10 NBA Stars Poised to Have Statement Seasons in 2014-15
Whip out your yellow legal pads. The NBA regular season is upon us, and it's time to jot down statements from some of the league's best.
These comments exist only in theory, sure, but it's nice to scribble away every now and then.
What we're actually doing is preparing statements for the stars who will warrant such declarations by the end of 2014-15. Think of it as combining crystal-ball-gazing abilities with mind-reading techniques.
In doing this, we're not just citing players who will be better. We're identifying stars who will make noise then acknowledging what that means. For instance, when Aron Baynes wins the 2014-15 scoring title, we'll know he's saying, "I have arrived."
The statements we, the responsible basketball community, will be looking for can be anything positive.
Maybe Terrence Ross wants us to know he's not some one-off 50-point scorer, so he'll seek to go full Wilt Chamberlain. Perhaps Jannero Pargo wants Stephen Curry to know there's a new history-breaking assassin to worship, so he'll try to drain a dozen three-pointers every game. Anything worth noting, from anyone noteworthy.
Capiche?
Spectacular. On to the crystal-ball telepathy.
Chris Bosh, Miami Heat
1 of 10
The Statement: I'm still a superstar.
It's been years since Chris Bosh was considered a bona fide superstar—nearly a half decade. Once he joined the Miami Heat in 2010, he forfeited his superstar standing. It didn't matter that he averaged 17.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game while expanding his offensive range over the last four years. Nor did it matter that he was selected to four All-Star Games in four seasons. He wasn't a superstar; he was a glorified third fiddle.
That's all bound to change with LeBron James in Cleveland. Bosh now goes from a No. 3 option to an offensive lifeline. The Heat will lean on him; they will expect him to be a more polished version of the Chris Bosh they poached from the Toronto Raptors—a statistical and emotional leader.
And that's what he will be. That's who he's been since July.
"I just try to come in and make sure, before I start talking, I'm in here every day, getting my work done, leading by example first, and then following with the voice," Bosh said, per the South Florida Sun Sentinel's Ira Winderman. "That's something I've learned really since I've been in the league."
Just over four years ago, Bosh ambled into Miami, fresh off a 2009-10 campaign that saw him average 24 points and 10.8 rebounds on 51.8 percent shooting while ranking fourth in player efficiency rating (25). His mission—which he implicitly accepted by staying with the Heat—is to prove that superstar didn't die during a voluntary, years-long hibernation.
Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers
2 of 10
The Statement: Not so fast, Anthony Davis.
Power forward is a fabulously deep position. It's not point guard, but slews of star-studded talents occupy the 4 spot. When it comes to identifying the best player at said position, all the usual suspects are mentioned. Anthony Davis. Kevin Love. LaMarcus Aldridge (for some reason). Dirk Nowitzki.
Get ready to hear more and more about the latter. Although it's widely assumed Davis will run away with "Best Power Forward" honors—and, in the process, the world—Griffin isn't the same player he was two years ago. Or even two days ago.
Last season offered but a taste of his potential. He carried the Los Angeles Clippers during Chris Paul's protracted absence, leading them to a 12-6 record—in the ultra-freaking-competitive Western Conference—while emerging as a dark-horse MVP candidate.
He also became just the third player in league history age 24 or younger to average at least 24.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists on 50 percent shooting, joining Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. And here you were thinking you kept good company just because Pauly Shore brought mini quiches to your last Tupperware party.
Frightening still, Griffin isn't done evolving. He's made an attempt to clean up his jumper, per SB Nation's Mike Prada. And if the player who converted 37.1 percent of his mid-range jumpers and 27.3 percent of his three-pointers last season starts hitting both shots consistently, in addition to all he already does, Davis better watch his six.
Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
3 of 10
The Statement: LOL, Blake.
Perception of Davis can generally be split into two categories. First, there are the cautious skeptics, like ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
"MVP sleeper? Top-five player?" he writes. "I fear the Anthony Davis hype has hiked the bar higher than even The Brow can reach at what still ranks as a formative stage of his career. But maybe he'll prove me wrong and hit those heights this season."
Then there are the unbridled optimists/conspiracy theorists, like CBSSports.com's Matt Moore:
"Look, I'm not saying he is an alien. I'm saying ... If you were an extraterrestrial life form, you wanted to explore our planet and happened to be so long that anyone would recognize your limbs that go past your knees, along with that antennae thing you have on your face ... wouldn't NBA player be a pretty good cover? ...
...Anthony Davis is not human. And he's coming for the NBA.
