NBA Predictions 2011-2012: 25 Players Who Will Improve the Most

Each year in the NBA, new players burst forth from the shadows to the spotlight. Last year, it was Kevin Love's turn to become the NBA's Most Improved Player, but now it's time for a new batch of young players to take over.

These 25 players are the best candidates to follow in Love's footsteps and become stars.

Some of them may be familiar names, while others may be more obscure.

But whether you call them breakout players, sleepers or some other term, they're all going to improve a lot.

Arron Afflalo

Age: 26 

Position: Shooting guard

Team: Denver Nuggets (restricted free agent)

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 12.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists

Arron Afflalo has already been a starter for the last two seasons, but with Wilson Chandler and J.R. Smith both stuck in China and Nene Hilario ready to leave in free agency, the shooting guard is going to get a lot more touches. We all know that with more touches comes more production.

Nicolas Batum

Age: 22

Position: Small forward

Team: Portland Trail Blazers

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

The talented French small forward was predicted to break out last season but never really became a star for the Portland Trail Blazers. Nicolas Batum got off to a great start but fell off as the season progressed. Now we're going for take two.

Eric Bledsoe

Age: 21

Position: Point guard

Team: Los Angeles Clippers

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 6.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists

Mo Williams may be the starting point guard for the Los Angeles Clippers right now, but he won't be able to hold of the former Kentucky Wildcat for long. As a rookie last year, Eric Bledsoe showed tremendous potential in limited playing time.

Chase Budinger

Age: 23

Position: Small forward

Team: Houston Rockets

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

During the last game of the 2010-2011 season, Chase Budinger scored 35 points. If that's any indication of things to come, which I think it is, Budinger is going to have a tremendous season.

DeMarcus Cousins

Age: 21

Position: Power forward

Team: Sacramento Kings

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 14.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists

DeMarcus Cousins' rookie season was overshadowed by the greatness of John Wall and Blake Griffin and partially by the early-season prowess of Landry Fields. If Cousins can maintain focus for his entire sophomore campaign, 20 points and 10 rebounds per game are within reach, and no one will be overlooking him.

Jordan Crawford

Age: 23

Position: Shooting guard

Team: Washington Wizards

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 11.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists

As Jordan Crawford proved with the Washington Wizards, a team for whom he averaged 16.3 points per game as a rookie after he was traded to the team from the Atlanta Hawks, he can put the ball in the basket.

Crawford wasn't exactly the definition of efficiency while he was scoring, though. If he can learn how to coexist with his teammates on the court, both the Wizards and the shooting guard could be in for big improvements.

Ed Davis

Age: 22

Position: Power forward

Team: Toronto Raptors

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 7.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 0.6 assists

Ed Davis may not have received a lot of playing time during his first season out of UNC, but he showed that he can capably score and rebound the basketball while playing good defense. With his tremendous size and outstanding quickness, the sky is the limit for this Toronto Raptor.

Austin Daye

Age: 23

Position: Forward

Team: Detroit Pistons

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 7.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists

Tayshaun Prince might leave the Detroit Pistons in free agency. Fortunately, Austin Daye has the exact same skill set as Prince.

Derrick Favors

Age: 20

Position: Power forward

Team: Utah Jazz

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 6.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 0.5 assists

There's a reason that Derrick Favors was the third overall pick of the 2010 NBA draft. There's also a reason that Favors was the centerpiece in the trade for Deron Williams. The reason is that he's going to improve dramatically upon his unimpressive rookie campaign.

Danilo Gallinari

Age: 23

Position: Small forward

Team: Denver Nuggets

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 15.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists

As well as Danilo Gallinari played last season, he isn't done maxing out his potential quite yet. After averaging 15.6 points per game during Euroleague play, Gallinari is going to try to duplicate over and over again the 30-point, nine-rebound performance he put up in his second game with the Denver Nuggets last year.

Paul George

Age: 21 

Position: Shooting guard and small forward

Team: Indiana Pacers

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 7.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists

If Paul George's offense can ever reach the level of his defense, the Indiana Pacers swingman could become a potential All-Star.

Blake Griffin

Age: 22

Position: Power forward

Team: Los Angeles Clippers

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 22.5 points, 12.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists

Even though Blake Griffin was absolutely incredible during his rookie season, there is still plenty of room for improvement. Griffin is still developing post-moves, a mid-range game and his free-throw shooting form while he continues to work on defense. He's going to be an MVP candidate as soon as this season.

Tyler Hansbrough

Age: 26

Position: Power forward

Team: Indiana Pacers

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 11.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 0.6 assists

Tyler Hansbrough is a high-energy player who just needs more minutes in order to be more successful. Psycho T is going to get those minutes because Jeff Foster, Josh McRoberts and Solomon Jones are all set to depart in free agency. Now we'll find out whether or not Hansbrough has the talent to back up the effort.

