When it comes to having a breakout season, Anthony Randolph is well on his way. He says he grew almost an inch to his current height of 7-feet and added 15 pounds since last season ended.
|
|
| The more minutes he gets, the bigger Anthony Randolph's numbers will grow. (Getty Images) |
"I really thanked the organization," Randolph said. "I talked with them a lot during the offseason and they told me how much they wanted me to do. But it's also understood that I have to work hard and continue to grow and get better as a player."
The concept of Nellie-ball changes by the minute, but one thing is clear: Randolph will be right in the middle of the action for the Warriors. His 7.9 points and 5.8 rebounds should increase considerably with more playing time, as will his 1.2 blocks per game. Randolph's shot-blocking translated to 3.2 blocks per 48 minutes.
So with that in mind, here are the other players rounding out my top five poised for breakout seasons in 2009-10:
2. Rodney Stuckey, Pistons: Overlooked in the Pistons' ill-fated decision to trade Chauncey Billups to Denver for Allen Iverson was the testament it was to the organization's faith in Stuckey becoming an elite lead guard. Deposed coach Michael Curry, parroting Joe Dumars' talking points at the time, told me last season that he'd take Stuckey over any other emerging guard in the league. And yes, he clarified, that includes Derrick Rose. That's high praise, and now the Pistons' new coach, John Kuester, needs Stuckey to back it up. There's little doubt he will. Kuester is known for devising diverse, difficult-to-defend schemes predicated on crisp ball movement in early offensive sets. Just look at Exhibit A, as in what Kuester did for Mo Williams in Cleveland last season. Don't expect eye-popping numbers, because Stuckey is still the point guard -– albeit one who can use his strength and size to get to the basket at will. He won't need to carry the bulk of the offensive load in Dumars' vision of a more functional three-man backcourt with Rip Hamilton and reserve Ben Gordon. But Gordon will soon learn what Hamilton certainly has figured out by now: The Pistons view Stuckey as the future. And with Billups long gone and Iverson's distractions no longer in the picture, the future is now.
3. Andrea Bargnani, Raptors: Few players in the league will benefit more from an offseason acquisition than Bargnani will from Toronto's sign-and-trade for Hedo Turkoglu. With his face-up ability, Bargnani will do more with Turkoglu's side pick-and-roll action than Dwight Howard was able to do in Orlando. One caveat: Picking Bargnani violates the rule of selecting players poised for breakout years when they're playing for a contract. Bargnani received his $50 million extension this summer, so his future already is in the bank. But after an utterly clueless 2007-08 season, Bargnani's efficiency and confidence improved dramatically last season -- especially after the addition of Jermaine O'Neal. Expect another jump for the 2006 No. 1 pick.
4. Greg Oden, Trail Blazers: It might seem odd to have two No. 1 picks on a breakout list. Maybe that's a testament to how underwhelming Oden's first two years in the league have been. The first one was a wash due to microfracture surgery, and the second was basically a rookie season. My rule of thumb on big men is, don't judge them until after Year 3. I just have a hunch that Oden, who has been behind schedule in terms of expectations, will be ahead of that curve. Again, this isn't a fantasy projection, so don't expect a statistical windfall. But if Oden does what most big men of his pedigree do -- improve his .564 field-goal and .637 free-throw shooting just a little -- he could be on his way to averaging a double-double for a team that has plenty of talent around him.
5. JaVale McGee, Wizards: The Wizards have steadfastly refused to include McGee in any serious trade talks, and we have an outside chance of learning why this season. McGee is a beast waiting to emerge, if he can only get the minutes necessary to put together what truly would be considered a breakout season. With Gilbert Arenas getting his All-Star form back, the Wizards are trying to win now with veterans. They better win now, considering they're almost $8 million over the luxury tax. Flip Saunders already has stated that he intends to go with an eight-man rotation, and he'll be able to lean on veterans Brendan Haywood and Fabricio Oberto in the post. But it will be awfully tempting to get McGee on the floor. Like Randolph, he averaged more than three blocks per 48 minutes, is freakishly athletic and is capable of putting up even better numbers than Haywood if he can make a case for minutes.
