NBA Player from Every Team with the Most Potential

Potential. It's a word that makes NBA players, coaches, general managers and fans all drool. 

Teams are built around players with potential in the hopes that they pan out and become stars. No player in the Association completely lacks potential, but some are brimming over with it. 

There is nothing more captivating than a young player who has the potential to become something special. It's why many of us, myself included, watch basketball. We want a chance to see potential realized. 

So, which players on each team have the most of this tantalizing quality?

Read on to find out. 

Atlanta Hawks: Jeff Teague

Position: Point guard

Experience: Two years

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 5.2 points, 1.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists

When Kirk Hinrich went down with an injury during the 2011 NBA Playoffs, Jeff Teague stepped up to the plate and provided the Atlanta Hawks with a replacement that was even better than the player he was replacing. With dynamic slashing abilities, Teague showed that he was able to take over a game on offense. 

Boston Celtics: Jeff Green

Position: Forward

Experience: Four years

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 13.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists

After the Boston Celtics gave up fan and teammate favorite Kendrick Perkins to acquire Jeff Green from the Oklahoma City Thunder, they hoped immensely that he would make good on his potential. As he slowly starts to steal minutes from the aging veterans on the team (Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce), he will. 

Charlotte Bobcats: Kemba Walker

Position: Point guard

Experience: Rookie

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 23.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists (at Connecticut)

Don't bet against Kemba Walker. 

Chicago Bulls: Taj Gibson

Position: Forward

Experience: Two years

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 8.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 0.8 assists

Taj Gibson has displayed enormous potential on both ends of the court whenever he's gotten opportunities to show off his skills. But last year, he received just 21.8 minutes per game of action. As he slowly starts to take away minutes from Carlos Boozer and the rest of the forwards on the Chicago Bulls, Gibson will make good on the hype that has surrounded him ever since he left USC. 

Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving

Position: Point guard

Experience: Rookie

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 17.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists (at Duke)

Kyrie Irving was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2011 NBA draft and for good reason. The former Duke Blue Devil has all the tools you could possible look for, with the exception of a fully functioning set of toes. 

Dallas Mavericks: Rodrigue Beaubois

Position: Point guard

Experience: Two years

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 8.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists

It seems like Rodrigue Beaubois has been hyped for quite some time, but the French point guard still deserves some recognition. If he can finally stay healthy and on the court, he'll have a chance to show off his impressive arsenal of offensive skills. 

Denver Nuggets: Kenneth Faried

Position: Power forward

Experience: Rookie

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 17.3 points, 14.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists

Rebounding skills are one of the easiest things to have translate from the collegiate level to the professional level. There is no doubt that Kenneth Faried, college basketball's all-time leading crasher of the boards, has those skills. 

Detroit Pistons: Brandon Knight

Position: Point guard

Experience: Rookie

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 17.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists (at Kentucky)

Brandon Knight's stock shot up after his clutch play during March Madness, but in reality, he was a consistently great performer throughout his freshman season at the University of Kentucky. He has the potential to become the franchise point guard for the Detroit Pistons, a sorely needed face of the franchise and unleash Rodney Stuckey at his more natural shooting guard slot. 

Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry

Position: Point guard

Experience: Two years

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 18.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.8 assists

Stephen Curry has had an impressive start to his career, but he most assuredly has not reached his ceiling. If the Golden State Warriors choose to trade away Monta Ellis, Curry will have full control over the offense and put up All-Star-worthy numbers. 

Houston Rockets: Chase Budinger

Position: Small forward

Experience: Two years

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 9.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists

All the justification I need here is contained in Chase Budinger's game log. Starting February 22nd, he put up the following point totals (the exemplary ones are in bold): 10, 30, 27, 8, 14, 11, 18, 20, 13, 12, 15, 19, 2, 7, 16, 10, 15, 12, 11, 6, 11, 12, 16, 6, 35. 