James Harden

Age: 22

Position: Shooting guard

Team: Oklahoma City Thunder

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 12.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists

Just look at the beard.

I thought so.

Gordon Hayward

Age: 21

Position: Small forward

Team: Utah Jazz

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 5.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists

Even though my argument is clearly lacking in the sample size department, I'd like to point you towards two specific games from last season.

On April 4th, Hayward scored 22 points, grabbed six boards and dished out five assists while outdueling Kobe Bryant down the stretch in an 86-85 win against the Los Angeles Lakers. Just eight days later, Hayward scored 34 points on 12-of-17 shooting to put his rookie season to bed in incredible fashion.

George Hill

Age: 25

Position: Combo guard

Team: Indiana Pacers

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

After serving as Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili's backup in San Antonio ever since he entered the league, George Hill was traded to the Indiana Pacers and will now have an opportunity to earn significantly more minutes. Hill can provide a scoring punch whether he plays as a starter or a sixth man for his new squad.

Serge Ibaka

Age: 22

Position: Power forward

Team: Oklahoma City Thunder

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 9.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 0.2 assists

Serge Ibaka was a shot-blocking machine for the Oklahoma City Thunder last year, but he was a bit limited on the offensive end of the court. Over the extended offseason, though, Ibaka added a mid-range shot to his game and now should be terrifying no matter who has the ball.

DeAndre Jordan

Age: 23

Position: Center

Team: Los Angeles Clippers (restricted free agent)

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 7.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 0.5 assists

DeAndre Jordan is not going to allow Chris Kaman to keep him on the bench for too much longer. The big man is quite the trendy pick when it comes to breakout players, and it's for good reason. His shot-blocking ability is off the charts, and his offensive game is developing quite nicely (except for his free-throw shooting).

JaVale McGee

Age: 23

Position: Center

Team: Washington Wizards

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 10.1 points, 8.0 rebounds, 0.5 assists

I think the key to JaVale McGee's improvement is his name. Now that he is fully comfortable with his alter ego Pierre, McGee is going to break out in a big way. If only they could install multiple baskets on the same side of the court, McGee would truly be the best player in the NBA.

Greg Monroe

Age: 21

Position: Power forward and center

Team: Detroit Pistons

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 9.4 points, 7.5 assists, 1.3 assists

Greg Monroe is already one of the best passing big men in the entire NBA, and the rest of his skills are catching up to his distributing abilities. The former Georgetown Hoya is already a polished player, and he was a consistent double-double threat during the season's second half.

Greg Oden

Age: 23

Position: Center

Team: Portland Trail Blazers (restricted free agent)

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: Did not play

There is no doubt that Greg Oden has the talent necessary to take the league by storm from the center position. There is some doubt about whether or not he can do that for more than five minutes before his body falls apart. This is the season that Oden has been waiting for. He's going to play the full year.

Anthony Randolph

Age: 22

Position: Power forward

Team: Minnesota Timberwolves

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 7.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 0.8 assists

Anthony Randolph is incredibly talented, but he's had trouble getting on the court for his teams so far. Now with the Minnesota Timberwolves, the big man is stuck in a crowded frontcourt, potentially blocked by some combination of Kevin Love, Derrick Williams and Michael Beasley. But if he moves to center, even though he'd be a bit outsized, he'd be quite productive.

Jeff Teague

Age: 23

Position: Point guard

Team: Atlanta Hawks

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 4.2 points, 1.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists

If you watched Jeff Teague hang with Derrick Rose during the 2011 NBA Playoffs, then no further explanation is necessary.

Evan Turner

Age: 23

Position: Shooting guard

Team: Philadelphia 76ers

2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 7.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists

In the interest of full disclosure, I absolutely loved Evan Turner while he was at Ohio State and expected him to become a star in the NBA. I'm a little bit biased here because I still want him to be great, and I'm holding on to some hope that he can live up to his massive potential. Turner has a tremendous all-around skill set and really just needs confidence at this point.

John Wall

Age: 21

Position: Point guard

Team: Washington Wizards

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

John Wall averaged 16.4 points per game with an inconsistent jump shot. Now he's spent the offseason honing his shot, and he's got a much more well-rounded offensive game.

The point guard also averaged 8.3 assists per game despite playing with a very young team of developing players. Did you notice that JaVale McGee and Jordan Crawford were also on this list? Nick Young was one of the last players left off as well, and if he chooses to return to the Wizards in free agency, Washington is going to have a much better season.

Wall is going to be an All-Star.

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

All-Time NBA Mock Draft

Steven Jackson: Dark Horse Commercial of the Year Candidate

Brian Wilson vs. James Harden: The Battle of the Beards 

Coolest Players in NBA History

100 Most Exciting NBA Stars Ever