"
While it's totally true the bar has been set crazy high for Davis, he's working off an historical season—he joined Shaquille' O'Neal as the second 20-year-old to ever notch at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game—and approaching one in which he'll prove he's worth the intergalactic hype.
The basis for belief: There isn't anything Davis cannot do. He'll put the ball on the floor, post-up, hit jumpers in your face, block shots, stockpile rebounds and then, if he has to, fight crime while jumping rooftops.
What he did during the preseason should be illegal. He averaged 15.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 23 minutes per game. That equates to 24.1 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per 36 minutes. So, yes, he's worth the hoopla and on the cusp of putting distance between himself and almost everyone else.
Don't take my word for it, though. Watch him go bonkers through all of 2014-15 and see for yourself.
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
4 of 10
The Statement: Hi, I'm Stephen Curry, the NBA's best point guard.
At least one member of the Clippers isn't going to like this. But it's equally insulting not to acknowledge Curry's potential under Steve Kerr.
Former Golden Warriors head coach Mark Jackson wasn't an offensive wizard. That the team maintained a top-12 offense despite recurrent stagnancy and an overreliance on Curry is remarkable. By replacing that attack with Kerr's systematic soup, as Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle describes, the Warriors are laying the groundwork for a monstrous offensive season:
"According to a number of experts, the Warriors will be running elements of the triangle, which gets attributed to either the Bulls or the Lakers. They’ll play with the ball movement and player motion of the Spurs and the urgency of the Suns’ “seven-seconds-or-less” offense.
Oh yeah, and there will be tidbits from Jerry Sloan’s years with the Jazz.
"
What the Warriors are basically doing is placing the universe's best shooter (ever) within a system that will utilize both his playmaking and spot-up abilities.
Curry shot 48.2 percent on catch-and-shoot threes last season, but he attempted just 2.5 per game. That number will increase significantly, if not meteorically—as will the stock of the first player in league history to average at least 24 points, four rebounds and eight assists while finding net on 40 percent of his triples.
If there's anyone who can bilk Paul of his long-held crown, it's this guy.
Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
5 of 10
The Statement: I'm back, baby dolls...for real this time.
Maybe Derrick Rose will never be the Derrick Rose of years past. In fact, he probably won't—and that's not a bad thing.
Watching Rose during the preseason, it became clear he's found the ideal balance between explosion and finesse. He's not too dependent on living among the clouds and has shown no signs of fatigue this side of the FIBA World Cup.
Through seven preseason contests, he looked great. He averaged 16.9 points and 2.9 assists in 21.9 minutes of action, and he boasted a better-looking jumper (43.3 percent from deep). His return has been a boon for the Chicago Bulls and a gift for the eyes.
Putting the bow on said gift may take some time, to be sure. Regular-season speed is different from that of preseason pace. But the productive, superstar, all-world version of Rose looks to be on his way back.
For real and—most importantly—for good this time.
DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings
6 of 10
The Statement: DeMarcus Cousins, the superstar, has arrived.
Depending who you talk to, DeMarcus Cousins has been a victim, villain or both for the last four years. Now he's just a superstar searching for acceptance that by season's end he'll have unequivocally earned.
Statistically speaking, he's been a superstar since 2013-14 (at least), when he became the fifth player in NBA history under the age of 24 to average at least 20 points, 11 rebounds, 2.5 assists, one steal and one block per game. And if Kevin Garnett, Bob McAdoo, Charles Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon don't make for an awesome dinner party, there is no such thing.
Rather than waiting for his production to fall into line, Cousins has been waiting for his attitude and public perception to catch up with his production. That's what this past summer was about for him: reinvention. And by all appearances it was a success.
After winning a gold medal with Team USA at the 2014 FIBA World Cup, Cousins entered training camp walking and talking like a new person, aiming to improve as a leader, manipulating the skewed scope through which he's been viewed.
"The national media is recognizing Cousins for the dominant force that he is," wrote Sactown Royalty's Greg Wissinger. "Cousins is leading the way for the Kings to return to respectability. It's a fantastic thing to see."
Indeed, it is fantastic. It's also a sight we better get used to seeing.
Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons
7 of 10
The Statement: Hey, y'all! Check out my superstar superpowers!
Andre Drummond is next up on our never-ending list of statement-making big men.
Once deemed the riskiest lottery pick of the 2012 NBA draft, Drummond's potential is under siege no more. He was a per-36-minute machine as a rookie then a frequently used and feared force—who still dabbled in per-36-minute domination—as a sophomore.