Indiana Pacers: George Hill

Position: Point guard

Experience: Three years

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 11.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists

Showing off his skills as Tony Parker's backup for the San Antonio Spurs, George Hill was good enough that the Indiana Pacers made him the biggest acquisition of their offseason (thus far at least). If he gets a chance as a starter, he'll show exactly why that deal was made by the Pacers. 

Los Angeles Clippers: Griffin/Gordon/Jordan/Leslie/Thompkins

How do you pick just one player for the Los Angeles Clippers?

Is it Blake Griffin, the high-flying power forward who put up historically great numbers during his rookie season?

Is it Eric Gordon, the emerging shooting guard who played at an All-Star level after learning from the veterans on the US National Team at the FIBA World Championships?

Is it DeAndre Jordan, the young center with insane athletic ability just itching for a chance to get into the starting lineup?

Is it one of the two rookies, the fundamentally sound Trey Thompkins or the once-in-a-lifetime athletic Travis Leslie from the University of Georgia?

Los Angeles Lakers: Darius Morris

Position: Point guard

Experience: Rookie

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 15.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.7 assists

For all those Los Angeles Lakers fans out there who insist on hoping their team searches for a veteran point guard whenever the free-agency period starts: stop it. Darius Morris has the passing ability to become a star in the future. Let him get his minutes now. 

Memphis Grizzlies: Marc Gasol

Position: Center

Experience: Three years

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 11.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists

After exploding during the 2011 NBA Playoffs, Marc Gasol did two things. First, he reminded everyone of the tremendous potential he has, potential that—dare I say—could make him the better of the two Gasols. Secondly, he ensured himself a big payday as a free agent. 

Miami Heat: Norris Cole

Position: Point guard

Experience: Rookie

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 21.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists (at Cleveland State)

Norris Cole isn't going to get a lot of playing time as a rookie for the Miami Heat. But when he does get on the court, he'll show off his scoring ability in quick bursts. If he ever gets a chance to shine, then shine he will. 

Milwaukee Bucks: Brandon Jennings

Position: Point guard

Experience: Two years

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 16.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists

To be perfectly honest, I'm not a big fan of Brandon Jennings because of his tendency to hog the ball and shoot for a low percentage. But I can't deny the talent that he has, as demonstrated by his 55-point game as a rookie. 

Minnesota Timberwolves: Ricky Rubio

Position: Point guard

Experience: Rookie

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 6.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists (for FC Barcelona)

Ricky Rubio has a tremendous amount of hype associated with him because of his ability to make flashy passes. I'll agree that he has potential, but you are not going to see him have much success very soon. His jump shot is too poor and he couldn't even dominate in Europe at his young age. The potential is there, but that's about it right now. 

New Jersey Nets: Marshon Brooks

Position: Shooting guard

Experience: Rookie

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 24.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists (at Providence)

Marshon Brooks was quite possibly my favorite prospect in the entire 2011 draft class. This guy reminds me a lot of Kobe Bryant thanks to his many ways of scoring from anywhere on the court. I'm not saying he'll be as good as Kobe, but he has the potential to show quick flashes of Kobe-like production. 

New Orleans Hornets: Marco Belinelli?

Position: Shooting guard

Experience: Four years

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 10.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists

There's a question mark after Marco Belinelli's name in the title because I'm not sure the New Orleans Hornets have a single player with a tremendous amount of potential. If I had to pick one (which I do), I'd have to go with the shooting guard who has displayed an ability to light up the scoreboard on occasion. 

New York Knicks: Iman Shumpert

Position: Shooting guard

Experience: Rookie

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 17.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists (at Georgia Tech)

The 6'5" guard with the top-of-the-class vertical jump and smothering defensive ability has the potential to become one of the better guards in the NBA on both ends of the court. But I'm still a little bit confused as to why the New York Knicks drafted him. Raw is probably a generous way to describe his NBA-readiness right now. 

Oklahoma City Thunder: Durant/Westbrook/Harden/Ibaka

Here are the options:

No. 1: Kevin Durant

Even though KD has won back-to-back scoring titles, he's nowhere near realizing his full potential. This guy was born to score and is only going to continue to improve. 

