5. Caris LeVert, contortionist
LeVert presents one classic young player dilemma: The process looks much better than results. LeVert maps the floor at a sophisticated level. He understands how defenses rotate, where open teammates should be, and how to manipulate all the chess pieces with his dribble. He moves with an arrhythmic, buffering stop-and-start that confounds defenders.
None of that matters much if you shoot 38 percent overall, and 14 percent from deep.
But his method of finding those shots -- and generating them for teammates -- is so intriguing, and so damned smart, that you wager on those shooting percentages catching up as LeVert gains experience.
He is especially clever in tight spaces -- a whirling blur of fakes, spins, and semi-blind wraparound dishes.
LeVert can get a little too daring -- almost arrogant. He tries impossible passes, and stops the ball now and then to launch off-the-bounce midrangers. Defenders are already ducking under picks against him, and ignoring him off the ball.
But the raw material of a solid starting wing is here.