Who Are The NBA’s Super Sophomores in ‘08-09?
Who is next year’s Rudy Gay?When NBA GM’s go after a Patrick O’Bryant-type in the first round, they have to know that the kid isn’t ready to compete in the League. But they see something. Whether it’s a prospect’s height, or length, or quickness that has a GM drinking the Kool-Aid, they hope that those skills can develop over the course of their first couple of years in the League.
With O’Bryant, the Warriors didn’t get so lucky. But there are a number of other studs from the ‘06 draft who took a year to develop before realizing their potential last year. LaMarcus Aldridge jumped from 9 points and 5 boards per game to 17.8 and 7.6 in his sophomore season. Rudy Gay made an astronomical leap from 10.8 to 20.2 points per night. Ronnie Brewer got some burn in year two and made it worthwhile, adding 7.8 points per game to his average while shooting an improved 56% from the floor. Rajon Rondo benefited from the Big Three, but also grew into a far better point guard after his rookie season.
So among the ‘07 draftees, who do you think is going to come out for a strong sophomore season in ‘08-09?
Thaddeus Young
Mike Conley, Jr.
Jeff Green
Julian Wright
Al Thornton
Wilson Chandler
Marco Belinelli
Nick Young
Ramon Sessions
D.J. Strawberry
August 15th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Al says:
Thad Young all the way , Al Thornton would be too safe a pick
August 15th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
kg fan says:
belinelli, just cuz he’s from the home town dubs
August 15th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
fiyaman says:
Wilson Chandler
Al Thornton
Ramon Sessions
Thad Yound
Al Hortford
in that order.. Yound n Hortford are at the bottom b/c they had a good season last and it kinda hard for them to do much better in than that in only yr 2 and with the team they got..
August 15th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
BALLZ says:
Conley Jr. improves greatly this year. I like most of the guys on this list to make a big jump. Belinelli the summer league god will see much more tick and I wouldn’t be shocked if Al Thornton averaged 20 plus this year.
August 15th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
bobby stew says:
I would love to say Julian Wright but the addition of Posey really hurts that possibility. That being said I’m going to go with Jeff Green and the Al that plays for the Clippers
August 15th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Daily boy says:
Julian Wright is my pick, dude will be a real nice off the bench for N.O.
His game is nice but i think this year will be even a little more solid.
Ramon Sessions & Jeff Green will step up this year also
August 15th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Brown says:
With Corey Maggette gone, Al Thornton should take full control of the 3 spot in the starting lineup. The Clips finally have a PG and Thornton was strong last year as a rookie. Their team is stronger this year and he should be able to do more things all across the board.
August 15th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
K Dizzle says:
I don’t know where ‘Fed’s at, but Rodney Stuckey…
August 15th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
David Brandon says:
i like thornton, green, young, conley and sessions. nobody has said ramon yet, but he was hoopin last year. if he gets better and remains consistent, he COULD (i dont want nobody tryina roast me aiight) be to milwuakee what calderon is toronto.
August 15th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
karizmatic says:
Actually I like a bunch of these guys I think
Thad Young
Julian Wright
Al Thornton
Wilson Chandler
Nick Young
will all make an impact, I think Jeff Green has a good chance too.
August 15th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Tha Boddy says:
Why no love for Nick Young he lead the rookies in 3pt% and can score from all over. Didn’t any1 see him go off on Kobe and and the Lakers. He has the moves and the skill set to make it happen. I’m seeing him go to about 10-12pts off the beach for the Wizards with a declining role for D-Steve
August 15th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
Rev. Paul Revere says:
Thad, Connelly and Thornton
August 15th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Harvey Dent says:
In D’Antoni’s system Wilson Chandler is gonna get busy. Dude can hoop. He is gonna be nice. Now that Balkman is gone too.
Also, AL “Mr. Excitement” Thornton and Ronnie Brewer should get it poppin too.
August 15th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Matt says:
Thad Yound
Mike Conley
Al Thorton
Jeff Green
August 15th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
heavy d says:
I think Acie Law should be improved this year for Atlanta or he’ll disappear altogether from the rotation in favor of vets off the bench.
