LeBron James and 10 Players Who Need to Step Up Next Season

This article assumes there will be a 2011-2012 NBA Season.

Dirk Nowitzki stepped up in last year's playoffs. The German superstar who had been marred with the "yeah but he never won a championship" label his entire career, decided that no matter what anyone else said, this was his and the Dallas Mavericks' time.

But which players need to do the same if their team is going to be this year's Mavs? 

For some, they are coming off good seasons, but just need to make sure to take that one final step. For others, they are coming off disappointing years and will need to step up to reestablish themselves.

Either way if these 10 teams don't get what they need from these players, one thing is for sure: they will not be 2012 NBA Champions.

10. David Lee: Golden State Warriors

When David Lee went to Golden State from New York after the 2010 season, many thought he would be the perfect big man complement to Monta Ellis.

However, Lee averaged just 16.5 ppg and 9.8 rpg—down from his 20.3 ppg and 11.7 rpg effort in his last year at the Garden.

A large part of that was due to the fact that despite playing in just eight less games then he did in 2010, Lee took nearly 300 less shot attempts; largely due to having to play with Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry, who both demand a lot of shots per game.

However, with a new head coach taking the realm in Mark Jackson, Lee will need to be a bigger part of the offense in 2011 if the Warriors are going to be in the playoff race in the Western Conference. 

If Lee can get the shots he needs and step his rebounding and defense back up, then he will be a great complement to Curry and whichever scorer (Ellis or Andre Igoudala, presumably) is wearing a Warrior uniform next season.

9. Devin Harris: Utah Jazz

Now on his third team in his young career, this is the time for Devin Harris to prove he can be a legitimate star in the NBA.

He looked to be on his way when he averaged over 21 ppg in the 2008-2009 season with the Nets, but he has faltered ever since and was sent to the Jazz in the Derron Williams trade last year.

Harris now will be the catalyst for a Jazz team with a lot of young talent that will look to surprise people in the Western Conference next season.

If Harris can return to top form, he, along with Paul Millsap, Al Jefferson, Derrick Favors and Alec Burks will be a force to be reckoned with next year in Utah.

8. Tony Parker: San Antonio Spurs

Although many thought they had nothing left in the tank, the San Antonio Spurs surprised many last season by finishing with the best record in the Western Conference. 

However, when it got to be the postseason, the Spurs ran out of gas and became only the fourth No. 1 seed ever to lose to a No. 8 seed in the playoffs. 

There have been rumors about Tony Parker leaving Texas, but if he stays there, it will be up to him to take control of this team and make it his own next season.

Although Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan have been the stars in the past, they are past their prime. Parker, however, still has tons left in the tank, and if he plays as well as he is capable of, than the Spurs will be contenders once again next year. 

7. Joe Johnson: Atlanta Hawks

Now at age 30, Joe Johnson is running out of time to get his Hawks over the hump.

Johnson averaged only 18.2 ppg last season, his lowest since the 2004-2005 season, however he still had a chance to prove the doubters wrong in the playoffs when the Hawks took on the Bulls in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

However, like they have every year he has been there, the Hawks floundered and once again lacked the one extra piece to get them over the top.

Although he is known as a quiet superstar, Johnson needs to play with a sense of urgency next year. He is the best player on the team and if Johnson doesn't step up and play better than he has before, particularly in the postseason, the Hawks will fall short again.

6. John Wall: Washington Wizards

This is not to suggest that John Wall did not play well in his rookie season.

Averaging over 16 points and eight assists a game, as well as many triple-doubles, Wall certainly showed flashes of the future superstar many expect him to be.

Wall however, shot just over 40 percent and under 30 percent from the three-point arc, which he will need to improve over time in his career. He also averaged nearly four turnovers a game and lost the No. 1 vs. No. 1 battle with Blake Griffin (both of whom were playing their first season last year).

Although logic would suggest these numbers will improve next season as he progresses another year, it still needs to be said he will need to step it up if Washington is going to get to the postseason next year. 

Now with Shelvin Mack, Chris Singleton and Jan Vesely joining, expectations will be higher in Washington next season and Wall's play will be vital in their success. 

