Seven Players Who Are Ready To Break Out This Season

Although the second half of tonight’s season opening doubleheader is widely billed as Kobe Bryant versus Steve Nash, it’s important to remember that basketball is a team game. Partially as a reaction to the hype, let’s celebrate opening night by looking at seven lesser-known players who should enjoy breakout seasons. These guys all have rapidly developing games, and most of them will have the benefit of increased playing time and exposure.JOSH CHILDRESSSWINGMAN, ATLANTA HAWKSTo be relevant on a team as downtrodden as the Hawks, you have to be really good, and Childress just might be a superstar on the rise. The sixth overall pick in 2004, Childress put up excellent percentage numbers last season. He shot 55.2% from the field and 49.2% from behind the arc. His playing time was squeezed a bit last season by the presence of Al Harrington and Marvin Williams. Harrington has been traded to Indiana, and Williams is injured and will miss the first month or two of the season. Childress will likely get more minutes and establish himself as the team’s best offensive player by Christmas.MARQUIS DANIELSSWINGMAN, INDIANA PACERSLast season, Daniels was in the right place at the wrong time, a solid scorer with an excellent first move to the hoop, Daniels was tailor-made for the uptempo Don Nelson Mavericks of two seasons ago, not the slow-paced Avery Johnson crew. Nevertheless, Daniels scored at a good clip, 10.2 points on 48% shooting in 28.4 minutes a game. Shipped to Indiana, Daniels will be on a team aiming to run at his preferred tempo, and with Stephen Jackson likely out due to legal trouble, Daniels will get an early chance to establish himself as a go to guy with the Pacers.LUOL DENGFORWARD, CHICAGO BULLSEverybody knows that the Bulls can play defense; the question is who will lead the offense? Increasingly last season, it was Deng. The-third year forward took on a greater share of the offense each month and by April, when the Bulls made a furious push to crash the playoff party, Deng was scoring 17.6 a game on 52.4%. He’s already an ace perimeter defender and his only obstacle to increased playing time had been the presence of forward Andres Nocioni, but down the stretch and in the postseason, Chicago took to playing the two together, a lineup that will be used often this season.DEVIN HARRISGUARD, DALLAS MAVERICKSGiven his stellar play in the Mavericks Conference semifinal series against San Antonio, it’s easy to forget that at times last season Harris was little more than a backup to Jason Terry. With his ability to blow by almost any defender, Harris is a key weapon for a club whose offense otherwise relies on isolating players. His production, 9.9 points and 3.2 dimes, was accomplished in a mere 22.7 minutes per game last season. His minutes will go up this season and so will his production and profile.SHAUN LIVINGSTONPOINT GUARD, L.A. CLIPPERSWhen the Los Angeles Clippers drafted Livingston out of high school with the fourth pick of the 2004 draft, it seemed like a slight reach. After spending most of his first season and a half injured or ineffective, Livingston lived up to his billing in the second half of last season. His shooting improved markedly, 48.2% in contrast to 37.2% in the first half. In the playoffs he began to look for his shot more, and his defense on Steve Nash was a key factor in the Clippers nearly pulling off a stunning upset. With starting point guard Sam Cassell turning 37 next month, expect the Clips to begin the transition to making Livingston the starter.JAMEER NELSONPOINT GUARD, ORLANDO MAGICIt’s easy to look at Nelson’s second half numbers, particularly his 15.8 points and 5.6 assists a game and see the third-year guard as a rising star. Then consider that he accomplished this production in about 25% less burn, 29.8 minutes a game, than most leading point guards. Add to that the fact that following the trade of Steve Francis, which made the Magic Nelson’s team, the Magic soared, closing with 16–6 run. They figure to be in the playoffs for the first time in years, and Nelson will be a major factor.GERALD WALLACESWINGMAN, CHARLOTTE BOBCATSThe rest of these players need opportunity and continued development to be a star, but Wallace, easily the best of the three NBAers with that last name, just needs someone to take notice of his current level of play. His 15.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.5 steals a game and 53.8% shooting last season were no fluke, but they were done for a 26–56 team. With Michael Jordan in the executive suite, Adam Morrison in the starting rotation, and the Bobcats inching toward playoff contention, Charlotte will get plenty of notice, and so should Wallace.

Seven Players Who Are Ready To Break Out This Season

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