August 15th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Luigi says:
Jeff Green wil be one + Acie Law…
Kevin Durant should improve to 30 ppg n 10 rpg.
Conley should be improved with Mayo/Gay to pass too
Nick Young should be the 6th man or push deshawn for the starting job…if Gilbert says he has a work eithic like Kobe..then he MUST start
August 15th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
MoxWestCoastRep says:
Sessions is gonna make a big jump.
I think brewer and young take a step back.
Other than that I think Green and Conley will have nice seasons
August 15th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Mike says:
How about Brendan Wright? He looked pretty good any time he got a few seconds of burn last year. Maybe the front-line depleted W’s could put him to use.
Outside of that, I like that Ramon Sessions doesn’t have Mo Williams in his way anymore.
Thornton appears to be a solid starter, but I’m not sure if he should be on this list. I would be like putting Al Horford on the list (in my opinion). He already did so well his first season, so an improvement is too predictable.
I’d also like to throw Greg Oden on this list. Unless he gets injured, his stats are going to improve.
If Corey Brewer got any burn, I think he could make the list. But it doesn’t look good with Randy Foye and Mike Miller in town.
August 15th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Jah says:
Jeff Green will do it! Mark my words…
August 15th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
doc says:
I like Durant,Horford,Thorton,Julian,and my man T-Young.I like Conley but my man Kyle Lowrey there and I want him shining.
August 15th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Dave says:
(1) Thaddeus Young
(2) Al Thornton
(3) Wilson Chandler
Hmm … all athletic small forwards. Odd.
Wilson Chandler will make the largest jump since he was a marginal player in the Knicks rotation last season. D’Antoni seems to like him so Chandler should get several chances.
Al Thornton is the player who’ll reach the highest heights in terms of numbers, he’s got a great chance at being the second leading scorer on the Clips and a 18-20ppg scorer at that.
Thaddeus Young is about to put on that Tayshaun Prince hat. That talented second year forward turning into the glue player in the starting lineup of a contender ala Tayshaun with the Pistons in 2004. Thaddeus could have the greatest overall impact because he makes the rest of Phily’s pieces fit together nicely … in other words nobody wants to see Willie Green start again next season. I love the idea of Thaddeus and Iggy roaming the wings defensively, how Thaddeus will help out the bigs on the boards, the movement off the ball offensively and overall efficiency of his game. He’ll be a glue guy on a contender.
……
The player’s I’m uncertain about:
Conley - He has two talented young point guards behind him who’ll eat a good chunk of his minutes. He also has two wings who need the ball with Rudy Gay and OJ Mayo which likely will limit his touches and opportunities. Another important factor was that he was too passive as a rookie and I’m not sure how quickly that changes. He’s also the type of player who has a greater impact than his numbers suggest. I expect something fairly similar to last season, perhaps his best monthly splits.
Belinelli/Young - Overall game lacks polish. Too concerned with hoisting shots. Until that changes they’re not going getting enough opportunities on the court.
DJ Strawberry - I didn’t see the Suns games but I heard he was awful in SL and very unlikely to play next season. Also the Suns are desperately trying to sign Dragic to take that spot in the rotation.
Al Horford - His game relies on physical play. I’m not sure how well he can score against bigger centers. He’d be deadly if they could move him to power forward, in that scenario he definitely heads my list. As a center, does he do much more than last season? He will do more but I’m not sure how much more. Maybe 13-15ppg plus the rebounding from before. If he became a full time PF I’d be thinking 18-20ppg. During his rookie season, Mike Woodson didn’t like the kid being passed the ball either so he has a coaching problem to overcome.
Jeff Green - Big swing factor here - Still uncertain about his game. Too passive. Sonics were regularly in trouble with him at power forward last season, needs to play at small forward where his jump shot becomes an issue. Jury still out. There’s a big swing factor with Green because he’ll most assuredly get the huge minutes and a lot of touches on that horrific team. He’ll have all the opportunities in the world to shine.
