The NBA season is just upon us. There are many contenders preparing to chase down the Heat and take the throne. After a crazy offseason, the Eastern and the Western Conference are appearing to be stronger than be. This NBA season has the potential to be one of the most historically important ones.
Here is a list of players, who play a big part in increasing their team’s shot at success.
PAUL PIERECE BROOKLYN NETS
Courtesy: New York Daily News
The Brooklyn Nets got a lot of new players on their bench this year from players to coaches. I believe, the most important player to the Brooklyn Net’s success is Paul Pierce. Paul Pierce is spending his first season in a new city. The Net’s have put together a squad that has a limited amount of time to win a NBA Championship.
Paul Pierce used to be the “star” of the team. With the Nets stressing unity, Pierce finds himself in a new role. Pierce has the opportunity to be the NBA’s best role player. Being in Brooklyn has taken a lot of the stress factors from Pierce’s game. During his Boston career, Pierce averaged 21.8PPG, 6.0RPG and 3.9APG. In Boston, Pierce was a scorer. In Brooklyn, Pierce will be focusing on other parts of his game. In a preseason win vs his old team, Pierce had 4PTS, 5AST, 1BLK, 1STL and 10RBS. If Pierce can be a solid role player all year, the Nets will have a good chance of success.
BLAKE GRIFFIN LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
Chris Paul has told media that the key to the Clipper’s title hopes is Blake Griffin. He couldn’t be more right. Last season, the Clippers were up 2-0 in the playoffs and ended up losing the series 4-2 to the Memphis Grizzlies. It takes multiple superstars to win a NBA Title. Paul needs Griffin. Blake needs to become more involved offensively and tally some more rebounds per game. This type of performance is expected from a #2. If he has late season struggles, the Clippers playoffs could end early, again.
PAU GASOL LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Without a doubt, Kobe Bryant is the best player on the Los Angeles Lakers. Other than Kobe, Gasol is the second most important player. While Kobe is out Pau needs to step his game up tremendously. The burden won’t be as big once Kobe gets on the floor. He is currently averaging 18.4PPG, 9.2RPG 3.3APG and 1.6BLKPG. The Lakers need double digit numbers in points and rebounds every night from Gasol to make the playoffs. Also, let’s face it, Kobe needs a big man to win.
RUSSELL WESTBROOK OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
Westbrook has been criticized for the amount that he shoots the ball but I believe that’s only because he shares touches with Kevin Durant. We have seen the Thunder without Westbrook and they were not even able to escape the semi-finals. Hopefully, Westbrook does not rush his injury recovery or encounter any setbacks. Other than their dynamic duo, the Thunder have to really look for scoring options. Westbrook’s presence can not be overlooked, right now he is equally as important if not more important than Durant. My concerns for the Thunder are that the rest of their squad is very young. Also, they still have not done anything about Kendrick Perkins. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Thunder make some trades before the deadline comes around.
TIM DUNCAN SAN ANTONIO SPURS
The Big Fundamental has been in the league for 16 years. For as long as I can remember, he has been the most important piece to the Spurs franchise. He is a phenomenal athlete. At 37 years old, Duncan still has gas left in the tank. Sort of like the Clippers, the Spurs will go as far as Duncan takes them. Yes, they have Parkerand Leonard but it is Duncan’s presence on the court that is more important than anything else. He has a unique offensive and defensive style of play. For his career, he is averaging 20.2PPG and 11.1RPG. I will be expecting double-double numbers from Duncan each game. His eyes are set on getting back to the Finals after losing to Heat. He is the face of the franchise and more important than anyone else.
CARMELO ANTHONY NEW YORK KNICKS
Carmelo is coming off winning the NBA’s scoring title. Carmelo has never even been out of the conference semi-finals. This is one of the biggest and most important years coming up in Carmelo’s career. I believe this year’s success will also determine how long Melo will stay in New York. A majority of the offensive responsibilities fall on Melo. The Heat, the Nets, the Bulls and the Pacers all will set up defensive schemes to stop Melo. If you can stop Melo, you can stop the Knicks. I’m worried for how far the Knicks will go in the playoffs. To me, it seems like all their eggs are in one basket. As well, New York better hope Melo’s shoulder stays healthy.
Courtesy: Yahoo! Sports
DERRICK ROSE CHICAGO BULLS
No surprise here. The Bulls need Rose to win and make it to the Finals. Rose is one of the few athletes with the ability to stop LeBron James. The Bulls have a strong starting lineup but having Rose back makes them a completely different team. I am glad he took all the time he needed to recover. So far this preseason, he has showed us that his explosiveness is still there. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Rose prove critiques wrong in his return.
PAUL GEORGE INDIANA PACERS
Courtesy: NBA.com
Paul George is a blooming superstar. George possesses the potential to one day be league MVP. George has been working on his jump shot, which needed a little bit of fine-tuning. George did a good job at guarding LeBron in the playoffs. If he is able to keep increasing his defensive productivity, it will help the Pacers tremendously. Paul loves getting better and you cannot forget he is only 23 years old. He has a bright future in front of him.
CHRIS BOSH MIAMIA HEAT
Obviously LeBron is a huge asset to the Heat. Dwayne Wade’s health is always a concern but when all cylinders are firing, Bosh is the final piece that brings Miami’s puzzle together. Bosh gets a lot of criticism and about no credit. Since Miami has a lot of scorers, Bosh’s role is vital in every other way. Bosh was able to guard Hibbert in the Eastern Conference Finals. Bosh is the most important big man on the Heat’s roster. Bosh gets criticized for taking outside shots, but with LeBron and Wade attacking the rim, having a big man you can kick it out to is huge for Miami. I got to give credit to Bosh for being very flexible. This ‘big 3’ would not work if Bosh was not able to adapt to the other superstars style of play on his team. Bosh has the responsibility of filling any void that is what makes him most value to the Miami Heat succeeding.
All statistics credited to basketball-reference.com
