| Under-the-Radar Potential NBA Breakout Players |
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| Written by Phil Partington | |
| Monday, 13 October 2008 | |
 For this reason, can they really be deemed as ‘sleepers’? Will it really be that much of a surprise if they have a breakout season? And, what of the players who might be up for a breakout season who nobody’s talking about? What about the true sleepers of the 2008-2009 NBA season? Here are several young players not to sleep too hard on: G Javaris Crittenton, Memphis Grizzlies Mike Conley is being groomed for the starting point guard spot in Memphis, while O.J. Mayo is being touted as the next Dwayne Wade, but Crittenton should be the first off the bench and ultimately has a shot at supplanting Conley at the starting point guard spot. C Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies OK, so Gasol’s not completely under-the-radar. Several analysts have already suggested that he might turn some heads. However, many NBA fans still think Marc as simply a throw-in to the trade that sent Marc’s brother, Pau, to the Lakers. Yet, Marc has shown a lot of skill playing over seas and someone in Memphis is going to have to catch a rebound. PG Acie Law, Atlanta Hawks Mike Bibby will be the starting point guard, but Law has shown flashes of brilliance at times. F Leon Powe, Boston Celtics If Kevin Garnett, or perhaps Kendrick Perkins, go out with injury for any significant amount of time, Powe could have himself a monster season. Had he been given a respectable 28 minutes per game last season, instead of 14 minutes, his stats would have projected out to about 16 ppg, 8 rbpg. C Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls Assuming Noah doesn’t foul things up, he shouldn’t have much competition for the starting center spot this season. Add 10 minutes per game to his playing time last season (from 20 to 30 mpg), and his stats project out to about 9.9 ppg, 8.4 rbpg, 1.4 spg, 1.4 bspg. Now consider that he should play a more prominent role in his second season. F Tyrus Thomas, Chicago Bulls Consistency is Thomas’ biggest problem. He has freakish talent, but might score 20 one night and 4 the next. Adding Derrick Rose to the mix could give Thomas easier buckets, which might boost his confidence. PG Rodney Stuckey, Detroit Pistons The Pistons seem to be grooming Stuckey to one day take over Chauncey Billups’ spot. In the meantime, assuming he gets the minutes, Stuckey’s a great candidate for a breakout season. It might take an injury to Billups, though. G Daequan Cook, Miami Heat If Dwayne Wade gets hurt, as he often does, Cook showed he might be due for a breakout year. F Wilson Chandler, New York Knicks Mike D’Antoni appears to like his game, and with Jared Jeffries and Danilo Gallinari hurt, Chandler could see more minutes. G Nick Young, Washington Wizards The biggest challenge for Young is that the Wizards are a perimeter-based team. Still, with Arenas out, Young could have the window to break out this year. F Brandon Bass, Dallas Mavericks The Mavs promise to be more physical and tougher this season, which means Bass will probably see more of a prominent role. C Nene Hilario, Denver Nuggets With Marcus Camby headed to LA, Nene’s the man at center, but can he stay healthy? PG Marcus Williams, Golden State Warriors Again, Williams might not be under-the-radar, but it’s probably worth mentioning that he’ll be the primary experimental replacement for Monta Ellis while Ellis is hurt. F Jeff Green, Oklahoma City Thunder Everyone’s talking about Kevin Durant. Yet, Green finished extremely strong last season and should continue this season where he left off. FG Martell Webster, Portland Trail Blazers Word is that Webster’s been working very hard and could win the starting small forward spot in Portland. F Ian Mahinmi, San Antonio Spurs He’s still probably a year or two away, but Mahinmi’s been looking very good for San Antonio. He needs more experience and minutes, but keep an eye on him.         Set as favorite Bookmark Comments
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Powe
written by Tonni , October 21, 2008
After watching the NBA Finals vs Lakers, I cannot imagine how good Powe can be at the coming season! Watch out at Nene too.
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