Who is going to be this year's Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love or LaMarcus Aldridge? Each year guys like the aforementioned players breakout and become stars, the question becomes who will they be. Now that the start of the 2011-2012 NBA season is within a week from tipping off, it is time to look at which players can make the leap from a player with potential, to a player that can change a game. Here are the guys I am going to pay special attention to this season.
Obvious Three:
These three guys are already household names, and are already good players in the association. They have the best chance of making a Derrick Rose-esque leap this season.
John Wall: Washington Wizards Point Guard
Everybody loves to compare John Wall to Derrick Rose. The two had very comparable rookie seasons, Rose was able to take the next step in his second year in the league (and then became the MVP of the league in his third year). Wall put together an insane lockout highlight tape, but NBA defenses will be better prepared to stop him and his blistering speed and breathtaking change of pace, so Wall must improve his jump shot (which he has been working on constantly this offseason) and cut down on his turnovers if he wants to take the next step this year. If Wall can average 20 and 10, the Wizards will have an outside chance at the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference, but if he doesn't progress the way most people expect he will, the Wizards will be in the hunt for the #1 pick in the draft yet again.
