NBA 2010-11 Predictions: John Wall, J.J. Hickson and Each Team's Breakout Player
It's almost time for the NBA regular season to start, which means it's almost time for the breakout players of the 2010 season to reveal themselves.
Every year NBA fans are exposed to a bevy of new players and hidden talents.
This year will be no different.
Some players on this list will be rookies. Others will be players who are in line for significantly more playing time this year. Some may even have had success formerly, but seen their careers take a turn for the worse. Some are already considered great players but will take yet another step forward.
There are bound to be a few names you've never heard of before to go along with one player that is already widely considered a superstar.
One thing every player on the list has in common though, is the potential for a breakout, whether in terms of production or publicity.
Read on to find out who is included.
Atlanta Hawks: Jordan Crawford
1 of 30
Last Season Per Game Stats:
Played for the Xavier Musketeers
20.5 points, 2.9 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 0.2 blocks, 1.3 steals, 32.8 minutes
This Season:
Jordan Crawford was the Atlanta Hawks first-round prize in the most recent NBA draft and will most likely be coming off of the bench as the backup shooting guard for the Hawks this season. Interestingly, that was the role reserved for a fellow Crawford last year: Jamal Crawford. No, they are not related.
Up to this point, the guard from Xavier was most famous for his highly-publicized dunk over LeBron James, the video of which was confiscated by Nike before it was released on YouTube.
This season he'll make a name for himself on the court when it matters.
Crawford has the potential to be a prolific scorer. He will have the benefit of learning from Joe Johnson and the aforementioned Jamal Crawford, both of whom are masters at putting the ball through the hoop.
Right now, Crawford isn't in line for too much playing time, but he'll make it count when he is on the court. Unless there's an injury to one of the guards ahead of him in the depth chart, it could take some time for him to receive consistent minutes. But he's too talented to be used as a reserve for now.
So far this preseason he's averaging 14.6 points per game and has shown his explosiveness time after time.
Boston Celtics: Glen Davis
2 of 30
Last Season Per Game Stats:
Played for the Boston Celtics
6.3 points, 0.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 0.3 blocks, 0.4 steals, 17.3 minutes
This Season:
The Celtics are one of those teams for which it's tough to find a true breakout player.
Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce are all quite established as great basketball players. Nate Robinson, Shaquille O'Neal, Jermaine O'Neal, and Delonte West will all contribute. But all have shown us before what we'll get from them.
That leaves Glen Davis as the only candidate for a true breakout. He'll start the season off by backing up Kevin Garnett, but he's likely to get lots of minutes in that role. Davis will also receive more playing time because Kendrick Perkins is out until at least February.
The Big Baby showed off his skills in the playoffs and that success could definitely carry over to this season.
Charlotte Bobcats: D.J. Augustin
3 of 30
Last Season Per Game Stats:
Played for the Charlotte Bobcats
6.4 points, 2.4 assists, 1.2 rebounds, 0.1 blocks, 0.6 steals, 18.4 minutes
This Season:
D.J. Augustin was a very good player at the University of Texas and then had an impressive rookie campaign (11.8 points, 3.5 assists, 0.6 steals, 26.5 minutes). But then he butted heads with head coach Larry Brown and got the privilege of riding the pine for much of last season.
He only got to play 18.4 minutes per game last season, but seems to be fully entrenched in the starting spot this year. Shaun Livingston is his main competition, but the injury bug just can't leave Livingston alone.
In 28.2 minutes per game so far this preseason, Augustin is shooting 55-percent from the field and scoring 14.5 points per game. He looks healthy and fully confident.
Expect Augustin to dramatically improve this season and become one of the better point guards in the league.
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Chicago Bulls: Taj Gibson
4 of 30
Last Season Per Game Stats:
Played for the Chicago Bulls
9.0 points, 0.9 assists, 7.5 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, 0.6 assists, 26.9 minutes
This Season:
In limited action during his rookie season, Taj Gibson put up solid numbers and came close to being a double-double player night in and night out.
The sky was the limit for this young forward until the Bulls went out and acquired Carlos Boozer, who projects to start in front of Gibson.
However, Boozer is injury prone and Gibson will likely get plenty of chances to show off his skills. He'll be the starting power forward for the Bulls for the first month of the season as well, while Boozer recovers from a fractured pinky.
Gibson can pretty much do it all, especially when it comes to blocking shots and pulling down rebounds.