Julian Wright - Adding James Posey really hurts his case. They already have Peja and Mo ahead of him in the rotation. I doubt he gets the minutes he needs to breakout. The minutes problem is why he’s not on my list. He’s a very talented basketball, I love Ju-Ju’s game and if he got the minutes he’d be a breakout player.
Ramon Sessions - Big swing factor here - Not sure he’s going to play. Bucks were very quick to add Ty Lue and also brought back Ridnour from the Mo trade. The point is fairly packed in Milwaukee. I hope he does play because in the small flashes we saw last season he has more about him than either Ridnour/Lue. Talented, just not sure he plays.
August 15th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Celts Fan says:
The Beasts:
Thad and Thornton - both will make GMs look real dumb for passing on them (looking at you Minn., Mil., and Sea/OKC)
The guys who’ll improve with more PT:
Conley (running w/ OJ, Rudy, Darrell, and Pau’s younger bro won’t hurt. He should have a nice year this year)
Julian Wright - was showing signs of being a poor-man’s Posey with more athleticism last year. He may be slowed by playing behind the real deal, but who better to learn from than the guy he should be patterning his game after?
Wilson Chandler - if they play him the Shawn Marion role in D’Antoni’s offense, I could see BIG things from him. He’s big, strong, and athletic, why can’t he bea poorman’s Marion with a better attitude, a MUCH prettier jumper (not necessarily more effective, but at least one that doesn’t look like he’s squeezing out a deuce while shooting it,) and lesser numbers? Knicks fans on here haven’t mentiond him much, but I see that changing quickly if he gets more PT.
Ramon Sessions - I really liked him at Nevada and was surprised he dropped to the 50s in the draft. Big (6′3″) pg’s usually don’t and I was hoping we’d snag him to back up Rajon. Instead he’s being handed the keys to the Bucks. Needless to say, I’m a believer…
DJ Strawberry - see Julian Wright, only change “Posey” to “Raja.”
There’s something about Jeff Green taht I don’t see being anything more than a role player. Maybe I’m way off, but I don’t see it. Nick Young’s solid, but I don’t see him gettng much PT this year to make a huge impact yet. Marco seems like he’s on the Yaraslav Koralev career path of being back in Europe before he ever even gets a chance.
August 15th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
George W Kush Sr says:
Stuckey is going to have a better year, thats for sure.
Same goes for Al Horford, and Al Thornton.
I think Jeff Green is gonna break out of his shell the most.
August 15th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
GEE...I will break you. says:
I am going to say Thad and Jeff will do the thing. Honestly I think Jeff should and could be a AK or Shawn type. Hope he comes through.
August 15th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
shake&bake says:
@ Luigi- I’m not too sure about Durant for 30 and 10. When was the last time anyone averaged 30 and 10?
I think Conley will have a breakout year
August 15th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Diego says:
Thornton–going to have a huge year with Maggette gone.
Agree with heavy d at post 15 re. Acie. If Acie doesn’t put it together, Flip will steal all his time.
August 15th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Kobeef says:
You hate to state the obvious about the class of 2007 but Greg Oden might have a breakout season.
Normally you would bank on Durant but he doesn’t look any stronger this summer than he was last summer which is an issue for him.
Some sleepers for a big sophmore season
-Jazz C Kyrylo Fresenko
A huge athlete that looks like he can play - and the Jazz need a real 5 to replace Memo.
Blazers Rudy Fernandez
This guy looks awesome in the Olympic Tourney. Let’s see how he does against Kobe tomorrow.
Bulls Jokaim Noah
Sure he’s a space cadet but he is the Bulls default Center. With Rose running the show his game should look better.
Nets Yi Jianlian
He will get lots of PT in NJ and might be energized by the fact that he is not playing in beertown. He has the body and talent to be an elite PF - let’s see if he has the heart.
August 15th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
THE MAYOR! says:
i think and know ACIE LAW will have a breakout season!!!
