It has repeatedly been said at every level of the organization that each spot on this roster must be earned and nothing is guaranteed, but for at the moment it's generally assumed that the starting small forward spot will be Turner's. However, outside of the commonly assumed 3pt shot improvement, Turner likely is who he is at this point. But we do have multiple young players that are poised for a breakout season and could possibly take that starting spot from him.

A big reason our team took off with the smallball linup was Harkless' versatility and ability to switch with Aminu on defense, something that the short armed Turner likely won't be able to replicate. His hustle, defense, and rebounding were invaluable to our starting lineup. However, Harkless' shooting fell off a cliff after a very hot start early in the season. Without a jumpshot, passing, or ballhandling ability for his position, his ability to operate in the Stottsfense was very questionable at times. But if Harkless could recreate his early hot shooting and sustain it at a reasonable level, he could be a favorite to start again.

Even discounting his massive new contract, Crabbe could also make Stotts' decision difficult. His shooting exploded this season but, outside of quick hands, his defense wasn't where it needed to be. His scoring also came almost entirely from others creating looks for him, whether the catch and shoot or a step-in mid-range. But with his length and quickness, he could become a solid defender and make up for his ball handling ability. Add in some practice running off screens and he could make a push for the starting position.

另一个预期的起动器是fo Aminu玩权力rward. While less likely than the options previously mentioned, he could actually slide down to the 3 if a big outplays Turner, Harkless and Crabbe. The most likely for this is Vonleh. He didn't exactly shine in summer league but he works best as a 4th or 5th option anyway. If he figures out his shot and makes them consistently while defending and rebounding at a high level, he could actually make the case to start again. Defensively, he has the mobility and athleticism to make up for Aminu moving to the perimeter, he just needs to become less of a negative on offense.

Last is Meyers Leonard. It's generally agreed at this point that he's best at the 5, but he has surprisingly quick feet in the extremely rare occurrence that he stops thinking and defends with intensity. And he clearly has the ability to spread the floor at a high level for the position. If the game slows down for him and he stops backing off of the ball to give up the open jumpshot, he could actually be a contender for the spot. His post jumper has worked surprisingly well in the very few occurrences he took it. And with confidence, his passing in the high post could open up the offense in a way that even Plumlee couldn't.

So, assuming a reasonable amount of development in the previously mentioned skillsets and Turner only improves his 3pt shot to 32% or so, who do you think would be the favorite to start?