been impactful on multiple occasions.
His stats as a starter are much better, though, helping the Jazz continue their winning form even in the absence of Donovan Mitchell or Mike Conley. As a reserve, Ingles played 37 games, averaging 9.9 points and 3.9 assists in 25 minutes of playing time. As a starter, he averaged 14.7 points and 5.8 assists per game in 30 outings, with the Jazz winning 22 of these matches.
The Australian's performances have given the Utah Jazz the assurance that they can play well without Mitchell in the lineup, at least in the first few games of the NBA playoffs.
Mitchell has been on the sidelines since April 16th because of an ankle injury he sustained against the Indiana Pacers.
#3 LaMelo Ball (20 games off the bench, 31 games as a starter in 2020-21 NBA)
The no. 3 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft class, LaMelo Ball, initially started as a reserve player for the Charlotte Hornets. However, an unfortunate injury to Devonte Graham, who was the point guard for the team, saw Ball being introduced to the starting lineup in February.
As expected by many, the rookie flourished in his new role and was heavily impactful in keeping the team in the reckoning for a postseason spot. LaMelo Ball played 20 games off the bench, averaging 12.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists per outing while averaging close to 25 minutes per contest. Those numbers were quite impressive for a rookie, but he bettered them after becoming a starter.
LaMelo Ball played 31 NBA games as a starter, averaging 18.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists per outing. His scoring improved during this period, and he started to gain more confidence after the head coach said that Ball would start even after Graham returns from injury.
#2 Marcus Morris Sr. (28 games off the bench, 29 games as a starter in 2020-21 NBA)
Marcus Morris Sr. was brought last season by the LA Clippers to add some much-needed depth to their squad. He has been a solid performer for them since then. He started the season off the bench as the Clippers added Nicolas Batum to their ranks this off-season.
Batum had a hot start to his tenure with the Clippers, which hampered Morris' chances of playing in a starting role. However, with the Clippers enduring a slump in mid-March and Batum losing his form, coach Ty Lue decided to turn to veteran Morris. The latter responded by producing impressive outings, helping the Clippers turn their poor form around.
As a bench player, the former Knicks forward averaged 11.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 28 games. Since becoming a starter, he has averaged 15.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in 29 outings.
His shooting averages improved as well. Morris shot 50.9% from the field, including 49.7% from the deep, as a starter in the 2020-21 NBA, while he averaged 42.6% from the field and 44.4% from the deep while coming off the bench.
#1 Facundo Campazzo (46 games off the bench, 19 as a starter in 2020-21 NBA)
Facundo Campazzo's rise has been one of the most underrated storylines of the 2020-21 NBA season.
The Argentine started the 2020-21 NBA season, barely averaging 7-8 minutes per game, generally coming on in the latter stages of matches. However, after a few solid performances, he earned the trust of Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone and was rewarded with increased playing time.
With injuries hindering the Nuggets' campaign, Campazzo started to play even more. After Jamal Murray got sidelined because of injury, Campazzo was asked to switch to a starting role for the rest of the campaign.
Campazzo responded by averaging 9.6 points and 5.6 assists per game as a starter. He had averaged 4.6 points and 2.7 assists per contest as a bench player. Thanks to his impressive performances, he will likely be the Denver Nuggets' starting point guard in the upcoming NBA playoffs as well.