Cleveland Cavaliers: J.J. Hickson
5 of 30
Last Season Per Game Stats:
Played for the Cleveland
8.5 points, 0.5 assists, 4.9 rebounds, 0.5 blocks, 0.4 steals, 20.9 minutes
This Season:
J.J. Hickson is currently listed as a starter for the Cleveland Cavaliers and I wouldn't be at all surprised if he quickly became their primary scorer.
He's got the potential to lay down a double-double every night he plays, and I'm not talking about a 10 points, 10 rebounds double-double. More like a 20 points, 12 rebounds double-double.
Hickson flat out dominated at summer league this year, averaging 19.3 points per game. His success has carried over to the preseason where he has put up 13.7 points per game.
He will most likely see this number elevate with the increased minutes that the regular season will bring.
Someone is going to have to eventually make Cleveland move on to life without LeBron James and this guy could be someone who helps move that process along a little bit quicker than most expected.
Dallas Mavericks: Rodrigue Beaubois
6 of 30
Last Season Per Game Stats:
Played for the Dallas Mavericks
7.1 points, 1.3 assists, 1.4 rebounds, 0.2 blocks, 0.5 steals, 12.5 minutes
This Season:
All right, so now that you've stopped staring at the leaping ability of Rodrigue Beaubois and actually started reading about him, I'm going to direct your attention back to the picture.
See that word underneath his feet? It says "AMAZING," and that's exactly what Beaubois has the potential to be this year.
Beaubois put up incredible per-minute production last season for the Mavs and should be even better with more opportunities this season.
He's currently recovering from a foot injury, but should supplant Jason Terry in the starting lineup when he is fully healthy.
Get used to saying Rodrigue Beaubois. That shouldn't be a problem because it's quite fun to say.
Denver Nuggets: Arron Afflalo
7 of 30
Last Season Per Game Stats:
Played for the Denver Nuggets
8.8 points, 1.7 assists, 3.1 rebounds, 0.4 blocks, 0.6 steals, 27.2 minutes
This Season:
Last season, Afflalo was primarily used as a defensive force during games, not as an offensive weapon at all. But that may be changing.
All indications point towards the UCLA product remaining in the starting lineup after a very productive preseason. Afflalo is averaging 20.6 points per game so far this preseason and is showing off an impressive offensive arsenal.
When the regular season starts he is likely to see a slightly-reduced offensive role, but he should still be a big-time contributor for the Nuggets.
Detroit Pistons: Rodney Stuckey
8 of 30
Last Season Per Game Stats:
Played for the Detroit Pistons
16.6 points, 4.8 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 0.2 blocks, 1.4 steals, 34.2 minutes
This Season:
This is one of those cases of a player just not quite getting the recognition he deserves.
Rodney Stuckey had an excellent season for the Pistons last year and should be considered a very good point guard. But he has just not been recognized as such by the majority of NBA fans.
Stuckey is looking to improve his field-goal percentage this year as that has been the one area in which he is lagging in his development as an NBA player.
He has improved for three-straight years and should continue to do so during his fourth.
Golden State Warriors: Dorell Wright
9 of 30
Last Season Per Game Stats:
Played for the Miami Heat
7.1 points, 1.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 0.4 blocks, 0.7 steals, 20.8 minutes
This Season:
Could it be that a change of scenery is all that is necessary for Dorell Wright's breakout season to occur? We'll find out this year as he takes his talents away from South Beach to Golden State, where he's in line to be the starting small forward for the Warriors.
Wright was hampered by injuries during his time in Miami, but now appears fully healthy and ready to reap the benefits of the up-tempo offense employed by his new team.
He'll have the luxury of playing alongside Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry, and David Lee, all of whom are sure to attract the attention of defenders.
Dorell Wright could very well be a need-to-know name by the end of this season.
Houston Rockets: Aaron Brooks
10 of 30
Last Season Per Game Stats:
Played for the Houston Rockets
19.6 points, 5.3 assists, 2.6 rebounds, 0.2 blocks, 0.8 steals, 35.6 minutes
This Season:
Aaron Brooks was named the Most Improved Player in the NBA last season, but in my opinion, he's still not getting the recognition that he deserves.
Brooks played like an All-Star and he should only get better this year. Last season was his first time being a full-time starter, and he'll definitely draw from that experience this year.
The Oregon product will also have the luxury of a healthy Yao Ming in the paint this season. Ming's presence will force defenders away from Brooks and his other teammates, enabling him to rack-up even more assists.
Brooks has been excellent in limited time this preseason, averaging 13.3 points, 3.2 assists, and 1.2 steals in just 23.7 minutes of action per game.
Look for his success to carry over into the regular season.
