10. Nick Young, 76ers- I hate to say this, and I mean I really, really hate to say this, because the amount of times I have been burned by Nick Young in NBA 2K12 is ridiculous. I mean like too many times to even count. He hasn't missed a three in that game all season. Regardless we saw what Nick can do in the playoffs with the Clippers, he has shown some flashes of great scoring potential and he isn't a total liability on defense. He is still only 27 years old and is now on a 76ers team that desperately needs a scorer. Can Young and his 14.2 points per game, and 36.5% three point shooting percentage be that guy?
9. Lou Williams, Hawks- The man who Nick Young basically replaced, Lou Williams, is next on my list. Now some people might argue he is already kind of there. He has definitely exceeded any expectations he's had since he was drafted, going 15th in the 2nd round out of high school. Last year, he was kind of the man for Philly, he averaged 14.9 PPG, the most of anyone on the team. He has the experience, heading into his 8th NBA season, and still retains his youth being only 25 years old. The thing that really concerns me is where he is now. Atlanta already has two guys who like to have the ball in their hands in Josh Smith and Al Horford, but with the trade of Joe Johnson I think that
Williams will get an opportunity to get his shots up in Atlanta.
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| The "Bulldozer" Doing His Thing |
8. Nikola Pekovic, Timberwolves- Again another young guy here, Pekovic, the 26 year old big man drafted with the first pick in the 2nd round from Montenegro. This guy is a machine. He flies under the radar because he shares the floor with Kevin Love every night, but he is a rising star. According to the ESPN player efficiency rating scale, or PER, which is a rating of a players per minute productivity, Pekovic is the 24th best player in the league. Coming in above the likes of Pau Gasol, Marcin Gortat, Kevin Garnett and David Lee, just to name a few. Last season he averaged 13.9 ppg and 7.4 rpg, and while Love likes to stretch the floor with his shooting, Pekovic is as solid as they come in the post.
7. Carlos Delfino, Rockets- Now I know Delfino might be on the wrong side of 25, but he is still only 29 years old. Also, like Williams, he is headed in to his 8th season of NBA ball. I just love Delfino's style of play. He's explosive and a powerful scorer when he decides to attack the rim. We saw him in the Olympics, and he looked good in London, really good. With Argentina he averaged 15.5 points per game off the bench. Even though I hate Jeremy Lin, I think Lin will enjoy passing (the like 2 times per game he does) to the slashing Delfino.
6. O.J. Mayo, Mavericks- O.J. Mayo is on the verge of being a draft bust, but I think with his new home in Dallas he can turn his career around. Mayo is still only 24 years old, and still has a lot of raw potential. He could be a gifted scorer, with his combination of shooting skills and abilities around the rim. He averaged 12.6 ppg last year for the Grizzlies, not all that bad, but not good enough to crack the starting lineup on a consistent basis. He will most likely start this year on this Mavericks team, and when Dirk gets into trouble, he is really the next best scoring option with the loss of the JET. He will also have to serve as one of the team's main deep threats. The Mavs rely on their ability to shoot the three ball and over the past two years they have lost three above average shooters in Terry, Caron Butler, and DeShawn Stevenson.
5. Paul George, Pacers- We saw it last year in the playoffs, George can flat out ball. In the regular season last year he averaged 12.1 ppg, a pretty solid total. He's now heading in to his 3rd season, and is only 22 years old. He is an above average defender, and he showed how annoying he can be when guarding one of the league's best in Dwayne Wade. He will most definitely start again this year, and there isn't much depth behind him now that George Hill will be playing mostly point guard. One of the things you have to love about George is his length. At 6 foot 8 inches he is taller then most NBA shooting guards. This gives him a major advantage on closing out on shots, and on the glass.
4. Nicolas Batum, Blazers- After a failed attempt to escape to Minnesota, the 6 foot 8 inch swingman finds himself back in Portland. Batum really had a great season last year, and was one of the lone bright spots on this Blazers team. He averaged 13.9 points and just under 5 boards per game. The 23 year old French man is just coming into his own, and this season could be huge for him. I would say one of the biggest question marks surrounding him is his team. The Blazers are one of the leagues worst, and that can seriously bring down the numbers of a guy like Batum.
3. Al-Farouq Aminu, Hornets- This is a straight potential pick on my part. I think Aminu has the athleticism and will to become a good player in this league. While last year he only averaged 6 points per game, I still thing he has something special to offer. He is still 21 years old, and he has shown flashes of good play while with both the Clippers and the Hornets. However if his Olympic performance with Nigeria against the US is any indication of his future, I am way off.
2. Kyle Lowry, Raptors- Lowry is probably one of the best if not the best player already on the list, but I think there is room for more. The Rockets, blinded by Jeremy Lin, basically gave the Raptors Lowry for nothing, and I can do nothing but applaud this move. The Raptors wanted a new young point guard, and thats exactly what they got. Lowry is a good all-around player. He averaged 14 points last season and also averaged almost 7 assists per game. He has also been very efficient with turnovers over his career, averaging just 1.8 per game during his span in the NBA. Although he isn't surrounded by a whole lot of talent in Toronto, Lowry is still only 26 and I think he still has room to grow.
1. Kris Humphries, Nets- The most hated man in the NBA makes the list with the final spot, and deservedly so. Humphries is one of the more underrated big men in the league, with great rebounding potential. He averaged a double double last season, with 14 ppg and 11 rpg. He is still only 27, and now back with the Nets to serve as their starting power forward. He has carved out a nice little spot for himself with the Nets, and cashed in on a two year 24 million dollar contract. I guess he is lucky Kanye didn't have J drop him from the team.
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