Blake Griffin, John Wall and Other NBA Sophomores Set for a Big 2nd Season

Last season was an interesting one for rookies in the NBA.

Due to an injury to Blake Griffin that caused him to miss what would have been his rookie year, there were two rookies that had each been selected with the first overall selection in the NBA draft.

While John Wall and Blake Griffin both had solid first year's in the league, there were some other guys that also performed well.

Drafted in the second round, Landry Fields became one of the biggest surprises in New York, and higher picks like Ekpe Udoh and Xavier Henry had rough starts to their careers.

Just before the trade deadline, one of the highly drafted rookies was traded for an All-Star point guard, and others showed promise in helping their teams to better seasons.

Now that they have all endured the usual first year hazing of carrying team bags, paying for dinner, getting teased and having to entertain the veterans, here are some of the second-year players in the league who are ready to have a breakout season.

John Wall, Washington Wizards

If it weren't for Blake Griffin playing his first year a season later than expected, John Wall would have easily won the Rookie of the Year award last season.

Wall, the young point guard, averaged 16.4 points per game, and ended up seventh in the league in assists per game with 8.4.

Like many rookies, as he moves into his second season, he will have an easier time adjusting to life in the NBA and will be more confident with running the team.

As a point guard, Wall depends on the guys that he is passing the ball to, and his running mates should all improve as well. With the addition of 6'11" small forward Jan Vesely, who many have compared to Andrei Kirilenko, the Wizards will be better offensively.

Look for Wall's overall numbers to improve, and for his teammates to help him raise his assist totals for the season.

Derrick Favors, Utah Jazz

After being the No. 3 overall pick by the New Jersey Nets, Derrick Favors played about 20 minutes a night in New Jersey before being shipped to Utah in a surprising trade for All-Star point guard Deron Williams.

The Jazz, who really liked Favors on draft night, were very happy with the talent they received in the 19-year-old Favors. As the youngest player in the league last season, Favors began to show off his skills to Jazz fans and quickly became part of the future of the franchise.

Towards the end of the year, he and fellow rookie Gordon Hayward began to get more consistent playing time and did not disappoint. His overall size and athleticism are such big assets to the team that many are already devising ways to trade away veterans Al Jefferson or Paul Millsap to get Favors on the court more.

Next season Favors will improve his game and help Jazz fans to forget about Deron Williams.

Greg Monroe, Detroit Pistons

During his last season at Georgetown, Greg Monroe became another in a long line of big men to have a good career and be drafted into the NBA.

The Detroit Pistons selected Monroe with the seventh overall pick, and he went on to play fairly well for the team.

Averaging more than some of the other rookies on this list, he put up 9.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest. Most importantly, he was able to stay on the court and average over 27 minutes of playing time each night.

As it often takes post players a little bit longer to develop in the league than others, Monroe will continue to work on his interior play. He is a big, tough, player who has already worked hard in the league and has seen positive results.

At the end of the season, Monroe ended up sixth in the Rookie of the Year voting, and will only get better as he improves the skills needed to play a front-court position.

With the team drafting a point guard in the first round of the 2011 draft, one would expect Monroe to continue to get the playing time needed to develop and gain experience. As he does, he will become a great interior option for the Pistons.

Paul George, Indiana Pacers

After a standout career at Fresno State, the Indiana Pacers selected Paul George with the 10th overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft.

George is a long, athletic scorer who has enough potential to become one of the leaders of the Pacers and force them to make tough player decisions that may lead to the team trading away Danny Granger.

As is normal for rookies, George did experience some ups and downs last season and perhaps did not have the type of offensive year that he expected. He did manage to play in 61 games with 19 starts, score 7.8 points per game, grab 3.7 rebounds and add an assist and a blocked shot per game.

George's numbers will continue to grow next season, and he will have the benefit of playing with point guard George Hill, who the team acquired from the San Antonio Spurs on draft night this season.

As the Pacers continue to put the pieces of their future together, they will improve on the 37-45 record they posted last season.

Paul George will be a big part of that and will improve his game in all areas next season.

Gordon Hayward, Utah Jazz

Six years before he even entered the league, the pick that turned out to be Gordon Hayward was traded twice and changed hands between the Knicks, the Suns and the Jazz.

After waiting for several years to get a lottery pick from the Knicks, Jazz fans watched as the team drafted Hayward, who had just led the Butler Bulldogs to an improbable run to the NCAA Championship game.

Playing under Jerry Sloan, who was known for not playing rookies, Hayward got limited minutes and it seemed like the long-awaited pick was going to be wasted.

Despite averaging only 5.4 points per game, as Hayward received more playing time, he began to show the skill that led him to be a lottery selection.

In his last several games last season, Hayward broke out with a few performances that saw him surpass his career high twice and play good defense against Kobe Bryant that helped the struggling Jazz to a road win over the Lakers.

As one of the most talented pieces of the Jazz puzzle, Hayward is going to get a lot more time on the floor, which should translate him into having a big season.

DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings

After spending one season at Kentucky, DeMarcus Cousins became the fifth overall selection by the Sacramento Kings.

Slated to become the King's big man of the future, Cousins put up decent numbers in his rookie year. He averaged just over 14 points and eight rebounds per game.

Like most rookies, Cousins has some things to work on that should be improved next season. After leading the league in personal fouls, he will learn better defensive positioning and patience underneath the basket.

As he learns to foul less and stay on the floor, his offensive numbers should go up, and he will have a bigger impact on the team.

In addition to staying on the floor more, he will also benefit from the good play of his teammates. If newly drafted guard Jimmer Fredette has the offensive production that the Kings are hoping for, his outside shooting and playmaking ability will help spread the floor and open things up for Cousins.

For Cousins, his future success does not depend on his ability, but rather, him being able to control his emotions on the court. As he learns to get things under control in his own head, he will become a much better player in the league.

Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers

After taking the league by storm last season, winning the Slam Dunk Contest and getting the Los Angeles Clippers back on the road to NBA relevancy, one might think that there is not much room for improvement for Blake Griffin.

As well as he played last season, he does have room to improve, and as he gets better, he will soon become one of the elite players in the league.

Like many rookies, it seemed like Griffin was playing mostly off of talent and natural athleticism last season. Averaging over 22 points and 12 rebounds a game and earning a spot on the Western Conference All-Star team as a rookie are all things that he must get used to.

As Griffin continues to receive more coaching, improve his skills defensively and gains a veteran's understanding of the game, he will be an even better player than he showed in his rookie season.

As strange as it may sound, next season Griffin and the Clippers will improve on their 32-win season, make the playoffs and start to challenge the best teams in the Western Conference.