With the NBA regular season right around the corner, let’s take a look at some players who are primed to make significant improvement in 2009-2010:

Travis Outlaw- Outlaw has been at the cusp for what has seemed like years.  About 6 years to be exact.  Over the last two seasons the slim, 6’9″ small forward has averaged 13 ppg.  Each year, Outlaw has done increasingly more damage from beyond the arc – making 89 triples in 2008-2009.

Outlaw has been blessed with tremendous length, above average speed and quickness, and explosive hops.  These attributes make for a dangerous combination.  But Portland’s roster has never lacked for small forward types – with the current roster including Brandon Roy, Martell Webster and Rudy Fernandez.  But if there’s ever a time for Travis to step up, it is now.

Courtney Lee- Courtney Lee had to be stunned by the news of his own trade.  Coming off of a season with the Magic that saw their chemistry peak as the playoffs progressed, one would consider it a safe bet that Orlando would do little or no offseason roster tampering.

But Lee was packaged with Rafer Alston and Tony Battie and sent to the New Jersey Nets for 8-time NBA All-Star Vince Carter.  Now that the dust has cleared, he’s the best current scorer on the Nets and has a great shot at being “the man” in their offense.

The wide open style of play that is embraced in New Jersey will certainly work in his favor.  He and Devin Harris make for a pair of quick guards that can create scoring opportunities before the defense can set itself.  Don’t be shocked to see the former Western Kentucky shooting guard average somewhere between 15 and 18 ppg this year.

Brandon Rush - A silky smooth jump shooter always has a place in the NBA.  Mix that with a degree of athletic ability and you have a guy who can be a scorer in the league for a long time.

Thaddeus Young has outstanding athleticism and versatility.

Brandon Rush, a member of the 2006 NCAA Champion Kansas Jayhawks, plays on an Indiana Pacers team that is in desperate need of some dependable players.  The 2008-2009 Most Improved Player, Danny Granger, has blossomed into a full-blown superstar and he desperately needs some help.  The oft-injured Mike Dunleavy doesn’t look to have the durability to make a name for himself.  Troy Murphy is a power forward who doesn’t have power.

Every opportunity will be there for Rush to become a big-time contributor.

Thaddeus Young- At 6’8″ with tons of athleticism, Young is ready for the next step.  Last season, the former Yellow Jacket averaged 15.3 ppg in 34 minutes.  He played hard defensively throughout the year.  But the most impressive aspect of his game was his propensity to play within the flow of the game.  He didn’t force any shots, had a field goal percentage of 5o% and even connected on 34% of his three-point attempts.

While T.Y. made a huge leap in performance from his rookie year to his sophomore year, he is still relatively unknown to the media.  But playing on a post-Iverson Philadelphia team has given him the opportunity to develop a more versatile game.  Don’t be surprised if this is the year that he truly arrives.

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