15 Breakout Players: Western Conference

A while ago, I made one of these articles for the Eastern Conference, so I feel it's only fair that I do the same for the West. This is a list of a player on each team who will step up their game this year to help their team.

Mavericks: Gerald Green. The second coming of Tracy McGrady coming out of high school. If he follows T-Mac's career pattern, he should pan out in a year or two and find his place in the pro game.

Rockets: Aaron Brooks. Is Rafer Alston the right fit for a championship team? If Skip to my Lou struggles, expect Brooks to get a shot. A great player to have the ball in close games at Oregon.

Grizzlies: Mike Conley Jr. Had an impressive rookie year when he was on the court. This high-upside point guard can only improve as he an Mayo will develop into a great backcourt by 2010.

Hornets: Julian Wright. An athletic freak coming out of college. With Peja possibly on the decline, Wright will see more playing time than his rookie year if the Hornets struggle.

Spurs: Salim Stoudemire. A great shooter who is a perfect compliment to Tony Parker off the bench. Extremely clutch at Arizona and is finally on a team with a winning mentality.

Nuggets: Linas Kleiza. Great off the bench for Denver last year. This is a contract year and he should be on the court as much as almost anyone and develop into one of the league's top bench players.

Timberwolves: Randy Foye. This speedy guard should be healthy this year and run an offense with more talent around him than ever (sadly). Great passer who makes a great backcourt with Mike Miller.

Thunder: Jeff Green. He's a complete player and he had an impressive rookie year. Although the Thunder are still rebuilding, Green will take on more leadership and could be a future star.

Trailblazers: Martell Webster (when healthy). He'll be the 6th man this year, which probably better suits him. Came out of high school, so it has taken him a while to pan out, but should be a great scorer off the bench.

Jazz: Paul Millsap. Has been successful his first two years, but he can only improve when it comes to scoring and defense. Doesn't hurt to have Deron Williams passing to him either.

Warriors: Monta Ellis. After he comes back from suspension, Ellis will become a playmaker for the first time and have decent talent around him. He'll find great shots for himself and he'll rack up the assists.

Clippers: Al Thornton. When everyone's done drooling over Baron Davis, teams will notice that Thornton will thrive off of not being heavily guarded with all the talent around him.

Lakers: Andrew Bynum. Should be his first full year of playing at a high level. His defense will compensate for the other big men on his team and he fits into the offense perfectly.

Suns: Matt Barnes. I think he's already broken out, but I need to name someone on this aging team. However, Steve Nash will probably make Barnes look pretty good.

Kings: Spencer Hawes. Had a successful rookie year despite playing only 13 minutes per game. On a most likely rebuilding team, the 20 year old should see more time.