Playing under Stan Van Gundy is only going to make him better. Eventually the Detroit Pistons will replicate the Orlando Magic model from their Dwight Howard days. In the meantime, Drummond is set to improve upon the 13.5 points, 13.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.6 blocks he averaged last season. (He's the youngest player in NBA history to ever do this, by the way.)
Look for him to morph into a more potent version of the preseason prototype who devastated opposing defenses and offenses. He averaged 14.9 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 30.8 minutes. That may or may not be the equivalent of 17.4 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per 36 minutes (it is).
More pointedly, that may be both outlandishly outstanding and only a taste of what's to come (it is).
Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
8 of 10
The Statement: I'm far from finished.
Somehow, Wade's reputation—not unlike Bosh's—slowly, surely devolved while playing alongside James. Rest and maintenance days rendered him a liability. Oftentimes, written and spoken words portrayed James as the Heat's only superstar, as if Wade disappeared completely.
None of that is true. If it was even close to true before, it won't be now.
Many tend to overlook that, while Wade isn't always available, his ability has never once wavered. He still averaged 19 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.5 steals on a career-high 54.5 percent shooting last year. He still registered a PER north of 20 for the 10th time in the last 10 years. Tim Duncan and James are the only other players who have done the same.
Does he need to adapt and adjust his game? Yes. Is he already doing just this? Also, yes.
Wade made six three-pointers through seven preseason contests. He made nine all last season. That he converted 42.9 percent of his bombs during exhibition play is encouraging. It shows he can change and perform—which is good, because without James, he'll have to change and perform.
So, change and perform he will.
Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
9 of 10
The Statement: Let me be me.
Russell Westbrook's name is one that incites both wrath and wonder. As an attack-first point guard playing next to the game's second-greatest player in Kevin Durant, his court conduct is equal parts incredible and infuriating.
No matter how many times Durant or anyone else associated with the Oklahoma City Thunder says otherwise, there's still this lingering—and stubborn—sense that Westbrook needs to assume his rightful place outside the spotlight.
Durant's Jones fracture—which will sideline him for at least six to eight total weeks—is, because of that ingrained skepticism, a blessing in disguise. For however long he actually sits out, Westbrook has the opportunity to disprove any negative opinions that have imprisoned him. This is his chance to validate not only his superstar standing but also walk alone.
He's already one of the 10 best players in the league. Only he and James have averaged at least 20 points and five assists per game over the last two seasons. There's ample reason, then, to believe the Thunder will survive without Durant as well as Anthony Morrow (MCL sprain) and potentially Reggie Jackson (ankle). Westbrook is that reason.
Carrying a team by himself isn't easy, nor has Westbrook done it before; he's only once averaged more than 4.4 minutes of Durant-less action per game for an entire season (2008-09). But should Oklahoma City remain near the top of an unfathomably brutal Western Conference without Durant, Westbrook has ammunition that will last years.
Have your bulletproof vests at the ready.
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
10 of 10
The Statement: What Wade said and then some.
Optimism as it pertains to Kobe Bryant has almost entirely dissipated. Some are clinging to the hope that he's still a capable star; others have already penned his obituary.
But it's this stark contrast between blind faith and informed doubt that drives Bryant, even now. He's never been one to bend at or accept traditional thought processes.
From the moment he entered the league at age 18, he's been a walking, talking, seething contradiction. Fear, even more so than age, has been the one thing he's never succumbed to, as Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding pointed out in a magnificent piece that detailed Bryant's source of might:
"But fear of failure has never been an issue for Bryant. Just as we all have in watching him, he has enjoyed the show and dealt with the consequences later...
...Do not lower those standards for him. If he winds up getting more shots blocked than Carlos Boozer and can't guard any better than Steve Nash would've, so be it. Some will laugh and some will cry, because Kobe will have failed.
But at least he will have failed to be Kobe—as opposed to losing faith in himself and no longer shooting for the stars.
"
Logic dictates Bryant prepare for the end. It insists there's no way a 36-year-old coming off two major injuries can reinvent himself only to reclaim his spot among the league's superstars. It implores us to lower our standards, to diminish or eradicate any residual hope.
Except we can't. Not all of us. Not yet. Bryant has succeeded in defying widely accepted rationale more than he's failed. He's earned whatever faith—however blind or irrational—still exists.
One way or another, for better or worse, he's going to make a statement in 2014-15 the only way he knows how: on his own terms.
*Preseason stats courtesy of RealGM. Remaining stats via Basketball-Reference and NBA.com unless otherwise cited.
