Players Ready to Break Out!

Looking around the league, there are certain players in the NBA primed for a breakout season. Having shown flashes of stardom in the past, these are the 5 players ready to take their games to the Next Level:

Andre Iguodala: With the departure of the real “AI” from Philly, Andre Iguodala has an opportunity to display his skills for the world to see. Having spent the past few seasons playing second fiddle, Iguodala will get to step out of Iverson’s shadow and lead the 76ers this season.

Iguodala is a complete player that can fill up the stat sheet offensively, as well as be a lock down player on the defensive end. Nothing should stand in the way of this freak athlete taking the leap, to legit NBA player status.


Jamal Crawford: There are very few players that have Jamal Crawford’s skills. Crawford has tremendous one-on-one moves, a nasty handle, great range on his jumper and if he gets hot, he is unstoppable. At the end of many games, Jamal gets put in a position to play 'hero' because of the way the Knicks isolate the court and let him beat his man off the bounce.

Having tacked on 20 lbs over the summer, this should be the season Crawford takes his game to new heights. When asked about starting this season, Crawford responded the way a breakout player needs to talk, "It's time to go to a new level of my career. Starting shouldn't even be a question."


Marvin Williams: The Hawks young, athletic, forward is loaded with talent, but yet to leave his mark on the court. The one positive to the Hawks abundance of small and power forwards, is that if you want minutes you have to beat out other quality ball players. Recognizing that, Marvin Williams reportedly hit the gym real hard in the off-season. Thus far in training camp Marvin’s face up game and jumper are reaping the benefits.

With two years of NBA experience under his belt, Williams looks ready to take the next step in his career. At 6’9, Williams has all the tools. He’s incredibly agile, athletic and is a physical specimen.

It’s time for Williams to make people stop thinking about how they could’ve had Chris Paul and start thinking about the future with Marvin Williams.


Josh Smith: Why stop with one? The other half of the starting forward combination for the Atlanta Hawks is ready to bust out as well. Despite being one of the most exciting players in the NBA, Josh Smith still has a ton to prove. Everyone knows he can use his athleticism to dunk and block shots, but people question if there is more to his game.

There is no reason to believe that this season shouldn’t be a breakthrough in Smith’s career. As Smith continues polishing up his offensive repertoire and adds range to his jumper, the All-Star game should be in his not so distant future.


Chris Kaman: In his 5th season out of Central Michigan, the time is now for Chris Kaman to prove why he was such a highly regarded prospect. Kaman will certainly benefit from Elton Brand’s injury, as he should see a healthy dose of touches on the block. It might not look pretty, but Kaman has great footwork and effective low post moves.

Kaman is going to put up numbers this season. Expect at least 15 and 8 per game from the big fella!