Indiana Pacers: Darren Collison
11 of 30
Last Season Per Game Stats:
Played for the New Orleans Hornets
12.4 points, 5.7 assists, 2.5 rebounds, 0.1 blocks, 1.0 steals, 27.8 minutes
This Season:
After just one season in the NBA, Collison may already be one of the luckiest players in the league. During the offseason he went from stuck behind Chris Paul on the depth chart to a new team where he's the unquestioned starter and gets to play alongside superstar Danny Granger.
Last season, Collison started 37 times and put up 18.8 points, 9.1 assists, and 1.4 steals in those games. That is not bad at all for a rookie.
He is incredibly quick and has well-above-average vision for a point guard.
Can you say All-Star?
Los Angeles Clippers: Blake Griffin
12 of 30
Last Season Per Game Stats:
Sat out last year with a knee injury, so here are his 2008-2009 stats for the Oklahoma Sooners
22.7 points, 2.3 assists, 14.4 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, 1.1 steals, 33.3 minutes
This Season:
This guy has the potential to be one of the absolute best players in the entire NBA. That is if he can stay healthy. But don't take my word for it, take Bill Simmons':
"Call me a sucker, call me a fool. I don't care. Griffin cannot be hyped enough. He's already one of the best five power forwards in the league. (I have him behind Dirk, Bosh and Gasol and tied with an aging Duncan.) He would have been the third-best player on Team USA in August had the Americans included him. He's already (A) the best finisher of any big guy in the league, (B) the second-best rebounder in the league behind Dwight Howard, and (C) someone who flies around so recklessly that you constantly worry he might break his leg, his back, his neck … there's just nobody else like him right now. You can't keep your eyes off him."
Griffin is a must-watch player.
Period.
End of story.
Los Angeles Lakers: None
13 of 30
Now Lakers fans, before you chew me out, please let me explain. This is, in fact, a compliment.
The Los Angeles team this year is so ridiculously talented and filled with proven players that they don't really have a player who could break out.
Kobe Bryant is the best player in the league. Pau Gasol is the best offensive big man. Ron Artest is a shut down defender. And they still have Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher, Matt Barnes, and more.
Memphis Grizzlies: O.J. Mayo
14 of 30
Last Season Per Game Stats:
Played for the Memphis Grizzlies
17.5 points, 3.0 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 0.2 blocks, 1.2 steals, 38.0 minutes
This Season:
O.J. Mayo is going to be another player who doesn't break out in terms of production but instead breaks out in terms of national recognition.
For two-straight years now, his only two in the league, he has posted nearly identical stat lines. So far during his career, Mayo is averaging 18.0 points, 3.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 0.2 blocks, 1.2 steals, and 38.0 minutes. As you can see, that's remarkably similar to last year's line.
Even if he does the exact same thing again, which he's fully capable of doing, he'd deserve to be considered a very good NBA player.
That said, young and talented players usually tend to get better.
Miami Heat: Mike Miller
15 of 30
Last Season Per Game Stats:
Played for the Washington Wizards
10.9 points, 3.9 assists, 6.2 rebounds, 0.2 blocks, 0.7 steals, 33.4 minutes
This Season:
Mike Miller has been around for 10 years now, but he's still about to enjoy a breakthrough season.
Just imagine, when you double-team LeBron James, double-team Dwyane Wade, and double-team Chris Bosh (yes I know that's not possible, just go with it, it's an exaggeration), there aren't many defenders left to guard the other players on the floor.
Miller has been a sharpshooter throughout his NBA career and is known for knocking down threes with a high percentage. And he has never gotten the wide-open looks he's bound to get during this upcoming season.
Opponents aren't going to figure out how to stop Miller for quite a while, if at all.
Milwaukee Bucks: Brandon Jennings
16 of 30
Last Season:
Played for the Milwaukee Bucks
15.5 points, 5.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 0.2 blocks, 1.3 steals, 32.6 minutes
This Season:
Brandon Jennings had a great rookie season highlighted by his 55-point explosion early in the year. But there's still room for a lot of improvement.
He could score at will at various points throughout the game, but Jennings was still extremely inefficient during his first season.
The point guard only made 37% of his shots last year and as soon as he learns to be more efficient, he'll be a true star in the NBA.
Another year of experience could definitely do that as Jennings possesses all of the skills necessary to be great.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Michael Beasley
17 of 30
Last Season Per Game Stats:
Played for the Miami Heat
14.8 points, 1.3 assists, 6.4 rebounds, 0.6 blocks, 1.0 steals, 29.8 minutes
This Season:
Michael Beasley had an absolutely awful rookie season, but improved dramatically during his second year for the Miami Heat. Even then though, the Kansas State product wasn't as good as he was expected to be.
