ACC Basketball: Breakout candidates from each team for 2020-21 season

ACC Basketball breakout candidate – M.J. Walker (Florida State)

For most college basketball players, we know what they potentially bring to the table long before they reach their senior year. But for M.J. Walker, look for him to wipe away his current profile as a second-rate player, and rebuild it into one hailing him as a top ACC talent during his final year as a Seminole.

Although occurring slowly and without large margins, Walker improved bit by bit each year with Florida State, offering reason to believe that next year that trend will continue. But once the season begins Walker’s team will likely call on him far more often than before, as he returns to the starting five as the only player formerly averaging at least 10 PPG. With these circumstances likely forcing him into a position as team’s focal point, watch out for Walker to improve again, but this time by a much larger margin.

Having displayed an ability to take over games last year during contests such as Florida State’s comeback win over Western Carolina where he scored 17 points during the game’s final 20 minutes, Walker’s potential existence as a star needs no further convincing. Walker only needs an opportunity to run with an offense purely built around him, which appears like a wish likely to be granted this year with Vassell (12.7 PPG), Trent Forrest (11.6 PPG), and Patrick Williams (9.2 PPG) all leaving.

Although Monteverde Academy product Scottie Barnes seems destined to one day take the reigns and become the team’s best player, count on Walker to establish himself immediately as the team’s leader and primary offensive weapon for this year while Barnes takes some time to adapt to the game’s collegiate level.