The 2012-2013 NBA season will be opening, as did the last season, with the attraction of story lines. “Will Dwight Howard/ Steve Nash be the Lakers’ key to another title?”, “Can the “Heatles” do it again?”, “What about OKC?”, “Will the Clippers make the next step?”, and so on and so forth. With the majority of the compelling stories involving super stars and the like, it should be noted that there are some less glamorous players who should be checked out this upcoming season. Note: This is a non-rookie edition, the rooks will get their own post.
1. Greg Monroe, C/ F, Detroit Pistons
Greg Monroe
Photo Credit: AP
If I’m being honest, I’m biased towards Georgetown big men. With that being said, that Monroe was not selected to the USA Men’s Olympic Basketball team is completely beyond me. A solid 15 and 10 big man, Monroe is a commodity that the US Olympic team could have used. Monroe is what I like to consider as an international type of big. At 6’11” and 250lbs, he is surprisingly springy, getting off the floor quickly for his size. He presents an ability to run the floor, shoot well from around 10-12 feet out, and has good hands.
Lest we forget, Monroe is also very solid on the defensive end, bothering most bigs in the post. It’s hard to imagine that a young, quality big man like Monroe would be left out of a national team that, though they might not have needed it, could have found more use for than a rookie in Anthony Davis. One would expect Monroe to use his omission as a motivating factor next year. As Basketball Prospectus’ Brad Doolittle puts it, “He’ll be on a mission”.
2. Glen Davis, C/ F, Orlando Magic
Glen Davis
Photo Credit: AP
I’m not the biggest fan of the self-proclaimed “Uno Uno”, but Davis showed some promise in Orlando’s limited play-off stint last year. Averaging 38 minutes per game in 5 play-off starts, Davis boasted 19 ppg, 9.2 rpg, and 1.2 bpg. It seemed like the classic result of opportunity meeting talent. The unavoidable question here is, “Was it a fluke?”. You can look at Davis’ numbers as the performance from 5 full games or from just one play-off series. Either way, the question is fair. To be noted is that Davis presents a challenge to today’s NBA center or forward. He’s not the most mobile guy, but he has a quick first step for his size (6’9″ 289 lbs). Also, once he gets that one leg ahead of you, his upper body does all of the work, bumping its way into contact and using the defender’s momentum against him.
Davis’ shot selection and overall basketball IQ came under regular scrutiny as a Celtic. It’s reasonable to suggest that maybe it was because he didn’t take that many shots to begin with, drawing focus to his ill-advised ones. With the Orlando Magic somehow managing to get rid of assets and get back zilch, Davis is looking more and more like this new team’s primary offensive weapon. 38-40 mins per game will come with much more shots and much more freedom for Davis. That alone should result in a career year for “Uno Uno”. As new coach Jacque Vaughn told Davis, “Just be ready.”
3. Kawhi Leonard, SF, San Antonio Spurs
Kawhi Leonard
Photo Credit: AP
Drafted out of San Diego State University, Leonard is Head Coach Greg Popovich’s kind of player: the athletic, coachable, do-it-all swing man.
He was a star in college, averaging 15.5 ppg and 10.6 rpg. As expected, Leonard’s role was drawn back and he was forced to fit in rather than really stand out the way he might have wanted. With Popovich, fitting in becomes something of a journey. Rookies are usually anchored by a shortage of minutes, limiting their effectiveness and stand-out ability. Kawhi Leonard played 24 minutes per game in 61 of 66 games last season, adding on 27.1 minutes per game in a 14-game play-off run. That’s right, a rookie.
In that surprising tally lies the challenge. The former San Diego State Aztec was awarded essentially the same minutes he had in college, but he had to spend them all being a role player. It’s not like he had 10 minutes of playing time to deal with as a role player. Leonard had to play the majority of a basketball game as a different player. A player who didn’t need more than 7.9 ppg and 5.1 rpg to become a fan favorite and an integral part to a surprising season from the Spurs. With his undoubted coachability and adherence to Pop’s rules, look for Leonard to have his leash lengthened, thus becoming more than just an opportunistic role player on a veteran team.
Mohamed Abdihakim is a journalism student at Florida Atlantic University. He is a Phoenix Suns fan, who is not prepared for the possibility of Nash winning a title in a Lakers jersey. Interests include International basketball, Mad Men , and blues music. Twitter handle: @Abdi_hakim