Now Beasley gets a fresh start in Minnesota, where he'll be a prominent part of the offense. Remember that he was drafted second overall just three years back. Beasley has plenty of talent.
Expect for him to keep improving this season and shatter his career-best numbers.
New Jersey Nets: Terrence Williams
18 of 30
Last Season Per Game Stats:
Played for the New Jersey Nets
8.4 points, 2.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 0.1 blocks, 0.6 steals, 22.6 minutes
This Season:
Terrence Williams absolutely oozes potential in every-single major category, as long as he can get past his inconsistency problems.
Remember that last April he averaged 14.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 0.6 steals per game. He has the ability to do that over the course of a full season as well.
Now that Courtney Lee is a member of the Houston Rockets, Williams is going to receive more playing time and his production should see a similar increase.
New Orleans Hornets: Marcus Thornton
19 of 30
Last Season Per Game Stats:
Played for the New Orleans Hornets
14.5 points, 1.6 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 0.2 blocks, 0.8 steals, 25.6 minutes
This Season:
Marcus Thornton, fresh out of LSU, had an impressive rookie campaign. But it was even more impressive when you look at his numbers after the All-Star break.
During the season's second half, Thornton scored 20.3 points, 2.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game. That's very impressive for any player, much less a slightly-unheralded rookie.
Now that Trevor Ariza is a member of the Hornets, it's unrealistic to think that Thornton could post as many points as he did during the second half. But he showed that he has it in him.
Plus, it never hurts to have Chris Paul feeding you the ball.
New York Knicks: Timofey Mozgov
20 of 30
Last Season Per Game Stats:
Played for the Khimki Moscow Region
6.0 points, 0.1 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 0.9 blocks, 0.3 steals, 13.6 minutes
This Season:
Mozgov, who the majority of people have probably never even heard of, is going to be the starting center this year in the city that never sleeps.
He's still young and relatively raw, but he's 7'1" and you can't teach size. Mozgov is highly thought of in Europe and should improve quickly.
There's still a lot of work to be done here, but Mozgov could end up being a very good center as quickly as the end of this year.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Jeff Green
21 of 30
Last Season Per Game Stats:
Played for the Oklahoma City Thunder
15.1 points, 1.6 assists, 6.0 rebounds, 0.9 blocks, 1.3 steals
This Season:
It was quite difficult to single out just one breakout player on the Thunder. But I think that Jeff Green is going to be the biggest breakout star.
To make the case, I'm going to let you see what ESPN wrote about Green:
"Green averaged 15.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 0.9 blocks and 1.3 3-pointers in his third professional season, playing the Scottie Pippen role to Kevin Durant's Michael Jordan quite well. His scoring and rebounding dipped slightly from a year ago, but Green more than made up for it with an improvement in steals, blocks and 3-pointers. We love his all-around contributions, particularly his ability to put up numbers in the more rare fantasy categories. At 23 years of age, Green is still improving and he should be set for another nice season as KD's sidekick in Oklahoma City."
Any time you draw Scottie Pippen comparisons, you must be a pretty big player.
Orlando Magic: Dwight Howard
22 of 30
Last Season Per Game Stats:
Played for the Orlando Magic
18.3 points, 1.8 assists, 13.2 rebounds, 2.8 blocks, 0.9 steals, 34.7 minutes
This Season:
"Wait, what? Dwight Howard as a breakout player? You must be crazy!"
That's surely going to be the reaction of a few of you reading this, but hear me out.
Dwight Howard is an absolute stud and is already one of the best players in the entire NBA. His shoulders alone could pull down rebounds.
But the one knock on him is his lack of offensive moves. It seems as though the only way he scores is on put-back dunks.
This summer, Howard visited Hakeem Olajuwon to work on his offensive skills. If he puts those to good use, he would become a truly unstoppable force and put his name in the conversation about the overall best player in the NBA.
So, he truly could be a breakout player in terms of offense only.
Philadelphia 76ers: Jrue Holiday
23 of 30
Last Season Per Game Stats:
Played for the Philadelphia 76ers
8.0 points, 3.8 assists, 2.6 rebounds, 0.3 blocks, 1.1 steals, 24.2 minutes
This Season:
Jrue Holiday, just like Marcus Thornton, enjoyed an impressive rookie year highlighted by a stellar second half.
Holiday's second half saw him post 11.9 points, 5.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.2 three-pointers per game.
