Enes Kanter: Utah Jazz 2013 Breakout Candidate

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Utah Jazz will look quite a bit different during the upcoming season than they have in previous years. They lost a few veterans to free agency, most of whom were an important part of any success they have had over the past couple of seasons.

Mo Williams, Paul Millsap, Al Jefferson and Randy Foye are all with new teams in 2013 and their brand new starting lineup will surely provide for somewhat of a culture shock to Jazz fans.

Although the new starters aren’t all exactly fresh faces, they are brand new to the starting lineup and a couple in particular are poised for a big season. Both new starting big men Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors could wind up exploding onto the scene in 2013 and the organization is excited and confident in their new front court.

Kanter, specifically, could be in position to drastically improve his stat line and contribute in a huge way. Over two seasons, Kanter has averaged 6.0 points and 4.3 rebounds in just 14.4 minutes per game. Last season, he ended the year with a PER over 17 — a very impressive number considering the amount of minutes he played.

In 2012, Kanter put up 7.2 points and 4.3 rebounds in just 15.4 minutes of action per night. Putting that into perspective with where his minutes could be at in the upcoming campaign, Kanter could easily average a good 15 points and 10 rebounds this year. That would be an incredibly impressive stat sheet for a 21-year old center.

Kanter has nothing but upside and the Jazz know he has a ton of potential. He’s efficient from the field and a solid rebounder. The only thing he has to do to take it to the next level is increase his level of physicality, which should be a bit easier with more time on the floor. Kanter should be a big-time breakout player this next year, just wait and see.

Ryan Heckman is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ryanmheckman, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.