15 Rising NBA Stars to Watch
During each and every NBA season, new players emerge as legitimate stars at the highest level of professional basketball. Last year we saw Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge and more establish themselves as great players.
Who will this next season, assuming of course that there is one, enter the forefront of the basketball nation's collective consciousness?
I'm not including rookies in this slideshow, but everyone else is eligible.
From an oft-injured guard to a few players who put together Rookie of the Year-worthy seasons last year, these 15 players should become stars in the very near future.
Read on to find out who they are. Note that the players are listed in alphabetical order by last name. They are not ranked in terms of star potential.
Nicolas Batum
1 of 16Position: Small Forward
Age: 22
2010-2011 Per Game Stats: 12.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.6 blocks and 0.9 steals
Nicolas Batum started his supposed breakout campaign last season when he scored 34 points in the first two games of his 2010-2011 campaign. After a month of high productivity, he developed some inconsistency and his numbers dropped steadily for the rest of the season.
The French small forward has bundles of talent and should be able to improve his numbers during his fourth season in the NBA.
Remember that he drew comparisons to Scottie Pippen when he was drafted back in 2008 by the Houston Rockets.
Rodrigue Beaubois
2 of 16Position: Guard
Age: 23
2010-2011 Per Game Stats: 8.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.3 blocks and 0.7 steals
This combo guard was drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2009 but was then immediately traded to the Dallas Mavericks, who expected him to make an immediate impact. Rodrigue Beaubois did in fact get off to a quick start, becoming the first rookie in NBA history to shoot over 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from downtown and 80 percent from the free-throw line.
But injuries quickly derailed the career of the French point guard. Foot injury after foot injury kept him from ever receiving consistent playing time and hindered his development.
Beaubois still has tremendous talent and should be fully healthy when and if the season ever starts.
Chase Budinger
3 of 16Position: Small Forward
Age: 23
2010-2011 Per Game Stats: 9.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.2 blocks and 0.5 steals
Chase Budinger kept improving as the last year went on, culminating in a career-high 35-point performance in the Houston Rocket's season finale against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Budinger has proven to be a very efficient scorer who resembles Kevin Martin in a lot of ways. After the All-Star break, the former Arizona Wildcat received increased minutes and averaged an impressive 14.4 points per game.
He has all the tools necessary to succeed in this league.
DeMarcus Cousins
4 of 16Position: Power Forward
Age: 20
2010-2011 Per Game Stats: 14.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.8 blocks and 1.0 steals
DeMarcus Cousins really didn't get as much credit as he should have for his fantastic rookie season. Fresh out of John Calipari's one-and-done system at the University of Kentucky, the young power forward immediately made an impact with the Sacramento Kings.
At the end of the season, he had averaged almost a double-double while improving steadily as the year progressed. And Cousins is no two-trick pony. The big man can score and rebound quite well, but he's also a very skilled passer for a 6'11" behemoth.
If it wasn't for John Wall and Blake Griffin, Cousins would have received the recognition he deserved for his fantastic first year. Now he'll have to wait for his sophomore season to get that credit.
Stephen Curry
5 of 16Position: Point Guard
Age: 23
2010-2011 Per Game Stats: 18.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 0.3 blocks and 1.5 steals
Stephen Curry has already put together two fantastic seasons in the NBA, surpassing his father Dell in the process, but he has yet to make an All-Star squad. This is the year that he will do so. Let's take a look at the two possible scenarios.
No. 1: Monta Ellis is traded to another team and Curry becomes the unquestioned superstar. If this is the case, Curry's numbers are going to take a dramatic uptick and he'll become a bona fide star without too much competition in the backcourt.
No. 2: Monta Ellis remains with the team and Curry plays alongside him successfully for one more season. With Klay Thompson backing the two up, Curry stays healthy and well-rested the entire season and puts together another season along the same lines as the first two.
DeMar DeRozan
6 of 16Position: Shooting Guard
Age: 22
2010-2011 Per Game Stats: 17.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.4 blocks and 1.0 steals
The high-flying DeMar DeRozan is another player who should be getting a ton more name recognition than he does now. After all, DeRozan has the skills to be a star and he has the whole two capitalized letters in both names thing going in his favor.
With SportsCenter-worthy dunks galore and an average of 17.2 points per game last season, DeRozan was by far the most fun player to watch on the Toronto Raptors. To be fair, that's a bit like saying that a certain baseball player is the most fun guy to watch in the minor leagues, but it's still an achievement to be proud of.
DeRozan has incredible hops and will take another leap forward during the next campaign.
Tyreke Evans
7 of 16Position: Guard
Age: 21
2010-2011 Per Game Stats: 17.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 0.5 blocks and 1.5 steals
Tyreke Evans put together a rookie season for the ages two years ago, but his sophomore season didn't live up to the lofty expectations he had produced for himself.
Evans still threw together some pretty excellent numbers, but thanks to a plantar fasciitis injury he was limited to only 57 games during his second year out of Memphis.
Now with Jimmer Fredette on board, Evans should be able to move to his more natural position at shooting guard and focus more on scoring and less on distributing the ball around to his team. The adjustment will be a simple process and a healthy Evans will put up All-Star-caliber numbers during his third season in the NBA.
Paul George
8 of 16Position: Small Forward
Age: 21
2010-2011 Per Game Stats: 7.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.4 blocks and 1.0 steals
Of the 15 players included in this slideshow, Paul George probably has had the least impressive NBA career to this point, but hell soon prove that he was a steal for the Indiana Pacers when the drafted him at No. 10 out of Fresno State.
