The NBA season is upon us and everyone has an opinion on who will do what in the 2012-13 campaign.
Sports Illustrated writers give some love to Anthony Davis, Rajon Rondo, and Eric Bledsoe after looking into their preseason Crystal Ball.
Rookie of the Year:
Thomsen
Anthony Davis. No rookie is better suited to make an immediate impact than Davis, who won the NCAA championship and the Olympic gold medal before entering the NBA. The Hornets promise to make a big improvement in the standings and Davis’ role as a defensive leader and a scorer in transition will be crucial.Mannix
Anthony Davis. Davis will be a menace defensively, and early returns from the preseason show that he could be more advanced offensively than expected. In a close race, Davis will edge Portland’s Damian Lillard, who will have every opportunity to score.Mahoney
Anthony Davis. Damian Lillard will manage to turn this race into a coin flip by year’s end, but Davis’ two-way impact — and massive reputation — will likely win him the hardware.Golliver
Anthony Davis. This one always comes down to opportunity and statistics; Davis won’t lack for minutes with the Hornets and he’s never had a problem putting up numbers. It’s not unreasonable to suggest that he could make a run at averaging a double-double. That production, his ability to make SportsCenter with alley-oops and impossible blocks and the name recognition he built up while winning a title at Kentucky and a gold medal with USA Basketball should be enough to hold off Damian Lillard, his toughest competition.Forrester
Anthony Davis. The No. 1 pick earns that distinction for a reason, and with the wingspan to protect the paint and the quickness to disrupt passing lanes, Davis is a one-man defensive shot of Red Bull. The one concern was his lack of polish on offense. While preseason results should be taken with a large grain of salt, Davis has quickly become one of the focal points of the Hornets’ offense, showing a confident mid-range touch. If he carries those improvements into the regular season, Davis could engineer one of the bigger turnarounds in the league.
Breakout Player
Mahoney
Eric Bledsoe. The 22-year-old guard’s game is loaded with the kind of nuance that simply makes his team better. Case in point: He led the NBA in adjusted plus-minus in both the regular season and the playoffs last season as a second-year player (per Basketball Value), all while thriving in a variety of roles and positions. With more frequent chances to flourish as an on-ball disruptor and cutting savant, he’ll become a highly valued part of the Clippers’ regular rotation and experience an Avery Bradley-like rise.
NBA’s Best Point Guard at Season’s End
Thomsen
Rajon Rondo. Whether his Celtics meet the Heat in the second round or the Eastern Conference finals, once again they’re going to give Miami its most difficult test thanks to Rondo. Other point guards are rated ahead of Rondo individually, but none has proved capable of doing more for his team, and no point guard is better on the biggest stage. Rondo might not win one-on-one contests, but no rival point guard is more valuable to his team.Jenkins
Rajon Rondo. Maybe this reads too much into last season’s Eastern Conference finals, when Rondo averaged more than 20 points in addition to 11 assists and nearly seven rebounds, repeatedly burning the Heat with surprising mid-range jumpers. Rondo shot better than 48 percent in that series, and even sank some threes, prompting hope that he can begin to make defenses pay for leaving him. In one offseason, Rose remade his shot, and he won the MVP award. Rondo already does everything else on the court, and if he can build off his success against the Heat, he could assume the point guard mantle.Dollinger
Rajon Rondo. Chris Paul is the league’s most complete point guard, but Rondo is its finest. The Celtic is already a game changer with his court vision and ability to wreak havoc on defense. Is this the year he adds more scoring to his repertoire? If so, look out.
