The NBA season gets underway tonight and with that, here are the players to look for to break big this season.
Rudy Gay - Gay's name may surprise you being on this list, but he still does not get a lot of respect. He has the scoring ability to be up with the big boys. He is a Kevin Durant-like and now that he's with the Sacramento Kings for his first full season, he should fill up the score sheet. The Kings don't have a lot of help for him besides DeMarcus Cousins, so this season should be the year Gay finally earns his contract.
Ryan Anderson - Another guy that may already be viewed as a pretty decent player has only played one season of more than 70 games in the NBA. This year, if healthy, should be his year to become the next Kevin Love. He may even have a better advantage than Love because he doesn't have to carry his team the way Love did last season. With Anderson and Anthony Davis as their 4 and 5, the New Orleans Pelicans could be the biggest sleeper team, even in a stacked Western Conference.
Jeremy Lin - Let's just say Lin will breakout for a second time this year. While he may not be as good as Linsanity: 2.0 (L.A. Edition), he should be able to pile up the points and assists stats with his new Lakers team. It will be a much better situation for Lin because, 1) he won't have a rising talent like Patrick Beverly behind him, 2) he won't have to carry the team, like in New York, and 3) now with Steve Nash out, he will secure most of the point guard minutes.
Spencer Hawes - After breaking out last season, then getting traded, and now a backup for a championship-ready team in the Clippers, Hawes has been through an interesting point in his career. There should be no reason in which his level of play drops off from what it was when he was with the 76ers. His minutes will be backup minutes to Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, but he will be the first big off the bench. Also, he could step in for either of those guys if they go down with injuries, and then the Clippers still have Glen Davis as a very good backup big.
Terrance Ross - Ross was taken eighth overall for a reason and that reason was more than his amazing athleticism. While it was a little high of a pick at the time, the Raptors will start seeing it pay off for them this year. Ross averaged 11 points and three rebounds a game for the Raptors and is very similar to their already established star small forward, DeMar DeRozan. Toronto might have double trouble with those two if Ross can fully breakout this year.
Jared Sullinger - Sullinger has already showed us a little bit of what he can do last season, and it yells Paul Millsap. That is a great compliment and just what the Celtics need. If anyone (anyone!) can breakout this season for the Celtics, it could be this Ohio State alum. Sullinger is a mostly back to the basket scorer and an outstanding rebounder who could turn out to be a center piece in the Celts rebuiding process.
Nerlens Noel - Healthy and ready to attack. Could we see a Blake Griffin-esc return from injury rookie year from Noel? Why not? The Kentucky standout could be a second coming of Anthony Davis and the Sixers have plenty of patience to make sure that comes true.
Just another year away...
Gianis Antetokounmpo - The Alphabet is one of the most intriguing players in the NBA right now. He is currently listed at 6' 9" and is as thin as a pencil, and he is still growing. Not to mention, he is this tall with point guard skills. If his shooting comes around, he could be one scary player to guard.
Evan Fournier - Fournier was on this list even before Victor Oladipo went down, and he should benefit the most in the month that Oladipo is expected to miss. However, he won't play a ton after that unless he is amazing, so his breakout should come in full next season.
Doug McDermott - Dougy D is most likely just going to be used for some shooting, but he fits perfectly with the Bulls because that's what they need. He could either be a Jason Kapono or a Kyle Korver, either way that means he will be a reliable scoring asset. If his defense ever catches up to his offense, he could be much more.