The Next Big Thing: Danny Granger Is The Future.

The NBA is rapidly changing. It seems like only yesterday when a young 17 year old Kobe Bryant entered the NBA straight out of Lower Merion High School. Here at the start of a new decade, new superstars are starting to appear. Danny Granger, the starting SF for the Indiana Pacers, has blossomed into an elite NBA player. Drafted 17th overall in the 2005 NBA Draft out of the University of New Mexico, Danny Granger slowly, but surely made his mark on the Pacers.

In his "Freshmen" season with the Pacers, he played in 78 games and started 17 of them, averaging 7.5 points per game. His "sophomore" season as a Pacers, he increased his average to 13.9 points per game while playing in all 82 games, starting 57 of them. Danny's "Junior" season with the Pacers, he played in 80 games, while starting all of them. At the time, he increased in nearly every statistical category. His 19.6 points per game was a team high, barely above team-mate Mike Dunleavy, Jr's 19.1. 2008,(Senior Year), was the year Granger made a mark on the NBA, emerging as one of the most explosive scorers in the NBA averaging 25.8 points per game. This was the year Danny Granger became the new face of the Indiana Pacers, their next franchise player, as Peyton Manning is to the Indianapolis Colts. 2008 was also the year he made his first All-star appearance.

After four years in the NBA, Danny Granger was no longer a novice player, or an unkown force. Entering the 2009-2010 season, Danny Granger was now an experienced leader. With high hopes and new Defensive specialists like Dahntay Jones, and consecutive years on the outside of the playoffs looking in, it looked like this was going to be the year the Pacers start winning. Didn't Happen. Starting the season on a three game losing streak, Danny Granger wasn't even enough to save the Pacers. Now, at the end of the year, the Pacers are getting a bit better. Granger's number went down during the season to 24 points per game, and so did his other numbers, as a player though, he is learning to include his team-mates and make plays he never could before.

As one of the young, emerging stars in the NBA, and players like Paul Pierce, Kobe Bryant, and Allen Iverson only getting older, the NBA is starting to make room for future super-stars like Danny Granger. If the Pacers get better as a team, (picking up some more help), Danny Granger will get better as a player as Kobe Bryant did with the addition of Shaq to the LA Lakers. The NBA better watch out, because here comes the next big thing, Big Danny Granger.