George was a member of the All-Rookie Second Team and became one of only two members of the 2010 draft class to start for his respective team in the playoffs. Landry Fields was the only other one to do so.
The small forward is incredibly athletic and should start seeing his basketball skills catch up to his physical tools sooner rather than later.
James Harden
9 of 16Position: Shooting Guard
Age: 21
2010-2011 Per Game Stats: 12.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.3 blocks and 1.1 steals
A lot of people are going to learn to Fear the Beard. Although I'm still convinced that Brian Wilson beats out James Harden for the best beard in sports (I highly recommend reading the following debate: "Brian Wilson vs. James Harden: The Battle of the Beards"), Harden is still a cool-looking future stud.
While it remains to be seen whether the lefty is going to continue to come off the bench for Thabo Sefolosha or if he'll be inserted into the starting lineup, he'll be successful either way.
Harden is a very quick and athletic player with great dribbling and shooting skills. He broke out in a big way during the 2011 postseason and should see that success carry over into the next season.
Roy Hibbert
10 of 16Position: Center
Age: 24
2010-2011 Per Game Stats: 12.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.8 blocks and 0.4 steals
During the first three games of this past season, Roy Hibbert averaged an astounding 18.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.7 blocks per game. Then during the month of November, the big man from Georgetown averaged 15.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.9 blocks per contest. Talk about getting off to a solid start.
Hibbert's numbers tailed off from that point, but he still proved that he has the talent to play at a top-tier level in the NBA. The former Hoya is an incredible passer for a player his size and he has every skill you could ask for in a center.
Don't be surprised at all if Hibbert averages a double-double and nears 20 points per game during his fourth time through the rigors of an NBA campaign.
Jrue Holiday
11 of 16Position: Point Guard
Age: 21
2010-2011 Per Game Stats: 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 0.4 blocks and 1.5 steals
Maybe now that his younger brother, Justin Holiday, is now an undrafted free agent who will most likely sign on with some team in the league, Jrue Holiday will have even more motivation to take the next step.
With or without Andre Iguodala, Holiday is bound to improve yet again as he tries to complete the journey towards elite status at the point guard position. A lightning-fast guard who is already putting up solid yet unspectacular numbers, there's a very good chance that Holiday becomes a household name by, well, the holiday season.
Serge Ibaka
12 of 16Position: Power Forward
Age: 21
2010-2011 Per Game Stats: 9.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 2.4 blocks and 0.4 steals
The 6'10" power forward from Brazzaville, Zaire led the entire NBA in blocked shots last season and was a defensive stalwart in the pain for the duration of the Oklahoma City Thunder's year.
Serge Ibaka, though, is only 21 years old and should continue to develop on offense. He doesn't have much of a post game yet, but he can shoot jumpers proficiently and will eventually become a good, but probably not great offensive player.
With his defensive prowess though, he doesn't have to rely on offense to be a star. Ibaka is going to win over the hearts of a lot of basketball fans during his next season in the league.
DeAndre Jordan
13 of 16Position: Center
Age: 23
2010-2011 Per Game Stats: 7.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 1.8 blocks and 0.5 steals
Between Eric Gordon, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, the Los Angeles Clippers may eventually run out of room for stars. That's quite unfortunate for incoming rookies Travis Leslie and Trey Thompkins, two guys for whom I will always have a special place in my heart.
Griffin and Gordon are considered studs already, but Jordan still has a ways to go. The 6'11" center from Texas A&M can hop out of the building and should finally take over for good from Chris Kaman in the near future.
Jordan put up efficient stats last year considering he only received 25.6 minutes per game on the court. With increased playing time, both his numbers and his recognition by the general public should both improve.
Jeff Teague
14 of 16Position: Point Guard
Age: 23
2010-2011 Per Game Stats: 5.2 points, 1.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.4 blocks and 0.6 steals
Jeff Teague didn't receive enough playing time during the regular season to truly break out, but when Kirk Hinrich left a playoff game against the Orlando Magic with a hamstring injury, the point guard from Wake Forest took over the reins and never looked back.
He averaged over 11 points per game over the course of the playoffs, but he was a true star against Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls.
With a great nose on finding gaps in the defense en route to the rim, Teague exploded for 21 points three times in the six-game series with the team that put together the best regular-season record in the Eastern Conference. He also played a large part in slowing Derrick Rose off his MVP pace.
I'm really hoping that the new Atlanta Hawks management pressures the coaching staff to keep Teague in the starting lineup. He's earned a shot to prove himself over a long period of time. With that shot, he won't miss.
John Wall
15 of 16Position: Point Guard
Age: 20
2010-2011 Per Game Stats: 16.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 0.5 blocks and 1.8 steals
In just a few years from now, John Wall will be the best point guard in the NBA. Yes, it's a bold prediction, but I do truly believe it.
During his first season in the NBA, Wall put up some pretty astounding numbers. With speed unmatched by any player in the league, Wall blazed his way towards a great one-two punch of scoring and passing while proving to be quite adept at thievery.
Wall still can't even buy beer yet, but he's already an incredible player who would have won the Rookie of the Year Award during any recent season that didn't involve Blake Griffin. He should become an All-Star this next season as the young Washington Wizards continue their ascent towards the playoffs.
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16 of 16Adam Fromal is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer. Follow him on Twitter.
