With the summer league action the last couple of weeks, we've had a chance to see some of the rookies from last season in action. Here's a look at players poised to improve upon their rookie campaigns.
Players are listed by the order they were drafted.
- DeMar DeRozan: DeRozan looked good in the summer league. With the departure of Chris Bosh, he has a chance to take on more of the scoring load in Toronto.
- Terrence Williams: Williams played very well in Orlando and was clearly the best player on his team. Since the Nets struck out this offseason in free agency, Williams may get a shot at significant minutes at either SF or SG.
- Tyler Hansbrough: Tyler endured an injury-riddled rookie season. Still, he put up decent numbers with 8.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in limited playing. The reason he has potential for next season is that Troy Murphy could be moved at some point during the season. That should free up minutes for Hansbrough, as long as he can stay healthy.
- Jrue Holiday: Holiday will likely be the opening day starting PG for the 76ers. He put up some decent numbers once he finally had a chance to be the starter and he should improve on those numbers as he grows more comfortable in the PG role. Remember, Holiday wasn't a PG while he was at UCLA, much like Russell Westbrook, so he could take a huge step up this coming year.
- Jeff Teague: As Mike Bibby gets up there in age, the Hawks will need to rest him more during the regular season and give more playing time to their PG of the future. Look for Teague to have a bigger role on the team this season.
- Darren Collison: As mentioned in an earlier post, Collison is just a trade away from becoming one of the top fantasy PGs.
- Marcus Thornton: Thornton was a surprise last season. This year, he has a good chance to begin the season as the Hornets' starting SG. Even if he remains in a bench role, he should continue to be a spark plug off the bench that could put up some huge scoring games.