5. Andrew Bynum: Los Angeles Lakers

Andrew Bynum already has two championship rings, but if he is going to get a third he needs to mature in 2011.

From a statistical standpoint, Bynum's numbers were low last year, averaging just 11.3 ppg—his lowest amount since 2007-2008. Then there's Bynum's maturity problems, like his flagrant foul in the Mavericks' Game 4 shellacking of the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals. 

Bynum also needs to stay healthy if the Lakers are going to get back to the NBA finals this season. With Phil Jackson retired and Kobe Bryant aging another year, Andrew Bynum will be a critical factor in the Lakers' chances of getting back on top in 2012.

4. Russell Westbrook: Oklahoma City Thunder

One of the more surprising things to see in the playoffs last year was coach Scott Brooks benching his All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals in favor of backup Eric Maynor.

Westbrook was taking too many shots offensively, a problem that the Thunder had been having all playoffs—taking shots away from their best player Kevin Durant. Ironically enough, it was the only game the Thunder would go on to win in the series.

That is not to suggest that Westbrook should have been not playing in every game, he is the Thunder's second-best player.

But that is what he needs to realize: second best.

If Westbrook can cut down on his shots and become a triple-double type of player where he can score when needed but defer to Durant in big moments, then the Thunder may be the team to beat in the West next season.

3. Gilbert Arenas: Orlando Magic

The Magic took a huge risk last season when they traded away Rashard  Lewis and Vince Carter—key members of the team who had reached the Eastern Conference Finals the year before—and replaced them with Hedo Turkoglu, Jason Richardson and Agent Zero himself, Gilbert Arenas.

However, for Orlando, the move did not pay off. Arenas averaged just eight points a game after going to the Magic, and they fell in the first round of the playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks.

The former All-Star now needs to step up or get out if he is going to be a part of the future for the Magic organization.

Arenas doesn't seem to be helping himself off the court either. His off-court issues have been well documented in the past and now his Twitter account is coming under fire for multiple sexist posts.

For Arenas, he is no longer the superstar on his team, but he still can be a deadly scorer for a team that desperately needs a complement to Dwight Howard.

With Howard set to be a free agent after next season, as crazy as it sounds for Magic fans, Gilbert Arenas' play may very well be the difference as to whether Dwight Howard stays or leaves once the 2012 season ends.

2. Carlos Boozer: Chicago Bulls

Derrick Rose was practically begging for some help in last year's Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat.

Although he was being guarded tightly by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, almost every play in the fourth quarter seemed to go through Rose because there was no one else capable of making a big play.

But Carlos Boozer should have been making those plays. Boozer, the Bulls' key offseason acquisition, was expected to complement Rose in the offense and lead the Bulls into contention.

Although the latter was true and the Bulls did finish with the East's best record, Boozer failed to live up to expectations, especially in the playoffs. 

In fact, in Games 2 and 5 of the East finals, Boozer scored just seven and five points, respectively, and was even benched by coach Tom Thibodeau in the fourth quarter. 

That is simply not good enough for the team's second-best player that is a serious title contender. Although Rose and the defense are superb, the Bulls will not be able to capture a championship unless Carlos Boozer decides to show up.

1. LeBron James: Miami Heat

Was there really any other choice for the top spot on this list other than King James?

James had a great season last year, there is simply no doubting that. Despite being the most scrutinized player on the most scrutinized team in the country, James still put up MVP-caliber numbers and led the Heat to the second-best record in the East. 

James was even great in the first three rounds of the playoffs—particularly in the conference finals where he shut down Derrick Rose and the Bulls. 

But where James failed was where the stage shone the brightest. 

Tales of LeBron's no-show in the NBA Finals against the Mavericks have been well documented. The heavily favored Heat were upset in six games and their best player failed to show up in the fourth quarter of several games.

Although James will likely have a great regular season again, he needs to get back to the finals and play great to redeem himself as the game's best player. 

When talking about players who need to step up in 2011, LeBron James fits the bill better then any other player in the NBA.