Can Tyler Hansbrough Step It Up?

Also seen at alwaysmillertime.com

Tyler Hansbrough came as a bit of a shock when he was drafted 13th overall for the Indiana Pacers. Larry Bird was showing signs that he was already going to draft him. Hansbrough performed well in the workouts before the draft went down.

When Hansbrough was drafted, many had already doubted him from the start. And the 2009-10 season was something Hansbrough should forget. He only played 29 games and missed most of the season with a very bad ear infection. It didn’t go well at all. He averaged 8.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.

Entering his sophomore year, Hansbrough will have to step it up. Tyler had a tremendous career with the North Carolina Tar Heels. Now I don’t expect him to play like that in his rookie year, but in these next two years: things are going to get really serious. I really hope Hansbrough can apply what he did in college to the pros.

Entering this season, the 6′9″ 250-pound forward will be backing up Troy Murphy. Murphy could easily be dealt by the deadline. The Pacers will have a lot of expiring contracts coming into next year’s off-season, so with this, the team will have a lot of cap space to work with. No matter what happens, I think Indy will take a shot at Hansbrough starting.

And he is really going to need to step it up. Many say it’s going to be a miracle if he has a good career. I don’t think so. I think he can succeed, I really do. It’s all up to him.