August 15th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Austin Burton says:
If Conley gets PT, he’ll be better. It usually takes PG’s a while to “get it” and make an impact. Hopefully by the time the Grizz move to Seattle he’ll be a Top-15 PG in the League.
Jeff Green got better as the year went along and he got more confidence. I liked that PJ gave him the toughest defensive assignments every night, but sometimes he just left Green hung out to dry (i.e. guarding Kobe for an entire game with no help and getting torched for 48 points). I think he’s more of a 3 than a 4, and with Joe Smith coming in I think he won’t HAVE to play PF.
I’m not sure if Julian Wright is a solid pro or another CJ Miles-type who’s always a “potential” guy.
Nick Young can be a volume scorer off the bench, especially if he keeps knocking down mid-range jumpers. Like a bigger Ben Gordon.
Strawberry looked very good in the summer league offensively, and he’s always been good defensively. He should get more tick.
August 15th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Mo says:
Julian Wright will be ready.
August 15th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Mo says:
I don’t see why people think acquiring Posey will hurt Julian’s chances when they can also be on the court together.
August 15th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Diego says:
I forgot about Noah. Noah was overrated after the first Florida title and underrated after the second. After he got p.t. in the latter half of last year, he put up some decent stats.
Give him a year of experience under his belt and a full year starting for the Bulls, and he will have some nice stats this upcoming season. (I think that big whopper backing him up could have a nice year too.) I’d love to be coaching the Bulls this year. If they have a decent start, they could be right behind Boston and Detroit.
August 15th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
GEE...I will break you. says:
Kobeef, ….Yi??
From what dude has been doing in the Olympics I don’t even think you can consider him a sleeper.
I am just trying to see where you see this talent he has to be an “elite” pf??
I don’t see it.
I mean I hope you right cause i Just like cats to do well for the most part.
Still….Yi?
August 15th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Austin Burton says:
Yi’s only a “sleeper” during games.
August 15th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
the mamba says:
I think sessions will be good for about 12pts 8 assists.
Wilson chandler will do good and be one of d’antoni’s favorite players.
Luis scola will be a sophmore too right, technically? He’s due to be a big part of that rockets squad. And I see them soing very well.
August 15th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Tim says:
RODNEY STUCKEY!!!
He’s gonna be a flat out beast…he’s supposed to get close to 30 minutes a game….sooo look for huge numbers…
People will go, how was this guy picked 15th?
August 15th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Joe says:
@Kobeef….I think you need to choose some different SOPHOMORES, Oden and Fernandez will both be rookies this year
August 15th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
Celts Fan says:
ya, I was just going with that list they threw out, if we’re including everyone, I like Scola, but I think he’s never gonna be a top level player. He’s a solid player and I’d love him on the Celtics, but I think Stuckey’s a beast. He’s already better than Jannero Pargo, and only in his 2nd year. He could be a superstar if given the right minutes. I like Noah a lot too. I think he’s the next Marcus Camby/Tyson Chandler type. Just don’t ask him to shoot, make sense when he talks, or not have weed at Florida
August 15th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
Celts Fan says:
and OBVIOUSLY Durant’s gonna be awesome (this is the year he goes from just a scorer that was kind of a gunner, to more all-around, efficient scorer, like he was the last month or 2 this year) and Horford officially becomes a STUD this year.
have a good weekend fellas
August 15th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
chiaki says:
Ramon Sessions is gonna be big this year..
August 16th, 2008 at 2:03 am
Brent says:
The Rockets had a promising trio of rookies last year. Luis Scola is 27, but he will technically be a second year player. He will continue to grow in the NBA, as will Carl Landry. The second year Rocket with the potential for the most jump in play is Aaron Brooks.
August 16th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Young Lebron 23 says:
Thad all the way
August 17th, 2008 at 5:59 am
Cammy Z says:
Ramon Sessions should be a top 5 point guard this year. He’s going to rack up the assists what with Richard Jefferson and the best shooter in the league.
August 17th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
jr says:
Thad young & strawberry iz who i’m checkin 4