Now that he's got a year under his belt and is using Doug Collins' new offense, he should become one of the better point guards in the NBA.
He's enjoyed success during this preseason and has even posted a triple-double.
Holiday is just 20 years old and is bound to have a very good career. This will be the year he breaks out.
Phoenix Suns: Robin Lopez
24 of 30
Last Season Per Game Stats:
Played for the Phoenix Suns
8.4 points, 0.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds, 1.0 blocks, 0.2 steals, 19.3 minutes
This Season:
Robin Lopez isn't Brook Lopez. Yet.
But now that Amar'e Stoudemire has departed Phoenix, he's in line for a lot more playing time and production. His per minute production was incredible last season and should do great things for him when he gets at least 30 minutes per game.
Lopez has shown the talent before during his Stanford days and we know that it's possible for someone from his family to be a star.
He could be next.
Portland Trailblazers: Nicolas Batum
25 of 30
Last Season:
Played for the Portland Trailblazers
10.1 points, 1.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 0.7 blocks, 0.7 steals, 24.8 minutes
This Season:
Batum didn't get too much of a chance to contribute last year because of a shoulder injury, but he's the unquestioned starter at small forward this year and should be an excellent player.
In his most recent preseason game, Batum was on the court for 35 minutes and made opponents pay. He put up 19 points, nine rebounds, and four assists against the Golden State Warriors.
Batum is great at making cuts to get open and has incredible skills when he has possession of the ball.
Get to know this guy from France because he's going to be around for a long time.
Sacramento Kings: DeMarcus Cousins
26 of 30
Last Season Per Game Stats:
Played for the Kentucky Wildcats
15.1 points, 1.0 assists, 9.8 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, 1.0 steals, 23.5 minutes
This Season:
This breakout player prediction comes with an important caveat. I'm assuming that DeMarcus Cousins keeps his head in the game and doesn't let the temptations of being a multi-millionaire in the NBA cause him to stray from his quest for the Rookie of the Year title.
If he does that, Cousins has absolutely incredible potential. He's a double-double waiting to happen.
Cousins had arguably the best summer-league season of anyone not known by the name John Wall and he continued being a beast during the preseason.
Look out NBA. Here comes DeMarcus Cousins.
San Antonio Spurs: Tiago Splitter
27 of 30
Last Season Per Game Stats:
Played for the Saski Baskonia
15.7 points, 1.9 assists, 6.7 rebounds, 0.8 blocks, 1.2 steals, 28.0 minutes
This Season:
Splitter currently has a foot injury and is projected to miss two weeks. But he'll make up for that during the rest of the marathon that is the NBA season.
He is most likely going to get a lot of minutes as the Spurs look to once again limit the number of minutes that Tim Duncan receives.
The big man was a force to be reckoned with in Europe and his game should translate quite well to the NBA.
Toronto Raptors: Linas Kleiza
28 of 30
Last Season Per Game Stats:
Played for the Olympiakos Piraeus
19.0 points, 3.4 assists, 7.1 rebounds, 0.6 blocks, 1.1 steals, 28.3 minutes
This Season:
The points have to come from somewhere in Toronto and Linas Kleiza may be the perfect man to provide them.
Last season, Kleiza left Denver for Europe and immediately became the leading scorer in all of the Euroleague. He also took his team to the finals.
He now has the experience needed to be the go-to guy and seems ready to help replace the gaping void left by Chris Bosh.
Utah Jazz: Gordon Hayward
29 of 30
Last Season Per Game Stats:
Played for the Butler Bulldogs
15.5 points, 1.7 assists, 8.2 rebounds, 0.8 blocks, 1.1 steals, 33.5 minutes
This Season:
Head coach Jerry Sloan recently said about Gordon Hayward that "we intend on trying to play him" because "he's got a lot of basketball savvy."
Hayward was a great player in college and almost led his team to a national championship.
As long as he's in the lineup, he's got a chance to put up big numbers.
Washington Wizards: John Wall
30 of 30
Last Season Per Game Stats:
Played for the Kentucky Wildcats
16.6 points, 6.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 0.5 blocks, 1.8 steals, 34.8 minutes
This Season:
Somehow I managed to save my No. 1 breakout player for last. Actually, that was mostly because I lucked into him being drafted by the Wizards and thus being last alphabetically. But still. . .
Wall is an incredible talent and should take the NBA by storm.
If you haven't seen him yet, go watch him. Immediately.
His speed is unreal, as is his ability to handle the ball.
Wall and fellow breakout candidate JaVale McGee should form a potent duo quite quickly.
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