5 NBA Sophomores Who Will Be the Most Improved in the 2013 Season

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Now that most members of the 2011 NBA draft have played their rookie seasons, they're putting in the work during the offseason so that they can make leaps and bounds as sophomores. 

So, which ones will improve the most? 

I'm not talking about players who have already broken out, which rules out Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Kenneth Faried, Marshon Brooks and Isaiah Thomas. 

The following are the five players who struggled to make much of an impact during their first seasons in The Association, but won't repeat that feat in their second ones. 

Read on to find out who they are. 

Bismack Biyombo

Jeremy Brevard-US PRESSWIRE

Team: Charlotte Bobcats

Position: C

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 5.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 1.8 blocks, 0.3 steals

 

A few days ago, I was playing NBA 2K12 with my younger brother and needed to give him a bit of a handicap. So, when he chose to play as the Eastern Conference All-Stars, I selected the Charlotte Bobcats as my team of choice. 

Halfway through, I decided to try only scoring with Bismack Biyombo. It didn't work very well and I realized that any non-dunks by Biyombo should probably be worth four points. 

The point of my story is that Biyombo wasn't exactly an offensive player during his rookie season. His offense was, well, offensive to basketball purists. 

Biyombo is still learning the game after his sudden ascent up draft boards prior to the 2011 NBA draft. It should be much better now that he has a full year of experience at the sport's highest level. 

He's an insane athlete with terrific defensive instincts. He'll look much more like a complete basketball player during take two in the NBA. 

Alec Burks

Russ Isabella-US PRESSWIRE

Team: Utah Jazz

Position: SG

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 7.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.1 blocks, 0.5 steals

 

Alec Burks had a solid rookie season, posting a PER of 14.0 for the Utah Jazz, but more minutes are going to afford him more opportunities to make some noise as a sophomore. 

He looked like he'd put on some more weight during Summer League and wasn't pushed around as easily, thereby negating one of his two major flaws. The other is the inconsistency of his jumper from the perimeter, and that's still a work in progress. 

With his 6'10" wingspan and copious amounts of size at the shooting guard position, Burks is going to make the most of his athleticism, ball-handling and finishing skills on the court during the 2012-13 campaign. 

Jan Vesely

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

Team: Washington Wizards

Position: SF/PF

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 4.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.6 blocks, 0.7 steals 

 

The Dunking Ninja is ready to take flight during his sophomore season.

As a rookie, Jan Vesely missed the beginning of the season with an injured hip, and that nagging malady plagued him throughout his first chance to shine in the NBA. 

Now fully healthy, Vesely is going to become a massive, 6'11" mismatch at the small forward position, constantly dunking over people and dominating the fast break alongside John Wall. 

Vesely is just a sickening athlete right now, but his jumper is quickly improving. That's what held him back the most during his rookie season. His form appears to be getting better and better as time passes and he continues to work on it.  

Tristan Thompson

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

Team: Cleveland Cavaliers

Position: PF

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 8.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 1.0 blocks, 0.5 steals

 

Tristan Thompson still has a lot of work to do on his game, but he should get consistent minutes in the Cleveland Cavaliers frontcourt as a second-year player. He, Anderson Vareajo and incoming rookie Tyler Zeller should be the top three men at the power forward and center positions. 

Coming out of Texas, Thompson was a player limited to the paint. 

If he moved outside of that colored area, he probably wasn't going to score. His range has improved slightly and he isn't going to be strictly confined to the area next season. 

Moreover, Thompson was one of the NBA's best offensive rebounders as a rookie. Only Nikola Pekovic posted a higher offensive rebound percentage during the 2011-12 campaign. 

Kemba Walker

Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

Team: Charlotte Bobcats

Position: PG

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 12.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 0.3 blocks, 0.9 steals

 

Kemba Walker only shot 36.6 percent from the field during his first season out of Connecticut, and there's no way he can do any worse. 

This diminutive point guard is a ridiculously hard worker who will do everything in his power to correct his mistakes as a rookie. He still possesses the same speed, quickness and creativity that helped him carry the Huskies to an NCAA title after all. 

The biggest thing working in Kemba's favor though is the inevitable improvement of the Charlotte Bobcats.

Now that there are at least a few options on offense, defenses won't be able to key in on him quite as much.