No. 2: Russell Westbrook

Westbrook was an All-Star point guard last year in his breakout season, but he's not done growing quite yet. Once the mental game catches up to the physical game, the results will be scary. 

No. 3: James Harden

The lefty shooting guard looks cooler than anyone else in the NBA and has the game necessary to back up his swagger. He's an incredibly gifted scorer who needs more minutes. 

No. 4: Serge Ibaka

After leading the league in total blocks last season, the young center will continue to improve. His offense is developing quickly and his defense is already at an elite level. 

Orlando Magic: Ryan Anderson

Position: Power forward

Experience: Three years

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 10.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 0.8 assists

The Orlando Magic are another difficult team to pick a player with potential from. There really aren't too many options who both have a lot of potential and haven't already reached their peaks. Ryan Anderson wins by attrition here as the fourth-year forward put up a 19.0 PER last season and should be in line for far more than the 22.3 minutes per game he received last year. 

Philadelphia 76ers: Jrue Holiday

Position: Point guard

Experience: Two years

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists

Still only 21 years old, Jrue Holiday is an elite defender already and has the offensive game to make him a complete player. Tremendously underrated at this point in his career, Holiday has the ability to become one of the upper-tier point guards in the NBA. 

Phoenix Suns: Marcin Gortat

Position: Center

Experience: Four years

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 10.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 0.9 assists

Once the 27-year-old Polish center starting getting starters minutes with the Phoenix Suns a short while after he was traded to the team from the Orlando Magic, he started performing at an All-Star level and throwing up double-double after double-double. There is no reason why he can't keep that up for a full season or be even better. 

Portland Trail Blazers: Nicolas Batum

Position: Small forward

Experience: Three years

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 12.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists

Nicolas Batum's first three games of the last season showed everyone just what he could do. The French forward averaged 14.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game during that stretch with remarkably efficient percentages. Now it's just a matter of keeping up that type of production. 

Sacramento Kings: Jimmer Fredette

Position: Point guard

Experience: Rookie

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 28.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists (at BYU)

Does this one even need explanation? Have you ever seen someone shoot long-range shots like Jimmer Fredette?

San Antonio Spurs: Kawhi Leonard

Position: Small forward

Experience: Rookie

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 15.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists (at San Diego State)

DeJuan Blair and Tiago Splitter could also have been choices here, but Kawhi Leonard takes the cake. Even though he doesn't have one great skill, Leonard is literally good at everything and will undoubtedly be a successful player at the NBA level. 

Toronto Raptors: DeMar DeRozan

Position: Shooting guard

Experience: Two years

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 17.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists

DeMar DeRozan has been called a sleeper by so many people that he's no longer a sleeper. The potential still exists for sure. 

Utah Jazz: Alec Burks and Enes Kanter

With the potential exception of Kemba Walker and Bismack Biyombo, Enes Kanter and Alec Burks are posed to become the best rookie tandem of the 2011 draft class. 

Kanter is a very talented Turkish big man who can affect the game on either end of the court. With an offensive game that works both inside and outside, the 6'11" behemoth is quite NBA-ready and should immediately show off a well-rounded game. 

Burks, on the other hand, dazzled opponents at the University of Colorado. A 6'6" shooting guard with tremendous athleticism and surprisingly good ball-handling skills, all Burks is missing is NBA-level strength and a solid long-range jump shot. 

Washington Wizards: John Wall

Position: Point guard

Experience: One year

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 16.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 8.3 assists

Here's what I said in a recent article in which I claimed Wall would one day make the Hall of Fame: 

"

It's not often that you see a rookie point guard put up the kind of numbers that John Wall did last season. 

During his first year out of the one-and-done machine at the University of Kentucky, Wall averaged 16.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game for the Washington Wizards. Those numbers are going to be terrifyingly good once Wall gets more experience and his teammates improve.

In five years, I think Wall will be the best point guard in all of basketball. It's bold, I know.

"

Adam Fromal is a syndicated writer and Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.

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